Steady state cardio

B

Braille

Cathlete
I'm sorry I'm pestering everybody again. Some of you helped me figure out how to get back into strength training again with Cathe DVDs (so I wouldn't have to buy more workouts). I'm doing well, and thanks to Cathe's recent sales, I was even able to replace the workouts that had been taken from my collection (nasty divorce lol). Progress has been slow, but I'm making it. I still REALLY struggle with the lower body, though, because I have a panic attack when my heart rate goes up. It's a mental thing that has to do with some bad experiences I survived in my former marriage, and I am determined to overcome it. So... I have a plan. I KNOW I can have an elevated heart rate when I'm distracted and having fun. I dance and play pickleball. So, my plan is to bring cardio into my fitness plan, even though I'm not wear I want to be strength-wise yet. I checked, and I can do Basic Step with no panic, so I know I'm capable of it. I tried Fusion... and the part where you do the lunges kicked me into panic attack mode. It looks like steady state cardio is going to be what I need. I want to try to desensitize my mind to the elevated heart rate, hoping I can then transfer that feeling of being "safe" to leg day so that I can work my lower body as thoroughly as my upper body. Crazy plan, I know, but I've come a long way and met a lot of goals in other areas of my life with my strange "thinking outside of the box" ideas.

I'm asking for your help again. It's been over two years since I've touched my cardio collection. I'm asking for suggestions on intermediate steady state Cathe DVDs that don't have blasts. Because I'm fairly active, Basic Step isn't enough for me, but I can't handle sudden spikes or rapid breathing yet (mentally). I am now comfortable using Cathe's premixes (a treasure I'd been missing out on for years). I'd prefer to not have to use "skip" on the DVD player/remote, because the time it takes can allow my heart rate to go down, which defeats the purpose.

I'm going to try Low Impact Step. I'm thinking Cardio Party might also be appropriate? My memory isn't what it used to be. lol So, I can't remember if it had blasts? There was a short 20 minute (I think) step workout as a bonus or something on one of her DVDs, but I can't remember which one. I thought she had a boxing DVD that wasn't as intense as some of her MMA ones? After those 4... I'm out of ideas. I'd really appreciate some help with this. Any suggestions would be appreciated. :)

I do have quite a few Jessica workouts, and I've been some of her walking videos, but I'm looking for the "fun factor" that Cathe brings so that I'll push myself and not think about my body's response to that (like when I'm dancing - I'm aware, but not scared/hyper-focused on it).

I want to try this for a month (or more, if that's what my body and mind say I need) along with the strength training I'm currently working on. After that... I'm going to back and try Fusion. If I can handle it... I'll be ready for blasts/short bursts of anaerobic cardio intermixed with mostly steady state. Hopefully that will retrain me to accept the heavier breathing and higher heart rate that comes with a lot of lower body strength training. Hope all that makes sense. lol
 
Jessica also has a little step workout called Step & Stride. she uses a high step platform --maybe a riser or 2,
(I just use the platform top) and it's been awhile, but what I remember, it's pretty basic and probably around
30 min.
 
Actually I think it's called Stride & Step and it's on the dvd Burn Fat & Have Fun. Like I mentioned, she uses
a high step, but I have seen where others use the long end of the regular step if you don't have a high step,
and it'll work just the same.
 
Debinmi listed a bunch of great options. She hit on what I was going to suggest, which is to check your current cardio DVD library for timesaver premixes, as, yes, Cathe tends to include blasts in most of her cardio, but she often includes premixes that exclude the blasts.

Couple other suggestions I didn't see:

Hardcore Series Low Max - Step Combos only premix (this one is super easy, IMO)
Step Boss IMax 4 - Combos only premix

The following don't have blasts, per se, but I would categorize them as more intense and choreographically challenging (so might not fit what you're looking for):
Shock Cardio Step Sync
Party Rockin' Step 1 & 2

Honorable mention to Shock Cardio MMA Boxing - it doesn't have premixes, though, and she does include blasts, but you could also just fast-forward through them and do the punching combos only.
 
Some good recommendations here. You could also check out Christina Dorner, CDornerFitness on YouTube. She has a lot of short approx. 30-minute cardio workouts. Some are step aerobics, and some are more dance style. I've been using her cardio workouts quite a bit lately because of my sore hip. She gives lots of modifications if you can't jump or do high intensity. I do her step workouts on the floor without a step. She may have some workouts that would suit what you are looking for and give you more variety.
 
