Party Rockin Step #1

PRS1 is a 54 minute steady state step workout put out by Cathe in 2013. In recent years, Cathe has tended towards athletic drill-type movements in her step workouts. There’s none of that here — it’s just good, old fashioned step. The music is moderate to high energy sound alikes (I recognized Earth Wind and Fire, Whitney Houston, Jackson 5 (Candy Girl?)) and the choreography is fun and a little dancy. I think the workout is well named! I really like this one and can see putting it often into my cardio routine.

The workout is broken into six sections: a six-minute warmup, six combos ranging from 4 to almost 7.5 minutes, a 10-minute section where she puts all of the combos together and then cools down, and a six-minute stretch at the end. Cathe teaches each of the combos in segments then she runs through the finished combo several times before moving on to the next one. There is no TIFTing.

The DVD also contains a nice selection of premixes, all of which contain footage from PRS2. There are 5 premixes total, ranging in length from just under 31 minutes to almost an hour and a quarter.

I’d rate the level of this DVD at high intermediate to advanced because Cathe assumes some familiarity with her choreography. However, if you’ve been stepping with Cathe for years (like I have), you shouldn’t have much of a problem. I only got lost a couple of times, and even then not for long. Combos 2 and 5 are the trickiest, partly because your back is to the TV for some of the moves.

What I Liked/Things to Consider

I loved the choreography in this one. There were mambos and cha chas, lots of turns, and ricochets. There’s also a great sequence where you do a pendulum on the step into an Elvis and a hip hop repeater off the front. Very fun! I recognized some of the moves from her other workouts (LIS, Step Moves, maybe Body Blast?), so these parts were easy to pick up.

I also liked the fact that there was not a lot of impact in this one (no jacks, plyos, etc), and where there was some impact (2 sets of power 7’s), it was easy enough to modify. Plus, the length was good; the main workout is just under 54 minutes, which is perfect for me right now. And for days where that’s too long or too short, there are great premix options. Love that!

However, I wouldn’t recommend this DVD as a starting place for Cathe’s workouts. There are lots of twisty torque-y moves, which can be dangerous for those who try to follow but can’t quite keep Cathe’s pace. I would only recommend this DVD to those who are already familiar with Cathe’s choreography or who are willing to watch while they learn.

Instructor Comments:
Cathe’s cueing is good here, and she is encouraging and motivating. She obviously loves what she does, and her happiness is infectious.

shawnt