Cathe Live Review: Hiit Fit Circuit (#73)
Hiit Fit Circuit is a really interesting and different, cardio and strength circuit workout that I very much enjoyed.
The workout consists of five circuits of cardio Hiit and compound strength moves, and ends with a leg isolation section using the barre (or a chair). I loved the variety and this provided a nice cardio challenge along with some toning for the whole body.
Each circuit starts with cardio, which includes one high impact Hiit drill and one low impact Hiit drill. Although you can choose to do them all high impact, if you would prefer. I have done it both ways and got a great workout with either option. The Hiit drills are one move repeated for a set number of reps and many of which are done for two or three sets. The cardio drills start out a little kinder but then ramp up towards the end with snow angel jacks, high reaching pop squats and lateral shoot burpees. The whole workout is pretty cardio focused, with the exception of the leg isolation section, as you are moving quickly from one thing to the next and all of the strength moves combine both upper and lower body. I found the combination of some of the moves quite challenging, particularly the sumo squats with 1 arm overhead tricep extensions. There is a nice mix of different moves but it is definitely not comprehensive in hitting all muscle groups. The reps were reasonably high, on many of the moves, so if you are using the right weights you will be feeling them. Cathe used lighter weights and I increased on a few moves, shown below.
The workout finishes with a short lower body focused section using the barre. As I don’t have one, I just used a chair instead with no issues. There are just four different moves and all are reasonably high rep. Cathe did have some issues with counting here (and a few times in the main workout too) so the reps and rep patterns are not always even from one side to the other. I have noted the differences below. I would suggest maybe starting on the other leg, the next time you do the workout, if that kind of thing bothers you. This is a fairly light section by Cathe’s standards so just nicely worked my legs without fatiguing them.
Overall, this is a fun, high energy circuit workout, which includes both high and low impact Hiit drills, and ends with isolation exercises for the lower body. This is definitely one I will be returning to frequently.
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The Workout
Hiit Fit Circuit is a cardio and strength workout consisting of five circuits that include two Hiit drills and two metabolic strength exercises. The routine ends with a short barre section for the lower body.
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Hiit Fit Circuit is 47 minutes long and originally aired on 22nd October 2015 (#73). The workout starts with a 5 minute warm-up before moving into the first Hiit drill. Cardio shown in bold italics below.
Circuit 1
Squats in a box – 8 sets each side
Ice breakers – 32 reps
1 Arm clean & press (squat w db at shoulder, pivot & stand w 1 arm O/H press) – one 10# Db – 16 reps each side
Pulsing static lunges – one 15# Db – 23 reps, 15 reps & 7 reps each side
Circuit 2
Grapevine & 6 power scissors – 9 sets
Long reach lunges – 32 reps
Explosive side lunges (overhead press in middle) - one 10# Db – 20 reps
Squat, kick / squat, lunge – 8 reps (1st side) & 10 reps (2nd side)
Circuit 3
Snow angel jacks – 3 sets of 10 reps
3 lateral skaters & 1 ‘lift’ on toes (or jump) – 13 sets
Plie squats & upright rows - two 15# Dbs – 24 reps
Side lunge / crossback lunge / side lunge & 1 arm “curl” - one 10# Db – 12 sets (1st side) & 9 reps (2nd side)
Circuit 4
High reaching pop squats - 2 sets of 16 reps
Line taps (1x 5# db used as a marker) – 2 sets of 16 reps
Rear lunges & bicep curls – two 10# Dbs – 2x 7 curls, 4x 3 curls, 2x 7 curls (1 arm) & 8x 1 curl
Pulsing squats / step out squats – one 8# Db (I used 1x 15) – 16x pulsing & 8x step out (1st side), 4x pulsing & 8 x step out (2nd side)
Circuit 5
Lateral shoot burpees - 2 sets of 8 reps
High/low jabs - 32 reps each side
Sumo squats w/ one arm overhead tricep extension - one 8# Db – 12 sets & 8x tricep only each side
Forward lunges – two 8# Dbs (I used 12’s) – 4x 1.5’s (alternating), 4x 1.5’s (left side), 4x 3.5’s (left side). Then 4x 1.5’s (right side) & 4x 3.5’s (right side)
Quick water break & get out barre or chair at 34:35 minutes
Lower Body Isolation (using barre or chair)
Outer thigh raises (w/ arm circles) / angled leg raises – barre - 64 reps / 16 reps (angled) & 32 reps (angled pulsing) – 1st side. 80 reps / 68 reps (angled pulsing)
Crossback lunges high & tight (pulse down in low curtsy/cross-back position raised onto toes) – barre 57 reps (1st side) & 68 reps (2nd side)
Calf raises – barre - 16 reps (both legs), 16 reps (1 leg), 16 reps (other leg), 32 reps (both) & 46 reps (pushing down)
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: Body Works (#135) – HERE.
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