Why is the music out of sync with the exercises?

R

Rockferry

New Member
I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice this. And before you all come down on me for being a troll because this is my first post, DON'T EVEN! I've been here for years and I own all of Cathes VHS and DVD's. I even noticed it on the Ab circuits Medicine Ball workout this morning. My husband is anal about the music being in sync and he has turned off the music because he can't stand it. Yes he and I are doing the STS. Another question? Is the extended stretch the same on ever DVD that offers it?

Heck he does the Cathe step stuff and I don't I love the weight lifting.

SO...was there a mistake with the editing to get the set out "finally" or what? It is definitely noticeable on a lot of the exercises.

I'm not sending it back because we like it and we are getting results, but we are disappointed, to say the least.
 
Other than a little bit in a couple of the warmups, I haven't noticed this at all. With that said, I know it had been indicated the music isn't "pacing." It's background - if we're all doing this correctly, our pace may be slightly different based on the weight we're lifting - notice you get slower as you fatigue. It's not supposed to be rhythmic weight-lifting, so the music may not always "match" your pace or even Cathe's perfectly. Although you could certainly pace yourself to match the music if it suits you. (theoretically you bought this for the workout, not the music). I don't notice it because I'm generally watching my weights, my form, for some exercises I'm on my back or not facing the TV anyway, so.....
Yes, the extended stretch is the same on all DVDs.
 
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NY25 said:
Other than a little bit in a couple of the warmups, I haven't noticed this at all. With that said, I know it had been indicated the music isn't "pacing." It's background - if we're all doing this correctly, our pace may be slightly different based on the weight we're lifting - notice you get slower as you fatigue. It's not supposed to be rhythmic weight-lifting, so the music may not always "match" your pace or even Cathe's perfectly. Although you could certainly pace yourself to match the music if it suits you. (theoretically you bought this for the workout, not the music). I don't notice it because I'm generally watching my weights, my form, for some exercises I'm on my back or not facing the TV anyway, so.....
Yes, the extended stretch is the same on all DVDs.
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No I pre-ordered this workout thinking it was going to be a "typical" Cathe workout series where the music IS in fact, in sync with the exercises. Thanks for your responds, I know it isn't me or my husband now. Some of us need the music to be in sync with the lifting, the step, the kickbox, that's what is the motivator. If that's not there then we are not motivated to finish out the exercise.
 
Rockferry - you seem a bit defensive:confused:. As NY25 said, I believe it was pointed out early on when filming and editing the series that the music in the workouts was not supposed to sync with the movements. IIRC, Cathe originally had music playing and found the "background exercisers" were trying to lift to the beat as opposed to their own pace. I think that is why the music doesn't have a distinctive "1, 2, 3" beat to follow. The music during the lifting was added later. There have been several threads about the music in the series. Maybe if you do a search you will find more information. Hope this helps.

Carrie
 
Hmmm - I notice it as being a split second off in the warmups, though if I focus on Cathe's counts and movement it's not too distracting like it was at first. But other than that I haven't noticed anything. DH and I did the abs med ball section and didn't notice anything. I'm sorry you're so disappointed. I do think NY25 is right about it being background though as opposed to pacing since our lift speeds will likely change as the workouts progress. I know esp in the chin up and pull up secitons I don't even look at what's going on on the screen as I'm concentrating on the exercise. But no, I cannot imagine that SNM rushed through just to get it done. Though perhaps they will answer here.
 
carres1973 said:
, I believe it was pointed out early on when filming and editing the series that the music in the workouts was not supposed to sync with the movements.
Carrie
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This is my understanding as well, that STS was planned to NOT be with the beat of the music.
 
Rockferry said:
I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice this. And before you all come down on me for being a troll because this is my first post, DON'T EVEN! I've been here for years and I own all of Cathes VHS and DVD's. I even noticed it on the Ab circuits Medicine Ball workout this morning. My husband is anal about the music being in sync and he has turned off the music because he can't stand it. Yes he and I are doing the STS. Another question? Is the extended stretch the same on ever DVD that offers it?

