Cathe Friedrich Low Impact Cycle Max Indoor Cycling DVD - Use Cathe low impact Indoor cycling workouts for lower body sculpting, and aerobic conditioning

This is DVD with a play time of 80 minutes and they have created two shorter playtimes out of it: one at 46 minutes and the other 60 minutes. What this meant is that both the shorter rides have 'jumps' in them to jump to the next move. It is not that distracting, but noticeable. I am okay with it as I don't have 80 minutes during work week to do the full ride, so the shorter rides mean I can still cycle! One less star due to the editing for the shorter rides!The moves and changes are very similar to those of current day spin classes, yes the music is not the latest, but like all work out DVDs, there is just enough of the beat to keep you in beat to the rpm that you need to go to: there are speeds, interval s and hills. The rest is up to you to work harder if you are feeling good, or less if your body is not that cooperative! The instructions are great even for beginners as she does explain postures and safe riding positions. Loved it. Better than the 'spinning' brand so far, hope she comes out with a few more; but for now there is enough variation that I will not get bored anytime soon!

I have used Cathe's DVD workouts for years and love her!! These spinning DVDs are no exception. She is a true professional - extremely focused on the workout and helping you get the most out of it. Some people say she talks too much and, yes, she talks continuously throughout the exercise, but in an effort to keep you motivated and focused. She gives you all the important tips on form and function so you get the best results without injuries. And, yes, she repeats those tips throughout the workout. She's always talking to you and the people she's riding with in the studio to keep you engaged and energized. She is working just as hard as she is pushing you to. And, yes, the music is some studio-generated version almost like the hit songs you know. However, I don't care. The music isn't that important to me.....an effective workout is what counts, and Cathe delivers that every time!! I knew when I chose her spinning DVDs that I would get the no-nonsense, professional workout session that I was looking for.

