Rock Bottoms & Core is another tough lower body workout from Cathe Live. I have been doing a lot of Live lower body workouts recently, so to be honest, I am not sure if I’m burning out my lower body or if this was just a hard workout but I seemed to be feeling it quickly. She really does hit the glutes and hamstrings hard in this workout. I did enjoy it. The core gets some really good work, too. In fact, what I really liked about the core work is I feel that she didn’t rep you out. You are getting a nice core section (11 minutes) and it is varied (ball and weighted work) but nothing is overdone. Also, since the focus is on the glutes–that is where Cathe burns you out–your backside. She does hit other parts of the lower body but nothing is hit as hard as the backside. By the time you are on the floor doing stability ball roll ins, my glutes and hamstrings were seriously protesting. But like I said, I have been frying my lower body all week, so who knows if it is just worn out, or if it was solely this workout. Since it’s a Saturday, I had planned to do some kind of add on–a barre workout, or maybe some cardio. Instead, I just did a long stretch (STS Extended Stretch to be exact) because my legs decided the workout was over.
Rock Bottoms & Core is 54 minutes long; 6:30 minute warm up, 24 minute standing lower body, 8 minutes lower body floor work, 11 minute core and 3 minute stretch. Equipment needed: sliding device, firewalker loops, stability ball and 10# DBs. I used Slide N Glide disks and a wider variety of dumbbells, as noted below. It aired live on 7/21/16 and here is the video clip.
Standing lower body (24 minutes):
- Slide back warrior lunges, 12 reps (disk)
- Side slide pick up lunges (slide lunge to side, set DB on ground, slide back up, slide lunge to side and pick DB up); after 8 reps like this you leave the DB on the ground and just do side slide lunges; this changes to staying in low lunge and sliding leg in and out (disk + one 10# DB; I used one 20# DB)
- Slide back lunges, 16 reps (disk + 10# DBs; I used 15# DBS)
- 4 steps to each side w/ firewalker bands around ankles (both squat walking and walking upright)
- Alternating diagonal lunges, 16 reps; 2 sets (10# DBs; I used 15# DBs)
- Step out squats (get down in squat and step foot out 3 times to same side, going further w/ each step, then step back in–but never come out of squat) (one 10# DB; I used one 20# DB)
- Slow slide back lunges to 2/2 count, 8 ress (disk + 10# DBs; I used 15# DBs)
- Single leg deadlifts, 10 reps (10# DBs; I used 15# DBs)
- Repeat 7 & 8 on other leg
- Angle taps w/ firewalker around ankles
- Standing plie pulse squats, transferring one DB from hand to hand after 8 pulses; this changes to holding DB in both hands and doing low ends, singles, more pulses and marching sumos (one 10# DB; I used one 20# DB)
- Hamstring presses (put firewalker around one ankle and the bottom of other foot and push foot back; this changes to pointing toe and pulling band up w/ foot)
Floor work (8 minutes):
- Hamstring roll ins w/ stability ball; changes to roll in, raise hips higher, roll back out; 3 sets of this combo
- Ball squeeze (sit up and hold ball between knees/thighs; squeeze knees in and out)
- Get into a bent knee side plank on ball and raise and lower top leg; singles, pulses and circles
Core (11 minutes):
- Ball exchange (lay on back, holding ball in both hands; pass ball to feet then straighten legs and arms, pass back to hands and straighten arms and legs–always keeping legs off floor and head/neck raised)
- Banana holds (holding ball in hands overhead) to count of 8
- Bend knees and raise feet off floor, place ball on shins, press hands against ball while doing reverse crunches
- Flutter kick straight legs while holding ball overhead
- Full sit ups, still holding ball, raise one leg to tap ball at top; alternate legs; this changes to flutter both feet at the ball when you sit up
- Russian twists w/ ball
- Full sit up and at top twist ball to side; alternate sides
- More Russian twists but with one leg raised
- Boat pose w/ ball balancing on shins and arms wide
- Get rid of ball and grab DBs; lay on back with straight legs lifted a few inches off floor and holding DBs; bring knees in and when you push legs out straight, do a pull over w/ DBs (10# DBs)
- Put one DB on end between straight legs, hands behind head; do crunches while lifting one straight leg up and over DB and back
- Full sit ups w/ pull over into overhead press at top of sit up (one 10# DB)
- Alternating knee taps in elbow plank; changes to plank hold then step feet in and out; changes to low plank to high plank; ends w/ knee taps again