Heck he does the Cathe step stuff and I don't I love the weight lifting.

SO...was there a mistake with the editing to get the set out "finally" or what? It is definitely noticeable on a lot of the exercises.

I'm not sending it back because we like it and we are getting results, but we are disappointed, to say the least.
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if you do a search on STS & music you will find several lengthy explanations from SNM about this topic - its been discussed well over a year. I believe the blog also discusses it.
 
Rockferry said:
I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice this. And before you all come down on me for being a troll because this is my first post, DON'T EVEN! I've been here for years and I own all of Cathes VHS and DVD's. I even noticed it on the Ab circuits Medicine Ball workout this morning. My husband is anal about the music being in sync and he has turned off the music because he can't stand it. Yes he and I are doing the STS. Another question? Is the extended stretch the same on ever DVD that offers it?

Heck he does the Cathe step stuff and I don't I love the weight lifting.

SO...was there a mistake with the editing to get the set out "finally" or what? It is definitely noticeable on a lot of the exercises.

I'm not sending it back because we like it and we are getting results, but we are disappointed, to say the least.
Click to expand...

STS was not filmed to music. Music was added in later. The reason this was done this way is you cannot lift heavy weights, with the idea of going to failure, to music and maintain a beat. You can only lift lighter weights to music where you don’t go to failure. With a program like STS your tempo will slow as you lift and as you approach failure. You cannot slow down music to match a person’s lifting speed, much less everyone in an entire group going to failure at different times, as it would sound like a bunch of drunken musicians.

With STS we match Cathe’s tempo as well as we can and we’re pretty much on most of the time (about 90%), but when we show other people in the video their lifting speeds will certainly be different and sync is impossible. People fatigue at different times and people who are taller will have a different rep speed than shorter people. Music is rigid and can only be slid left or right, but it can’t be made to match body movement perfectly unless the body movement was done originally to a click track or music. This would not have worked for STS as we want you to push yourself to failure on many of the sets. This means your tempo will slow as your reps increase and you can’t listen to a beat while this happening.

STS is sort of a hybrid when it comes to music. We have synced the music to Cathe as best as could be done (probably good for about 90% of the time), but this is done to make the music more motivational, not to have you follow the beat. You should follow your own tempo dictated by how quickly you experience muscle fatigue and can comfortably complete each rep..

In a heavy weight workout like STS you don’t lift weights to the beat. Your tempo must and should slow as you perform the exercise or you’re not using a heavy enough weight. In a group fitness class everything is done to the beat, in the weight rooms in any Gym the music is only used for motivation and none of the exercises are done to the beat.

We understand how important music is to people who are used to Group Fitness. Every bone in Cathe’s body moves to music, but once you start listening to the music for inspiration and not the beat we think you will find the music in STS very enjoyable. The people who worked on STS truly are the best in our industry and I can’t tell you how difficult and time consuming it was to sync the music in STS. The music sync in STS is about perfect as it can be. Unfortunately, music is not fluid and its tempo can only be changed just a little bit without sounding horrible. This is why we used a lot of Guitars and instruments that don’t have a strong downbeat in STS. STS is not a party in a box where you grab some light dumbbells and do countless reps. STS is serious weight training and just like any serious gym workout you cannot and should not let music dictate your lifting speed.
 
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Thanks for the very comprehensive explanation!

I have no problem with the sync-ing of the music in STS. I'm too busy agonizing over those last few reps, and yes, I do slow down toward the end of most of the sets. So the beat of the music is mostly irrelevant to me. Now with a step workout, given my two left feet, I'd need all the help I could get with staying with the rhythm. :p
 
SNM Videos said:
STS is not a party in a box where you grab some light dumbbells and do countless reps. STS is serious weight training and just like any serious gym workout you cannot and should not let music dictate your lifting speed.
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I love this statement!!!:D
 
SueNJ said:
Thanks for the very comprehensive explanation!

