Cathe Live Review: Oh My Quad (#156)
Oh My Quad is a pure strength workout focused on the lower body. This was a tough and challenging routine and my heart rate stayed pretty elevated throughout.
The workout incorporates a range of different lower body exercises using weights, a gliding device and a stability ball. Although the workout focuses on the quads, I found it worked the rest of my lower body pretty well too. This was particularly due to the long set of hamstring roll-ins at the end! There is lots of variety here and I found the time flew by.
Cathe and class used a barbell and moderate weight dumbbells for this workout. I used dumbbells and kettlebell (for plie squats only) but you could just use dumbbells throughout if you wanted to. This is a fairly high rep workout and moves quickly from one thing to the next so it has a pretty metabolic effect too. I generally used similar weights to Cathe, just increasing on squats and this worked well for me. My quads were definitely burning out at times during this workout – particularly during the never ending walking lunges and plie pulse squats! Due to the number of deadlifts (3 sets), I also started to feel this a little in my lower back too.
The workout ends with a floorwork section using the stability ball. You start with quad-intensive straight leg raises and then move to the mat for zillions of hamstring roll-ins. I was really starting to feel these by the end. Cathe also does a version of the roll-in where you push your arms down and up, while rolling in and out, I found these really awkward and struggled to keep the ball in a straight line. However, Cathe was also really struggling with this move so I guess it wasn’t just me! You round out the program with outer thigh raises on the ball. As these irritate my hips, if I do them on the ball, I just put on ankle weights and did them lying on the floor. (Note: for this section, Cathe doesn’t always do the same number or type of reps on each side – I have noted the differences in ‘The Moves’ section below).
Overall, an excellent and tough lower body workout that will really challenge those muscles well. I will definitely be returning to this one!
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The Workout
Oh My Quad is a pure strength lower body workout, using a barbell at 25 and 45 pounds, dumbbells, a stability ball and gliding device. I used dumbbells and a 25 pound kettlebell instead of the barbell but you could just use dumbbells throughout.
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Oh My Quad is 54 minutes long and originally aired on 29th June 2017 (#156). The workout starts with an extended 10 minute warm-up that includes some work with the gliding device (I have listed those moves below as they counted as exercises for me!). The barbell is set up with 25 pounds (one large plate on each side) at the start of the workout.
Extended warm-up
Side slide lunges – one gliding device - 16 reps each side
Back slide lunges – one gliding device – 16 reps each side
Warrior lunges – one gliding device - 10 reps each side
Standing Lower Body Exercises
Barbell squats – 25# barbell (I used two 15# dumbbells) – lots of reps (partials, low ends etc)
Narrow stance barbell squats – 25# barbell (I used two 15# dumbbells) – lots of reps (partials, low ends etc)
Side slide pick up lunges – one 15# dumbbell – 24 reps each side
Plie squats - 25# barbell (I used a 25# kettlebell) – lots of reps (partials, low ends etc)
Walking lunges with plie pulses - two 12# dumbbells – 6 sets & 4 sets (these are brutal after the plie squats above!)
Diagonal front lunges – two 12# dumbbells – 12 reps & 8 reps each side
Plie squat lateral walks – two 12# dumbbells – 8 sets
Side slide lunges – one 15# dumbbell & one gliding device – 8 sets of 1x 2/2 count & 2x singles each side
Barbell squats – 25# barbell (I used two 15# dumbbells) – lots of reps (partials, low ends etc)
Change barbell to 45 pounds (two large plates each side)
Deadlifts – 45# barbell (I used two 20# dumbbells) – 16 reps (2/2 & 3/1 count)
Reverse slide lunges – two 10# dumbbells & one gliding device – 16 reps each side
Sweeper lunges – one 15# dumbbell (to rest your hand on) & one gliding device – 64 reps each side
Deadlifts – 45# barbell (I used two 20# dumbbells) – 16 reps (3/1 & 2/2 count)
Crossback lunges – two 10# dumbbells & one gliding device – 16 reps each side
Standing straight leg raises (toe pointed) / standing inner thigh raises (toe flexed & turned in) – two 10# dumbbells – 32 reps / 24 reps. 2nd side – 32 reps / 32 reps
Deadlifts - 45# barbell (I used two 20# dumbbells) – 15 reps (2/2, 3/1 & 4/2 count)
Floorwork on Ball (at 40:30 minutes)
Straight leg lifts on ball – stability ball – 32 reps (toe pointed) 32 reps (toe flexed) & 16 reps (point & flex). 2nd side – 40 reps (point), 32 reps (flex) & 20 reps (point & flex)
Hamstring roll-ins / hip lifts – stability ball – 16 reps, 8 reps (push arms down & up), 16 reps, 8 reps (with hip lifts), 8 reps
Outer thigh lifts (leaning on the ball) – stability ball (I did these on the floor using ankle weights) – 48 reps (toe pointed), 32 reps (flex) & 16 reps (point & flex). 2nd side - 32 reps (toe pointed), 32 reps (flex) & 32 reps (point & flex)
The workout ends with a 2:30 minute cool down and stretch.
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