Cathe Live Review: Push Pull Total Body: Heavy Weight (#309)
Push Pull Total Body: Heavy Weight is a really excellent and fun total body strength workout. This routine, like several of Cathe’s more recent Live workouts, uses heavier weights to really challenge the body. I found the whole routine very metabolic, as you are moving reasonably quickly, from one thing to the next, and the use of heavier weights meant I was pretty drenched by the end. I really loved this one and the time just flew by so before you know it you are done.
The workout is based on the concept of ‘Push / Pull’, where you alternate working opposing muscle groups, such as, 1 arm rows for back with bench presses for chest. This is good for correcting muscle imbalances and is a really time efficient way to train, as it requires less rest between exercises. Cathe has one DVD and one other Live workout (Push Pull #45 – review HERE) based on this concept and they are also both excellent workouts. In addition, the use of heavier weights is nice here as it means Cathe is using a slightly slower pace so you can really heavy up and challenge those muscles.
The routine is a mix of traditional upper and lower body strength exercises. The moves are generally done for 12 reps, although a couple of the moves are higher (push-ups and standing side leg lifts). None of the moves are repeated, which is another reason why I love this one so much, however, you do hit each muscle group at least twice. Cathe used a wide variety of different dumbbells for this routine, ranging from 5 to 40 pounds. She also used resistance tubing (although this isn’t mentioned in her forum post about the workout) for some of the moves. I generally matched Cathe’s weights and only increased on a few, shown below. However, although I challenged my lower body, I didn’t find that this one gave me the same burn-out for my upper body, as the Burn Sets upper body routines (Burn Sets Live: Back, Chest & Shoulders #302 (review HERE), Burn Sets: Biceps & Triceps #304 (review HERE)). Now that is obviously, in part, due to the nature of the workout, as you are mixing both upper and lower body so I think I could probably have gone a little heavier, for some of the upper body moves, and would do so next time.
As always, with these types of workouts, using the right weights is the key to getting the most out of it. You need to ideally pick weights that really challenge you somewhere within the 12 rep range. I find having a notepad handy to record what worked and what didn’t, is also very useful so you know what you need next time you do the workout.
The workout ends with four exercises for the core. These are all done on the mat and are a nice mix of moves to target the core from all angles, including supermans, planks and banana holds.
Overall, this is a fantastic total body strength workout that with the right weights will really challenge the whole body.
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The Workout
Push Pull Total Body: Heavy Weight is a pure strength total body workout using heavier weights.
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Push Pull Total Body: Heavy Weight is 44 minutes long and originally aired on 13th August 2020 (#309). The workout starts with a 6 minute warm-up, before moving into the first exercise. Towards the end of the warm-up, you pick up 15 pound dumbbells to do a warm-up set of squats and deadlifts. The step with four risers, on each side, is only used as a weight bench so you just need space to lie down on it. The step height does not change during the workout.
Squats – two 25# Dbs (I used 27.5#) – 12 reps
Deadlifts – two 30# Dbs – 12 reps
Bench press – two 25# Dbs & step – 12 reps
1 Arm row – one 30# Db – 12 reps each side
Close grip sumo squat (Db held between legs) – one 40# Db – 12 reps
Wide stance deadlift – two 30# Dbs – 12 reps
Narrow grip chest press – two 25# Dbs & step – 12 reps
Bent over double arm row – two 25# Dbs – 12 reps
Narrow stance squats – two 20# Dbs – 12 reps
Stiff leg narrow stance deadlift – two 20# Dbs – 12 reps
Chest flys – two 25# Dbs (I used 27.5#) & step – 12 reps
Posture pulls (wide band pulls) – resistance tubing – 12x 1.5’s
Alternating side lunges (touching Db down towards floor) – one 15# Db (I used 1x 20) – 24 reps
Standing alternating side leg lifts (standing on tubing w/ band held in opposite hands (crisscrossed); lift alternating legs out to side) – resistance tubing – 50 reps
Standing overhead press – two 15# Dbs – 12 reps
Upright rows – two 15# Dbs – 12 reps
Bent over straight arm rear delt press backs – two 10# Dbs & resistance tubing (I used 12# Dbs & no tubing) – 12 reps
Front raise – one 15# Db – 12 reps
Standing overhead tricep extension – one 30# Db – 12 reps
Bicep curls – two 15# Dbs – 12 reps
Tricep kickbacks – two 12# Dbs (I used 15#) - 12 reps
8 Point drop curls (bicep curls going down in increments) – two 15# Dbs – 2 sets
Push-ups – mat – 16 reps
Prone 1 arm rear delt fly (on hands & knees; extend 1 leg straight out behind you w/ Db in opposite hand; fly arm out to side while lifting opposite leg) – one 5# Db & mat – 12 reps each side
Core on mat at 35 minutes
Plank knee-ins (in straight arm plank; bring 1 knee in under body then to outside of shoulder & back in under the body – that’s 1 rep) – mat – 8 reps (alternating sides)
V-Ups to boat pose – mat – 12 reps
Banded supermans (lying on stomach; holding band in straight arms in front of you; pull band apart as you lift arms & legs (bringing legs out as you lift)) – resistance tubing & mat – 5 reps (as Cathe doesn’t get it quite how she wants it) & 12 reps
Banana holds (arms extended back over head) – mat – 5 reps (4 count hold) & 3 reps (8 count hold)
The workout ends with a 3 minute cool down and stretch.
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