At what point do you give up on workouts that are too difficult/have AMAZING dread??

[Artist of Eyes]

Originally Posted by blessed_mom_to_3

Would you say Low Impact Circuit is less intense than, say, Body Max 2? I don't have LIC but have had it on my wishlist for a while.

I also just traded for High Step Circuit, which I saw referred to as "beginner-ish", to which I replied, YES! Sign me up! So maybe there's hope for me and Cathe's friendship yet....

I still own both for different reasons. I Adore LIC's step work! It has great music and it keeps you moving without kicking your butt into the mud. You work, but it's enjoyable. I do it at a 4 inch height for my knees and I feel good afterwards. A little sweaty, a little out of breath, but good. It also has a total body premix for strength-only along with step and upper body premix.

I kept BM2 not for the step work, although IMO, more basic than her other DVDs but still the intensity is too much for me. I kept it for the upper body segment at the end of the DVD. It uses the balance ball but can be modified to use without. It's a 20 minute UB workout and is very effective. It's the one workout that made me wish Cathe would release 30 minute start to finish workouts (aside from 4DS).

I also have High Step Circuit. I never reach for it. It's a good workout and gets the job done. However I find it boring. It doesn't have a lot of fun factor for me.

[bzar]

Originally Posted by blessed_mom_to_3

Would you say Low Impact Circuit is less intense than, say, Body Max 2? I don't have LIC but have had it on my wishlist for a while.

I also just traded for High Step Circuit, which I saw referred to as "beginner-ish", to which I replied, YES! Sign me up! So maybe there's hope for me and Cathe's friendship yet....

i have never tried BodyMax2, but given my experience with BodyMax #1, i probably shied away from BodyMax 2!!

I have High Step Circuit and i love it. it's like The Firm tallbox w/Cathe except better. cathe didn't start using the high step until much later, whereas The Firm always used a high step (> than 8").

[blessed_mom_to_3]

Thanks for the info, Artist of Eyes and Bzar!

[Calistro]

Originally Posted by Christine S.

I love your philosophy, and I've been going this route myself lately, remembering that "the best workout is the one I'll actually do."

Me three

[wookiemouse]

I agree with whoever said it has to be fun. I'm not going to drown in sweat unless I'm smiling in the process!

That being said - I'm relatively new to Cathe, but I LOVE all her DVDs so far. Tough, yes - but fun.

The one I'm hesitant to go back to is Jari Love. Because it nearly killed me but she looked fresh as a daisy the entire freaking time. If I'm struggling, I want to see the instructor struggling too! Like Amy Bento in Breathless Body. That makes me feel better when they're as burnt out as I am.

[Pine Cone]

If the moves seem dangerous or somehow awkward or out of step, I get rid of the dvd, but with reviews and long clips, this doesn't happen much any more. As for difficult dvds by instructors I like, Cathe, Patrick, Amy Dixon, etc., I just modify the heck out of it and enjoy-isn't that one reason we exercise at home?

[athompson10]

As a true vidiot, I rarely get rid of stuff, but it does retire to the never-gonna-happen pile if the workout -

- has dangerous/twisty/tweaky moves or moves that will stress my lower back
- is poorly cued (I'm a slow learner and poor cueing means I'll still be stumbling six months later)
- has horrible music

Eventually those workouts will make it to Share the Wealth. With all the clips up now, it's rare I get a real stinker, but it does happen.

For stuff I dread because it's too hard/advanced now, I figure I can modify down or work up to it; stuff that's too easy can be made harder with heavier weights/higher step or is fine for a low-key day or when I've taken a break and am easing back in to more challenging workouts.

The only workout I have that I truly dread but still use is an old Cathe, the upper body split from the CTX series. It has multiple sets of multiple exercises for back, chest, shoulders, bis and tris and I'm always totally wiped, almost nauseated from exhaustion, when I finish. I haul that baby out about twice a year, pat myself on the back with a weak, rubbery arm when I finish, then let it hibernate again.

