What Do I do now?

[irish196]

Can some Cathe devotees (with a wide knowledge of her dvds) help me out, please? I was very excited when I read these board raving about the Cathe dvd's. I just finished P90x and the messages made the Cathe dvds seem even better than that, so I went out and bought a new step (after having given my gym style one to Goodwill a few years ago) resistence bands, extra weights, etc. and I got the 4-day split dvd and two Gym Style dvds (legs and the shoulders (&?) one). I have done three of the four 4-day split workouts (kickbox, bootcamp and low intensity step) and I really am not thrilled with them so far.

The bootcamp is pretty good but I lothe the extreme amount of equipment changes throughout the workout. I also do not like that some of the time I feel like a chicken with my head cut off--she jumps around too quickly and IMO too uncontrolled. During the running/pushup drill she goes so quickly that your pushups can not be full pushups.

The kickbox is ok as well but just not overly fun. I don't understand why people were so hateful of Kempo but then like this kickboxing? Both were equally boring to me.

That said, I would do these two workouts again because I really liked the weight portions of the workouts and liked that my heartrate stayed up during these portions. I also sweated like heck, so that is good too.

I despised the step though. I mean, really hated it. I did not get through it. I used to teach step aerobics and I just reverted to doing my own thing while the dvd played on. I did not like any of the choreography almost from the beginning (HATE rumba, cha,cha,cha, stepping crosslegged in front of the step, dance moves in between, etc.) I liked the weights at the end though (triceps/calves).

I do not know if I even want to try the high intensity step, I will probably feel the same way I did about the low step (?).

Other than what I listed, there are a few other general dislikes. I am also not a fan of her barely-there stretching or bouncing stretching. I also do not like moves that I think should be slowly done very quickly-I do not want to tear muscle.

SOOOOOOO, am I doomed to sell all the Cathe videos? Should I sell the 4-day split and get something that does not include step? If, so what would be some good suggestions so that I couple cardio with weights and get all body parts covered? Do they GymStyle dvd's have cardio components or are they only weights (I haven't opened them yet). I am not sure that I will have time to do just weights (with the Gym Style dvd's) several days a week plus get in all the cardio I want (which is why I would keep Bootcamp and Kickbox --because they contained both cardio and weights). I just thought 4-day split would be the best of all worlds, but the step--I just can not bear it. Any suggestions? Thanks so much!!

Karen

 

[kathryn]

Hi, Karen!

It must be very disappointing to have anticipated a fabulous workout time, and gotten all equiped for it, and then end up not liking it.

Here are some suggestions, based on your questions:


>I have done three of
>the four 4-day split workouts (kickbox, bootcamp and low
>intensity step) and I really am not thrilled with them so far.

I personally have mixed feelings about 4DS. I love the weight work, like the kickboxing, but do not like the step work (I also dislike the crossing legs over the step move, and feel that the instruction isn't up to the level of the choreography, which makes it frustrating for me, and something I won't try again: some people have the patience and interest to invest the time learning the choreo...I don't).


>The bootcamp is pretty good but I lothe the extreme amount of
>equipment changes throughout the workout.

You can reduce some of the equipment changes by not using weights as markers (I use the seams in my puzzle mats, since I have them set up in a checkerboard fashion, alternating colors and black, and it's easy to see), and on the shuttle runs, you only have to use 2 weights instead of the (#?) weights she uses.

>I also do not like
>that some of the time I feel like a chicken with my head cut
>off--she jumps around too quickly and IMO too uncontrolled.
>During the running/pushup drill she goes so quickly that your
>pushups can not be full pushups.

I personally have no qualms about doing things slower than Cathe does. I'm NOT a fast-twitch muscle person, and I don't like feeling rushed, either. Try doing the moves for time, at your own pace.
Don't feel obligated to do what is done on the workout exactly as it is done.


>>The kickbox is ok as well but just not overly fun. I don't
>understand why people were so hateful of Kempo but then like
>this kickboxing? Both were equally boring to me.

You might be a person who prefers more choreographed 'kickboxing' (like Turbo Jam, or some other 'kickboxing' that really is more 'kickbox-flavored hi-lo' than actual kickboxing. I'm the opposite: I prefer more 'authentic-feeling' kickbox workouts. That being said, I do modify this one by doing some of the punches faster (towards the end, I feel Cathe is just starting to get into something, but the punches are 1/2 the speed I want to do them, so I do them at my speed).


>That said, I would do these two workouts again because I
>really liked the weight portions of the workouts and liked
>that my heartrate stayed up during these portions. I also
>sweated like heck, so that is good too.

There's nothing written in stone that says you have to do the cardio and weights exactly as presented. I know I won't be doing the step workouts again, but I'll be doing the weight work, paired with some other cardio. Maybe this would work for you.

>I despised the step though.

I'm not a fan of it either (see above).

>I do not know if I even want to try the high intensity step, I
>will probably feel the same way I did about the low step (?).

