I agree with everyone that says Cathe. I own many workout dvds from many different instructors (such as Amy Bento, Gin Miller, Tracey Staehle, Jari Love, the Firms . . .) They're all great workouts but if I had to sell or give away my workout dvds, I'll gladly part with those ones but NEVER my Cathe dvds! I never understood the value of a Cathe workout until the first time I did it.
Who are Your Favorite Fitness Instructors and Why?
- Thread starter Miss Lee
- Start date
LaughingWater
Cathlete
Other than Cathe, I'd have to say:
1. Jane Fonda. I know ~ where the hell did that come from, right? Well, she got me hooked on exercise back in 1985, and I've always loved her for it. She makes a great exercise buddy.
2. Tracie Long has always appealed to me. She's very clear and seems pleasant.
3. Bryan Kest. I was very lucky in that he was my first introduction to yoga. Quite down to Earth and sincere, he makes you feel good about yourself.
1. Jane Fonda. I know ~ where the hell did that come from, right? Well, she got me hooked on exercise back in 1985, and I've always loved her for it. She makes a great exercise buddy.
2. Tracie Long has always appealed to me. She's very clear and seems pleasant.
3. Bryan Kest. I was very lucky in that he was my first introduction to yoga. Quite down to Earth and sincere, he makes you feel good about yourself.
gogigi
Cathlete
Funny that you should ask. I just posted a what I appreciate thread at Amy Bento's forum today so my first answer is Amy b/c
1. Amy keeps us informed on a consistent basis with facts and clips but not overstated write ups or too much hype (although from Amy, the latter would be fine for me b/c her workouts would actually live up to it! )
2. Her workouts sell themselves and stand on their own.
3. Her workouts always have a fresh feel, yet I can depend on Amy to deliver what she said she would deliver (as in no major production, delivery or workout changes on a whim...I understand that instructors realize things at the last minute and sometimes have to change something to make the workout better)
4. Dependable production values
5. Quick and dependable turn around
6. Understanding that her fans priority is receiving a killer workout in a timely manner and not an artsy production
7. She has taken the things she does well and continues to tweak and perfect them instead of trying so many new things at once that no one knows what to expect
8. She DOES try new things....RUMBLE
9. She speaks for herself and I don't have fear of being attacked by her production "manager" or other staff members IF I did have constructive criticism to share
10. Amy's enjoyment of her profession comes across in every single workout she produces
11. Love the two day PRE presale with free shipping...just CAN'T beat that!
12. Amy's web guy, gal, and/or team get the promised clips up before the presales end and I know where to look for them as a place is made for them early on
13. Her website is VERY well done, easy to get around, and I send people over to look at her long clips that really do play when recommending her workouts
14. She makes the absolute BEST step/hilow workouts that I own....fresh, creative, rocking music, etc...
Cathe for many of the same reasons stated above.
Other favorite instructors I like for specific workouts are:
Sharon Twombly for creative twists to athletic step/circuit workouts.
Kimberly Spreen for Absolute Kickboxing...fun and doably tough.
Kelly Coffey-Meyer for the BEST Stepboxing workouts ever!
I'm sure I'll think of more favorites but the ones mentioned are definitely at the top of my list!
Angela
1. Amy keeps us informed on a consistent basis with facts and clips but not overstated write ups or too much hype (although from Amy, the latter would be fine for me b/c her workouts would actually live up to it! )
2. Her workouts sell themselves and stand on their own.
3. Her workouts always have a fresh feel, yet I can depend on Amy to deliver what she said she would deliver (as in no major production, delivery or workout changes on a whim...I understand that instructors realize things at the last minute and sometimes have to change something to make the workout better)
4. Dependable production values
5. Quick and dependable turn around
6. Understanding that her fans priority is receiving a killer workout in a timely manner and not an artsy production
7. She has taken the things she does well and continues to tweak and perfect them instead of trying so many new things at once that no one knows what to expect
8. She DOES try new things....RUMBLE
9. She speaks for herself and I don't have fear of being attacked by her production "manager" or other staff members IF I did have constructive criticism to share
