Customer Reviews

Cathe Friedrich's Low Max DVD (Hardcore Series)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Finally, I was able to try one of Cathe Friedrich's new DVDs. Her "Low Max" workout is intense, but fun. I really enjoyed it and burned a TON of calories in the process.

This workout is mostly a low impact step routine with intervals of floor toning, but it isn't easy by any means. I don't recommend it for beginners or anyone with two left feet! The music is great, but the fast tempo and intense pace will frustrate those new to step aerobics. Cathe mixes a few dance moves, like the mambo and the chacha, so the choreography may require some amount of practice. Still, if you're up for the challenge and looking to workup a SERIOUS sweat, this DVD is for you. :-)

I plan to order more DVDs from Cathe in the future. She does a good job of cueing and looks great!

Wow scale: 9 (out of 10)

Difficulty: Advanced

Studio setting: A bit boring, but current for the times

Don't let the name fool you. Low Max is anything but low intensity. As other reviewers have stated, this workout is not for beginners, it is truly for advanced exercisers. With that being said, I thoroughly enjoy this DVD and it is currently the workout I do most often. I love that the DVD has several "premixes" so you can choose to do just the step aerobic segments, just the power blasts, or two shortened versions of the aerobics & blasts combined when short on time (or less motivated.) The choreography is a little tricky, but if you are familiar with other Cathe videos you can pick it up pretty quickly. Unlike Imax 3, you get a chance to practice the moves a bit before you combine everything together- good for those days when I'm a little less graceful, shall we say. I also love the fact that Cathe finally has a good lower impact workout that doesn't skimp on the calorie burning. My knees are thankful & hopeful Cathe will do more DVDs of this type. Definitely crank up the ceiling fan & have a towel handy for this workout.

I have just started exploring Cathe's workouts, in DVD format and on her cable tv show, and am impressed. If you've been working out for awhile and want to take your program to the next level, Cathe's workouts are a good place to start. Lo Max is fantastic, getting right to the heart of every woman's trouble zone: hips, thighs, buttocks, etc - And she's not messing around! Increasing the Step height to 8 inches is a bonus, but do this within reason. If you're new to Step, or have knee issues (or if you step frequently during the week), I highly suggest you take Cathe's advice that "any Step height that keeps you in your target zone is perfectly fine" - and use a height comfortable for you. Now, as to the workout... It's a series of increasingly challenging cardio and "blast" segments with exercises designed to target the areas above, and it is great fun (you will not notice the passage of time), with just the right level of choreography. The mix-n-match option is great if you're short on time, or want to vary the work out a bit. I will definitely try other Cathe DVDs, and highly recommend this one.

I'm addicted to Cathe Friedrich because her workouts are typically advanced and very challenging. I was worried about this purchase since it has a lower impact portion but decided to give it a try after seeing the edited version on FitTv. It didn't disappoint. It is very easy on the knees and will get your heart pumping. I like to add just the blast portion to the end of other workouts because it really targets the lower body. If you are serious about reshaping your lower half while saving your knees, then this cardio workout is what you are looking for. Make your purchase and prepare to sweat!

I was looking for a challenging low impact workout and couldn't find one until I found Low Max. This is a great workout and I raised my step to 8" and I feel the burn:) Cathe is a wonderful instructor and I have really become addicted to her workouts. My cardiovascular conditioning has been bumped up a notch thanks to all of her challenging yet fun workouts. Great Music, Great Instructor!

I was hoping for a good basic step DVD. The routines were not broken down well so it was a struggle to keep up or to even figure out how to do some of the moves, particularly those that put you over the step with your back to the TV. I haven't tried it again since but probably will some day. I'll take Gin Miller any day over this one though.

I enjoyed Cathe's basic step DVD so I brought this, thinking it was gonna be similar. Well the jokes on me, it was dancey and too complicated to be enjoyable. Her cuing was way off and her blasts were jokes. I wish I could return it.

I really enjoy doing this workout. It's fun and easy on my knees. But that does not mean it's an easy workout! Cathe does a great job of keeping this low impact but at a high intensity. Fun, fun, fun. (and effective!)

I'm always looking for a workout that really pushes me without jarring my joints. This one's great! It really works my muscles and gets my heart rate up. I love it!!

This was my first exercise DVD from Cathe and all I can say is: YOU WORK! I have been stepping for years and consider myself a strong intermediate stepper (bad knees, so I have to be careful). I did the complete workout (an hour) and it was tough - but in a good way! There were some creative step moves that I hadn't seen before so I missed a few the first time around but picked them up as they were repeated. This is definitely not for a beginner, but I'm really glad I purchased it. I'll be looking for more Cathe DVDs soon.