Cathe Live Review: Circuit Crush (#198)
Circuit Crush is a fantastic express cardio and strength workout. This is definitely a ‘get in, get it done and get out’ kind of workout and one that will definitely get that heart pumping. For such a short routine it really packs a lot into it - you get some nice strength work and good cardio - all in 40 minutes.
The workout consists of six rounds of four exercises (except the last round that is slightly longer). Each round consists of a cardio drill and a mix of exercises for lower, upper and core. The cardio drills are all straight forward plyometrics and are just one move repeated for a set number of reps. They are done for just the right amount of time, to really get you breathing hard, without completely exhausting you. Also none of the cardio moves are repeated so there is no dread factor, as once the set is done that’s it and you are on to something else.
The strength moves are mainly compound moves and target a number of the different muscle groups. They don’t quite hit every body part, as they miss out biceps, but they do a reasonable job with the rest. They are generally 8-16 reps and are often quite fast so they have a pretty metabolic effect and my heart rate stayed elevated throughout the workout.
The weights used are light to moderate and I think, given the pace of the exercises, it would be difficult to go too much heavier and maintain good form. You are also moving quickly, from one thing to the next, with only short rest periods in between and this acts to increase the intensity of the workout and make the time fly by. I would have loved one more round, maybe targeting the biceps, added onto the end just to hit every muscle group.
The only thing I would mention here is that the cool down and stretch were rather brief for me. Given the amount of upper body work, I found it a little odd that Cathe didn’t really do many targeted stretches, for the upper body, at all. I am not quite sure why but I just added on extra stretches at the end for the triceps, shoulders, chest etc.
Overall, this was an excellent workout and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s perfect for when you want to blast a few calories, get that heart pumping and work your body all in a short amount of time. I will definitely be coming back to this one!
(For more information about Cathe Live, how to sign up & to see all of my Cathe Live reviews, click HERE).
The Workout
Circuit Crush is a cardio and strength circuit style workout. The routine consists of six rounds of cardio and a mix of lower, upper and core exercises. Cathe used light to moderate weights for this routine.
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Circuit Crush is 40 minutes long and originally aired on 17th May 2018 (#198). The workout starts with 5 minute warm-up, before moving into the first cardio drill using one 5# dumbbell. You will need to make sure your dumbbells and mat are within easy reach as you will be moving quickly. (Cathe does use the mat for some of the cardio drills, I always do these without the mat as it just seems like more of a trip hazard to me!) Cardio is shown below in bold italics.
Round 1
Shuffle, shuffle, drop - setting down & picking up one dumbbell – one 5# dumbbell – 24 reps
Side lunges (these are pretty fast) – one 10# dumbbell – 16 reps each side (one side & then other)
Squat press – two 10# dumbbells – 16 reps
Plank walkout / walking plank (down to elbow & back up x2) - mat
Round 2
180 Jumps – optional mat – 20 reps
Static lunges – two 15# dumbbells – 16 reps each side
Press-ups – mat – 4 sets of 8 reps (however Cathe only does 6 reps the 1st set)
Squat & knee lift – one 10# dumbbell – 16 reps
Round 3
3 Power hops forward & 4 jacks (turning to other direction) – 11 reps
Pulsing back lunges – two 12# dumbbells – 3x pulses & 2 singles. Ends with 7x pulses.
Lateral raises (alternating one arm & both arms) – two 8# dumbbells
Shoulder circles – two 8# dumbbells – 7 circles forward & 7 back
Straight arm plank knee-ins / elbow plank tapping straight leg out to side – mat – 7 reps each side straight arm / 2x 4 reps each side elbows
Round 4
4 Jacks / 4 air jacks – 4 sets then lunge tap backs & 2 more sets
Pivoting sumo squats & side to side sumo squats – one 15# dumbbell – 32 reps
Rear delt flys – two 12# dumbbells – 4 sets of 3
Sit-up & chest flys (these are fast) – two 5# dumbbells & mat – 16 reps (to make it harder you can lift the leg at the same time)
Round 5
Squat thrust - 10 reps
Crossback lunges – two 12# dumbbells – pulsing & singles
Front swing & double arm pulldown – two 10# dumbbells – 16 reps
Pullovers for core – one 10# dumbbell (held horizontally in hands) & mat – 16 reps
Round 6
Football runs (feet straddling the mat – run forward & around the mat (moving backwards))
Squat digs
Football runs (run forward & straight back – touching the mat at each end)
Front lunge & knee lift – two 12# dumbbells – 16 reps
Sumo drop squat & tricep overhead extension combo – two 10# dumbbells – 10 reps
Plank tricep kickbacks – one 10# dumbbell – 12 & 16 reps
Tricep push- ups on toes – mat – 2 sets of 3 counts down / hold / 2 counts up
The workout ends with a brief 2:30 minute cool down and stretch.
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: Ready For Action Bootcamp - HERE.
If you enjoyed this review, please share it using the links below.