10. Amy's enjoyment of her profession comes across in every single workout she produces
11. Love the two day PRE presale with free shipping...just CAN'T beat that!
12. Amy's web guy, gal, and/or team get the promised clips up before the presales end and I know where to look for them as a place is made for them early on
13. Her website is VERY well done, easy to get around, and I send people over to look at her long clips that really do play when recommending her workouts
14. She makes the absolute BEST step/hilow workouts that I own....fresh, creative, rocking music, etc...
Cathe for many of the same reasons stated above.
Other favorite instructors I like for specific workouts are:
Sharon Twombly for creative twists to athletic step/circuit workouts.
Kimberly Spreen for Absolute Kickboxing...fun and doably tough.
Kelly Coffey-Meyer for the BEST Stepboxing workouts ever!
I'm sure I'll think of more favorites but the ones mentioned are definitely at the top of my list!
Angela
Jennifit
Cathlete
CATHE by far! There is just no one like her - not even close. Everything single thing I just love - she was also the first instructor I found that did even rep counts for each side. That is a pet peeve of mine when I am doing different counts and she is always right on! I simply love her!
Tony Horton because I always end up laughing at his goofiness. He is fun.
Christi Taylor when I want to really think and learn a new routine - her choreography is tough!
Tony Horton because I always end up laughing at his goofiness. He is fun.
Christi Taylor when I want to really think and learn a new routine - her choreography is tough!
Cathe - consummate professional in every aspect of her workout presentation and a genuinely warm, kind hearted person. She made me realize I could do advanced workouts and lift heavier than I ever thought possible, and happily -- who da thunk it??
Amy - terrific energy, innovative choreography and great music. Also very caring and customer focused. She made me want to push myself harder choreo-wise because her cardio is sooooo much fun to do.
Billy Blanks - (Live Advanced and Get Ripped) infectious enthusiasm and straightforward hard work. If I can count to 8, I can do Billy.
Kathy Smith - my intro. to workout videos. Always professional, easy to follow and willing to share the spotlight with experts whenever she strays from her core strengths (eg. for kickboxing, boxing & yoga)
Jonahnah
Chocolate IS the answer, regardless of the question.
Amy - terrific energy, innovative choreography and great music. Also very caring and customer focused. She made me want to push myself harder choreo-wise because her cardio is sooooo much fun to do.
Billy Blanks - (Live Advanced and Get Ripped) infectious enthusiasm and straightforward hard work. If I can count to 8, I can do Billy.
Kathy Smith - my intro. to workout videos. Always professional, easy to follow and willing to share the spotlight with experts whenever she strays from her core strengths (eg. for kickboxing, boxing & yoga)
Jonahnah
Chocolate IS the answer, regardless of the question.
Of course my first love is Cathe.
1. She is the person who turned me on to working out consistently and made me not afraid to lift a weight.
2. She has the best premixes in the business. With one dvd you get so many options.
3. Her crew is fantastic.
4. Her production values are top notch. Always worth the wait.
5. And like another poster said you just want to hang out with her.
My second fav is Amy Bento.
1. She has the best hi/lo workouts. IMO
2. Her music rocks.
3. free shipping on presales is awesome.
4. long video previews
5. She also makes you want hang out with her.
And third would be Tracey Stahele
1. Her step workouts are fun.
2. Her ab workouts are awesome.
3. She comes across as very friendly and down to earth.
Jenn
1. She is the person who turned me on to working out consistently and made me not afraid to lift a weight.
2. She has the best premixes in the business. With one dvd you get so many options.
3. Her crew is fantastic.
4. Her production values are top notch. Always worth the wait.
5. And like another poster said you just want to hang out with her.
My second fav is Amy Bento.
1. She has the best hi/lo workouts. IMO
2. Her music rocks.
3. free shipping on presales is awesome.
