Cathe Live: Cardio Band Blast with Weights

Cardio Band Blast w/ Weights is another great cardio workout from Cathe Live. It is intense, varied and uses lots of props. It is a lot of fun, too. You get a very long warm up, then you go into each segment based on the prop you use and that is how I will break it down below–by prop. I have to note here, having done over 40 Cathe Lives now, that she really skimps on stretches. You get these long warm ups but the stretches at the end are much shorter and less thorough than what she gives you on her DVDs. Personally, I don’t like that at all. One of the things I have always appreciated about Cathe‘s DVD workouts is how she always takes the time to stretch you out thoroughly at the end of every workout. You don’t get that with the Cathe Live workouts and I miss it. Of course, many of the workouts are shorter than what she offers on her DVDs, so I can always add an additional stretch on to the end. Which I will probably start doing. This is great workout. The core workout at the end really burned my hip flexors out. I guess since you do so much jumping in the workout (BTW–this is a high impact workout!), my legs were ready to quit, but she kept pushing the hip flexors with the core work. Mine were not wanting to cooperate!

Cardio Band Blast w/ Weights is 48 minutes long; 8:30 minute warm up, 32 minutes cardio, 6 minutes core work and 1:30 minute stretch. Equipment needed: long flat resistance band, firewalker loop, slide n glide disks or paper plate (Cathe and exercisers used wash clothes) and a set of 10 pound dumbbells. It aired live on 7/24/14 and here is the video clip. Sometimes I will note sets and reps below, sometimes I won’t. If I don’t note it, that probably means you only do 1 or 2 sets. As for reps, you generally do a lot!

Resistance Band (start with band on ground laid length-wise/vertical):

1. The first move seems to be a continuation of the warm up; running in place and pendulums
2. Double hop run around band 2x then high knee run in place behind it; after doing this several times it changes to just running around band 2x then high knee run in place behind it
3. Scissor runs over band
4. Zig-zag hop forward over band, football run backward over band
5. Change position of band so that it is now horizontal in front of you; do skaters the length of the band
6. Guard stance switches over the band; 4 sets
7. Apple pickers (lateral jumps the length of the band)
8. Hop over the band–front-back-front/back-front-back–in that pattern the length of the band then back
9. Suicides the length of the band

Firewalker loops:

1. Plie jumps; 4 sets of 16 reps
2. Air jacks; 3 sets of 10 reps, one set of 8 reps
3. Regular jumping jacks alternated w/ jumping rope
4. Touch down squat jumps w/ legs wide

10 pound dumbbells (one or two DBs will be used for every exercise in this segment):

1. Squats w/ overhead press; one set of 8 reps, one set of 12 reps, one set of 16 reps, 4 sets in a pattern: 2 squats with single arm overhead press (alternate arms) then two double arm squat presses
2. Side lateral lunge reaches using one DB; there is a hop between lunges, and reach DB toward foot when lunging
3. Plie squat jump w/ overhead press at top of move
4. Lateral jumps holding one DB in both hands in front of face; jump to side then hop in place, jump back to other side and hop in place; 2 sets

Slide N Glide Disks (or paper plates):

1. Side slide lunges, one disk under each foot; 3 sets of 8 reps on each leg w/ no rest between them, you go immediately to other leg
2. Reverse lunges, one disk under each foot; 2 sets of 8 reps each leg, then you do pulses, then partial reps and end with singles; no rests

Core (you need a mat and the long resistance band):

1. Thrusters (lean torso back on hands and raise legs; thrust feet/knees in and out–10 reps to the the front, roll onto one hip and do 10 reps, 10 reps to the front again, roll onto other hip and do 10 reps); 2 sets
2. Lean torso back (C-sit) holding band folded in half, one end in each hand; rotate band side-to side, tapping fist to ground
3. Bicycle maneuver–lots of reps
4. Lying on back w/ head/shoulders raised and arms at sides, raise one leg straight to ceiling and the other leg straight about 6 inches off floor; pulse torso up once, then 2x, then 3x, then 4x, brief rest and change legs; each leg is done 2x
5. Plank series: hold in elbow plank and do foot position changes; end with alternating knee taps