Party Rockin Step #1

Sunday is my rest day. I have been putting off some of my new and new to me Cathe step cardio workouts due to fear of her complex choreography. I did Party Rockin Step #2 a few days ago and loved it. Nevertheless, I knew from the description that the step choreography in Party Rockin Step #1 was more complex and I hate wasting a regular workout day on workouts that don’t give me the intensity and burn I am looking for. So I decided to relegate Party Rockin Step #1 to Sunday, my rest day.

So very glad I did. I did not like it and for the reason I feared. The choreography is so very complex. In fact, I would say it is the most complex step choreography of Cathe’s I have done so far. More complex than Step Blast and Low Impact Challenge–both of which lost me near the ends of the workouts. Party Rockin Step #1 lost me throughout–not just at the end. Now, I am not the authority on the complexity of all of Cathe’s step cardio workouts. I own 7 that I still haven’t done due to fear and there is another one out there I haven’t even bought for the same reason (Step Moves). I plan to try the other 7 that I own the same way I did this one–on a rest day, so as not to waste a good workout day with a sub par workout. That is sub par for me, btw. It you are totally into complex choreography and very dancy workouts–then this one is for you. But I am not. I do visit Cathe’s forums and what I see, from the people who really like this complex choreography, is that they apparently are looking for something different in a workout than I am. They are willing to rewind the workout multiple times and do steps over and over just to learn them (like a dance class), in order to do a workout. I am not. I want a workout to be doable and intense the first time I come to it. And if I haven’t done it in months (because I do like a lot of variety) I want to be able to pick it up easily and get an awesome workout every time I do it. That will never happen with Party Rockin Step #1 and workouts like it.

So, with that out of the way, lets get to the workout breakdown. I don’t break down most cardio workouts the same way I do strength, HIIT and circuit workouts but I try to give an idea of what they are like. The structure of the workout is the same as Party Rockin Step #2. You get 6 combos and she does teach them in layers (though she frequently throws a lot at you in a single layer). After completing the 6 combos, she takes you through a finished product that links all 6 combos together; you go through the finish product twice. This workout has lots of mambos and cha-chas and other dancy steps, thrown together in fast succession. You are on the step, off the step, have your back to the step, turning and turning multiple times on and off the step so that I was getting dizzy and almost twisting my ankles. She does throw in Power 7s every so often to up the intensity, but otherwise it is a steady-state step-dance workout. BTW–during the layering Cathe even comments that she is frequently throwing a lot at you and once even says we’ll have to rewind to get the steps down. No thanks. During the most complicated step moves (and there were several) I eventually found an alternative move to do so I would at least continue to get a decent workout–either high knee runs or power 7s.

Party Rockin Step #1 is 54 minutes long; 7 minute warm up, 41 minute training time and 6 minute cool down. You need a 6 inch step.

The premixes are done the same as they are done in Party Rockin Step #2. Timesaver #1 is just a shorter version of the main workout. The remainder of the premixes contain “bonus combos.” Normally, if a workout has a bonus, I try it before posting a review so that I can comment on the bonus. However, these aren’t real bonuses. Party Rockin Step #2 contains them as well–in fact, other than Timesaver #1 on both workouts being a shorter version of the main workout, they both have the same premixes. The “bonus combos” are just using combos from the other workout. (So the bonuses on Party Rockin Step #1 are combos from Party Rockin Step #2 and vise versa.)

Premixes:

Timesaver #1 (no finished product): warm up, Step Combo #1 + Step Combo #4, Step Combo #5, Step Combo #6 + Stretch 36 minutes

Timesaver #2 (Workout #1 & 2 Mix): warm up, Step Combo #1 + Bonus Step #2 Combo 3 + Bonus Step #2 Combo 6 + Step Combo #3 + Stretch) 28 minutes

Step Mix: Warm Up + Step Combo #1 + Step Combo #5 + Step Combo #6 + Bonus Step #2 Combo 2 + Bonus Step #2 Combo 3 + Bonus Step #2 Combo 4 + Finished Product +  Stretch 61 minutes

Party Rockin Step Extreme (10 Combos): warm up + Step Combo #1 + Step Combo #2 + Step Combo #3 + Step Combo #4 + Step Combo #5 + Step Combo #6 + Bonus Step #2 Combo 2 + Bonus Step #2 Combo 3 + Bonus Step #2 Combo 4 + Step Combo #2 + Step Combo #3 + Bonus Step #2 Combo 6 + Bonus Step #2 Stretch 74 minutes

Party Rockin Step Extreme (8 Combos + Finished Product): Warm Up + Step Combo #1 + Step Combo #2 + Step Combo #3 + Step Combo #4 + Step Combo #5 + Step Combo #6 + Bonus Step #2 Combo #3 + Bonus Step #2 Combo #4 + Finished Product + Stretch 66 minutes