Debinmi said:
@Braille ,
One more thing - In the Workout Manager, you can get an estimate as to the workout's intensity by checking the MET value given in the "Step 2 Edit Basic Info" box. This is provided for every workout and for every premix. On the right side of the page is a box that shows the chapters used in each Premix also. It's not an exact science, but it is relative. So Basic Step has a MET of 5.5 for reference. Low Impact Step is 6.0. Cardio Fusion is rated 6.5 as is the LI Cardio bonus on LMR1. You can use this to help you choose a workout for progression.
Click to expand...
Good point on the MET value
 
aqua girl said:
Hi Braille, you might be thinking about the short immediate step workout on the Step Sync dvd. I think that
one is about 20-ish minutes and is a less intense shorter version of the full Step Sync workout.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Yes, that's the one. I'm writing it on my list. There's things I remember seeing when I first got each DVD, but since I normally did the full workouts back then, unless it was something I tacked on (which I rarely did with cardio), I can't remember what came with what. lol I started reading the back of all of my DVDs, popping some in the player, and lost track of time... I realized I'd forgotten that I went in there to do my workout, so I had to stop checking out DVDs and get my workout down. lol
 
Braille said:
Thank you! Yes, that's the one. I'm writing it on my list. There's things I remember seeing when I first got each DVD, but since I normally did the full workouts back then, unless it was something I tacked on (which I rarely did with cardio), I can't remember what came with what. lol I started reading the back of all of my DVDs, popping some in the player, and lost track of time... I realized I'd forgotten that I went in there to do my workout, so I had to stop checking out DVDs and get my workout down. lol
Click to expand...
I've done that before!:)
 
Debinmi said:
@Braille,

First, you may be already doing this, but you might try some anti-anxiety breathing techniques practiced on a daily basis to help with the anxiety; or Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), or some other relaxing Imagery or Meditation to help with anxiety. I find "Block Breathing" to be very effective myself. Easy to do whenever, and the PMR helps me fall asleep at night.

Here's some more Cathe ideas. Some of the older step workouts don't have premixes, so you might just try doing them by the combos. You might have to keep your remote handy to skip some higher intensity stuff as some of the editing still included some, or just sub in a move

The Classics Step: Step Heat, Step Jam; Step Max
Cardio Hits: Step Fit; Step Works
Step Jump & Punch Step only premix
Step Blast Combos only premix
4DS: Kickbox only
4DS: LI Step only
ICE Low Impact Sweat timesavers
ICE Rock'm Sock'm - Punching combos only Premix
LITE Cardio Party - TS 3: HI/Lo 23 min
LITE Cardio Party - TS 4: Boxing 25 min
LITE Rev'd Up Rumble - Timesavers
LMR: LI Cardio 15 min
Step Boss - Step Sync: Intermediate Step Bonus 21 min
Step Boss - Step Sync: Timesaver Premixes
Kick Punch & Crunch - premixes that leave out the drills and blasts
Kick Max Low Impact timesavers
Cardio & Weights - step cardio only premix
FitSplit's Kickbox Bootcamp
Click to expand...
Thank you. I don't have anxiety on a regular basis, but I know what triggers the panic attacks, so I do have a breathing technique that I use before I do anything that's a known trigger (ex. going into crowds, being around men, etc.) - it, along with a pep talk that I give myself (yep, I talk to myself lol) has helped me to the point that the dread and fear I had about doing new things or going new places is gone. It doesn't help when I do it before exercise though, and by the time I start having issues... I'm so frustrated with myself that I just take a break and go eat a piece of chocolate to reward myself for at least trying.

I do have a serious problem with sleep, though. and have found rain forest CDs, ocean waves, etc. helps relax me, but I still can't sleep. I haven't heard of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, so thank you for mentioning it. I'm going to Google it, and try it. I can get my mind "calm" with the sound CDs, but I can still feel tension in body (especially the neck), so this sounds like it might help.

Thank you for that wonderful list. I have no idea how you came up with that many so fast. You must have an extremely organized system. :) Thank you so much! I've written down your list, and I'm going to pop the videos in and kind of get a "feel" for intensity level and then put them in the order I think I can do from easiest to me to most challenging for me. I have been eyeballing Rock'm Sock'm, but knew I couldn't do it, because the kicks will cause my issue - I did not realize there was a punching combo only - I'm so excited! You've listed enough that I think I'll have plenty of variety if I start out with the shorter step and boxing only (alternating). I can then hopefully move to alternating between kickboxing and longer step, eventually working my way to blasts (short bursts of higher intensity) and then see if I can take it to anaerobic level. I'm hoping to be able to achieve high intensity, but if I can just get to the point where I don't panic during lower body workouts, I'll have achieved a lot. Thank you for all of your help. I somehow hadn't even realized I LMR had a shorter cardio. I'd finally come up with a plan, (I was tired of feeling helpless), but had no idea where to start on finding the workouts to implement it. You're my hero. :cool:
 