This is my first non-Spinning DVD, so let me start by saying it's NOT a Spinning workout nor does it pretend to be. That said, Cathe seems familiar enough with the mechanics/terminology of Spinning to make this DVD worthwhile for Spinning enthusiasts like myself. However, beginners should beware. There are many things about this DVD which are inherently dangerous. If you know what they are upfront, you can still enjoy what is a fairly decent ride. So what makes this DVD just OK?The Bad:The class, including the instructor, all face in the same direction with Cathe right at the front and the majority of the camera work shot from the front. The class (all women) have obviously been told to smile/grin inanely throughout the ride. Their spaced out smile/grin expressions immediately got on my nerves because it looks to contrived. No one looks like that in a real class! Once or twice Cathe would say something like "looking great". How would she know if she can't see her own class?Cathe makes repeated instructions to engage your core. There is NO focus on abs in indoor cycling. In fact, contracting your abdominal muscles while working out on the bike can inhibit your breathing, so I have no idea what Cathe was thinking of there. Neither could I figure out what she was thinking when, at the end of the ride, she had her class stretch on the bike. That is a huge no-no. You should never ever stretch on the bike primarily for safety reasons.For many instructors, the class is all about them and unfortunately Cathe falls into that trap. She never stops talking which gets pretty tedious after a while. Despite her constant chatter, Cathe never once mentions cadence or heart rate. She does mention the Perceived Exertion scale, but only 2 or 3 times in total. Using my Spinning Computer I can tell you many periods of the ride were at 50rpm which is well below the minimum cadence of a proper Spinning class. Most of the class seemed to hover around 65rpm. Speaking of hovering, Cathe has a twist on jumps. Spinning jumps are controlled sit and stand movements, with the standing position being upright, your center of gravity directly above the pedals and always using hand position #2. Cathe's jumps have you transitioning from an upright position to hovering above the seat, arms fully extended, hand position #3 and your center of gravity not directly above the pedals. This forces your knee joints to compensate for the lack of stability in the hovering position. That's unsafe and hardly low impact, Cathe! Tut tut!Cathe does offer several recovery periods throughout the ride, but they're just too short. The point of a recovery period is to recover, i.e. catch your breath, lower your heart rate and mentally prepare for the next challenge. 15 or 20 seconds just isn't long enough to do that. She should know better. Finally, what the instructor does is massively important because the class and you at home will likely copy it. Her bad (read unsafe) habits include: taking both hands off the handle bars to take a drink and tilting her head all the way back so her water bottle is practically vertical. Plastic drink bottles are squeezable so you don't have to do that! Changing the resistance on the fly wheel out of the saddle. Taking both hands off the handle bars to "stretch it out" mid ride. Doing these things is extremely dangerous, especially for beginners. A beginner who is unused to the exertion of indoor cycling can have a tendency to become light headed. Therefore, keeping both hands on the handle bars at all times goes a long way to ensuring their stability on the bike and reduces their chances of losing their balance and falling off. Falling off an indoor bike can lead to serious injury. That's why it's important to learn good habits and always be safe on the bike.Finally, a potentially good point about the DVD is it contains 3 rides of different durations, 43, 57 and 79 minutes in length. However, the 57 and 79 minute rides are not actually that long. They're just edited versions of the 43 minute ride and the editing is horrible. For example, the 57 minute ride starts with the last phase of the 43 minute ride, at the end of which the ride is winding down, Cathe is telling everyone how well they've done and her class are gently dabbing their faces so as to not smudge their makeup (seriously). You blink and to your surprise, the class is powering through a seated flat with Cathe encouraging everyone with her signature "let's riiiiiiiiiiide" (seriously). If I'm going to do a 57 or 79 minute ride, I want the instructor to suffer with me and not use editing to cheat. That's a serious cop out. Also, if she knew her DVD would be edited for longer rides, then she should have been way more careful about what she said. For example, the 43 minute ride flows OK. However, about 20 minutes into the 57 minute ride we get a phase from the 43 minute ride where she says you're about half way through the ride. Which isn't true for the 57 minute ride. Very misleading and completely avoidable.The Good:The ride is pretty varied which I'm sure would appeal to many. That said, it really doesn't fit into any one of the 5 Spinning profiles (Recovery, Interval, Endurance, Strength, Race Day), but as I said, it's not a Spinning workout. Overall, the ride is pretty decent and provides a challenging workout. The longer rides even more so if you can get past the awful editing.The music is pretty inoffensive and I found I hardly noticed it since I was working so hard. The BPM really helped in many cases and the choice of tunes did not overpower Cathe's voice/instructions which was good.Cathe made a good choice of language when adding/removing resistance. Many instructors will use terms like "add a half turn" which is meaningless because all bikes are different. A half turn on one bike might feel completely different to a half turn on another bike. Cathe avoided that trap, so kudos there. The little instructional chapter on bike setup was pretty good too.More kudos for repeated reminders about correct form. As a ride progresses riders, especially beginners, have a tendency to tighten up their wrists, elbows and shoulders. Having an instructor remind you not to do that is very helpful. Cathe could have emphasized breathing and water intake a little more than she did though.So there you have it. Intermediate and advanced indoor cycling/Spinning enthusiasts will get a lot out of this DVD. I would caution beginners about picking up bad/unsafe habits though. Enjoy your workout!UPDATE 08/03/2014:Well, I've tried the longest ride and it is a train wreck. The editing looks like my cat did it. I've also noticed that Cathe's riding position looks wrong - her seat looks too low to me. She also locks out her elbows several times, something which she tells you not to do during the warmup. I've downgraded this to 2 stars. It's poor.

I am a big fan of Cathe's spin bike dvds.I cannot imagine riding a spin bike without a work out..This is the 2nd spin dvd of hers I bought and if you want an intense. Hard work out this is for you..I have her Pedal Power dvd that i love..this one is a bit different only because there are 3 different workouts..one is an express workout which is like 46 min..there is the 57 min mix and one thats even longer..Its a fantastic dvd only for those that like to work very hard and when you are done you know you have worked out!! I am 58 and would love to see some posts from some fellow older girls!! I am in better shape now then ever thanks to my spin bike and Cathes dvd work outs..plus Im an extreme road cyclist too:)

I really love this series. I just got it and when I put my sweat apparel on I'm DRENCHED! I have neck issues so I needed the low impact and I'm pleased with it. I recommend using the music off setting with just instructions, as others have said. The only thing is, if you're listening to your own music you can't really hear Cathe so my 1-star removal was because you can't engage closed-caption subtitles.

This dvd is a great workout for everyone. I found the music was good as well as the cadence of the ride. Cathe does a great job cueing in this dvd and before you know it the fun is over. I would highly recommend this dvd to anyone who wants a great ride at home. It is great to just pop in the dvd and workout without having to go to the gym and deal with waiting to sign up for a bike or someone to tell you that you took their bike. All of the spin dvd's by Cathe Freidrich are great and will keep me in shape for years to come.