[blessed_mom_to_3]

Originally Posted by Pine Cone

If the moves seem dangerous or somehow awkward or out of step, I get rid of the dvd, but with reviews and long clips, this doesn't happen much any more. As for difficult dvds by instructors I like, Cathe, Patrick, Amy Dixon, etc., I just modify the heck out of it and enjoy-isn't that one reason we exercise at home?

Yes, you're right - I shouldn't be afraid to modify. Interesting how we sometimes get into the mindset that if we can't match the instructor the video's got to go. Not always the case. Thanks for the reminder!

athompson10 - yikes on the CTX workout - glad I never managed to acquire that one! Also agree with your criteria for when to get rid of a workout. Music doesn't matter too much to me though because I have to turn my workout volume way down since I exercise when the kids are still asleep (and our house has thin walls). So I don't usually notice bad music.

[eyefit]

Originally Posted by blessed_mom_to_3

Yes, you're right - I shouldn't be afraid to modify. Interesting how we sometimes get into the mindset that if we can't match the instructor the video's got to go. Not always the case. Thanks for the reminder!

athompson10 - yikes on the CTX workout - glad I never managed to acquire that one! Also agree with your criteria for when to get rid of a workout. Music doesn't matter too much to me though because I have to turn my workout volume way down since I exercise when the kids are still asleep (and our house has thin walls). So I don't usually notice bad music.

Yes! Don't be afraid to modify and use premixes! That's what I do and I LOVE Cathe's workouts . I use my rebounder for some of the high impact if needed. Many of her workouts aren't too bad anyway. Pretty much all of her kickboxing and MMA workouts aren't too difficult (you could skip the blast section at the end of Kick Max and get a great fairly low impact workout). As far as length, workouts like CCC, Drill Max, and several of the LIS workouts have premixes that can be done in 35-50 minutes and the Hiit dvd has 3 workouts that all come in under 35 minutes. Circuit Blast is fun and only comes to about 48 minutes I think.

That said, I'm starting to wonder if some of the high impact step routines are for me. Lately, I've been acquiring and trying to do some of those and learn the choreography. I did Athletic Step on Sunday and while I'm catching on and really really like it a lot, my knees and ankles hurt the next day. I have the same problem with Body Max 2...so maybe those particular kinds of workouts aren't for me. I really enjoyed Low Impact Circuit, though! No joint pain after that one!

I'm with you on the music stuff...it makes NO difference to me. The music always fades into the background for me as I'm working too hard to notice it!

[casey]

Originally Posted by susan p

I LOVE to do Cathe's old step workouts on a 4" step. FUN, fun, fun, and mostly pretty intermediate on 4". Step Heat, Step Jam, Step Fit, Power Max, LOVE those! I have also revisited MIS and love it. And the Pure Strength series. And Push/Pull. Supersets. Pyramid upper and lower.

I just choose more intermediate-ish Cathes and do them on a 4" step (if they're cardio) or use lighter weights.

If you love Cathe, just get rid of the super-high-intensity-look-at-me-I-can-out-ShaunT-ShaunT workouts and pull out the more intermediate ones, lower your step, lower your weights, and have yourself a PARTY!!

I agree. I went through long periods of doing only Cathe and I was exhausted. I did the 4 1/2 month rotate of STS. Can't get myself to do a rotation again, even though when I finished I could do 2-3 sets of 8-12 chin ups and I had the best strength gains ever.

BUT I do find several of her LIS workouts to be gems, like Afterburn and Trisets. However, I noticed I get that dread feeling if I'm trying to match her weights when I do the 86 minute Triset premix. Step ups with a rear lunge with 20 lb dumbbells make me sad. The beginning endless squat segment in HiReps makes me sad. Holding my big stability ball and waving it over my head in DrillMax makes me sad....

So I pick the ones I enjoy. Some things I love, I know other people hate! I love to run. I love Tonique, Squeeze Stronger, Booty Barre, Jari Love, Karen Voight GWW and Reach. I ran 3 1/2 miles yesterday and followed it with Original Buns of Steel and laughed so much! The outfits, the mannerisms and the comments. I workout to be happy.