Debinmi said:
Oh, and @Braille, I think you once mentioned you have some Kelly Coffey-Meyer dvds. She has some fun cardio too.
Click to expand...
I have some Jessica Smith. I've read on the forum that Kelley is good, but I don't have any of her workouts. That barre fitness workout of Jessica's sounds familiar. I think I have that. :) I also have her fusion one, but it was a bit too much for me - I'm not ready for it yet, I guess. I was doing fine until the squats, and then my mind took over and freaked out on me.
 
aqua girl said:
Actually I think it's called Stride & Step and it's on the dvd Burn Fat & Have Fun. Like I mentioned, she uses
a high step, but I have seen where others use the long end of the regular step if you don't have a high step,
and it'll work just the same.
Click to expand...
I did Stride and Step last week! It was fun... didn't really get my heart rate up, because I didn't have risers under my step. I'm going to try it again with a riser and see how I do. :) I've also recently done her Have a Ball workout. It didn't get my heartrate up at all, but I had fun doing it anyways. I like playing with "toys" when I'm working out. lol
 
Debinmi said:
@Braille ,
One more thing - In the Workout Manager, you can get an estimate as to the workout's intensity by checking the MET value given in the "Step 2 Edit Basic Info" box. This is provided for every workout and for every premix. On the right side of the page is a box that shows the chapters used in each Premix also. It's not an exact science, but it is relative. So Basic Step has a MET of 5.5 for reference. Low Impact Step is 6.0. Cardio Fusion is rated 6.5 as is the LI Cardio bonus on LMR1. You can use this to help you choose a workout for progression.
Click to expand...
Somebody post a list of workouts by MET (which I'd never heard of before) on a past forum, and I printed it off, because I thought it would help when I get further along in this goal. I didn't realize the premixes had a MET value though. Thank you! That might save me some time popping videos in to preview premixes, because watching videos in fast forward and guessing how it's going to feel when I actually do it isn't an exact science either. lol
 
Kellyro77 said:
Debinmi listed a bunch of great options. She hit on what I was going to suggest, which is to check your current cardio DVD library for timesaver premixes, as, yes, Cathe tends to include blasts in most of her cardio, but she often includes premixes that exclude the blasts.

Couple other suggestions I didn't see:

Hardcore Series Low Max - Step Combos only premix (this one is super easy, IMO)
Step Boss IMax 4 - Combos only premix

The following don't have blasts, per se, but I would categorize them as more intense and choreographically challenging (so might not fit what you're looking for):
Shock Cardio Step Sync
Party Rockin' Step 1 & 2

Honorable mention to Shock Cardio MMA Boxing - it doesn't have premixes, though, and she does include blasts, but you could also just fast-forward through them and do the punching combos only.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much. I'm adding them to my list. If I accomplish what I'm trying to accomplish, I'll be moving slowly but surely to more challenging cardio, so the more challenging suggestions are good too - I'll just put them on my list to do after I've accomplished the easier (for me) ones. I loved one of those Pary Rockin' Step workouts - can't remember which one, but it was so fun and had complicated steps that made me think - I'm wondering if my having to overthink the step moves would distract me from realizing my breathing and heartrate are changing. I'll see how some of the combos only premixes go, and if I'm doing ok, I might give Pary Rockin' Step (whichever is the dancy one - thank goodness Cathe puts good descriptions on her DVD cases lol) - maybe not the whole thing (I think it was 55+ min.), but if I could do 1/2, I'd feel pretty proud of myself. :cool:
 
Hazlady said:
Some good recommendations here. You could also check out Christina Dorner, CDornerFitness on YouTube. She has a lot of short approx. 30-minute cardio workouts. Some are step aerobics, and some are more dance style. I've been using her cardio workouts quite a bit lately because of my sore hip. She gives lots of modifications if you can't jump or do high intensity. I do her step workouts on the floor without a step. She may have some workouts that would suit what you are looking for and give you more variety.
Click to expand...
My internet is not reliable, and my TV is too old to make things from my laptop show up on the TV screen. I like the idea of the dance workouts, though, but it would be a pain to try to do it on my laptop, even if my internet decided to behave. I love having modifiers. I hope the situation with your hip is temporary? I have a friend that had horrible hip pain, and she visited Mexico and got this shark cartilage stuff? It's helped a LOT. She's back on the dance floor.

