Who was your gateway drug to Cathe?

morningstar

morningstar

Cathlete
Just curious as to how all of us arrived at Cathe's workouts. Who was the first at home fitness instructor you ever worked out to and how did you end up working out with Cathe?

For me, I started with Donna Read, then Jari Love, then Cathe.

I've explored others since, but that was the direct progression. Donna does a killer workout, by the way, but with very low production values. She has a lovely personality and her yoga workouts are wonderfully tough and relaxing at the same time. Jari nearly killed me too in her own special crazy-high-reps way and got me loving DVD workouts. When I discovered Cathe, I started lifting heavy and really built my muscles before uncovering my inner cardio queen that had always been itching to come out. I felt like I had come home.

How about you?
 
I started with Jane Fonda, the did The Firm workouts for a long time. I still do them from time to time, but their strength training is not intense like Cathe. I saw Cathe on Collage Video, and I was sold. I do use some workouts by others such as KCM, Patrick Goudeau, Kimberly Spreen, etc....but Cathe is my go-to for always getting a great workout.
 
Great thread! I did Jane Fonda, then the original Firms for quite awhile. Then I started adding in others, like Karen Voight, Denise Austin, Jari Love, and while on Collage Video, I kept seeing glowing reports for Cathe's workouts. I was afraid to try them at first because they sounded intimidating! But I decided that I could handle an advanced workout just as much as the next person, so I placed an order and was instantly hooked! I just wish I'd found her earlier...

I keep trying other instructors to shake things up, but I always go back to Cathe. I recently tried CLX (it was ok, but...not Cathe...) and Insanity (screwed up my knee...), and today I'm starting another 6-month STS strength rotation along with STS cardio thrown in (as much as my knee will take!) I got good results with my first STS rotation...so why mess with a good thing?

Have a great day, everyone!
 
I think I did a Kathy Ireland step video when I was 15? lol

When I was 28 (am now almost 31) I quit smoking, turned on Fit TV (figured I'd work out so I didn't gain weight), found KPC, collapsed after the Warm Up :eek: Been hooked ever since............

Iris
 
For me, it was Gin Miller. I still have her Power Step Reebok on VHS, even though I no loner have a VCR. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it! I was browsing the Collage catalog looking for more Gin Miller, and I too kept seeing reviews for Cathe. But it wasn't unil FitTV that I actual tried a workout, which then led to me purchasing Kick Max and IMAX 3. The rest is history!

Aimee
 
I started off with Gin Miller and step reebok and a few shows on TV (Gilad, 20 minute workout, Caribbean workout). I had heard of Cathe but always thought she was too hardcore for me - even though I never actually tried or previewed a workout. I went on to use the Leslie Sansone, Beachbody, The FIRM and many, many others. I finally decided to check out Cathe after doing ChaLEAN Extreme and I was looking for more intense strength workouts. I was also getting bored with all the other workouts and wanted something new and fun. I came across STS and bought it (still have yet to try it but am planning to do a rotation in a few months). To prepare, I also got 4-Day Split based on a friend's recommendation and loved it! Then I was hooked and now I'm working my way through all of her workouts. :)
 
Last edited:
Hmmmm......

I started exercising w/ Tae Bo, and I really liked it, but quickly grew bored of the 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 count and the uneven sides. Then I found a Denise Austin circuit workout, but she is waaaaaay to perky for me. I wandered back to kickbox which I love, and found a Saffell/Gomez video. From there the search was on for more KB, and I found Cathe at Collage Video. So, I guess it was Billy Blanks (Banks?).


Nan
 
Years ago I got some Tae Bo and Buns of Steel videos. When I was living in Europe I started adding to the collection of Buns of Steel workouts until I had almost all of them and was trying to come up with my own rotations (though at the time I didn't even know what a rotation was). Then when I got back to the U.S. I started finally trying new workouts. I found www.advancedworkouts.com and ordered a couple things there. I really liked a couple kickboxing DVDs I had and one day I ordered Cathe's Kick Max. :eek: I could tell this was a whole new ball game. When she got to drills on the Kickbox/Bootcamp challenge section I just stood there watching with my mouth hanging open. After that I started snapping up Cathe's workouts--even if I couldn't keep up with everything she did I knew she'd challenge me and I liked her style.
 
I started out with Jane Fonda on a RECORD!:eek: I'm guessing the year was 1982? Then around 1986 I went to the original Firms and did those for years until I met Cathe on FitTV in 2004 and have never looked back. I will try other instructors from time to time, but Cathe is THE BEST in my book!!:D
 
Jane Fonda sort of saved my life after a very serious illness. From there, Michelle Dozois & Tracy York (could barely do one-legged Teasers with them), Karen Voight, a few others. The Firm was a big stepping stone for strength training. Tracie Long too.

