X10

 

***Updated 10/17/13

X10 is INSANE! I don’t even know how to describe it. But I will try. X10 is a mix and match conglomeration. It contains five “10 minute” segments. NONE of these are actually 10 minutes–they are all longer, but we’ll get to that in a moment. It also contains a warm up and a stretch. There are a dozen ways to use these workouts. The main way is to use them as short workouts, doing one segment with the warm up and stretch. They all clock in at approx. 30 minutes (a little less). But let me share something. The warm up is 8 minutes and the stretch is 5 minutes. That totals 13 minutes. The five workouts range from 25 to 30 minutes; that means the shortest one is actually 12 minutes and the longest one is 17 minutes. This isn’t a bad thing, but I am just setting the record straight. Not a single one of them is actually 10 minutes. X10 is a misnomer. The other way to do this is to use the premixes which give you workouts of different lengths and varieties by combining 2, 3 ,4 or all 5 of the workouts into longer workouts that range from 37 minutes to 78 minutes.

Wanting to sample all 5 of these little gems, I did the premix X77 which combines all 5 of the workouts with the warm up and cool down. It is actually 78 minutes long btw. I will probably never do X77 again. If you follow my blog, you know that I am an intensity junky and do some pretty intense cardio. Up until today, Insanity was the most advanced and difficult cardio I have ever done. It is the only cardio I’ve done (at least in the past decade) that I have experienced “failure” with. I hit muscle failure frequently with strength workouts, but cardio? No. Insanity held the title for making me fail. Even Amy Dixon‘s Breathless Body workouts and Cathe‘s Tabatacise, tho very intense, never left me at cardio failure. Until now. I actually had to pause X10 between segments and several times had to stop before Cathe did on a move. (My God–she is a machine!) After finishing just one of these “short” workouts, I began contemplating not doing all 5 back-to-back and coming back to sample them all by using the shorter premixes! And I continued to contemplate this as I neared the end of each segment! But I did it! I finished all 78 minutes. And I was WASTED afterward. Sucked dry. My clothes were soaked, my hair was soaked, my face was bright red and my legs were weak.

Hows that for an intro? Keep in mind, it is not required to do all 5 like I did and in the future, if I just do 1 or 2 or even 3, I am guessing I may not have cardio failure. But that remains to be seen as they were all very difficult and challenging. ***UPDATE: I adore this DVD. It is now my favorite workout ever. Since doing X77, I have continued to use these workouts in different ways. I have been doing them as my doubles workout in the afternoon. When I do that I just do one 25-30 minute single after work. And I have used a longer premix as my cardio workout in the morning (this morning was X53). Much more doable in smaller chunks, though I won’t lie, still very intense and challenging workouts! In fact, perfect for so many things! And I rescind what I said earlier. I am already contemplating giving X77 another go. I got through X53 this morning without pausing or stopping. Now I want to get through X77 w/out stopping or pausing.***

So what is X10? Intense cardio and metabolic weight training. In fact, if you want to know what Cathe workouts X10 is similar to think of Crossfire, To the Max, Afterburn, Cardio Supersets, Intensity and All Out Low Impact HIIT all crammed into one workout. This workout is a winner. It is the most advanced Cathe workout I have done and is definitely the most advanced of her new workouts. I haven’t done all of them yet (this one is 5 of 9 total) but I already know it will be harder than the remaining 4 even without doing them yet. And I love it. There are so many ways this workout can be used. As a long cardio workout or as an add on before or after some strength work by doing just one segment.

Before I get to the breakdowns, I want to talk about the music. First, this workout also contains Cathe’s new triple tracks audio option. You can play the workout with Cathe’s instructions only, with Cathe’s voice plus vocal music and, finally with Cathe’s voice with instrumental music only. The default is Cathe’s voice plus vocal music and that’s how I played it. I really liked the music in this workout. In some of the reviews being posted about Cathe’s new workouts people are complaining about the music. Cathe took popular music but with different vocals–not just a different singer, but the lyrics, too, are different. A little disconcerting if it is a song you are very familiar with. But if it is too distracting, then use triple tracks! Do the workout(s) w/out vocals or use your own music! The reviewers clearly haven’t looked at it hard enough to realize they have options. But whatever. I was working so hard that the lyrics barely registered, but I will say that the music fit the workouts perfectly.

I’m going to break down each segment individually since on the main menu they are list separately as 5 different workouts.

X10 Step is 27 minute long; 8 minute warm up, 14 minute training time and 5 minute stretch. For this workout you will need a step with 4 risers on each side, one 15 pound dumbbell and two eight pound dumbbells. The workout starts with the step at 8 inches–two risers on each side. It is very simple, athletic choreography–basically step drills. Each drill is repeated at least once, sometimes twice.

Power 15s/fast feet on step

2 knee repeater/3 straddle jump ups and downs/burpee/lunge side-to-side 3 times

Jack interlude

Quarter hop turn with 5 long hop turns

6 over the tops

Jump on and step off step 4 times/8 ski hops/power 7

“Push ups” (actually jumping with one leg on the step pushing arms overhead) 4 times, then 2 times then singles

Another jack interlude

Raise the step to 12 inches (4 risers each side) and grab one 15 pound dumbbell

With one foot on step, push up while raising dumbbell overhead and lifting other leg to the side (abduction)

Push ups with hands on step

Repeat on other side and do more push ups

Grab two 8 pound dumbbells

Stand on step and lunge down with 3 hammer curls

Stand on step and lunge down with 3 traditional curls and a knee lift at the top

Step ups with knee lift at top and side lateral raises (a lot of reps!)