4. long video previews
5. She also makes you want hang out with her.
And third would be Tracey Stahele
1. Her step workouts are fun.
2. Her ab workouts are awesome.
3. She comes across as very friendly and down to earth.
Jenn
Vee
Cathlete
Until recently, anyone I tried disappointed me compared to Cathe, so I stopped trying complementing Cathe in my collection. Now there sem to suddenly be several good instructors. Cathe is still queen, but many are so good. I like quite a few but if I had to make a shortlist:
Cathe
She is graciousness personified in her on screen personality and at her forum. A really classy lady. Her warmth comes through in her eyes and her smile. She is the absolute best for advanced workouts: her workouts are meticulously planned, really effective (I dont feel any minute is wasted in fluff moves) and very enjoyable. If you like her genres, you cant go wrong buying a Cathe DVD. You can be sure of high quality workout no matter which you pick. She is a pioneer in gym style workouts. I like how she and her crew and Chris have stuck with each other. It reflects something that I cant quite put my finger on about all of them that they valued and maintained the relationship.
Sean O Malley
I tolerated machine cardio until I encountered Sean. Since CC I can no longer do most choreo intense workouts. My favorite form of cardio is Cardio Coach. I also love and respect what I have come to know of Sean the human being. He genuinely cares for people with a warmth and depth that is uncommon.
Tracey Staehle
There is a certain freshness to her approach that I enjoy. I cant remember what took me to her site. It happened to be the day she announced the Walking Strong presale. I was charmed by the unique idea. I bought it within 10 seconds, and I am not an impulsive person. I loved the workout and her 3 subsequent ones too. I like the relaxed vibe she creates, her workouts are fun and zero dread and yet make me work. I find her charming and her smile makes me happy when I work out with her. I like her cast - she has the best cast along with Cathe. I think Carol is very unique (great sense of humor, production approach that is different form the cookie cutter approach most videos feature. They make a great team as they match/complement each other. I like how Tracey respects and gives credit to Cathe as her mentor.
Kelly Coffey Meyer
I should not like Kelly. My style of lifting is Cathe's endurance. Kelly does hi-rep. I love working legs heavy. She does mainly non-weighted work. Her cardio workous so far have been choreo intense and I have choreo-burn-out. Yet I find myself repeatedly reaching out for her videos. And finding they give me a GOOD workout. I like her choice of music. I like her energy. I like that nothing happens for too long in her workouts. Her standing ab work is superb. She has a great smile too.
I am a sucker for warm, genuine smiles and for intense-yet-fun workouts. My 3 favorite ladies have the smile and all 4 of my favorites have the intense+fun factor. I dont know enough about Sean's smiles. I dont know if that is what he means when he says "see ya in the workout" but I visulize him when I CC, and he wears a great smile. If and when he goes video he has a lot to live up to.
Honorable mention also to Grace, Keith and Nick of iTrain.
I love yoga and I like many instructors though I cant call any favorites - Shiva Rea, Erich Schiffman, Rodney Yee, Sarah Kline, Alan Finger, Tilak Pyle, Rainbeau Mars and more are exceptionally good.
~* Vrinda *~
Cathe
She is graciousness personified in her on screen personality and at her forum. A really classy lady. Her warmth comes through in her eyes and her smile. She is the absolute best for advanced workouts: her workouts are meticulously planned, really effective (I dont feel any minute is wasted in fluff moves) and very enjoyable. If you like her genres, you cant go wrong buying a Cathe DVD. You can be sure of high quality workout no matter which you pick. She is a pioneer in gym style workouts. I like how she and her crew and Chris have stuck with each other. It reflects something that I cant quite put my finger on about all of them that they valued and maintained the relationship.
Sean O Malley
I tolerated machine cardio until I encountered Sean. Since CC I can no longer do most choreo intense workouts. My favorite form of cardio is Cardio Coach. I also love and respect what I have come to know of Sean the human being. He genuinely cares for people with a warmth and depth that is uncommon.
