Xtrain: All Out Low Impact HIIT

All Out Low Impact HIIT is a 39 minute cardio workout; 5 minute warm up, 31 minute training time and 3 minute stretch. This DVD also includes Bonus Core #1, Burn Set Chest, Burn Set Shoulders and 100 Rep Challenge Scarecrows. These bonuses will be reviewed at the end. Equipment needed for the main workout is 5 pound dumbbells, a step at 8 inches and Slide N Glide disks.

Xtrain All Out Low Impact HIIT is part of Cathe‘s Xtrain series. For more info on the series as a program see My Intro to Xtrain.

I LOVED this workout! Not a big surprise. I have loved all of Cathe‘s Xtrain workouts so far and, in the past, I’ve loved all of her workouts that are similar to All Out Low Impact HIIT. I love, love, love what she is doing with this Xtrain series! And one of the things I love most about it, is one of the things I thought least mattered to me. I am crazy about the way that no exercises are repeated. There is zero boredom. Not that I’ve ever found any of her other workouts boring, but somehow a workout seems even more fun and fast paced when you are constantly doing a new exercise. I do have to slightly amend the “no repeating an exercise” statement–at least in regards to this workout. There is one exercise that is repeated. It is the last exercise done on the step–running man. You do that once twice. Nothing else in the workout is repeated.

I also have one little, tiny nitpick. This workout is titled “All Out Low Impact HIIT.” Even though I am not arguing that this is an excellent and very intense workout, I’m not sure that the majority of the exercises, for me at least, qualify as HIITs. A HIIT is when you are in your anaerobic zone every time you are in the high intensity period (rather than recovery period). Sometimes I was in my anaerobic zone during this workout. But the majority of the time these exercises didn’t quite get me there. And that could be due to the fact that I am an intensity junkie and do a lot of very high intensity workouts. I still love it and I do have some ideas for increasing the intensity–using 8 pound dumbbells rather than 5 pounds, perhaps. Actually increasing the impact of some of the moves. But even doing it just as it is, it is an excellent and intense workout. Even though I love this workout, I did find it kind of short for my liking. But luckily there is an “Extreme” premix that is 53 minutes that I will probably do most frequently in the future.

All Out Low Impact HIIT is set up in 3 rounds. The first round is 14 minutes and the only equipment needed is the dumbbells. The second round is 11 minutes and you need 5 pound dumbbells and the 8 inch step. The third round is 6 minutes and the only equipment needed are the Slide N Glide disks.

Round #1:
Sprint shooters
Squat kick squat lunges with 5 pound dumbbells
Weighted sumo squats with 5 pound dumbbells
Double pulse lunge
Explosive side-to-side lunges with 5 pound dumbbell
Hammer punch into a front kick
Climb rope for three then elbow strike
Long reach lunges
Shuffle shuffle drop down
Switch kick lunges

Round #2 (on 8 inch step):
Uneven weighted sumos with 5 pound dumbbells
Swim lunges
Drop squats into box step and cha cha
Tap abductions with arms swinging overhead
Windmill side kicks
Step slams
Super sonic running man (this is the only exercise that is repeated)

Round #3 (with Slide N Glide disks)
Mountain climbers
Swim lunges
Scissors
Jacks

Bonus Core #1 is 10:30. It is a great core workout. Bonus Core #2 is tougher, but this one is still pretty challenging. You start with full sit ups with speed bag arms. Then you do pulse crunches with hands to knees, then hands behind head. Sit up touching hands to knees, toes, knees and lay back down to mat. You alternate this move with pulse crunches touching hands to knees. Next is frog style crunches (knees to side and bottoms of feet touching). In banana position, twist to the side bringing in knees and touching opposite knee to elbow–alternate (this is a tough move!). In C-sit position with knees bent and feet off ground, do oblique twists. Next is something Cathe calls stacked crunches. What is stacked is your feet. Both legs are extended straight and one heel sits on the opposite toe. As you crunch up, you lift the top leg. Next is full sit ups. The workout ends with a plank series. First, while in straight arm plank, alternate bringing your foot to your hand. Then drop to elbows (low plank) and alternate bringing your knees to your arms. Next is a “jog” while still in low plank–alternating dropping your knees to the mat. The plank series ends by holding low plank. Then she briefly stretches out your core.

Bonus Burn Set Chest is 14 minutes and Bonus Burn Set Shoulders is 14 minutes. These two “bonuses” are actually individual muscle group segments from the Burn Set workout. So, just click on any of the Burn Set links and it will take you to the review of that workout where you can read about the concept of the Burn Set workouts and the individual muscle segments.

100 Rep Scarecrows (6 minutes): This is a great challenge that works your rotator cuff. I’m not sure why this exercise wasn’t included on one of the shoulder strength workouts but that is where I tack on this challenge. You need light weights for this exercise. Jai is using 3 pound dumbbells. I used 3 pounds, too, the first time I did it but felt I could go heavier. The second time I did it I used 4 pounds and that was sufficient! You hold your arms in goal post position and bring the dumbbells forward until they are level with your shoulders. And of course you use slow and controlled movements. Just like in all of the other 100 Rep Challenges, Cathe gives instructions while a crew member does the challenge. In this challenge it was Jai. The idea is to do as many reps as you can (to failure) then rest for 30 seconds and start again. You continue this until you’ve reached 100 reps. In the other challenges I have done so far, even though there isn’t a verbal “count” going on when the crew member stops for a break, we are told where she is in the 100 reps. That did not happen consistently in this challenge. So I had to do my own count. Jai did 40 then rested for 30 seconds. She did another 20 and rested for 30 seconds. Another 20, another 30 second rest, then 20 more, which brought her to 100. The first time I did this challenge with 3 pound dumbbells, I felt as if I didn’t need as many rests as Jai took. However, the second time with 4 pound dumbbells, I was ready for this rests!

Edit: It was pointed out by a reader that the crew members have been filming workouts all day and their muscles are probably already fatigued. This is, of course, true. Cathe mentions in most (if not all) of the 100 Rep Challenges to go at your own pace, which is what the crew members are doing. I noticed myself that when doing the 100 Rep Bicep Challenge that I needed more rests when I did the challenge after Burn Sets Bi’s & Tri’s than after I did the regular Bi’s and Tri’s workout. So Burn Sets burned my biceps out more, which made the challenge more difficult. This is obviously what is going on with some of the crew members—their muscles are burned out.

Premixes:

Low Impact HIIT + Core #1  49 minutes

Low Impact HIIT + Burn Set Chest  53 minutes

Low Impact HIIT + Burn Set Chest + Core #1  64 minutes

Low Impact HIIT + Burn Set Shoulders   53 minutes

Low Impact HIIT + Burn Set Shoulders + Core #1 64 minutes

Timesaver Floor Cardio 22 minutes

Timesaver Floor Cardio + Core #1  32 minutes

Timesaver Step and Disc Cardio  25 minutes

Timesaver Step and Disc Cardio + Core #1  36 minutes

Timesaver Floor and Step Cardio  33 minutes

Timesaver Floor and Step Cardio + Core #1  43 minutes

Timesaver Floor and Disc Cardio + Core #1  38 minutes

Double Floor Cardio  35 minutes

Double Step Cardio  30 minutes

Double Step and Disc Cardio  42 minutes

All Out Extreme Cardio  53 minutes