I love cardio + strength workouts. I also love low impact cardio so this looked like a winner. And I was right! I found it pretty intense. It is actually a shorter version of #381 “Plyo” Legs Low Impact–but only by 10 minutes. Since this workout is so short, I combined it with one of Cathe’s other Live express workouts: #430 Tower Circuit Sweat Express, which worked my legs barre style, so they were already pre-fatigued when I came to this workout. Between the two workouts my legs feel well worked. Cathe is using lighter dumbbells in this workout for the strength work so it is pretty high rep. I used heavier dumbbells so my reps were slower and I did less reps but I still managed 10-12 reps for every strength exercise and for some exercises I was still able to do as many reps as Cathe did.
This workout is great to use as an add on, combining it with another workout like I did today or when you are short on time. You get lower body strength work and cardio in just 32 minutes. According to my Apple Watch I burned 339 calories!
Here is a clip of this workout. You can do this workout by subscribing to Cathe Live or purchasing it as a download.
Low Impact Cardio & Legs Express is 32:11 minutes; 6 minute warm up and 3 minute cool down/stretch. Equipment: dumbbells.
- Sprint shooters (static/stationary lunges done fast, push arms down at bottom of lunge and raise arms over head and do a slight hop when raising out of lunge but do not raise all the way so there is constant tension on the legs)
- Squats (Cathe is using 15# DBs, I used 30# DBs)
- 3 rope climbs + elbow strike (3 sumo squats while arms mimic rope climbing then pivot hop to the side into a lunge while bringing one arm down from overhead in a hammer punch)
- Deadlifts (Cathe is using 15# DBs, I used 30# DBs)
- Double pulse squat with insole tap, alternate legs on the insole tap
- Alternating sumo squats (hold one DB in both hands at chest level and do alternating step out sumo squats, first stepping out to side then pivoting so you are facing the side when in sumo squat) (Cathe is using one 15# DB, I used one 30# DB)
- One sumo squat + hop pivot into lunge while extending one arm in front of you, hop pivot back to front + hop pivot into lunge reach on other side
- Static/stationary lunges (Cathe is using 15# DBs, I used 25# DBs)
- Hop out into wide sumo squat reaching one hand down to floor then jump feet together and double hop (Cathe shows a no impact version of side stepping out into sumo squat); changes to turning to face the side when doing the sumo squat hop with hands in guard, still doing the double hop with feet together when changing sides
- Stiff leg deadlifts (Cathe is using 15# DBs, I used 30# DBs)
- Grounded air jacks (partial squat then lift one leg out to side while circling arms up overhead, lift other heel off ground when raising leg to side)
- Alternating side lunges, when lunging reach one DB down toward foot (Cathe is using 12# DBs, I used 20# DBs)
- Halo slams (stand with legs wider than hip width, lower into partial squat, hands are clasped, circle arms up to side and slam clasped hands down when squatting, do a small hop when raising out of squat)
- Alternating cross-back curtsy lunges (Cathe is using 15# DBs, I used 20# DBs)
- Hi/lo jab (do quick air squats, raising into toes at top of squat while punching high and low with one arm) (I used 2# DBs)
- Front squats (DBs are held at shoulders) (Cathe is using 15# DBs, I used 25# DBs)
- Heel raises w/ DBs at sides (Cathe is using 15# DBs, I used 25# DBs)
- Repeat #16 & 17