Tracey Staehle
There is a certain freshness to her approach that I enjoy. I cant remember what took me to her site. It happened to be the day she announced the Walking Strong presale. I was charmed by the unique idea. I bought it within 10 seconds, and I am not an impulsive person. I loved the workout and her 3 subsequent ones too. I like the relaxed vibe she creates, her workouts are fun and zero dread and yet make me work. I find her charming and her smile makes me happy when I work out with her. I like her cast - she has the best cast along with Cathe. I think Carol is very unique (great sense of humor, production approach that is different form the cookie cutter approach most videos feature. They make a great team as they match/complement each other. I like how Tracey respects and gives credit to Cathe as her mentor.
Kelly Coffey Meyer
I should not like Kelly. My style of lifting is Cathe's endurance. Kelly does hi-rep. I love working legs heavy. She does mainly non-weighted work. Her cardio workous so far have been choreo intense and I have choreo-burn-out. Yet I find myself repeatedly reaching out for her videos. And finding they give me a GOOD workout. I like her choice of music. I like her energy. I like that nothing happens for too long in her workouts. Her standing ab work is superb. She has a great smile too.
I am a sucker for warm, genuine smiles and for intense-yet-fun workouts. My 3 favorite ladies have the smile and all 4 of my favorites have the intense+fun factor. I dont know enough about Sean's smiles. I dont know if that is what he means when he says "see ya in the workout" but I visulize him when I CC, and he wears a great smile. If and when he goes video he has a lot to live up to.
Honorable mention also to Grace, Keith and Nick of iTrain.
I love yoga and I like many instructors though I cant call any favorites - Shiva Rea, Erich Schiffman, Rodney Yee, Sarah Kline, Alan Finger, Tilak Pyle, Rainbeau Mars and more are exceptionally good.
~* Vrinda *~
Miss Lee
Cathlete
I like how she and her crew and Chris have stuck with each other. It reflects something that I cant quite put my finger on about all of them that they valued and maintained the relationship.
Vrinda, it's interesting that you mentioned this because it's something I've thought about many times. That really does say a lot about Cathe and SNM -- they are special, and I can't quite put my finger on it either, but it definitely speaks to a sense of warmth and loyalty.
Since CC I can no longer do most choreo intense workouts. My favorite form of cardio is Cardio Coach. I also love and respect what I have come to know of Sean the human being. He genuinely cares for people with a warmth and depth that is uncommon.
Agreed.
Vrinda, it's interesting that you mentioned this because it's something I've thought about many times. That really does say a lot about Cathe and SNM -- they are special, and I can't quite put my finger on it either, but it definitely speaks to a sense of warmth and loyalty.
Since CC I can no longer do most choreo intense workouts. My favorite form of cardio is Cardio Coach. I also love and respect what I have come to know of Sean the human being. He genuinely cares for people with a warmth and depth that is uncommon.
Agreed.
GreenEyedLefty
Cathlete
LOL - on the video side, I'm a Cathe snob, too. I have one or two vids from other instructors but once I switched to Cathe, I've been 100% faithful.
I like Cardio Coach for audio workouts.
I like Cardio Coach for audio workouts.
sparrow13
Cathlete
Isn't it interesting how the right instructor comes into your life when you most need him or her? At least that's what happens for me.
Anyhoo:
- Billy and his Tae Bo made me fall in love with working out. He also helped me through a really difficult, emotional time in my life. Doing his workouts made me feel whole and sane again.
- CATHE!! Because she made me believe in my ability to push myself and be successful. Plus she was the first instructor I found with real weight training for women. I almost wept when I found Maximum Intensity Strength. Finally, a workout for women that didn't include swinging 3# weights above my head while cha cha-ing around the room. And, she just seems like a really nice person - outside of her hellish workouts that is, lol.
- Tony Horton. P90x took my fitness to a whole new level, again, right when I needed it. LOVE these workouts.
- Baron Baptiste. Great yoga. Soothing voice.
