Cathe Live Review: Muscle Max Live (no step) (#50)

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Cathe Live Review: Muscle Max Live (no step) (#50)

Muscle Max Live (no step) is a tough total body strength workout. This routine is based on Cathe’s DVD of the same name, which is also a challenging strength workout.

This is one of two Live workouts based on the DVD, as there is also one using the step – Muscle Max w/ Step (#112). This workout has some of the same exercises from the DVD but unlike the DVD does not use the step. All of these routines are excellent and work the body well, however, this is probably the slightly easier version of the three. The focus is on heavier weights and challenging the whole body by working through sets of exercises for lower and upper body.

This workout starts with a set of 3 lower body exercises that are repeated for a total of 3 sets. These are all heavy weight strength exercises and you will definitely be feeling these by the third set. Cathe used a barbell with 45 pounds, for most of the lower body moves, and she encourages you to go as heavy as you can. All of the reps are slow and controlled, not too high, generally 12 to 16 reps, and there is no pulsing so you can go heavy, if you want to. I used dumbbells and a 40 pound kettlebell (for plie squats) instead of a barbell.

You then move into two groups of exercises for the upper body – chest and back. These groups are only repeated for a total of two sets and this is the same for the rest of the workout. Cathe used both dumbbells and the barbell for this section. The upper body floor moves are done on a mat but I find with heavy weights I prefer to do chest flys on a step, as it give me greater range of motion. The deadrows, in this section, I found really challenging as Cathe was using the 45 pound barbell and I used 22 pound dumbbells.

You then move back to lower body, for a set of three exercises, before finally going back to upper body to target shoulders, triceps and biceps. These exercises used dumbbells and resistance tubing. As I am not a great fan of combining the tubing and the dumbbells, I just used heavier dumbbells here instead.

The routine ends with a group of four exercises for the core. This section starts standing, with side bends, and then moves to the floor for more core work. You then repeat this set one more time before cooling down and stretching. This was a nice core section and worked my core well.

Overall, this is a challenging, straight forward strength workout for the whole body and one in which you will definitely be feeling the work.

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The Workout

Muscle Max Live (no step) is a pure strength workout consisting of groupings of lower body and upper body exercises, and finishing with a group of core exercises. Cathe used a 45 pound barbell, medium tension resistance tubing, moderate dumbbells and a mat for this routine. I substituted dumbbells, a 40 pound kettlebell and a resistance band (I also used a step for chest flys).

What You Need to Know

(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).

The Moves

Muscle Max Live (no step) is 54 minutes long and originally aired on 7th May 2015 (#50). The workout starts with a 6 minute warm-up before a quick water break and moving into the first exercise for lower body. The barbell, if you are using one, is set up with 45 pounds (2 big plates on each side) at the start of the workout. The barbell weight remains the same throughout the routine.

Lower Body

• Squats - two 15# Dbs (I used 20’s) - 16 reps

• Static lunges – two 15# Dbs - 16 reps each side

• Deadlifts – 45# BB (I used 2x 22# Dbs) - 10 reps

• Barbell squats – 45# BB (I used 2x 22# Dbs) – 16x singles & 4x 2/2 count

• Static lunges – two 15# Dbs – 12x singles & 4x 2/2 counts each side

• Deadlifts – 45# BB (I used 2x 22# Dbs) - 13 reps

• Barbell squats – 45# BB (I used 2x 22# Dbs) – 8x singles & 8x 2/2 count

• Static lunges – two 15# Dbs – 12x singles & 4x 2/2 counts each side

• Deadlifts – 45# BB (I used 2x 22# Dbs) - 12 reps

Chest & Back

• Push-ups – mat - 16 reps

• Underhand deadrows – 45# BB (I used 2x 22# Dbs) – 2x 3 rows, 1x 7 rows & 8x singles

• Push-ups – mat - 16 reps

• Overhand deadrows – 45# BB (I used 2x 22# Dbs) – 3x 3 rows, 1x 7 rows & 4x singles

• Chest flys (bent knees raised) – two 15# Dbs (I used 20’s & step) - 12 reps

• 1 Arm rows – Cathe used one 15# & one 12# Db in one hand (I used 1x 22) – 16 reps

• Chest flys (bent knees raised) – two 15# Dbs (I used 20’s & step) - 12 reps

• 1 Arm rows – Cathe used one 15# & one 12# Db in one hand (I used 1x 22) – 16 reps

Lower Body

• Plie squats – 45# BB (I used 40# Kettlebell) – 8x singles & 8x 2/2 count

• Rear lunge & hammer curls – two 12# Dbs – 2x both arms, 2x 1 arm, 2x 3 curls (both arms) & 6 sets (2x 1 arm & 1x 1 arm (3 curls))

• Wide stance deadlifts – 45# BB (I used 2x 22# Dbs) - 12 reps (3/1 count)

• Plie squats – 45# BB (I used 40# kettlebell) – 8x singles & 8x 2/2

• Rear lunge & hammer curls – two 12# Dbs – 6 sets (2x 1 arm curl & 1x arm (3 curls))

• Wide stance deadlifts – 45# BB (I used 2x 22# Dbs) - 12 reps

Shoulders, Triceps & Biceps

• Overhead press – two 15# Dbs – 8 sets (1x both arms & 1x 1 arm) & 4x both

• Tricep kickbacks – resistance tubing – 8x singles, 2x 7 pulse, 4x 3 pulse & 8x singles

• Bicep curls – two 8# Dbs & resistance tubing (I used 2x 15# Dbs only) - 16 reps

• Overhead press – two 15# Dbs – 12 sets (1x 1 arm & 1x both)

• Tricep kickbacks – resistance tubing – 8x singles, 2x 7 pulse, 4x 3 pulse & 8x singles

• Bicep curls – two 8# Dbs & resistance tubing (I used 2x 15# Dbs only) – 8x 3/1 7 8x 2/2 counts

Quick water break at 43:45 minutes

Core

• Standing side bends – one 15# dumbbell (I used 1x 20) - 16 reps each side

• Bootcamp plank (plank knee-ins) – mat - 16 reps

• Ankle grabber sit-ups – mat - 16 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 - 8 reps each side

• Standing side bends – Cathe used one 15 & one 12# dumbbell in one hand (I used 1x 20) - 16 reps each side

• Bootcamp plank (plank knee-ins) – mat - 16 reps

• Ankle grabber sit-ups – mat - 16 reps

• 1 Arm sit-up – mat - 8 reps each side

The workout ends with a 3 minute cool down and stretch.

Take Action

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If you liked this workout, check out my review of Cathe Live: Total Body Barbell Challenge – HERE.

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