I know that there was another thread on this, but I couldn't find it. Anyway, Cathe, my mother has been a fan of yours for a long time. She found your workouts by chance on the internet when she was googling advanced workouts. She had gotten her start with Kathy Smith, but she needed something a tad harder after a year. She immediately purchased Step Heat, and almost threw up the first time she did it. Regardless, my mother persevered. When the time came for me to try home fitness, you, Cathe were one of the first instructors to whom I turned. My mother and I applauded you when we discovered the plyo-challenge of Step Max, the never-push-too-hard ethics in your Maximum Intensity Series, the no-nonsense brilliance that is Cross Train Express, and the return to form in 4 Day Split. Granted, your STS is fantastic in its own right-it picks up in heavy weights where 4 Day Split only hinted. However, with the release of such a series comes a shift in the workout attitude. Suddenly an emphasis on step becomes an emphasis on weights. The Catheite (and I can only speak from an observer's perspective) seems to be trading in a repeater for a one-rep max test.
It shows how much you've grown, and I congratulate those who've completed such a daunting program. But, as you already know, heavy weights is a risky business. The Catheite who doesn't value this newfound embrace or cannot compete feels alienated. My mother and I have back problems that are preventing us from even attempting STS. At the same time, we want to keep some form of weights in our routines. Because of school and work, we don't always have seventy or sixty minutes for a full-on weights DVD. Weights are a wonderful way to keep the waistline slim, and to build muscle mass; this much is granted. But my mother and I, along with many others who I'm sure wouldn't be able to complete such a demanding program, should be given alternatives. Kettlebells, for example, keep the body in a fluid motion instead of isolating the muscles, which increase a risk of injury. I'd like to also see you use Yoga and Pilates as a way to strengthen the body. From Maximum Intensity Strength to Muscle Max, you already have a plethora of easier weight programs. Experiment a little; make an advanced Yoga DVD. There's definitely a way to use it so that it's challenging.
You were the innovator when you provided an advanced step program while step was still at its relative infancy, crammed sixty minutes of cardio into thirty, and gave the home exerciser a truly professional weight training program. But getting stronger shouldn't have to mean doing a one-arm row with thirty pounds. I'm eighteen; I want many years of fitness ahead of me. My mother's fifty. With problems such as an arthritic back, she can't afford to lift such heavy weights. Be the innovator once again. Strength can be found beyond the weight.
It shows how much you've grown, and I congratulate those who've completed such a daunting program. But, as you already know, heavy weights is a risky business. The Catheite who doesn't value this newfound embrace or cannot compete feels alienated. My mother and I have back problems that are preventing us from even attempting STS. At the same time, we want to keep some form of weights in our routines. Because of school and work, we don't always have seventy or sixty minutes for a full-on weights DVD. Weights are a wonderful way to keep the waistline slim, and to build muscle mass; this much is granted. But my mother and I, along with many others who I'm sure wouldn't be able to complete such a demanding program, should be given alternatives. Kettlebells, for example, keep the body in a fluid motion instead of isolating the muscles, which increase a risk of injury. I'd like to also see you use Yoga and Pilates as a way to strengthen the body. From Maximum Intensity Strength to Muscle Max, you already have a plethora of easier weight programs. Experiment a little; make an advanced Yoga DVD. There's definitely a way to use it so that it's challenging.
You were the innovator when you provided an advanced step program while step was still at its relative infancy, crammed sixty minutes of cardio into thirty, and gave the home exerciser a truly professional weight training program. But getting stronger shouldn't have to mean doing a one-arm row with thirty pounds. I'm eighteen; I want many years of fitness ahead of me. My mother's fifty. With problems such as an arthritic back, she can't afford to lift such heavy weights. Be the innovator once again. Strength can be found beyond the weight.
