Hardcore: IMax 3

Cathe Friedrich
Year Released: 2005

Categories: Step Aerobics


This was the 1st of the Hardcores that I tried, and anticipation was running high. During the warmup, I was feeling pretty confident. My heart was pounding a bit more than I expected, but I put that down to the excitement of FINALLY having my own Hardcores, as opposed to just reading about them. About the time we started the 1st blast, apprehension began to set in. I had been laying off on Cathe in recent weeks so I wouldn't be burned out on her when my 11 Hardcores arrived. I begin to think this may have been a tactical error. Cathe has warned that the blasts just keep on getting harder. The step sections are fun. There's no breakdown since since they're short and you're just repeating them 6 times before hopping back on the Heart Failure Express. I thought her cues were a tad bit late, but that may have been the oxygen deprivation. On blast 3, I declared out loud that I was going to die before reaching the end of the workout. After blast 4, I spat out, "You call THAT recovery?" I took heart that Cathe said we were almost halfway there. I began to dread the word "accelerate." Blasts 5 and 6 had me wondering what Cathe and crew had for breakfast that they could do all of those jumps. Jumps onto the step. Jumps down to the floor. Jumps ON the floor. Jumps on the STEP. During blast 7 I had to walk around for the last 15 seconds or so to avoid, as Mindy so delicately puts it, "throwing up in a bucket" level of perceived exertion. This was not metaphorical. I really didn't want to know what a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich would be like going the other direction. I started marching in place for the 1st pass of the step portions. After all, I reasoned, since I didn't preview, and Cathe does some things facing the back, it's only prudent to watch the 1st time through. Contrary to the earlier statement that the blasts get progressively harder, Cathe promised that blast 9 was easier. Cathe doesn't lie to me. Blast 9 was much more friendly. Blast 10 was doable, mostly because I knew it was the very last one. The cooldown and stretch felt great. I thought the stretch, especially, was very thorough, and exactly what I needed after that tough workout. The music volume on my IMax 3 was fine. There wasn't anything I considered party music, but it was fun, at least when I could hear it above the roaring in my ears. I have to agree that this is Cathe's toughest IMax, partly because of the MUCH shorter recovery periods. Usually with Cathe's intervals, I hit the limits of my muscles before I hit the limits of my aerobic capacity. That is, I physically cannot perform the moves the way Cathe does, even though I'm not "throwing up in a bucket." With the shorter recoveries, by the time I got to blast 7, I was absolutely dead on my feet, aerobically speaking. Thank goodness for blast 9, which gave me a bit of a break! It definitely earned it's place in a series called "Hardcore!"

Instructor Comments:
Cathe is inspiring and fun in this workout. She's friendly and upbeat without being overly cheerful.

ErinF

02/14/2005