Project: You - Steady Strides

Kathy Smith
Year Released: 2005

Categories: Walking Aerobics
- Audio Workout

I recently got PY Steady Strides and have done the CD in its entirety once. I was really sleepy when I did it, it had been one of those days. And I was too tired to workout. It was already 9 pm. Well...a walk is better than nothing, right? I only planned to do the first 30 minutes, but was so invigorated by then that I did the whole thing and had an impressive workout to boot! I also have Kathy Smith's 3 CD set WalkFit LeanWalk system (3, 4 and 5 mph, 2 30 minute workouts on each CD).

It doesn't say on the Steady Strides how fast it is, but my guess is that the first 30 minutes are 4 mph and the second 30 minutes are 5 mph. Both workouts have intervals.

I like the music better on her Steady Strides, more of a thumping beat, but it may depend on my mood though!

I find Kathy very encouraging without being cheerleaderish in Steady Strides, she gives a lot of form pointers and I think the time flew by! There's a cooldown song and warmup song between the two workouts, both fastpaced enough that I would call them active recovery/active warmup. I used this time to try doing ALL the form pointers she introduced during the first workout (not all at once, thankfully!): Heel-toe-push, sqeeze the butt cheeks each stride, walk an invisible line to engage inner thighs more, piston arms, shoulders back, engage core, breath properly, walk tall, invisible string in the navel pulling you forward in bigger strides. I hope all these will be second nature soon! I actually found it really helpful that the pace was lowered a bit between the two workouts, so I could practice form pointers before we took off in the second workout. Not much time to think during the second workout. It's not Cathe intense, but actually I found it to be upper intermediate/low advanced because of the intervals. There are even two anaerobic intervals (a minute each with a minute active recovery in between) near the end, and I got me really winded to jog with big arm movements. You're supposed to do whatever it takes to go anaerobic. If you're advanced enough, you could do jumping jacks or plyos.

I did the CD with my normal discman, and in the beginning it skipped a lot! I actually found it very helpful, because every time I bopped up and down in my strides, it would skip, reminding me to walk more smoothly forward as Kathy form pointed me to do.

I'm so glad I have my Steady Strides and other Kathy Smith walking CDs!

Instructor Comments:

sidse

02/14/2005