#203 Lower Body Confusion was recommended to me by a blog reader when I was still subscribed to Cathe Live. I only subscribed for 2 months and was unable to get to it but since I felt compelled to purchase the download of Cathe‘s Live Total Body Fit and I had to spend at least $20 to use the 20% off download coupon, I decided to throw in two more Live workouts that I wanted to try. Lower Body Confusion was one of them. Lower Body Confusion is a cardio + strength workout. The “confusion” is because you are doing all sorts of lower body exercises: lower body based cardio moves, barre lower body moves and dumbbell lower body moves. So you are throwing it all at your lower body to confuse it. It was a great workout and I am very glad I ended up purchasing it. I have to add a weird aside, even though it has nothing to do with the workout. I have been doing a lot of rebounder cardio workouts. This morning, the jumping jacks in this workout felt so weird. I love the lack of impact I get when using my rebounder. I can jump high with zero impact. This morning during some of the cardio moves I felt so heavy. It was mostly jacks and jump rope that felt that way.
Though there are a lot of barre exercises in this workout, Cathe and crew are using chairs not the Fit Tower. But if you have a Fit Tower, why not use it? I did. 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.
Lower Body Confusion is 53 minutes; 6 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment: moderate to heavy dumbbells (Cathe has 10, 12 and 15 pound dumbbells), a fitness loop and a chair. You can use your Fit Tower for the majority of the workout but you will need a chair for a stretch near the end of the workout and the final stretches at the end. You will need your chair or Fit Tower for the first exercise.
- Stand beside chair/tower with one hand on bar/chair back, do plié squat jumps w/ arm pull downs with other arm
- Lateral wide plie squat walks, 4 steps to each side (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
- Single leg push down dips, pulses and partial reps (face the tower/chair back and place one hand on bar/chair back for balance while holding DB in other hand, raise one leg behind you and do single leg squats while hinged forward slightly) (Cathe uses one 12# DB)
- Squats (Cathe is using 15# DBs, I used 20# DBs)
- Face tower/chair back with hands on bar/chair back, do alternating jump lunges
- Stationary lunges (Cathe is using 15# DBs)
- Alternating front diagonal lunges (Cathe is using 12# DBs)
- (place fitness loop around ankles) Jumping jacks with directional changes; changes to touch down squat jacks
- (loop is still around ankles) Step out squats, alternate sides
- (loop is still around ankles) Remain in partial squat and tap one leg in and out
- Repeat #9 & 10
- (remove loop and set aside) Pulsing walking lunges, 3 pulses w/ each lunge, walk/lunge forward 3 steps then pivot into wide plie squat and pulse 4x (Cathe is using 10# DBs)
- Deadlifts; changes to wide leg deadlifts (Cathe is using 15# DBs, I used 25# DBs)
- Face tower/chair back with hands on bar/chair back, raise onto toes and bend knees, lowering into barre squat (keeping spine straight) and pulse; lower deeper and continue to pulse squat
- Squat lunge jumps (stand beside tower/chair back with one hand on bar/chair back, do a wide plie squat then hop to turn towards the bar/chair, landing in a lunge, arm is extended outside when in plie squat then arcs up overhead to tap the bar/chair back when in lunge)
- Side lunges (holding one DB, do a side lunge and set DB on floor in front of foot, return to standing, side lunge again, pick up DB and return to standing) (Cathe is using one 10# DB)
- Pulsing cross-back/curtsy lunges; changes to singles (no pulses) (Cathe is using 12# DBs)
- Stand beside tower/chair with one hand on bar/chair back, raise outside leg straight in front of you with toe pointed and pulse leg up; flex foot and continue pulsing; raise leg even higher and continue pulsing
- (put fitness loop around ankles) Jumping jacks; changes to tapping one leg out to side while also pushing same side arm overhead; hop/twist 4x while moving laterally + 4 jumping jacks; changes to tapping one leg out to side while alternating punches
- (loop is still around ankles) 4 lateral steps + step side to side 4x; changes to 2 lateral steps; changes to single side to side steps
- Face tower/chair back with hands on bar/chair back, bend knee and bring loop on sole of one shoe, press foot of bent leg out behind you; keeping knees together, raise and lower leg (loop is still along sole of working foot); lift changes to a “rapid fire” pulse up
- (remove loop and set aside) Stand beside tower/chair, forearm resting on bar/chair back, outside leg raised to side in hydrant, do a pulsing hydrant; continue pulsing but move leg forward and then back as you pulse
- Face tower/chair back, toes are turned out to sides with heels together, raise onto toes, do a shallow pulsing barre squat with knees turned out to sides; changes to partial plie squats