X10 Low Impact is 26 minutes long; 8 minute warm up, 12 minute training time and 5 minute stretch. For this workout you will need two 8 pound dumbbells and Slide N Glide disks. This workout is low impact but intense cardio/metabolic weight training.

Squat digs

Back lunge/split lunge jumps (with no actual jumping; pulsing actually)

Puddle jumps

Bent knee switch kicks (with knee lifts instead of kicks)

Press hops

Squats side-to-side with finger tips touching the floor

Ice breakers with elbow strikes

Lunge kicks

Plie pulses with little heel lifts

Grab Slide N Glide disks

Burpees with two push up jacks

Grab two 8 pound dumbbells (keep disks)

Side lunges with upright rows

Squats with overhead press

Side lunges with upright rows other side

Squat with overhead press

Reverse lunge with hammer curls (still on disks)

Staggered/walking push ups (disks only)

Tricep kickbacks (8 pound dumbbells only)

X10 Hi/Lo is 27 minutes long; 8 minute warm up, 14 minute training time, 5 minute stretch. For this workout you need two 8 pound dumbbells. This segment combines high impact with low impact cardio; but its all intense.

4 power scissors/4 small-quick scissors (do this twice)

8 plyo jacks

Repeat 3 times

Jack interlude

24 hammer punch lunges with knee lifts

Jack interlude

24 hammer punch lunges with knee lifts

Leap 4 times to right while abducting left leg, repeat to the left/jump shot/4 air jacks

Squat thrust with 6 push ups (do this 3 times)

Jump forward 3 times/jump turn/jump back 3 times/jump turn/jump wide/double hop

Repeat 3 times

Grab 8 pound dumbbells

Lots of squats with overhead press

Static lunges with bicep curls and overhead press

Lots of static lunge pulses with dumbbells at shoulders

One arm row alternated with one arm snatch while doing plie squats (one 8 pound dumbbell)

Tricep push ups

X10 Cardio Blast is 25 minutes long; 8 minute warm up, 12 minute training time and 5 minute stretch. No equipment needed for this workout. It is cardio blasts or HIITs alternated with lower intensity cardio or recovery level cardio. There are 7 blasts total.

Blast: 16 plie jacks alternated/short shuffle recovery

Repeat 3 times

Jack and jab series

Blast: Squat jumps in box format

Jump rope and jacks

Low jog

Blast: High knee runs: 16 with knees to front then 16 wide (alternate 3 times)

Low jog/low hop with bicep curls

Blast: 3 lateral hops and one tuck jump (repeat 6 times); after a short recovery repeat another 6 times

Shuffle and pump arms overhead

Blast: 8 wide tuck jumps (repeat 3 times with short recovery in between)

Jack combo: to the front, to the side, to the back, then shuffle (small scissors) to the front and to the back

Blast: Pendulum lunge forward and backward then scissor switch (do this 10 times)

Power hops forward and block jacks back

Blast: 5 burpees with jump at top (repeat 3 times with short recovery in between)

X10 Fat Burning Circuit is 30 minutes long; 8 minute warm up, 17 minute training time and 5 minute stretch. For this workout you need two 8 pound dumbbells and two 10 pound dumbbells. This workout alternates cardio with weight training for a real metabolic burn.

Power squat turns (jumps) 12 per side

Squat with overhead press with side leg abduction (8 pound dumbbells)

Jumping jacks/jump rope/high knee run

Air squats/16 push ups while alternating tapping shoulders (repeat)

Grab one 8 pound dumbbell for a kettlebell move; hold dumbbell in both hands

Side lunge with front swing then up into tree pose while bringing dumbbell overhead (10 each side)

Scissor, scissor wide tuck jump (all are power/plyo moves)

24 plie squats into upright rows (10 pound dumbbells)

T jumps

24 forward leaning lunges (elbows touch opposite knee)

Front jack, back jack, 2 center jacks, 4 air jacks

Get two 10 pound dumbbells

Simultaneous overhead press and dumbbell curl (while one arm does an overhead press the other arm simultaneously does a bicep curl) 32 per side

Keep the 10 pound dumbbells

10 pulse squats with tricep overhead extensions

Premixes:

X37: (Warm Up + Cardio Blast  + Hi/Lo + stretch) 37 minutes
X38: (Warm Up + Low Impact  +Step + stretch) 38 minutes
X41: (Warm Up + + Low Impact  + Fat Burning Circuit + stretch) 41 minutes
X42: (Warm Up + Hi/Lo  + Fat Burning Circuit + stretch) 42 minutes
X49: (Warm Up + Step  + Low Impact + Cardio Blast + stretch) 49 minutes
X52: (Warm Up + Low Impact + Cardio Blast + Fat Burning Circuit  + stretch) 52 minutes
X53: (Warm Up + Hi/Lo + Cardio Blast + Fat Burning Circuit  + stretch) 53 minutes
X54: (Warm Up + Step  + Low Impact + Fat Burning Circuit + stretch) 54 minutes
X62: (Warm Up + Step + Low Impact  + Hi/Lo + Cardio Blast + stretch)  62 minutes
X65: (Warm Up + Low Impact  + Hi/Lo + Cardio Blast + Fat Burning Circuit  + stretch) 65 minutes
X77: (Warm Up + Step + Low Impact  + Hi/Lo + Cardio Blast + Fat Burning Circuit  + stretch) 78 minutes
Double Low Impact: (Warm Up + Low Impact + Low Impact + stretch) 37 minutes