Cathe Live: Buff Upper Body

#163 Buff Upper Body is an excellent and intense upper body strength and core workout. I was working hard during this workout. You don’t get much rest between exercises but Cathe does superset some of the exercises so one muscle group gets some recovery while the other is working, but sometimes it still didn’t seem like enough recovery! My muscles were burning! And the core work at the end felt very intense to me. First you’re doing planks after all that upper body work then on the supine exercises my core was burning. Another excellent and intense strength workout. This one is going on my To Buy list.

You can do Cathe’s live workouts by subscribing to her streaming site or purchasing the individual downloads. Here is a video clip of this workout.

Buff Upper Body is 48 minutes; 5:30 minute warm up, 9 minutes of core and 2 minute stretch. You will need light dumbbells for the warm up (3-5 pounds). Equipment: step at 8 or 10 inches and various dumbbells. What’s listed below for Cathe is the weight she starts with. On at least one exercise she drops to a lighter weight on subsequent circuits. I used the same weight as Cathe did unless otherwise noted below. Also, I am not positive that you do the exact number of reps listed below for a few of the exercises but what is listed below is what she intended. I think a few times you actually do one or two reps more or less than what she intended.

1. Overhead press, 12 reps (Cathe is using 15# DBs)
2. Sweeper/supination bicep curls, 12 reps (Cathe is using 15# DBs)
3. Upright rows, 12 reps (Cathe is using 15# DBs; I used 12# DBs)
4. W (wide) bicep curls, 12 reps (Cathe is using 12# DBs)
5. Repeat #1-4 for 10 reps
6. Repeat #1-4 for 8 reps
7. Do a partial bicep curl and hold DBs isometrically in this position; continue lifting DBs to shoulders then lower slowly to count of 4, repeat–lift to count of 2 and lower to count of 4; changes to raising to count of 6 and lowering to count of 2, repeat; do partial bicep curl and hold isometrically; lower DBs very slowly (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
8. Bent over rear delt flys, 10 fast reps (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
9. Straight arm front raise holding one DB in both hands, 8 reps (Cathe is using one 15# DB)
10. Repeat #8 & 9
11. Repeat #8 for 8 reps
12. Repeat #9 for 5 reps
13. Straight arm side raises, 16 reps then for 12 reps then 3 sets of 8 reps (with a brief rest between sets) (Cathe is using 5# DBs)
14. Seated overhead tricep extensions, 8 reps (Cathe is using 12# DBs)
15. Tricep dips off step
16. Bent over tricep kickbacks, 8 reps (Cathe is using 12# DBs)
17. Repeat #14-16 two more times
18. Push ups with hands on step, 12 reps then 10 reps then 8 reps (with a brief rest between sets)
19. Chest flys, 10 reps (Cathe is using 15# DBs)
20. Pullovers, 8 reps (Cathe is using 15# DBs)
21. Repeat #19 for 14 reps
22. Repeat #20 (I dropped to 12# DBs for this set)
23. Single arm rows, 12 reps each arm (Cathe is holding one 15# and one 10# DB together in one hand; I used one 25# DB)
24. Repeat #23
25. Tricep push ups off the narrow edge of the step, 2 sets of 12 reps

Core: (9 minutes, starts at 36:45) (you need one 15# DB to anchor your feet–I actually used my 25# DB since I had it handy)

1. Sit on mat with soles of feet together, knees bent and opened out to side, heavy DB is resting on feet, with hands behind head and elbows open to side, do 10 full sit ups, 2 sets with a brief rest between sets
2. In straight arm plank, bring knee to same side elbow on outside of body, 8 reps on one side before doing 8 reps on the other side; repeat
3. Straight arm plank to elbow plank, 6 reps
4. Lay on your back, plant one elbow on the ground with the fingers pointing straight up in the air, the other arm is raised straight to the ceiling, raise your torso while your other elbow remains planted on the mat, lifting straight arm’s hand toward ceiling, 8 reps each side; repeat
5. Bicycle maneuver
6. Reverse crunches
7. Repeat #5
8. Lay on stomach, legs extended straight, arms in goal post, raise and lower legs/arms/chest; keep arms/chest/legs raised isometrically; add pulses; changes to 8 pulses then lower, 4 sets; finishes with 8 singles