I will admit that I did this workout more out of curiosity than anything else. Due to technical difficulties there is no class–just Cathe running this workout all by herself. I was intrigued! The forum post about it states one of the cameramen had a medical emergency so that is why this workout was filmed later in the morning than normal. I don’t even know if it technically ever appeared “live”–but nevertheless it is in the Cathe Live library.
Well, I really, really enjoyed this class! It is a very good lower body workout and I loved having Cathe all to myself. Does that sound silly? I love her live classes, I really do, but sometimes the camera focuses too long on the class and not long enough on Cathe and there are problems with that. Form problems, class members not completing sets (so I don’t know if the exercise is actually over or not)–it is especially frustrating when Cathe starts a new exercise or does a tempo change but whoever the camera happens to be focused on doesn’t do it properly or at all. Well, not a problem in this workout–all Cathe! And surprisingly, I think she worked each side of the body equally, even without a class to help her count. I did not keep track of reps, but it did seem as if she was on track.
What does this workout consist of? A long warm up that has some leg conditioning at the end of it, Cathe’s traditional lower body strength work done in circuit format so your heart rate is elevated and it ends with barre work. It was an excellent workout. And at 48:30 minutes I was able to add a 10 minute finisher onto the end to round out my hour. I will definitely be returning to this workout.
Long and Strong Legs is 48:30 minutes long: 9:30 minute warm up, 22 minutes standing legs, 13:30 barre and 2 minute stretch. Equipment Cathe recommends: a set of 10 pound dumbbells, a set of 15 pound dumbbells and a chair (for the barre portion). I used 15, 20 and 25 pound dumbbells. It aired live on 1/22/15 and here is the video clip.
- Squats; add an overhead press; changes to a squat w/ a front swing; changes to a squat march (Cathe used one 10# DB, I used one 15# DB)
- Alternating pulsing reverse lunges; changes to singles (Cathe used 10# DBs, I used 15# DBs)
- Pulsing reverse lunge w/ a front kick; changes to single reverse lunge w/ front kick; changes to static lunges; changes to lunge, kick, lunge, pivot into squat (Cathe used one 10# DB, I used one 15# DB)
- Step to side and squat, overhead press, step to other side and squat, overhead press (one 15# DB)
- Deadlifts; changes to squats; changes back to deadlifts; changes back to squats; back to deadlifts; back to squats (Cathe used 15# DBs, I used 25# DBs)
- Plie squats setting DBs on ground then picking them up (Cathe used 15# DBs, I used 20# DBs); series ends with holding in deep plie squat (no DBs) for a long time
- Side lunge to curtsy lunge (Cathe uses one 10# DB, I used one 15# DB)
- Repeat #4
- Repeat #6
- Pulsing curtsy lunges (one 15# DB)
- Static lunges (one 15# DB)
- Wide leg deadifts; changes to squats; back to wide leg deadlifts; back to squats; back to wide leg deadlifts, back to squats; ends with wide leg deadifts (Cathe used 15# DBs, I used 25# DBs)
Barre:
- Pulse hydrant leg
- Holding leg up in hydrant, straighten and bend knee; slow then fast, slow again then fast again
- Hold straight leg out to side and circle straight leg (she says like your toe is circling a doorknob)
- Pulse straight leg to side, pointing and straightening toe
- Leg stretches then repeat on other leg
- Stand with legs and feet together, raise up on toes and lower into squat and pulse
- While still on toes w/ feet together, raise and lower to squat; return to pulses in squat
- Heel raises with feet together; this changes to toes together w/ heels wide; this changes to heels together toes wide; changes to heels/toes straight but feet slightly separated
- Lift straight leg to front and pulse; first point toes, then flex foot, then with foot flexed and toe turned outward
- Repeat on other leg
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