Do you happen to know if it's legal to download free workouts from YouTube onto a flash drive? I'm going to see if my nephew can get it where I can use downloads (the ladies on this forum gave me several methods that might work) with a flashdrive in my workout room. If he can... I'm planning to buy a few Cathe Live's. Can I do the same thing with YouTube videos or is it not allowed to download them?
 
Braille said:
I'm sorry I'm pestering everybody again. Some of you helped me figure out how to get back into strength training again with Cathe DVDs (so I wouldn't have to buy more workouts). I'm doing well, and thanks to Cathe's recent sales, I was even able to replace the workouts that had been taken from my collection (nasty divorce lol). Progress has been slow, but I'm making it. I still REALLY struggle with the lower body, though, because I have a panic attack when my heart rate goes up. It's a mental thing that has to do with some bad experiences I survived in my former marriage, and I am determined to overcome it. So... I have a plan. I KNOW I can have an elevated heart rate when I'm distracted and having fun. I dance and play pickleball. So, my plan is to bring cardio into my fitness plan, even though I'm not wear I want to be strength-wise yet. I checked, and I can do Basic Step with no panic, so I know I'm capable of it. I tried Fusion... and the part where you do the lunges kicked me into panic attack mode. It looks like steady state cardio is going to be what I need. I want to try to desensitize my mind to the elevated heart rate, hoping I can then transfer that feeling of being "safe" to leg day so that I can work my lower body as thoroughly as my upper body. Crazy plan, I know, but I've come a long way and met a lot of goals in other areas of my life with my strange "thinking outside of the box" ideas.

I'm asking for your help again. It's been over two years since I've touched my cardio collection. I'm asking for suggestions on intermediate steady state Cathe DVDs that don't have blasts. Because I'm fairly active, Basic Step isn't enough for me, but I can't handle sudden spikes or rapid breathing yet (mentally). I am now comfortable using Cathe's premixes (a treasure I'd been missing out on for years). I'd prefer to not have to use "skip" on the DVD player/remote, because the time it takes can allow my heart rate to go down, which defeats the purpose.

I'm going to try Low Impact Step. I'm thinking Cardio Party might also be appropriate? My memory isn't what it used to be. lol So, I can't remember if it had blasts? There was a short 20 minute (I think) step workout as a bonus or something on one of her DVDs, but I can't remember which one. I thought she had a boxing DVD that wasn't as intense as some of her MMA ones? After those 4... I'm out of ideas. I'd really appreciate some help with this. Any suggestions would be appreciated. :)

I do have quite a few Jessica workouts, and I've been some of her walking videos, but I'm looking for the "fun factor" that Cathe brings so that I'll push myself and not think about my body's response to that (like when I'm dancing - I'm aware, but not scared/hyper-focused on it).

I want to try this for a month (or more, if that's what my body and mind say I need) along with the strength training I'm currently working on. After that... I'm going to back and try Fusion. If I can handle it... I'll be ready for blasts/short bursts of anaerobic cardio intermixed with mostly steady state. Hopefully that will retrain me to accept the heavier breathing and higher heart rate that comes with a lot of lower body strength training. Hope all that makes sense. lol
Click to expand...
This is from my website. Years ago I found a post (I think either here or at VF.) Cathe users rated the workouts as to difficulty. I gathered the MET levels from the site. They won’t be exact and as runners say, your mileage may vary but it might provide insight.

If it doesn’t say METS it’s perceived exertion. Adding or removing risers will, of course raise or lower METs as will adding or removing air.

Step Cardio (where step cardio is the dominant feature in the workout)

• Basic Step- 2.64/3.03 - 5.50 METs
• Get in Shape for Your Wedding (step portion only)- 4.15 - OOP
• Step N Motion 1- 4.33 - OOP
•Step Jam- 5.14/6.63 - 5.5 METs
• Step Heat- 4.94/6.14 - 6.5 METs
• Mega Step Blast- 5.38
•Step Boss Intermediate Step - 6.3 METs
•Step Max- 5.46/6.57 - 6.5 METs
•4 Day Split Lower Intensity Step - 6.75 - 6.0 METs
•Low Impact Step - 5.89
• All Step- 6.14
•Step Fit- 6.74/6.72 - 7.0 METs
•All Step (Cross Train Xpress) - 6.74 - 7.0 METs
•Step Boss Step Sync - 7.0 METs
•Step Moves - 6.82
•Power Max- 6.90/7.09
•Low Max - 6.93
•Low Impact Challenge Step Aerobics- 6.95
•Rhythmic Step- 6.96 - 6.0 METs
•Cardio Fusion - 7.0
•Step Works- 7.05/7.16
•Athletic Step - 7.06
•Rhythmic Step - 7.23
•4 Day Split High Intensity Step - 7.27 - 7.5 METs
• Step Blast- 7.50/7.64

