Cathe's HardCore KickMax..............

[juberann]

I know this is an older workout of hers but from the clips I have seen, it looks like fun, however, Collagevideo claims it is one of the toughest KickBox workouts ever I really want it for the standing lower body toning Bonus segment but can't see spending money on it just for that.
I can't find any reviews here on it, just wondering what you guys have to say about the KickBoxing workout? is it truly difficult and advanced? How easy/difficult is it to pick up on the moves? Thanks

[Vee]

Judy, this is an under-rated gem of a workout from Cathe.

It has three main segments:
a. Combos
b. Blasts
c. Leg Conditioning Drills

The Combos are a sweat fest but certainly not killer intense.

The Blasts are very high intensity and also high impact. I I consider myself absolutely anti "let-me-see-if-this-makes-me-puke" intesnity. I no longer do IMAX for example, but this I can do. Even if you dont feel up to doing all the Blasts, you can do a couple.

The Leg Conditioning Drills are definitely do-able. They feel like PT, except more fun.

I think it is well worth getting, even if you skip the Blasts entirely. On days when I dont have too much energy, I do everything but the Blasts and I still burn a lot of calories without feeling drained at the end.

In discussions in past threads VFers have said they wished it had a premix with a Blasts after each Combo. I have never used the premixes on the DVD, but I think that would have made the workout easier by spacing out the intensity.

[juberann]

Thanks, Vee So, there is a premix with just punching combos and no blasts? In the Combos, does she stay "on the ground?" I don't want anything too high impact in the Combos mix. How long are these workouts?
The Leg conditioning segment looks like a blast!!! LOVE that old school stuff

[Vee]

Originally Posted by juberann

Thanks, Vee So, there is a premix with just punching combos and no blasts? In the Combos, does she stay "on the ground?" I don't want anything too high impact in the Combos mix. How long are these workouts?
The Leg conditioning segment looks like a blast!!! LOVE that old school stuff

The Combos are pretty much low impact, Judy.

Here is a workout breakdown from Cathe's site:
http://shop.cathe.com/Kick_Max_Workout_DVD_p/648.htm

The premixes are:
1. Low Impact Kick Box - 58 min
2. Low Impact Timesaver - 48 min
3. Kickbox/Bootcamp Challenge - 50 min
4. Cardio Leg Sculpt - 52 min (eveything on the dvd minus the Blasts)

[juberann]

Thanks, Vee! I may get this one. It's longer then KCM's workouts but will be great for those days that I have more time. The premixes sound great (although I will most likely stay away from those blasts).

[lucia]

It sounds like the "Kickbox/Bootcamp Challenge" (50 minutes) may be an HIIT workout...I will have to try it soon (after I get my stamina up...I've been going light for a while ).

[workoutjunkie]

Vee pretty much told you what you needed to know. I agree with her assessment, but I'll chime in with a few of my own thoughts.

I haven't done the workout for awhile, but I remember liking the combos. I believe there are four. I remember them being easy to learn/follow and they were low impact. The combos themselves didn't get the heart rate up a ton, but IIRC, there are jumping jacks inbetween the combos that get the heart rate up.

I kind of dread the blasts, they are high impact and leave me breathless. I'm one who really wishes she had included a premix that put a few blasts after each combo.

I love the leg conditioning drills. I did them for the first time in a long time the other day. I tacked them on after one of KCM's Circuit Burn workouts. I was cussing at the screen, saying "are you serious?". I took my shoes off hoping all the excess weight of my shoes would help make it easier to lift my leg. lol Man, those drills fried me. I think they are awesome. I'm going to try and incorporate them into my routine once a week or so to try and firm up that area.

I think that if you like kickboxing (something that's not too intense) and those sort of leg drills, then it's worth having.

I also love Cathe's Kick Punch and Crunch dvd. Loooove those combos. I really like her Legs & Glutes workout on that dvd too. That dvd has a ton of premixes too, even premixes that combine the two workouts. So if you don't have that one, that might be another one to consider. L&G does have leg presses though, not sure if you like those.

Happy shopping!

[alisoncooks]

Originally Posted by workoutjunkie

I also love Cathe's Kick Punch and Crunch dvd. Loooove those combos. I really like her Legs & Glutes workout on that dvd too. That dvd has a ton of premixes too, even premixes that combine the two workouts. So if you don't have that one, that might be another one to consider. L&G does have leg presses though, not sure if you like those.

Happy shopping!

I like KP&C better than KickMax (but it's pricey!), but found KM to be pretty good. I did like the Leg drills in Kick Max.. Burner!

[Elise7]

I like the pacing of the combos. It is not super duper fast, so I can keep up. The combos are mainly low impact.

[JP44]

I did Kickmax the other night and put 2 blasts after the warm up & each combo. It was a PITA to have to FF to get from each combo to a different blast as SNM didn't chapter each blast. That said, I was happy w/ how it all worked as a low intensity/high intensity interval workout.

The combos have higher intensity punching than kicking as Cathe basically saves your legs for the blasts & the conditioning drills. Also, most of the combos have you doing 180 degree turns for the kicks, which is not good for my knees as I work out on carpet. As Cathe suggest, I just don't bother turning. I don't find the combos to be a sweatfest but they are good for punching drills.

Note, the 2 blasts I did right after the warm up were #3 (zig zag jump rope & turning jacks) and #4 (fast jabs w/ a shuffle). These are the lowest intensity of the drills so they were fine as a post warm up follow up. After each combo, I just chose the Blasts in the order she uses (but not repeating 3 & 4).

IMO, the jumping jacks she uses to bump the heart rate after each combo get a bit old as she has them so many throughout the workout--even in the blast sections. She could have replaced several sets of jacks w/ standing mountain climbers, high knees or other old school calisthenics IMO.

As mentioned by most everyone, the conditioning drills are excellent but the warm up for Kickmax is one of my absolute favorites from all my kickboxing workouts! It's 10 min. long, very thorough and it makes for a great 30 minute mishmosh workout if you combine it w/ the combos only from KPC.

FWIW, the Hardcore Extreme dvd has both the Kickmax Blasts & Conditioning drills as part of the compilation workouts.

HTH

Joan