Cathe Live: Lean Lower Body

For anyone reading/following these Cathe Live reviews, I know it is getting old. But I LOVE this workout! I know, I know. I love them all. They are all awesome in their own way. Some I have nitpicks about, some I don’t. This one? Not a single nitpick. It is perfect in every way.

Lean Lower Body is an excellent metabolic strength workout for your lower body. It is fun, it is tough and it does a wonderful job working the lower body and giving you some good cardio while you’re at it. Now, this one isn’t the type of workout that alternates cardio with strength work. There is a little bit of cardio but this workout gets your heart rate up from the brisk pace of the strength work. The music in this workout stood out to me as being motivating and fitting the workout really well. Also, it ends with a yoga/warrior strength series similar to Cathe Live Lean & Mean Legs. Major winner.

Lean Lower Body is 51 minutes long; 7 minute warm up and 4 minute stretch. It aired live on  1/08/15 and here is the video clip. Equipment needed: sliding disk (Cathe and exercisers use washcloths), firewalker band and dumbbells; Cathe had 10s and 15s, I used 10s, 15s and 25s. In the future I will also use 12s in place of the 10s.

Exercises:

1. Squats (Cathe used 15# DBs, I used 25# DBs)
2. Stiff leg deadlift (Cathe used 15# DBs, I used 25# DBs)
3. Plie Squats (Cathe used 15# DBs, I used 25# DBs)
4. Wide stance deadlifts (Cathe used 15# DBs, I used 25# DBs)
5. Repeat #1-4
6. Alternate jumping jacks and jog in place, then end w/ pendulums, all w/ firewalker loop around ankles
7. Static lunge w/ one 15# DBs (lots of tempos–singles, pulses and partial reps)
8. Side lunges w/ disk, 3 sets of 8 reps each side (no breaks, you quickly switch legs after each 8 reps)
9. Reverse lunges w/ disks, 3 sets of 8 reps each side (no breaks, you quickly switch legs after each 8 reps)
10. Low forward/back lunges; start pulsing 4x, then pulse 2x, then 16 singles
11. Lateral plie walks, 4 steps to each side; 10# DBs, I’ll used 12# DBs in the future
12. Curtsy lunges, all pulsing, first 15 pulses 2x each leg, 7 pulses 2x each leg, 3 pulses 2x each leg; one 15# DB
13. 4 side steps w/ firewalker loop around ankles, alternate squatting and standing upright while stepping; also alternate w/ 4 forward (then back) diagonal walks
14. Diagonal lunges (to the front then to the back) w/ one 10# DB (I will used 12# DB in the future)
15. Side lunges w/ 10# DBs (in the future I will use 12# DBs)
16. Warrior lunges w/ disk
17. Warrior Series: Start in warrior 2. Pivot back foot so you are 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. Go into down dog. Same leg steps through, do a side angle pose and reverse angle pose; return to warrior 2. Repeat the first part of the series: Pivot back foot so you are 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. Repeat entire series on other leg.