Cathe Live Review: Back At It! Bootcamp (#347)
Back At It! Bootcamp is a fun, moderate intensity, cardio and strength workout. This routine is the first one after Cathe’s eye surgery, five weeks before, and also the first class where the participants don’t have to wear face masks (as the Covid restrictions have loosened), hence the title. This is a slightly different format, in terms of instruction, than usual as Cathe doesn’t do many of the exercises, as she is still recovering. Instead Jenn (to her right - in the bright green top) demonstrates the exercises for her and does all of the intervals so you are really following her while Cathe talks you through it. Therefore, the weights listed below are what Jenn used for each exercise, as I guess this would be representative of what Cathe would have used. I will say it did take a little while for me to get used to having the class back again, as I really loved having just Cathe do the Live workouts one on one. It just seemed a little distracting to have so many people in the background, particularly as I have also been doing a lot of YouTube videos too (Caroline, Heather, Anna, Sydney etc) and it’s always just one person. However, it was kind of interesting to see all the familiar faces back again and I guess Cathe probably prefers it this way so I am happy for her.
The workout consists of five rounds, each incorporating one cardio move and a number of strength exercises for lower body, upper body and core. The cardio moves are mainly higher impact but Cathe shows modifications for each of the moves, if you want to keep it more low impact. Each interval is just one move or a few moves put together, performed for a number of reps, and are often repeated for one or more sets. There is no complex moves in here, as they are all reasonably familiar even if they are put together slightly differently. I didn’t find these very tough, as Cathe often does shorter sets and then repeats it so you get little rest breaks in between. However, they were just enough to get my heart rate up nicely and given the more metabolic nature of the strength moves, it stayed fairly elevated throughout. Overall though it wasn’t the most intense routine and I would say it was a more intermediate level.
The strength moves are mainly compound moves with a few more isolation moves mixed in. Therefore, you are often incorporating your upper body into your lower body moves and vice versa, similarly with the core moves too, which gives it a little more of a cardio effect throughout. The weights used range from 5 to 15 pounds and were generally on the lighter side so I would definitely increase further on most of exercises next time (I did already increase on a few, shown below, but would probably increase further in future). The rep range is not too high for anything (generally 12 - 16 reps) and the tempo was reasonably controlled so you could go heavier, if you wanted to. I really liked the format of the strength work though, as Cathe has you often doing sets of singles with triples or one arm and both arms etc. This kept it interesting and the reps just flew by.
The core work is also a different mix of exercises that really work not only the core but often the rest of the body as well. This included bear crawl walkouts and sit outs. The workout ends with a 2 minute finisher, which is a little bit novel for Cathe. You do the infamous sit-up / push-up combo – 5 of each - and just keep going for 2 minutes straight. I was definitely starting to feel these by the end of the interval and it was a great way to end the workout with a bang!
Overall, an enjoyable cardio and strength circuit workout that targets a little bit of everything.
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The Workout
Back At It! Bootcamp is a cardio and strength workout consisting of five rounds. Each round includes cardio, lower body, upper body and core exercises.
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Back At It! Bootcamp is 46 minutes long and originally aired on 3rd June 2021 (#347). The workout starts with a long 6:30 minute warm-up, before moving straight into the first cardio interval. Cardio moves shown in bold italics below.
Round 1
Forward & back jump w 2x attacks / attacks – 4 sets & 8x attacks. 4 sets & 16x attacks.
Step out sumo squats (side to side / to the back) – one 15# Db – 4 sets (side x4 & to back x4)
Sumo squat w alternating 1 arm bicep curl – one 12# Db (I used 1x15) – 4x 1 arm & 6x 3 curls
Bear crawl walkout to plank taps & bear crawl press (start in low squat & walk out to plank; tap alternating foot to outside of shoulder then walk back & do 1 bear crawl press) – mat – 5 sets
Round 2
Open & attack (open to side; then jump & slam elbow towards the ground as you pivot to forward facing lunge) – 2 sets of 8 reps each side
Static lunges – two 12# Dbs (I used 15’s) – 2 sets of 8x singles & 15x pulses each side
Squat & lateral raise – two 8# Dbs – 12 reps
Scarecrows w/ calf raise – two 5# Dbs – 12 reps
Squat & lateral raise – two 8# Dbs – 12 reps
Scarecrows w/ calf raise – two 5# Dbs – 12 reps
Standing side bends – two 10# Dbs in one hand (I used 1x20) – 16 reps each side
Round 3
Side to side shuffles x4 & hi-lo punch or 2x squat thrust w/ heel click – 6 sets
Alternating crossback lunges – two 12# Dbs (I used 15’s) – 8 sets (3x pulses & 2x singles)
Step out hammer curls & overhead press – two 12# Dbs (I used 15’s) – 6 sets (2x hammer & 1x overhead), 7x overhead press & 8x 1 arm hammer curls
Sit-up to 1 leg / both leg taps – mat – 7 sets (2x 1 leg & 2x both legs)
Round 4
4x Long reach lunges & 4x prisoner line taps (hands behind head) – 6 sets & 4 sets
Close grip sumo squats – two 15# Dbs – 16 reps
Alternating 1 arm back fly – one 10# Db (I used 1x12) – 4 sets (2x singles & 1x 3 flys)
Sit outs – 2 sets of 12 reps
Round 5
Touch down jumps (high or low impact – jumping or toes lift) – 25 reps & 16 reps
Side lunges – one 15# Db – 16 reps
2 Minute finisher: 5 Sit-up / push-up combo – mat
The workout ends with a 3 minute cool down and stretch.
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If you liked this workout, check out my review of Cathe Live: Bootcamp Blast Off (#92) – HERE.
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