The first Cathe tape I bought was Ab Hits, which I totally could not do, and I remained intimidated by her for several years. Then about a year and a half ago, I sort of thought to myself "Why am I screwing around here? Let's get serious, and just find out how far you can go." I had made a lot of progress doing Mari Winsor Pilates, and realized that I could do the Teaser quite well now, so maybe I could do some other things pretty well too.

I started with Butts & Guts, and after about the 3rd time, I remember sitting down with DB (SO), and saying something like "Give me a minute. I just did a workout I had no business doing." From there, it took off like wildfire. I'm doing really well with all the strength training, and the cardio is finally catching up. After Core Max and Ab Circuits, the Teaser is a piece of cake. Cathe rocks! :D
 
I originally started with records (you know, those round vinyl things, LOL!) of Jane Fonda, somebody Greers?, and Bess Motta).

Then a few years passed during which I didn't work out to media, but in a school weight room and on the roads (walking or biking).

My very first workout video was one of the Cher workouts (the one with hi-lo). Then I got the other one and picked up a step (a foam one by Denise Austin that I thought would be better for my knees...but wasn't).

I did the Denise Austin step workout once (and that was enough!), then got into Kathy Smith (I still remember when it was tough to get through the entire workout!) and some other instructors I can't even remember any more.

Then I found out about Cathe in "Shape" magazine from a yearly review of the newest workout videos (which they stopped doing years ago). They gave "Step in Motion 3" an "A" or "A+" rating, so I had to check it out. And there began my workout journey with Cathe!
 
Cathe's Step Heat was my first at-home workout, in 1995 or thereabouts.

I had a Jane Fonda cassette tape that I used with my Walkman when traveling but otherwise I just went to high-low and step classes at the gym and didn't try anything at home.

Sheila
 
A, how on earth do you work out to a record? Is it like a CardioCoach audio workout thing?

B, Cher did workout videos?!
 
Wow! Let's see I can't even remember the very first workouts I used on tape.... wait one was an older Beachbody slim-thighs workout. But the one that really got me was after we dropped our YMCA membership and I decided to workout from home, I surfed FitTV and tried various instructors. Most of the workouts were only 30 minutes and not challenging enough for me like Sharron Mann and Gilad. I found Cathe one morning and have never gone back!! I think her's are the only hour long workouts on FitTV. but like many of you, I was hooked from my first Cathe workout - even though back then I couldn't complete any of them all the way through!

What a fun thread!!

Pam
 
thebrain said:
For me, it was Gin Miller. I still have her Power Step Reebok on VHS, even though I no loner have a VCR. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it! I was browsing the Collage catalog looking for more Gin Miller, and I too kept seeing reviews for Cathe. But it wasn't unil FitTV that I actual tried a workout, which then led to me purchasing Kick Max and IMAX 3. The rest is history!

Aimee
Click to expand...

Aimee...they make the Gin Miller on DVD now. I got it on Amazon. I loved her when I was in college, before I found Cathe, and still throw her workouts into the mix.

:)Jonezie
 
morningstar said:
A, how on earth do you work out to a record? Is it like a CardioCoach audio workout thing?

B, Cher did workout videos?!
Click to expand...


A: The record (actually my first Jane Fonda workout was an audio cassette) came with a booklet with drawings (not even photos) of the moves.

B: Can't address that. :rolleyes:
 
I started with Cathy Smith's step and it took me forever to "get it," so I got really frustrated and gave up. Then my best friend and I got REALLY into Tae Bo; we had the original set on VHS, then as the workouts got released on DVD, I started buying every Billy Blanks workout I could get my hands on. He was very motivating for me. Eventually, though, Tae Bo got too repetitive, too easy, and I needed to incorporate weights into my routine. I saw a description for Cathe's Bottcamp on FitTv one night and decided to give it a try since it mixed in kickbox (my fave) and weights. I was hooked since then!!!
 
morningstar said:
A, how on earth do you work out to a record? Is it like a CardioCoach audio workout thing?

B, Cher did workout videos?!
Click to expand...
a) yup: the instructors just told us what to do (I don't remember much about it, except for doing some lying hip thrusts one day when my roommate came home)

b) She was in them, and they were led by other instructors (her step and ab one was with Keli Roberts, the other, with IIRC, two instructors: one for the cardio, and one for whatever resistance training was on it). As you can imagine, cher was dressed in outfits with lots of lace and skin showing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top