Cathe Live Review: High Reps Total Body (#28)
High Reps Total Body is a fantastic and fairly brutal total body strength workout. This routine will fry every muscle group!
The workout is based on Cathe’s High Reps DVD, which is also a tough total body routine. There is also one other Live based on this DVD – Total Body Reps #22, which is even tougher.
This workout is a really high rep strength endurance routine that consists of groupings of exercises by body part. Each grouping contains a number of different moves, for the same muscle group, and you are often supersetting two or three different exercises for two or more sets. All of the moves are high rep but this is particularly so for the lower body and I was definitely feeling it. The static lunges were particularly tough. I also found the shoulder giant set to be really hard, as you just go from one move to the next, with no breaks in between, and my shoulders were completely burned out by the end.
The workout starts a little easier, with lighter weights for lower body, just to get the heart rate up and prepare you for the rest of the routine. After that set of exercises its just go, go, go. Cathe used a barbell, dumbbells and a resistance band in this routine. I just used dumbbells and a kettlebell (for plie squats only) instead of the barbell and this worked well for me. The band work is fairly minimal in this one so the main work is with the barbell and dumbbells. I stayed with Cathe’s lighter weights for most of the upper body exercises, except biceps and chest, as you are doing so many reps and with little rest the muscles fatigue quickly.
The workout ends with an excellent core section that worked my whole core very well. It targets all angles of the core with sit-ups, crunches, oblique work and planks. You also start this section with sit-ups and chest flys so you get a little more work for the chest here too.
Overall, this is a highly effective, strength endurance workout that will challenge the whole body.
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The Workout
High Reps Total Body is a pure strength total body workout. Cathe used a barbell at 40, 30 and 20 pounds, light to moderate dumbbells, a medium tension resistance band and a mat. I also used a 35 pound kettlebell (for plie squats) and a step (for chest flys only).
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
High Reps Total Body is 63 minutes long and originally aired on 13th November 2014 (#28). The workout starts with a 5 minute warm-up, before moving straight into the first, lighter weight, lower body exercise. The barbell, if you are using one, is set up with 30 pounds at the start of the workout. You will need to ensure that all of your equipment is handy, as you will be moving quickly from one thing to the next.
Lower Body
Marching sumos - one 8# Db – 32 reps
Side lunge (tapping floor w/ fingertips) – 8 reps each side
Pivoting sumo squats - one 10# Db – 12 reps
Pivoting sumo squats - one 12# Db – 14 reps (pulsing x3 & singles)
Hover squats - one 12# Db – 4 sets of 15 pulses
Barbell squats - 30# BB (I used 2x 15# Dbs) – lots of reps (various tempos)
Barbell plie squat - 30# BB (I used a 35# kettlebell) - lots of reps (various tempos)
Change Barbell to 20 pounds
Shoulders
Barbell overhead press - 20# BB (I used 2x 10# Dbs) – 22 reps (various tempos)
Barbell upright row - 20# BB (I used 2x 10# Dbs) – 18 reps
Barbell overhead press - 20# BB (I used 2x 10# Dbs) – 12 reps (various tempos)
Arcing side lateral raises (palms face forward) – two 8# Dbs – 10 reps
Scarecrows – two 5# Dbs – 18 reps
Alternating 1 arm side lateral raises – two 8# Dbs – 12 reps
Barbell upright rows - 20# BB (I used 2x 10# Dbs) – 32 reps
Alternating 1 arm side lateral raises – two 8# Dbs – 16 reps
Arcing side lateral raises (palms face forward) – two 8# Dbs – 8 reps
Biceps
Barbell bicep curls - 20# BB (I used 2x 12# Dbs)– 28 reps (various tempos)
Sweeper curls – two 12# Dbs – 12 reps
Hammer curls – two 8# Dbs (I used 12’s) – 10 reps
W curls – two 8# Dbs (I used 12’s) – 10 reps
Barbell bicep curls - 20# BB (I used 2x 12# Dbs)– 5 reps, hold, 5 reps & very slow count down
Lower Body
Crossback lunges - one 10# Db (I used 1x 15) – lots of reps (various tempos)
Barbell static lunges - 20# BB (I used 2x 10# Dbs) – 30 reps (various tempos), 8 reps & 8 reps (1st side). 32 reps (various tempos), 12 reps, 8 reps & 8 reps (2nd side)
Change barbell to 40 pounds
Back (& Lower Body)
Barbell deadlifts - 40# BB (I used 2x 20# Dbs)– 18 reps
Barbell deadrows - 40# BB (I used 2x 20# Dbs) – 4x singles & 2x 3’s
Barbell wide stance deadlifts - 40# BB (I used 2x 20# Dbs) – 12 reps (3/1 & 2/2 counts)
Posture pulls – resistance band – 24 reps
Seated T-band pulls – resistance band & mat– 6 reps & 12 reps
Overhead power press (stand on band w/ one end in each hand & squat & stand, pulling bands forcefully overhead, arms straight) – resistance band – 20 reps (fast)
Seated Y-band pulls – resistance band & mat – 16 reps
1 Arm rows - Cathe used two 12# Dbd held in one hand (I used 1x 20) – 12 reps & 10 reps each side
Triceps
Tricep push-up w/ leg lift – mat – 4x knees & 4x toes
Tricep push-ups (on knees) – mat – 4x 2/2 & 2x 4/4 counts
Overhead tricep extensions – two 10# Dbs – 12 reps (2/2 count)
Overhead tricep extensions – two 8# Dbs – 12 reps (singles)
1 Arm tricep press down – resistance band – lots of reps
Overhead tricep extensions – two 10# Dbs – 12 reps (2/2 count)
Chest
Chest flys – two 12# Dbs (I used 20’s & a step)– 21 reps & lots of partials
Fast push-ups (on knees) – mat – 30 seconds (27 reps)
Core at 55:10 minutes
Sit up & chest fly – two 8# Dbs & mat – 7 reps
Sit-up into overhead press – one 8# Db (I used 1x 10) & mat – 7 reps
Sit up & chest fly – two 5# Dbs (I used 8’s) & mat – 6 reps
Sit-up into overhead press – one 10# Db & mat– 8 reps
1 Arm sit-up (lay on back, legs straight, one elbow bent & pressed into floor, other arm raised to ceiling; lift torso & reach toward ceiling, keeping other elbow anchored to floor) – mat - 12 reps each side
Heel taps (crunch knees in & tap heels to floor) / layout crunch (crunch knees in & then legs & arms straight out) – mat – 20 reps
Basic crunches – mat – 7 reps
Butterfly crunches (soles of feet together) – mat– 8 reps
Oblique crunches (knees tilted to one side & crunch up) – mat – 8 reps each side
Elbow plank hold / raise 1 leg then other / march out & in plank – mat
The workout ends with a 2 minute cool down and stretch.
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If you liked this workout, check out my review of Cathe Live: Pump Party (#178) – HERE.
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