Cathe Live Review: Total Body Fit (#290)

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Cathe Live Review: Total Body Fit (#290)

Total Body Fit is another excellent and pretty tough, total body strength workout that I loved.

This is another routine with just Cathe and I find that I like these even more, than the usual classes, as it really does feel like personal training with Cathe. This is a pretty intense routine and one in which I was definitely feeling the work. Cathe used a barbell and dumbbells for this workout but I just used dumbbells and a kettlebell (for plie squats but you could always use dumbbells here too). She also used resistance tubing, for some of the moves, and I used a flat resistance band instead.

The routine is structured into three giant sets – Legs, Shoulders & Biceps / Legs, Triceps & Core and Legs, Chest & Back. Fortunately, you only do each giant set once before moving on so there is lots of variety in this workout. As with the last Live class, there is someone off camera helping Cathe count so that the reps are even from one side to the other. The whole workout is fairly high rep and with the heavier weights I was definitely starting to feel my muscles burn. I particularly found the push press / upright row combo very tough and was really struggling towards the end. There are lots of different rep patterns and tempo changes though so even though you are doing a lot of reps there is still lots of variety to keep you focused (or distracted!) Cathe even introduced 7.5’s, for the two squat variations to really burn out the legs, so rather than doing three partial squats in a row – you do seven instead!

Within each giant set there are two or three different exercises for each body part so everything gets worked well. I also found that the back work was really challenging, particularly with the deadrows as there seemed to be hundreds of reps! For the final giant set, when you get to Chest and Back, Cathe gives you the option of staying with 40 pounds or going lighter with the barbell to 35 pounds. I stayed with 40 pounds (2x 20# Dbs) for bench presses and found these very tough as you do 32 reps and they are pretty fast. So I did then lighten my dumbbells for narrow grip chest press. However, I stayed with the 20’s for deadrows and found this an excellent challenge for my back.

(**Update: the next day I have some serious DOMs in my back so I guess it was definitely working me hard!)

Overall, this is an intense and challenging total body workout that will burn out those muscles effectively. This is definitely one I will return to.

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The Workout

Total Body Fit is a pure strength total body workout consisting of three giant sets – Legs, Shoulders & Biceps / Legs, Triceps & Core and Legs, Chest & Back.

What You Need to Know

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

The Moves

Total Body Fit is 56 minutes long and originally aired on 26th March 2020 (#290). The workout starts with a 6 minute warm-up. You pick up the resistance tubing for the second half to do some light toning to warm-up the muscles a little further before moving into the first lower body exercise. The barbell, if you are using one, is set up with 25 pounds (one big plate on each side) at the start of the workout and the step, with three risers, is set up horizontally in front of you. You will need space to the front and back of your step, as you will also be doing some lower body moves on it too.

Giant Set 1 – Legs, Shoulders & Biceps

• Squats – 25# BB (I used two 20# Dbs) – lots of reps (different tempos)

• Squat toss (passing Db from hand to hand as you squat) – one 10# Db – 40 reps

• Uneven weighted squats – one 10# Db & step – 20 reps (4’s & 2’s)

• Push press / upright rows / shrugs – 25# BB (I used two 12# Dbs) – 6x 3 push press, 8x upright, 4x shrug, 12x upright, 8x shrug & 2 sets (2x push & 8x upright)

• Lateral plie walks w/ posture pulls – resistance tubing – 4 sets (of 4 walks to each side)

• Narrow grip band pulls – resistance tubing – 108 reps

• 1 Arm bicep curls – resistance tubing (under 1 foot & held in one hand. I used one 15# Db instead) – 16 reps each side

• Bicep curls – 25# BB (I used two 12# Dbs) – 10 reps, 8 reps & hold ½ way

Giant Set 2 – Legs, Triceps & Core

• Plie squats – 25# BB (I used 25# kettlebell) - lots of reps (different tempos)

• Step-ups – two 12# Dbs & step – 12 reps each side

• Sumo squat deadlift combo (sumo squat w Dbs held between the legs) – two 15# Dbs - 18 reps

• Lying tricep extensions – 25# BB (I used two 12# Dbs) & step – 10 reps & 4 reps (gliding)

• Narrow grip chest press – two 15# Dbs & step – 8 reps

• Lying tricep extensions – 25# BB (I used two 12# Dbs) & step – 8 reps & 4 reps (gliding)

• Narrow grip chest press – two 15# Dbs & step – 8 reps

• Crab kick dips – step – 24 reps

• Tricep dips – step – 24 reps

• Overhead side to side tilt (Db held horizontally between hands over head & tilt down to one side then up & down to other) – one 10# Db – 32 reps

• Leg thrusters (leaning back on step & thrust legs out & in) – step – 32 reps

• Reverse crunches – step – 51 reps

• L crunches (straight legs raised in an “L” position, pulse head/shoulders up 1x, then 2x, then 3x, then 4x; change legs and repeat) – step – 4 sets

Change barbell to 40 pounds

Giant Set 3 – Legs, Chest & Back

• Deadlifts – 40# BB (I used two 20# Dbs) – 24 reps (3/1 & 2/2 counts)

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

• Side lunge, crossback, side lunge combo – one 15# Db – 10 reps each side

Change barbell to 35 pounds

• Chest press (feet off floor) – 35# BB (I used two 20# Dbs) – 32 reps (fast)

• Narrow grip chest press – 35# BB (I used two 15# Dbs) & step – 16 reps & 12 reps

• Push-ups – mat – 3 sets of 8 reps

• Deadrows – 35# BB (I used two 20# Dbs) – 4x singles, 2x 3 rows, 1x 7 rows & 3 sets (4x singles, 1x 3 rows & 1x 7 rows)

• Pullovers – two 15# Dbs & step – 10 reps (partials)

• T-band pulls – resistance tubing & mat – 8x singles, 8x 3 pulses, 8x singles & hold then in slow for 8 counts

The workout ends with a 2:30 minute cool down and stretch.

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If you liked this workout, check out my review of Cathe Live: Total Body Giant Sets 3 (#251) – HERE.

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