Rhythmic Step ok for first video?

K

KayM

Cathlete
I talked my mom into getting me my first Cathe. :) Not that she needs to purchase it for me, but we just bought a new house and I can't justify any frivolous purchases until we sell the old one.

Anyhoo, I was going to get the Wedding video, but then I thought (ok, this is how shallow I am) - hey, when I have to exercise in front of other people, I want to have a cool, tough video! Not one where Cathe's talkin' bout her wedding.

Stupid, I know, but there you go. So if I don't get her wedding video as the first, which one should I get? A couple of people I think mentioned Rhythmic Step is lower impact so I thought, even though it'll obviously be a big challenge, maybe I could get that one. Or would it be just too overwhelming?

To give you an idea of my fitness level - I currently work out to things like Firm Classics (they still kick my butt), Firm Parts tapes, Kathy Smith Kickboxing, Method Dynamic Cardio, and other stuff like that.

Your advice is much appreciated!!!

Thanks,
 
If you want a real challenge, my suggestion would be to get Maximum Intensity Cardio (MIC). You can do only one half or both halves - the first being Hilo, the second being step. The choreography is not hard to learn. If you get to the point where you can do the whole tape, you will be in great shape, believe me. For this reason, it's a tape you can grow with. You can always vary the intensity by taking the jumps out of certain moves, and on the step part, lower your step.

MIC Hilo was my first introduction to Cathe cardio, so that's why I'm making this suggestion. I found that I outgrew the other tapes like Step Max and Mega Step Blast very quickly. I actually went from Mic Hilo to Imax to Mega Step Blast to Body Max, and actually kept Body Max, Imax and MIC. I traded away Mega Step Blast and Step Max.

IMO, Rythmic Step's choreography is too tricky to try for a first Cathe tape.

Just Do It! :)
 
Hmmmm, I think RS would probably be too much complex choreography for you to start off with. Even a lot of veteran Cathe junkies thought it was pretty complex when it first came out, not that it's not worth learning and using after you're a bit more used to her style, it is a lot of fun after all. Also, it is lower impact than a lot of her other stuff but that definitely doesn't mean it's low impact.

Honestly, the Wedding Video has never really been one of my favourites but a lot of people think it's pretty fun.



I might recommend trying Power Max first, or maybe Cardio Kicks if you like kickboxing. Circuit Max has hi/lo, kickboxing and step, none of which is overwhelmingly complicated. Much of the step choreography in the CrossTrain XPress series might help prepare you for her more complex stuff because it's largely a blend of old stuff and a little bit of new stuff thrown in.

My first Cathe workouts were StepMax (which is somewhat older but lots of fun and plenty challenging) and BodyMax. BodyMax is really cool and has little snippets from her more complex videos but easier to follow. Basically, the choreography is much simpler than some of her other workouts but it is a very high impact workout. There are lots of things you can do to modify it down though, like just not jump and lift most of the time or use a low step. The pace on BM is pretty brisk though, just so you know.

Good luck with your new Cathe workout(s), let us know what you decide.
 
I agree with the most wondrous Honeybunch! MIC is the way to go. Rhythmic Step is too complicated to be your first Cathe video. Plus, in my oh-so-humble opinion, MIC is a superior workout -- one of Cathe's toughest and best. Great bang for the buck, plus the step portion is reasonably easy to learn.

Hey, Honeybunch, my story's something like yours. I started with MIC, BodyMax, and IMax and worked my way back to MegaStep Blast, StepMax, etc., etc. I thought the earlier ones would be tougher than they turned out to be. I only do MegaStep Blast once in a blue moon. StepMax and Step Jam are very boring for me. My favorite hour-long, step-only tape is Step Works -- how about you?

Patricia
 
I rotate Power Max, Step Fit and Step Works, and I must say that I like Step Works the best. I need to drag out BodyMax and do that one again real soon.

Just Do It! :)
 
Those are the three step tapes I use on a regular basis as well (I'm not too good at sticking to cardio "rotations", except for maybe weights).

I know what you mean about BodyMax -- I did the step and leg section a couple of months ago after not doing it for awhile. I keep on forgetting just how tough it really is. I have in the past done it in its entirety but I generally find I start losing steam after about an hour.

Patricia

P.S. Your mantra is my mantra -- best fitness phrase ever uttered "Just Do It!"
 
Well Rhythmic Step was obviously ambitious. Now I need to decide among the suggestions y'all gave me. I will go back and watch the previews (I just love those) and see which one looks like the best one for me.

Thanks for your suggestions!!! I'm very glad I asked before I bought!
 
>I agree with the most wondrous
>Honeybunch! MIC is the way
>to go.

MIC is a great video, BUT it is very high impact so just beware of that before you get it. I have a bad knee and rarely do the tape because it is hard to modify. But if you don't have any problems with high impact, it's a great tape!!

Colleen
 
Rhythmic Step is still in the bottom of a crate since the day I previewed it and said to myself, "yeah, sure you're right!" I actually got frustrated just previewing it and shelved it with the mental label, "I'll get back to it after I've mastered every other Cathe step video!"