Other Cardio (where step in NOT the dominant form of cardio)
• CTX Kickbox- 6.31/6.50

•MMA Kickbox - 6.32
•10*10*10- 6.42/6.67
•Low Impact Slide & Glide - 6.45
•MMA Boxing - 6.63
•MMA Fusion - 6.83
• 4 Day Split Kickbox - 7.04
• Cardio Kicks- 7.07/6.56
•Kick Max – 7.57/7.37
•Low Impact Cardio Super Sets - 7.59
•Xtrain Hard Strikes - 7.63
•Kick Punch & Crunch- 7.66/7.22
•4 Day Split Bootcamp - 7.98
• Maximum Intensity Cardio- 9.55/8.46
 
Lannette said:
This is from my website. Years ago I found a post (I think either here or at VF.) Cathe users rated the workouts as to difficulty. I gathered the MET levels from the site. They won’t be exact and as runners say, your mileage may vary but it might provide insight.

If it doesn’t say METS it’s perceived exertion. Adding or removing risers will, of course raise or lower METs as will adding or removing air.

Step Cardio (where step cardio is the dominant feature in the workout)

• Basic Step- 2.64/3.03 - 5.50 METs
• Get in Shape for Your Wedding (step portion only)- 4.15 - OOP
• Step N Motion 1- 4.33 - OOP
•Step Jam- 5.14/6.63 - 5.5 METs
• Step Heat- 4.94/6.14 - 6.5 METs
• Mega Step Blast- 5.38
•Step Boss Intermediate Step - 6.3 METs
•Step Max- 5.46/6.57 - 6.5 METs
•4 Day Split Lower Intensity Step - 6.75 - 6.0 METs
•Low Impact Step - 5.89
• All Step- 6.14
•Step Fit- 6.74/6.72 - 7.0 METs
•All Step (Cross Train Xpress) - 6.74 - 7.0 METs
•Step Boss Step Sync - 7.0 METs
•Step Moves - 6.82
•Power Max- 6.90/7.09
•Low Max - 6.93
•Low Impact Challenge Step Aerobics- 6.95
•Rhythmic Step- 6.96 - 6.0 METs
•Cardio Fusion - 7.0
•Step Works- 7.05/7.16
•Athletic Step - 7.06
•Rhythmic Step - 7.23
•4 Day Split High Intensity Step - 7.27 - 7.5 METs
• Step Blast- 7.50/7.64

Other Cardio (where step in NOT the dominant form of cardio)
• CTX Kickbox- 6.31/6.50

•MMA Kickbox - 6.32
•10*10*10- 6.42/6.67
•Low Impact Slide & Glide - 6.45
•MMA Boxing - 6.63
•MMA Fusion - 6.83
• 4 Day Split Kickbox - 7.04
• Cardio Kicks- 7.07/6.56
•Kick Max – 7.57/7.37
•Low Impact Cardio Super Sets - 7.59
•Xtrain Hard Strikes - 7.63
•Kick Punch & Crunch- 7.66/7.22
•4 Day Split Bootcamp - 7.98
• Maximum Intensity Cardio- 9.55/8.46
Click to expand...

Thank you! I see Cardio Fusion is rated higher than I would have expected a beginner/intermediate workout to be, so now I don't feel so bad about not being able to do those side lunges yet. lol
 
Debinmi said:
Oh, I think you may be confusing Cardio Fusion, which was a compilation dvd from the "sash" series (Drill Max, Body Max2, LI Circuit) with the Body Fusion workout that's on the Basic Step dvd. HTH.

ETA: Just an FYI, you can download YouTube workouts if you have a YouTube subscription ....you'll see that download tab doesn't work & it'll take you to their subscription page.
Click to expand...
Oops! Yes, that's exactly what I did - I guess I never noticed their were 2 DVDs with the name Fusion in them. I organize them by series, date, or type (kickbox vs. strength type of thing) - it's a strange system, but works for me. lol So, the 2 similar titles never registered in my mind.

Thank you for the info on YouTube and needing a subscription and how to get to where I would subscribe. :)
 
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