#312 Lighten Up Total Body is the last of my Black Friday Cathe Live purchases. I was really on the fence about this one as I am not generally interested in workouts that use light dumbbells. At the time I had been (and still am) focusing primarily on Cathe‘s heavy lifting workouts, and I thought this could function as a nice recovery workout–the perfect contrast to all of her heavy lifting workouts. And I was right. This is an excellent workout! Cathe works your entire body very well with nothing heavier than a set of 10 pound dumbbells. You also use 5 pound dumbbells and a resistance band. The resistance band exercises were some of the most challenging in the entire workout. Cathe uses her green medium band. I used that as well for most of the exercises but I also had her red light band handy and substituted it for a few of the exercises that I knew I would burn out on quickly with the green band (overhead tricep extensions). I will say that the 10 pound dumbbells felt too light for most of the lower body exercises, even for a “light” day. When I do this workout again I will use 12 pound dumbbells for the lower body exercises. However, everything Cathe used for the upper body was appropriate and she frequently burned out my upper body–so light in this case does not mean easy.
#312 Lighten Up Total Body is 53 minutes; 4 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment: a set of light weights and a set of heavier weights, a resistance tube with handles and a fitness mat. Cathe is using 5 and 10 pound dumbbells.
- Squats (10# DBs)
- Deadlifts (10# DBs)
- Repeat #1 & 2 two more times
- Alternating reverse lunges, singles and pulses (10# DBs)
- Side to side sumo squats (one 10# DB)
- Repeat #5 but with pulses (10# DBs)
- Alternating front lunges while rowing a DB from hip to hip (one 5# DB)
- Wide pulsing squat (pulse 3x) + pulsing front lunge (pulse 3x) + wide pulsing squat (pulse 3x) + pulsing reverse lunge (pulse 3x), alternate legs; changes to 2 pulses (no DBS)
- Air squats
- Walking lunges, pulse 4x with each step, 3 steps then pivot into wide plie squat and pulse 3x (10# DBs)
- Repeat #9
- Side lunge into side leg lift back into side lunge (no DBs)
- Alternating side lunges, tap DB to floor in front of opposite foot when in lunge (10# DBs)
- Single leg deadlift (Cathe is using one 10# DB; I used both 10# DBs)
- Alternating cross-back lunges (curtsy lunges); changes to single cross-back lunges staying on same leg; changes to pulses (10# DBs)
- Calf raises (10# DBs)
- Hold band in both hands with approx 2 feet between hands, arms are extended straight in front of you, alternating reverse lunges, do a straight arm chest fly each time you lunge, singles and pulses
- Hold one handle in one hand and grip the band in other hand, arm with handle is extended straight to side and held isometrically throughout, do a side lunge to the back while hand holding band pulls back bow and arrow-fashion
- Stand in wide plie, squat and hold while doing a bicep curl then stand (10# DBs)
- Stand on band with one hand, hold a handle and a 5# DB in each hand, do bicep curls
- Still standing on band with one foot (set DBs aside), both handles in one hand and do a single arm bicep curl
- Stand on band with one foot, holding a handle in each hand, bring band overhead and do overhead tricep extensions, full and partial reps
- Tricep kickbacks with the band
- Skull crushers with glute bridges (as you raise DBs also raise hips) (10# DBs)
- Tricep push ups on knees
- Overhead press (10# DBs)
- Upright rows (10# DBs)
- Stand on band with a handle in each hand, raise arms and do medium circles with the arms
- Hold band in both hands, palms facing ceiling with approx 12 inches between hands, elbows are kept close to sides, pulse/pull band out to sides
- Scarecrows (5# DBs)
- Walk out push ups (start standing, hinge forward at waist, walk hands out to plank and do push ups), first 7 push ups then 6 push ups then 5 push ups then 4 push ups then 3 push ups then 2 push ups then 1 push up
- Chest fly with leg extension (starts as bicycle legs then changes to pushing both legs in and out at the same time) (10# DBs)
- Start in plank, lower body slowly to count of 4 until you are laying on floor then push back into child’s pose and return to plank
- Single arm rear delt fly (one 10# DB)
- Seated T band pulls (sit on bottom, legs extended, band is looped around feet and bands are crossed, with a handle in each hand, pull bands out to sides in a T)
- Y pulls (set up the same as #35 but pull band handles upward in a Y)
- Still sitting on mat, extend one leg straight, other leg is bent with sole of foot against inner thigh, tube is looped around the foot of extended leg, still holding a handle in each hand, keep opposite arm straight and pull tube out to side while also twisting torso and looking over shoulder (hold other handle to floor beside hip)
- Sit on mat, band is looped around both feet with a handle in each hand, lay back and as you sit up, pull yourself up with the tube doing a bicep curl
- Weighted sit ups (holding a 5# DB in each hand in guard, do one sit up with an overhead press at top of sit up, then do a sit up with one cross punch at top of sit up then do another sit up with one cross punch at top of sit up, other arm)
- Side elbow plank hip lifts
- Lay stomach holding band in both hands with about 18 inches of band between hands, raise chest/arms/legs and hold, open legs while also opening arms, pulling on the band, close legs and arms and lower chest/arms/legs; hold isometrically at top of move and open and close arms and legs, still pulling on band
