Cathe Live: Low Impact Conditioning Express

#191 Low Impact Conditioning Express is a great little workout–perfect for what I used it for today: recovery. I usually do yoga and/or mobility on Sundays but I’ve switched things up recently in order to cram in as many Cathe Live workouts as I can in a 2 month period. I approached this workout as more of a cardio/conditioning workout which is basically how Cathe intends it. It is a metabolic workout, combining low impact cardio with compound strength work. It works very nicely for a day you want to take it a little easier but still get a good workout. I used the same weights as Cathe on all of the exercises and since she did not intend this to be an aggressive workout, she lifted lighter than usual on some exercises. Overall, I got a nice workout that I finished off with a 20 minute gentle yoga/stretch session. I’m on the fence about whether or not I will buy this download. As much as I liked it, I am not sure how often I would actually return to it. So it will go on the maybe 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.

Low Impact Conditioning Express is 36:30 minutes; 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down/stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, sliding devices and a fitness mat.

1. 4 squat digs + 4 galloping jacks
2. One single leg deadlift + 2 straight arm front raises (rotate ends of DBs toward each other at top of front raise) (Cathe is using 8# DBs)
3. Pulsing curtsy lunge (pulse 3x) + 3 curtsy lunges with knee raise and bicep curl; ends with 8 curtsy lunges with knee raise and bicep curl (Cathe is using 5# DBs)
4. Walk out/Walk in planks (lower hands to floor while also stepping one foot back, step other foot back so you are in plank, step first foot back in then the second foot and stand; alternate lead leg)
5. 4 sliding jacks + 4 slide out lunges (slide out one foot on an angle); alternate sides for the slide out lunges; ends with sliding squat jacks
6. Holding one DB in both hands, lower into a narrow squat and alternate narrow squats with reverse lunges remaining on same leg during the lunges and never raising out of squat (Cathe is using one 8# DB)
7. Bicep curl to overhead press + 2 overhead tricep extensions (French press) (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
8. Start standing with disks under feet, slide out into plank then do 12 sliding mountain climbers aiming knee toward opposite elbow, slide feet back in and stand, repeat 3x total
9. Line taps (sumo squat hop side to side reaching one hand toward ground between legs)
10. One deadlift + 2 upright rows (Cathe is using 12# DBs)
11. One single arm rear delt fly + one single arm back row; changes to 3 back flys + one back row (Cathe is using one 10# DB)
12. In plank with sliding devices under feet, slide legs out to each side then slide knees in under body to chest 2x
13. Sliding side to side lunges with various arm movements
14. Two alternating rear lunges with alternating one arm straight arm side raise + 2 alternating rear lunges with double arm straight arm side raises (Cathe is using 8# DBs)
15. Bent over rear delt flys in sets of 3 reps (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
16. Slide out into squat thrust + 2 sliding plank jack push ups then slide feet back in and stand
17. Side to side sumo squats (hop shuffle to change sides)
18. Squats with overhead press (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
19. Holding one DB in both hands do 2 side lunges to same side and circle DB overhead when you transition to the other side (Cathe is using one 8# DB)
20. 12 push ups then 10 push ups then 8 push ups, with a brief rest between each set