Low Impact Challenge

This is a great low impact workout. The routine is fairly easy to learn, just keep in mind the routine is combo 1, then you do/learn combo 2 and so fourth till you do all 6 combos together - it does not do combo 1, then combot 2, then combine combo 1 and 2 together and so forth. Which my only con is I wish the step combinnation workout was a bit longer. Cathe is known for her "blasts" and "drills" and this dvd includes those but at low impact, so all can do them. You will sweat out the fat in no time, while building up your strength.

I enjoy step because concentrating on the movements and choreography is fun and makes me forget how hard I am working...it makes exercise much less boring.The entire point of step is to provide a high-intensity workout with low impact. Many instructors don't know this, and they introduce high-impact movements to their step routines.Cathe is one who really "gets" step, and her routines are better than the average step instructor at a gym. Impact is minimal, and what little there is can be easily modified to similar intensity with no impact. She also provides easier alternatives for those not entertained by interesting choreography.In addition to jarring your bones with high-impact moves, a lot of instructors do not utilize the step enough. They have you on the floor most of the time, which can be interesting in terms of choreography but will not get your heart rate up or present much physical challenge. Many instructors also ignore arms, which is a shame since adding arm movement can increase your intensity by over 30%. It was hard to find this DVD, and I previewed many on Youtube before buying this one.Cathe is good--very good. She is highly fit, uses the step enough to challenge just about anyone, and does not overlook the arms.This workout will hold my interest and challenge my fitness level for a long time. Maybe forever....

It's Cathe, so the standard of excellence is there. I have many of her tapes and it was time for some new ones. For me the choreography was rolling along, easy enough to understand until about midway through when I started bumping into walls so to speak. She seemed to take more time with the earlier portions... or maybe I was tired and started to lose the ability to follow. It's a little complicated towards the end and after 4 times I still don't totally have it. But I have run into this before with her tapes. It's like life, which is why I love it: you just have to keep trying-- you'll get it. Her tapes aren't just excellent workouts, they're also life lessons. Also like with her other tapes, you're stronger after just a couple of times through them, even if you can't do all the pushups or all the lunges. Each move has a purpose so you will notice results pretty early in the game. As with most of her tapes there are also premixes and a 21 minute bonus step routine. You get so much for your money with her tapes, they're always worth it and the quality never slumps. She's been at this for a couple of decades so that's saying a lot.

I give this step DVD 3 stars because I felt it to be more complicated than I cared for an exercise DVD to be. I have another Cathe DVD with two low impact workouts that I love. This step DVD starts out as if you know what to do. No learning the steps a little at a time just all out go from the start. I just want a great step exercise without all the twirling around and walking 10 feet away from the step. There are other step dvds whereby the instructor allows you the time to progressively learn and then your gone for a killer workout. Sorry Cathe, I sold this DVD on EBay. I felt right from the start that this DVD was too complicated for me. I workout 7 days a week and follow a few different exercise dvds.

I have other Cathe videos and I really like them. She definitely works you out with this one, which is not a bad thing, but she moved too quickly through the routines. If you are great at learning moves on the first try with no setup, then this one will be for you! I have been stepping a long time, but I still need at least a little setup with new moves. She speeds through all the moves and it left me in the dust, mad. I will try it again because I would like to be able to do the moves, but it is going to be a bit frustrating and I really would rather have a video that I could enjoy from the first time doing it. I think there will be a lot of skipping back to review each move many times. But again, if you can do the moves, it will definitely get your heart pumping for an effective workout.

I have several of Cathe's dvds, but I am not impressed with this one. There is not a lot of cardio, as she mixes push ups, sculpt 7s, squat thrusts, into the cardio routine. If this is what you're looking for, you will probably like it. I do my barre toning separately from the cardio workouts.

I bought this DVD in order to use my stepper and it is certainly challenging. It's broken up into a warm-up and 4 step routines plus cool-down. It has a bonus cardio blast and premixes of the step routines, so you don't have to do the exact same routine every time you use it. I've had it for a couple of weeks now and I have to admit that I still don't have the step routines down 100%. I am pretty good with following choreography but this workout is more challenging than most because of its pace (quick) and all the different step moves it incorporates. Definitely a good addition to your library of home workouts.

This is a really good, intensive workout. However, it is not completely low impact. It does incorporate a few small hops. On my part, I was looking for totally low impact--one foot on the floor at all times with no hops. The other thing that didn't work for me is that it is step aerobics. The write up on it didn't make that apparent to me and it does not show on the image. I am not interested in step aerobics and had a hard time adapting the steps to aerobics without a step. So if these are not issues for you, this is a very good DVD.