I have a feeling you won't like HIS either, so you might want to save yourself the frustration and just not do it. Did you preview it already, so you have an idea of if you'll like it or not?


>Other than what I listed, there are a few other general
>dislikes. I am also not a fan of her barely-there stretching
>or bouncing stretching.
Again: modify. 4DS stretches are probably a bit shorter than her usual stretches, to make the workouts more time efficient. Either do more stretching on your own, or add on another stretch workout if you don't feel they are sufficient.

>>I also do not like moves that I think
>should be slowly done very quickly-I do not want to tear
>muscle.

Go at your own pace (I like to think we are our own personal trainers, and have to decide what's best for us, and modify if necessary.



>Am I doomed to sell all the Cathe videos? Should I
>sell the 4-day split and get something that does not include
>step?

I'd give it another try, if you can bring yourself to do so, or keep it for the weight work. If you just can't bring yourself to do it again, then selling it might be the best option for you.


>>If, so what would be some good suggestions so that I
>couple cardio with weights and get all body parts covered?

Before you buy any more Cathe workouts that you end up dissatisfied with, I highly recommend you look at the video previews on this site. They will give you a better idea of what the workout is, and help you avoid picking up more workouts you don't like.

For non-step cardio and weights, BootCamp is a good workout. It's not much like the 4DS Bootccamp workout (no 'running around' moves), but goes through a cycle of cardio/plyo, lower body weight work, upper body weight work, and ab work (I like to do the "all-but-core" premix followed by the "core-only" premix, to avoid getting up and down from the floor so much).


>GymStyle dvd's have cardio components or are they only
>weights (I haven't opened them yet).

Gym Styles are all weight work. Check out the preview clips to see if you like them. You may be able to return them unopened if you don't like what you see (check with SNM for that).


HTH!

 

[irish196]

Thank you SO much for your response. It was quite helpful. I am glad to know I am not the only one out there who didn't fall in love with the step. I'll admit I didn't look at the video previews (I actually did not loook at the site enough to know they were there!)- I actually just read tons of threads on the forums to try to pick out what I thought would be best based on others' comments. I really thought I would love the step so I was a bit sad to not like it. Maybe I will get rid of the Gym Style dvd's and go for the Bootcamp dvd or see if there is another good mix of cardio and weights. I am going to check out the previews though!

Thanks again for taking teh time to help!!

 

[L Sass]

Karen I have to echo Kathryn's idea of looking at the clips. SNM has gone to great lengths to post extra long clips of ALL of Cathe's workouts (vs. e.g. the 60-sec spot you get on some sites) so you can really gain a sense of what the work out is like. Perhaps you should watch those before deciding whether to invest in any other Cathe's.

Also, the very vast majority of folks on THIS site are really Cathe fans - so you would in fact get a great sense of just how much we all like her workouts. But, perhaps they are just not for you. Not everyone who tries Cathe workouts likes them. There is a lot of discussion of many other video instructors on, for example, video fitness.

Are you an avid home/video exerciser? You mentioned P90X -- did you have other workout DVDs that you've used? I know you said you purchased a lot of other equipment based on these boards, but you must have had a fair amount if you'd just done P90X, right? How did you come to these boards and discover Cathe? Was it via one of her workouts? If so, there must have been something in it that made you think you would mesh with her style. If not, I'm not sure I understand why you would purchase a number of her DVDs and a another step without determining first whether you would like them. What is it that YOU are looking for in a workout DVD. Cathe has a lot of variety, and perhaps if you tell us a bit more about what you are looking for, we could offer some other idea. If not, I'll just say again that there are a lot of other instructors available. Perhaps one of them would suit your style better. Good luck.

Lorrie

www.picturetrail.com/lsass

 

[irish196]

Thanks Lorrie-

I have only recently converted to home-based exercise because I do not have the time to go to a gym anymore. P90X doesn't have a lot of equipment (only weights and a pullup bar) so I didn't need to buy a lot. I found this site while I was googling workout type words because I needed to line something up for when P90x was done (because I knew I could not do it over again because it is too time intensive and too many days a week). I loved the concept of the 4DS because it offered everything I wanted- cardio/weights and not an excessive amount of time. As I had done step before I didn't really think I would have any problem with the "style" and everyone sounded just so enthusiastic maybe I got carried away - so I bought the equipment, etc. (I am also one of those people who goes out and buys every new fad diet book, tape, supplement etc. when you hear a tv show or magazine rave about them--dumb, maybe, but at least I own up to it I also like the way that the gals look on the dvd cases and I want to look like that too!

So, what I really want is some type of program that I can do 4 or 5 days a week that hits every body part with weights and also gets a good amount of strong cardio in. I have a body type that bulks up easily so I do want to keep a good amt of cardio going (and not focus too much on weights). I want to be enthusiastic about what I am doing, so I am hoping I find a good fit.

Thanks!