PS vs. SH

aerobicaggie

aerobicaggie

Member
Hello!!
I just recieved a cathe ecard for christmas (lucky me:) ) and I am trying to decide if I want the pure strength or slow and heavy series!! I have almost all of cathe's dvd's except these, and I am looking for another really good strenght workout. I know slow and heavy is supposed to be great for gaining muscle mass, which is what I want, but is very time consuming. Can you lift heavy enough on pure strength to gain muscle?? I don't want to lean out but rather gain strength and muscle mass, so which dvd do you think would be better?? Thanks a lot for any advice you can give!! I hope you all had a great holiday!
Leslie
 
I have both, and would say to get SH if you're looking for that. This is a set that I think only covers the BASICS (example, not outer theigh)...Due to the rep speed, and # of sets, I saw visible definition in 3 workouts (of each body part)...I did each FULL WORKOUT SET 2x's per week along with my regular cardio...

IMHO, PS covers all of the basic muscle groups, plus some that are missed at times (especially the leg one)...It's a GREAT series, and one that at use often!!

Either one would be a great addition to your almost complete Cathe collection!!!

MJ
 
I'd say that S & H is probably better for gaining muscle mass, but PS is definitely great for maintaining it. I have trouble sticking with S & H for more than two weeks because it just moves so slowly. With PS, on the other hand, I can do pretty long rotations (6 to 8 weeks) and I certainly don't lose any muscle mass when I do these long rotations.

If you end up with both (and you probably will!), a nice rotation is to do one week of S & H, one week of PS, one week of S & H, etc. It keeps it more interesting that way and you get good results.

Shelbygirl
 
I would say that the answer depends upon your body type. If you gain muscle easily on the upper body, then the rep speed on PS will be amenable to you lifting heavy weights and building muscle.

If, however, you are a hard gainer, as I am, then only the S&H will really do the trick. In which case, PS and GS series are useful for alternating with S&H to maintain the muscle built with S&H and for improving definition.

Not everyone dislikes the slowness and time consuming nature fo S&H. Personally, I like it. It gives me time to pull through every aspect of the movement and really perfect my form. I relish the S*H times and usually see such excellent results that I stay with it for 7 weeks.

It is not possible to hit every muscle of the body with the slow and heavy method. Inner thiogh is a case in point. But then, neither does it respond to the PS rep speed either. Inner thigh is best targetted with the rapid, small, pulsing moves as demonstrated on GS legs floorwork. There is also a demonstration of this on PS legs, but the GS floorwork is outstanding I think. More thorough and more imaginative than that on PS legs.

You might even want to think about whether you would not rather have the GS series than the PS series in fact.

Clare
 
I have S&H (I love the slow counts, and have seen great results in a few short mos), PS (I really like this series too, and the leg floor work is basic but effective), and GS. I'm on the fence concerning GS. The GS Legs, I find, annoying-- in that I don't like the stability ball work or the floor band work. I skipped both sections after I was unable to do the moves, so for me, this workout was very ineffective. I guess I need to practice w/ the ball and leg band moves. I also found the super fast GS Leg count to be off putting. My knees got very sore, and I think that's bec the count was so fast that I didn't set up for squats and lunges properly.

I really can't give an honest assessment of how affective either of the 3 workouts are (or compare results), since I'm new to these dvds. But I can say that so far, I highly prefer both S&H (1st choice) and PS (my 2nd choice) to GS Legs (I did like GS Back & Biceps, as it has a slower count). I just tried GS Chest & Triceps today, and it's good, but I still prefer the other 2 dvds' tricep and chest work.

I think getting all 3 series would be a great investment! :) They are all different enough, and alt'ing them is perfect for breaking through any plateaus. :)
 
The ball work on GS legs is excellent, but you have to work the whole body to stabilize yourself in order to complete the moves. This is partly why this is an excellent method of exercising because you work the stabilizers in addition to the targetted lower body muscles. As with any exercise that you are new to, practice makes perfect. But, these are not by any means "impossible exercises."

Also, the rep speeds on GS legs are not at all super fast. It is not, after all, LL. Cathe uses a variety of rep speeds, as she does on all her workouts except S&H.

The problem you may be having is that, you have just come off a S&H rotation and in contrast, any other strength workout may make you feel that the reps speed is crazy. This is a recognized phenomenon and many exericsers on these forums have commented upon it. It goes away as the body readjusts to doing more endurance work than strength with very heavy weights.

This is also why a rotation that alternates GS with S&H is particularly effective.

Clare
 
Thanks Clare! :)

What you said, makes perfect sense. I think anything after S&H would seem like warp speed to me. LOL I maybe should have gone to GS Legs, after PS Legs. :) That would have been a less drastic chg. I'm not giving up on GS Legs alltogether. I'm gonna try it today, and maybe skip my step workout. Maybe I was just too tired after doing Step Jam, and then immediately trying GS Legs? As for the ball and band work, I hear ya. :) The workouts aren't the problem, MY inability to do them, is. hehe But, I'll try to at least practice 1 of those exercises each time I try GS Legs. I remember I also felt I'd never be able to do any of Cathe's Step workouts, too, at first. And now, I just love learning new choreo.

Update:
I've decided I also really like GS Chest/Triceps (as well as the Chest/Bicep series). I'm really feeling the muscles today! lol My triceps are pretty sore, which rarely happens. Parts of my chest are sore too-- but I knew that would happen, given all the pushups. Both of those GS series are working for me, which is the reason I want to give GS Legs another try. :)

thanks!
 
GS Legs gets easier with time. It's still hard to do, but if you really work to get your form right and just stick it out the moves will seem less awkward and I think you'll come to realize it really is a GREAT workout. I am a pear shape and have a TERRIBLE time seeing results in my legs until I started doing Cathe's workouts which includes GS Legs once a week (I do 2 leg workouts/week alternating with L&G or PLB). My legs have toned up a lot and I think GS Legs has alot to do with it.

Now after reading this thread I may have to order S&H...

Ashley
 
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