MIC: we have a love/hate relationship going! EVERY time I'm about 1/2 way through the hi/lo section I say to myself, "damn! it's still kicking my butt!" That video NEVER, EVER gets any easier for me! NEVER! But I keep going back like it's a sickness or something! Give me Imax any day! :) At least there's a 1 min "walk it off."

Donna
 
"MIC is a superior workout -- one of Cathe's toughest and best. Great bang for the buck, plus the step portion is reasonably easy to learn."

Kay:

Everyone here at the forums has different goals and tastes and that dictates the advice they give to you, even me. If you want a hi/lo and step tape then MIC could be the one for you. While I like the short hi/lo section, personally, I find the coreography on the step section to be one of Cathe's dullest, sorry to MIC fans. Do you necessarily want to get a video that some consider to be "toughest"? This rather depends on your current fitnesss levels and goals.

It can be a good idea to purchase and keep videos that span the spectrum of degrees of difficulty. While the boxes of Cathe's videos declare them all to be advanced, some are obviously more difficult than others. Things like getting injured, increased business in our general lives, vacations, sickness, etc occcur and there will be times when you need to take a break from exercising. If all you own are simply "the toughest", this can make it very intimidating and upsetting when you have taken a break for a while and then need to ease yourself back into an exercise routine again.

I agree with you on the cheesiness factor of a wedding video and have never even looked at it. For simplest Cathe video to ease into Cathe's style I use Step Heat. I only use this if I have had a break from working out for more than 2 months. After this, I do not break a sweat doing it.

Otherwise, I use STep Fit and Rhythmic Step as videos that span various degrees of usefulness. They are great for days when you weant to work out but don't want to put yourself through the wringer, or you only had two hours sleep because you had a paper due and pulled an allnighter, or because you want to move and feel good rather than punish yourself with some super tough routine. They are also both great for newcomers to Cathe and for easing back into working out after a break.

For all these reasons, I would recommend them to you.

I don't think Rhythmic Step would be too challenging for you. I got all the moves for this video down within three tries and I am no dancer, I have little grace or style and have difficuty with Christi Taylor and Kristin Kagen who never repeat a move twice. Cathe is like a MAC computer: user-friendly. Her cueing is the best. You have a brain, you can do it if you want to. There's something about this video that keeps me and many others here like me coming back to it: it's like it does something for the soul. Once you have the moves down, you never have to think about them again, and you just fly with the music. It is divided into four sections, and you just take them one at a time. Day number 1: do section 1 three times with warm up and cool down, and you'll have it. Next time do warm up and section one again, then do section 2 twice, etc.

Anyway you yourself are attracted to this video, you must have read about it on-line and felt some kind of gut reaction to it. Go for it.

Take a look at the video clips Cathe has on the web site and see if the style of any videos seem particularly attractive.

Like I said, we all have particular favourites, and you can guess what one of mine is!

Clare
 
Note:

I would also recommend staying well clear of IMAX, Ciruit Max, Body Max for the moment as these are not suitable for a Cathe novice. Keep these in sight for say, a couple of months down the road.

First degree of difficulty:
Step Heat, Step Fit, Rhythmic Step

Second degree of difficulty:
Powermax, Cardio Kicks (why don't you preview this one, it's quite modifiable and suits difffernet fitness levels), Step Works

Third degree of difficulty:
Circuit Max, Body MAx, IMAX.

Personal ratings. Others may disagree. I haven't rated other because I either don't own them, find them too dull (Step Jam?!?!?!?!) or never do them. Hope this helps.

Clare
 
Hi Kay,

My first Cathe purchases were Mega Step Blast and Wedding video, and I started out with the Wedding video first, and I saw a huge improvement - after 2 weeks my biceps appeared, the strength workout is also great - brilliant floor work too. My DH always says I sound like I am in agony when doing the strength part !
I tried Mega Step Blast for the first time at the weekend, and it is much easier than the Wedding step section, but just as intense ! I wish I had started out with Mega Step Blast first. I also think that the wedding video is good value because you have a Cathe strength section, so if like me you haven't got round to getting MIS or Powerhour yet, then you have a Cathe strength workout to fall back on.

I know what kind of a dilemma you are in, I found choosing so hard. I did circuit max for the first time last night, and I don't recommend starting off with that one. I was in bed by 11pm, it wore me out so much (good for my cortisol, though !).

Let us know what you decide !

Anna :)
 
Well I agonized over this for quite a while, and I finally decided on Step Heat. My sophisticated decision-making tool was the music. :) Step Heat has instrumental versions of ZZ-Top, and can that ever be a bad thing??

Thank you very much to everyone for your advice, I have a list of videos that can be my second Cathe video now. That is, when she's done kicking my butt with Step Heat!!

I at least managed to refrain from having my mom overnighting the video. :) So hopefully I'll have it sometime next week.

Thanks guys!!!!
 
GOOD CHOICE!!!!

In my opinion, Step Heat is a perfect introduction to Cathe videos. It's a little shorter than her other videos, and it's just tough enough. You won't feel totally "whupped" afterwards, but you will feel like you've worked out; trust me! It also has an ab section at the end. It's the perfect workout for days when you're a bit pressed for time, or just want to take it a little easier.

ENJOY!!!

Linda
 
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