#195 Low Impact Step Bootcamp is a metabolic cardio + strength workout. Cathe says this is an intermediate level work. You can increase the intensity by having your step at a higher level, using heavier dumbbells and/or a heavier resistance tube. I don’t know… as presented, this workout didn’t seem any less intense or any easier than Cathe’s other live workouts I’ve been doing. I was working hard and I used the same weights as Cathe used. With that said, I could have lifted heavier on some of the exercises but I was using this workout as more of a cardio/metabolic conditioning workout, and it works very well for that purpose, but again, I did not find it easier than her other workouts. Also, I would never use this as a strength workout even tho there is strength work in it (mostly upper body). This workout consists of 6 rounds. Each round is made up of cardio, upper body, core and sometimes some lower body. I didn’t love this workout but I did like it and it gave me the workout I was looking for today. 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.
Low Impact Step Bootcamp is 46 minutes; 3 minute warm up and 3 minute stretch. Equipment: full step at 6 or 8 inches, 5 and 8 pound dumbbells, resistance tube with handles, sliding devices and a fitness mat.
Round 1:
- Cardio: step knee down tap to corner of step; changes to air squats
- Bicep curls with resistance tube and 5# DBs (one foot on the band, a handle and a DB in each hand)
- Straight arm tricep pulsing press-backs with the band, palms facing the ceiling (stand on the band, legs together, hinged forward with bent knees)
- Squat thrust with push up (sliding device under feet, place hands on step, slide feet out to plank, do a push up with a sliding plank jack, slide feet back in and stand); continue the squat thrust push up but no sliding plank jack
Round 2:
- Cardio: swim lunges off top of step
- Squats with overhead press; add pulses when squatting (8# DBs)
- Reverse lunge off top of step with an overhead press when you step back onto step (8# DBs)
- Hands are on step behind you, bottom is just off step, do very shallow tricep dips while touching hand to opposite foot, alternate sides; repeat but this time you do it slower and dip lower
- In straight arm plank, hands on step and sliding device under feet, alternate sliding straight legs out to sides; change: slide leg out to side then slide leg under body, slide back out to side then back to start, alternate legs
Round 3:
- Cardio: start standing on step and do straddle downs with knee lifts; changes to straddle down with leg lifts out to side; single leg lifts change to 3 leg lifts
- Stand beside step, one foot on step, other foot on floor, outside arm is holding one 8# DB, other arm extended out straight, from this starting position, squat, swing DB down between legs and when you raise, lift outside (floor) leg straight out to side while raising DB overhead
- Overhead tricep extensions using resistance tube, starts with singles then has various tempo changes (stand on tube with one foot, a handle in each hand)
- Fast double arm tricep kickbacks with tube; first singles then pulses (stand on tube, hinging torso forward, knees bent)
- Sliding mountain climbers with hands on step; add moving legs to side while continuing to do mountain climbers
Round 4:
- Cardio: knee repeaters off corner of step; changes to stepping on step with a side leg raise and when you step off bend knees into a squat
- Wide bicep curls with resistance tube and 8# DBs (one foot on the band, a handle and a DB in each hand)
- Slide out tricep dips (hands are on step behind you, bottom is just off step, one knee is bent with foot flat on ground, a sliding device is under the other heel, do tricep dips, every other dip you slide your leg in and out)
- Leg shooters (sit on edge of step with hands on step behind you, push legs out and pull them back in, bringing knees into chest)
Round 5:
- Cardio: uneven pulse squats holding an 8# DB in one hand (when squatting you will have one foot on the floor and one foot on the step, pulse squat 2x before step-hopping to the other side of the step); changes holding one 8# DB in both hands at chest level and squatting with one foot on step and one on floor, stepping both feet onto step while doing an overhead press then step other foot off other side of step and do a squat
- Stand beside step, one foot on step, other foot on floor, outside arm is holding one 8# DB, other arm extended out straight, from this starting position, squat, lowering DB down between legs and when you raise, lift outside (floor) leg straight out to side while doing a single arm upright row
- Bent over rear delt flys in sets of 3 reps; changes two sets of 7 reps (8# DBs)
- Sit on floor, legs open and straight in a V, wrap tube around one foot, holding a handle in each hand, anchor one end of the band to the floor beside hip, extend other arm straight and rotate torso, arm and band to side
Round 6:
- Cardio: stand on step and tap one foot down and do a knee pull, reaching arms overhead when tapping down and pulling straight arms down when lifting knee; with a hop/pivot, turn so you are beside step and do a tap down and lift leg out to side while doing wide double arm circles; do knee raises corner to corner as a transition before repeating on the other end of the step
- Tricep push ups on knees with hands on edge of the step, done to various tempos; ends with 4 tricep push ups on toes (hands still on step)
- T band pulls (sit with legs in a figure 4 (one leg extended straight, other bent with sole of foot against inside of other leg’s knee) and wrap band around the foot of the straight leg, holding a handle in each hand, pulse straight arms out to side, pulling on band; changes to slower pulls rather than pulses; ends with more pulses)
- Soldier planks (in straight arm plank, raise one arm and opposite leg at the same time, alternate sides)
- Fast supermans with arms in goal post; changes to a slower more controlled pace