I have no problem with the sync-ing of the music in STS. I'm too busy agonizing over those last few reps, and yes, I do slow down toward the end of most of the sets.
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Same here. My last 5 reps are much slower than the first 5. I have to put all my thought and energy just to get through it with good form. At that point, I can't hear anything but my screaming muscles!:eek:
 
SNM Videos said:
You cannot slow down music to match a person’s lifting speed, much less everyone in an entire group going to failure at different times, as it would sound like a bunch of drunken musicians.
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This was my favorite. I think I have heard some bands who must be trying to do just that:D!

Carrie
 
I am going to disagree with SNM on one point, I DO think STS is a party in a box. (Though I do agree that it is serious weight lifting!)

That said - I truly love the music in STS! SNM is right - I find the music very enjoyable. During the pushups I am working so hard that I can't hear the music, but other than that I listen to it and it motivates me. The music in Plyo Legs, especially, is some of my all-time favorite Cathe music!! I actually did one of the squat segments twice because I liked the music so much.

And I love the way the music changes during the rests/set-up time and then changes back once the exercises start. The music is sort of choreographed to the nature of the moves, which is probably why it's so kind of hard-rocky and intense during the Plyo Leg DVDs. Considering this music was added 'after the fact' - I am very impressed by the way it syncs to the movements. Also, adding the music after as opposed to before, makes the edits of the footage seamless.

In fact, it took me a long time to realize that some of the footage was being reused as the editing is just so smooth. My husband even mentioned liking the music as I was previewing Meso 3.

I think Cathe, Chris, NFL Films, SNM, and the musicians did an awesome job on STS. :)
 
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I haven't been crazy about STS music so far, but SNM's post here has made me reconsider my expectations. Next time I do STS I will think about the music as serving a different purpose than I had originally thought. It does make sense that your pacing would slow through a set, making a one-to-one sync with music impossible. Going forward I will not depend on the music for a count, which will then hopefully make me appreciate it for its intended purpose.
 
carres1973 said:
This was my favorite. I think I have heard some bands who must be trying to do just that:D!

Carrie
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Oh no! Into my head pops memories of summer when once each year my neighbors have a band (who must be beloved family members because why else would you do that to yourself) who are just so bad. I'm cringing in memory. :eek:

OTOH So far, I've really enjoyed the music in STS. But, music has always been low on my importance level and I generally don't pay much attention to it. I'm actually paying more attention to the music in STS than I usually do.
 
I agree with the original poster. I am VERY disappointed in STS because the music is out of sync with the movements. I'm used to exercise videos being in sync with the music; that's one thing that makes them more fun than gym workouts.

If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have ordered STS at all. But, because these are Cathe workouts and have all the components of an excellent workout (excuse the music) I'll try to get used to ignoring the music. I sure hope I can.
 
I can understand the music being off for the heavier lifting Mesos, but was hoping at least Meso 1 would be more like Power Hour, which was perfectly in sync with the music. I find that motivating. I did notice the warm-up being off beat too, which is distracting (and doesn't seem to have the same excuse as people lifting weights at differing speeds). I guess some people are just more sensitive to it than others.

That being said, I hope I'm able to think of STS more of being in the gym than being in a class and can shift my brain to just being glad there is music playing, whether in sync or not. I really want to love these workouts (and haven't been able to start them yet because I've been sick :( ) The out of sync music has been my only disappointment while previewing them. But maybe it won't be such a big deal once I start going. Hope, hope!
 
Voice only option

I just wanted to point out to those who aren't happy with the music, there IS a separate audio track on the dvds that is Cathe's voice only. If you REALLY want to stick with a typical 32-count phrase beat, pop in a cd of fitness music (easily purchased or downloaded from numerous websites), and listen to Cathe's voice only on the dvd.

Personally I'm enjoying the music and lifting pace of the STS program. I'm happy to read that I shouldn't be able to maintain my pace, because more often then not I'm struggling to finish.

Sandra
 
I really don't notice it, except for during the warm up. I tend to be lifting slower near the end of many sets anyway, so I would have never been on the same beat as Cathe and crew even if the music had matched.

But also at the gym when I used my ipod, I would not be lifting to a beat anyway, so I guess that's why it does not matter to me, I had been doing traditional gym weight lifting workouts for years before I found Cathe.
 
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