Sparrow
"The winds of grace are always blowing but it's you who must raise your sail." - Sri Ramakrishna
Anyhoo:
- Billy and his Tae Bo made me fall in love with working out. He also helped me through a really difficult, emotional time in my life. Doing his workouts made me feel whole and sane again.
- CATHE!! Because she made me believe in my ability to push myself and be successful. Plus she was the first instructor I found with real weight training for women. I almost wept when I found Maximum Intensity Strength. Finally, a workout for women that didn't include swinging 3# weights above my head while cha cha-ing around the room.
And, she just seems like a really nice person - outside of her hellish workouts that is, lol.- Tony Horton. P90x took my fitness to a whole new level, again, right when I needed it. LOVE these workouts.
- Baron Baptiste. Great yoga. Soothing voice.
Sparrow
"The winds of grace are always blowing but it's you who must raise your sail." - Sri Ramakrishna
Shirluvs2bfit
Cathlete
I have several favorite instructors/trainers
Cathe - grabbed my attention in the late 90's and has never lost it.
Amy - IMHO no one does hi/lo like her, her lower body workouts get me good and she seems like a great person.
Coach Sean - 'nuff said!
Eoin Finn - he calms me, makes me smile and work hard.
Kelly Coffey-Meyer - love her step-boxing workouts and no nonsense style.
Denise Beatty - love her informative, sweet, relaxed style.
Tony Horton - cracks me up while I'm busting my butt and everything else.
Anthony Diluglio - love his kettlebell workouts.
Craig Ballantyne - love the design of his workouts.
A friend in fitness,
Shirl
Cathe - grabbed my attention in the late 90's and has never lost it.
Amy - IMHO no one does hi/lo like her, her lower body workouts get me good and she seems like a great person.
Coach Sean - 'nuff said!
Eoin Finn - he calms me, makes me smile and work hard.
Kelly Coffey-Meyer - love her step-boxing workouts and no nonsense style.
Denise Beatty - love her informative, sweet, relaxed style.
Tony Horton - cracks me up while I'm busting my butt and everything else.
Anthony Diluglio - love his kettlebell workouts.
Craig Ballantyne - love the design of his workouts.
A friend in fitness,
Shirl
I have to agree with everything Jenn said plus:
Cathe - Turned me on to lifting weights and her production values are probably the best out there. Her kickboxing workouts still work the best for me.
Amy - Best for hi/lo and step.
Tracey - Love her for functional fitness, great core workouts and great step workouts. I'm not into endurance workouts but her Parts Series really inspires me to do endurance work and the music rocks.
Yoga: Eoin Finn - really makes me smile and puts me in a good mood.
David Swenson: For Ashtanga yoga - great for form and is just simply amazing to watch.
Tilak Pyle: Soothing yoga; great scenery and great music.
Shiva Rea: Best vinyasa flow.
Kari Anderson: Great fusion workouts, love her voice and is good with form instruction.
Tony Horton: Got me to start doing pullups/chinups. P90X got me a lot stronger and put me into great shape.
Evolution instructors: Complicated dancy step and hi-lo choreography. So much fun!
Marcy
Cathe - Turned me on to lifting weights and her production values are probably the best out there. Her kickboxing workouts still work the best for me.
Amy - Best for hi/lo and step.
Tracey - Love her for functional fitness, great core workouts and great step workouts. I'm not into endurance workouts but her Parts Series really inspires me to do endurance work and the music rocks.
Yoga: Eoin Finn - really makes me smile and puts me in a good mood.
David Swenson: For Ashtanga yoga - great for form and is just simply amazing to watch.
Tilak Pyle: Soothing yoga; great scenery and great music.
Shiva Rea: Best vinyasa flow.
Kari Anderson: Great fusion workouts, love her voice and is good with form instruction.
Tony Horton: Got me to start doing pullups/chinups. P90X got me a lot stronger and put me into great shape.
Evolution instructors: Complicated dancy step and hi-lo choreography. So much fun!
Marcy