Cathe Live Review: Barbell Total Body (#259)
Barbell Total Body is a challenging high rep strength endurance workout that will fry the whole body. Wow was this a tough workout! I loved it and it definitely worked me well - I was feeling it everywhere!
The workout alternates groups of barbell exercises for the lower and upper body. As I don’t like using a barbell, I used dumbbells throughout (plus a 25# kettlebell but you could use dumbbells for plie squats too) and had no issues.
Every exercise is very high rep and you will definitely be feeling the work. The tempos and rep patterns vary constantly though so there is no chance to get bored or let your mind wander. I found both the upper and lower body exercises very challenging. I did go a little heavier on a few exercises but found this pretty tough. The pace is reasonable though so you can go heavier if you want to.
The workout is slightly more upper body than lower body focused. I particularly found the tricep lying extensions and the upright row / overhead presses to be very hard and really had to push through to finish all the reps here.
The workout ends with a good core section that includes a nice variety of different exercises to work the core effectively in different ways.
Overall, this was an excellent, tough and highly effective total body strength workout and one I will be returning to frequently. This is one you will definitely be feeling for the next few days after the workout!
(For more information about Cathe Live, how to sign up & to see all of my Cathe Live reviews, click HERE).
The Workout
Barbell Total Body is a high rep endurance strength workout that focuses on the total body. The routine alternates groups of lower and upper body exercises using the barbell. I used dumbbells and a 25 pound kettlebell, for plie squats, and had no issues (you could also use dumbbells for plie squats too). Cathe uses a barbell at 20, 25, 35 and 40 pounds during the workout. She also holds 3 and 10 pound plates so you may wish to have 3 (or 5) and 10 pound dumbbells handy instead.
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Barbell Total Body is 63 minutes long and originally aired on 1st August 2019 (#259). The workout starts with a 7 minute warm-up using the barbell (I used two 5# dumbbells). The barbell is set up with 20 pounds (a small and medium plate on each side) at the start of the workout. The step, with 3 risers each side, is set up horizontally in front of you and is only used as a weight bench for upper body.
All of the moves below are very high rep and use a variety of tempos and rep patterns.
Lower Body
Squats – 35# barbell (I used two 20# dumbbells)
Deadlifts (standard stance / wide stance / narrow stance) – 40# barbell (I used two 20# dumbbells)
Upper Body
Bench press – 35# barbell (I used two 20# dumbbells) & step
Push-ups – mat – 3 sets
Bench press – 35# barbell (I used two 15# dumbbells) & step
Push-ups on knees – mat – 1 set
Clean & press / 3 push press / deadrows – 25# barbell (I used two 12# dumbbells)
Pullovers – 25# barbell (I used two 15# dumbbells) & step
Lying tricep extensions – 25# barbell (I used two 12# dumbbells) & step
Narrow grip chest press – 25# barbell (I used two 15# dumbbells) & step
Tricep dips – step
Incline tricep press-ups (on knees) – step & mat
Lower body
Plie squats – 25# barbell (I used a 25# kettlebell but you could use dumbbells)
Upper Body
Bicep curls – 25# barbell (I used two 12# dumbbells)
Bicep curls – 20# barbell (I stayed with two 12# dumbbells)
Lower Body
Static lunges – two 10# plates (I used two 10# dumbbells)
Upper Body
Upright row – 20# barbell (I used two 10# dumbbells)
Overhead press – 20# barbell (I used two 10# dumbbells)
3 Front raises & 1 bicep curl – one 10# plate (I used one 12# dumbbell)
Lateral raise & scarecrows – two 3# plates (I used two 5# dumbbells)
Water break & quick stretch
Get your mat out and move to the floor for core work
Side plank hip raises – 2 sets
Straight arm plank & march feet / step out & in
Elbow plank & & march feet / step out & in
X-crunches
100’s (hold head up & pump arms quickly – legs start bent off floor then straight up & straight at an angle)
Leg thrusters – 32 reps
The workout ends with a 2 minute stretch and cool down.
Take Action
Try it today! Find out more about how to subscribe and to check out all of my Cathe Live Reviews - click HERE.
If you enjoyed this workout, check out my review of Cathe Live: Lower & Upper Body Dumbbell Challenge - HERE.
If you enjoyed this review, please share it using the links below.