Cathe Live: Triple Fit

#189 Triple Fit is the final Cathe Live workout I will be doing for a while. My two months of Cathe Live has finally come to an end. Triple Fit was a great way to close it out. It was crazy intense! For me at least. I am more of an intermediate level exerciser and this workout worked me very hard. It is made up of 3 separate sections. After the warm up you do 13:30 minutes of step blasts followed by 17 minutes of lower body metabolic strength work and it ends with 10:30 minutes of upper body strength work. The workout doesn’t actually end there. Cathe also gives you 3 minutes of core work before finally stretching you out. This workout moves! Many of the cardio step blasts were HIIT level for me so I was relieved that Cathe varied the intensity of the cardio blasts; some felt more like recovery intervals and some felt like HIITs. Even though this workout worked me very hard, I will not purchase the download. I do not like super intense cardio/HIIT blasts before my strength work. The cardio ends up sapping the majority of my energy. At times I was struggling during the lower body strength work. The lower body strength work is high rep and very metabolic. According to my FitBit I was in and out of my peak heart rate the first 2/3 of the workout, which is the cardio step blasts + the lower body strength work. This is great, cardio-wise, but I was gassing out during some of the lower body exercises and I don’t like that. Cathe clearly knew this and used primarily 10 pound dumbbells for the lower body strength work. It’s hard to lift heavy when you are working so hard. In fact, during the lower body segment I had to use the pause button once because Cathe just wasn’t giving me enough recovery time between exercises to to execute the next exercise with good form. But this was still a great workout. It just isn’t a workout I would return to because of the way it is structured. 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.

Triple Fit is 52 minutes; 4 minute warm up, 13:30 minutes of cardio blasts, 17 minutes lower body metabolic strength, 10:30 minutes upper body strength, 3 minutes core and 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment: full step at 6 inches (+ 2 extra risers for strength work), dumbbells and a fitness mat.

Cardio Step Blasts (13:30 minutes):

1. Plunge lunges (hopping shallow alternating lunges off the back of the step)
2. Straddle jumps (start standing on step, squat jump off step so you are straddling step and when you jump back onto step do a double hop)
3. Fast step taps (on the floor behind step, alternate tapping toes to top of step, hopping each time you alternate feet); changes to jumping jacks (continue alternating sets of fast step taps with jumping jacks)
4. Wide squat jump onto step, squat jump off step, 180 squat jump (on floor), power 3 on step
5. Slam its (squat hop to corner of step w/ one foot on the step and one foot on floor, step back to center and squat hop to other corner of step, continue alternating sides); changes to jump shots, still alternating sides corner to corner; changes to a jump freeze (hop on corner of step w/ one knee raised and hold for a second), continue alternating sides
6. Stand beside step and squat thrust on floor beside step then lateral hop on top of step and hop off onto the floor on other side of step and do another squat thrust on the floor, continue alternating sides, hopping on/over step to get to other side; just jump from floor to step and over to other side and back (no squat thrusts)
7. Squat jump onto step, squat jump off of step + one plyo jack
8. Step knee down tap on one corner of step (step on corner of step with knee lift hop, step off and reach down, tapping step with fingertips)
9. Squat thrust with hands on step then hop on and off step; changes to hopping on and off step only (box jumps); changes to one squat thrust + one box jump + alternating side lunges, one rep each side
10. Squats in a box (start at back of step, with one foot on step and one on floor, jump forward, jump over to other side, jump back, jump over step back to starting position)

Lower Body Strength (starts @ 17:50; 17 minutes):

1. With one foot on step and one on the floor, squat pulse then hop over step and repeat on other side; remove the pulse but continue squatting side to side with one foot always on step (Cathe is using one 10# DB)
2. (add extra risers to step, elevating it to 8 inches) Start standing on top of step, reverse lunge and pulse 3x + 2 single lunges (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
3. Start standing on step, curtsy lunge and pulse 3x + 2 singles; changes to all singles; changes to all pulses (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
4. Elevated lunges, singles, pulses and partial reps (stationary lunges with back leg elevated on step behind you) (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
5. Forward lunge onto step into a knee raise (Cathe is using 12# DBs)
6. Push dip (in stationary lunge with back foot on step behind you, hinge torso forward and do partial reps–DBs will lower to ankles and only raise to knee height) (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
7. Repeat #6 but this time pulses rather than partial reps
8. Start standing on step and step off side with one leg into a squat, when you return to standing on the step do an upright row, 16 reps (one foot always remains on the step) (Cathe is using 10# DBs)

Upper Body Strength (starts @ 35:50; 10:30 minutes)

1. Bent over rear delt flys, one set of 10 reps, one set of 8 reps, one set of 6 reps, one set of 4 reps (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
2. Straight arm side raises (Cathe is using 5# DBs)
3. Sweeper/supination curls to 2/2 count (Cathe is using 15# DBs)
4. W (wide) curls to 2/2 count (Cathe is using 12# DBs)
5. Traditional bicep curls raising to the count of 2 and lowering to count of 6; changes to raising to count of 6 and lowering to count of 2; changes to single count up and down (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
6. Close grip bench press (Cathe is using 15# DBs)
7. Skull crushers, singles and partial reps (lying overhead tricep extensions) (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
8. Chest flys with bent knees and feet raised off floor, ankles crossed (Cathe is using 15# DBs)
9. Tricep dips off side of step
10. Pullovers to slow 4/4 count (Cathe is using 15# DBs)

Core (starts @ 46:35; 3 minutes):

1. Leg shooters (sit on edge of step, hands gripping edges of step behind you, push legs out then bring knees into chest to a fast pace)
2. Lay back on step, hands behind head, head/neck raised, bent legs are raised with ankles crossed, do reverse crunches in this position
3. Bicycle maneuver (still laying on step)