Cathe Live: Lean & Mean Legs

Another excellent and intense lower body workout from Cathe Live. It is put together very nicely. It starts with cardio, blends into metabolic strength training, then endurance/high rep strength training and ends w/ yoga/bodyweight strength training. Very well done, too. Cathe worked each leg equally throughout the entire workout. As I mentioned in the Cathe Live overview, one of the differences (and sometimes one of the benefits!) of Cathe Live workouts is water breaks that you do not get in her DVD workouts. Well, you don’t get many in this workout–at least not in the first half. She keeps it moving at a fast clip and you get no breaks in the first half of of the workout.

This is also an equipment heavy workout. Equipment needed: a stability ball, two dixie cups, a firewalker band, a barbell w/ plates (I used 35 pounds for everything), two 10 pound dumbbells and additional dumbbells for deadlifts. These additional dumbbells are dependent on what you can lift for both double leg and single leg deadlifts. I used two 35 pound dumbbells for double leg deadlifts and one 25 pound dumbbell for single leg deadlifts.

Lean & Mean Legs is 52 minutes long; 8 minute warm up and 5 minute stretch. It aired live on 8/07/14 and here is the video clip. The warm up starts using the stability ball then you transition straight into cardio w/ the stability ball. The cardio is 4 minutes long. Also, remember that when you get to the strength work that uses the barbell and heavier dumbbells it is high rep/endurance strength work–so lots of reps, lots of tempos. You cannot go super heavy.

Exercises:

1. Forward leaning lunges w/ dixie cups
2. Side lunge to curtsy lunge w/ dixie cups
3. Jump jacks and side punches w/ firewalker around ankles
4. Squat w/ overhead press using one 10# DB; this transitions to a squat, bicep curl, squat, front raise/kettlebell swing type move combo, then just the squat/front raise move, and it ends with just the squat/front raise swing but you are now doing the raise/swing to the side (and alternating sides)
5. Squat w/ overhead press using two 10# DBs
6. Pulsing reverse lunges (3 pulses, alternate sides) w/ two 10# DBs; this transitions into reverse lunges w/ bicep curl into overhead press while in lunge (but no pulsing), still alternating sides
7. Squats to overhead presses w/ two 10# DBs again but this time, when squatting, bring DBs to ankles
8. 4 lateral walks to side w/ firewalker around ankles; this transitions into side step into squat (alternate sides); it ends w/ plie jacks; repeat firewalker series
9. Scissor, scissor, wide tuck jump
10. Plie jacks w/ firewalker around ankles; 3 sets of 16 reps
11. Plie squats w/ barbell (Cathe uses 25#, I used 35#)
12. Deadlifts w/ two DBs (I don’t know what Cathe is using but she recommends 20 or 25#; I used 35#)
13. Static lunges w/ barbell (Cathe used 15# and I used 35#)
14. Single leg deadlifts (Cathe uses one 10# DB, I used one 25# DB)

Yoga/bodyweight strength: Start in down dog. Raise one leg to ceiling then bend knee, bringing heel to bottom. Step leg through into warrior 2. Pivot back foot so you are now on your toe while also turning torso and arms; you are now in lunge with arms held out straight in front of you; lean chest over front thigh, reaching arms forward. Lift torso and arms overhead, then sweep arms down to sides and clasp hands behind you, stretching them back (hands still clasped) while lowering into deep lunge and holding. Return to down dog. You will repeat this series on same leg, but now, after the warrior 2, you will add side angle pose and reverse angle pose; then transition straight into the rest of the series. Repeat entire thing on other leg.