Cathe Live Review: Keep The Cardio Coming (#130)
Keep The Cardio Coming is a fantastic tough, high energy cardio workout. This class was filmed Christmas week of 2016 so Cathe and class are all decked out in festive outfits. Some of the outfits are really inventive and perfect to take your mind off how hard this routine is!
This workout is pure cardio and consists of six blocks of different cardio styles. Some use equipment and some don’t. They are all very different so there is lots of variety here and the workout just flew by. I was completely soaked by the end and was definitely breathing hard. My heart rate stayed very elevated throughout. You do get breaks between the different blocks and sometimes during the blocks too, depending on the intensity of the moves, they are not long but just enough to catch your breath before hitting it hard again. I found this a very tough routine and the fact that it contains six sets of burpees should give you some indication of this! Don’t worry though they are at least spread out through the routine. The cardio is a mix of more steady state moves and high intensity drills, which are often repeated for a second set, so you are not going all out all of the time.
The first block uses no equipment and this eases you into the workout, a little more gently, as it’s more steady state cardio to start to get you moving and your heart rate up. This was hi-lo type cardio mixed with lots of jacks. The next block uses the stability ball. This includes lots of jogging, hamstring curls, squat hops, pendulums and squat jumps. As I have neighbours below me, I used a 6 pound weighted ball (from my Firm days) instead and just moved it up and down rather than bouncing it on the floor. This worked well and my arms were definitely starting to feel it by the end.
The third block uses light dumbbells – 5, 8 and 10 pounds. This was a slightly lighter section allowing you to catch your breath a little more. It still wasn’t easy but there were a few low or no impact moves towards the end of this one. You then move onto using the mat, as a marker, for the fourth block of cardio moves. As I find this a trip hazard - I just did these without. These really got my heart rate up, particularly the squat thrust and lateral hops at the end. The fifth block uses the resistance loop around your ankles. This was a little sequence of different moves that you run through and then repeat again before ending with lots of plie squats.
The final block was the real killer for me. I was already breathing hard and fatigued, and this is where you do another four sets of burpees and some air jacks too - just for good measure! Wow did this workout end with a bang – I was very happy when the final set of side burpees were done. However, at least Cathe does give you a longer break between the first and second set of these so you do have a little chance to catch your breath before going out strong.
Overall, this is a very challenging and fun cardio routine. There is so much variety that the workout just flies by and before you know it you are done and feeling very accomplished. This is definitely one for a high energy day when you really want to push yourself that extra mile!
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The Workout
Keep The Cardio Coming is a pure cardio workout consisting of six different blocks of cardio using various equipment. Cathe used a stability ball, light dumbbells, a medium tension resistance loop and a mat for this routine.
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Keep The Cardio Coming is 55 minutes long and originally aired on 22nd December 2016 (#130). The workout starts with a 7:30 minute warm-up before a quick water break and then moving into the first cardio block, which uses no equipment.
Block 1 – No Equipment (this is all one continuous set of moves)
Jump ropes
Jacks x8 / high knee marches x8 – 4 sets
Side steps / 4 side steps (moving forward & back) / 2 side steps / 2 side steps & pump up / 1 side step & pump up / 4 side steps (forward), 2 side steps (to side & back), 4 side steps moving back
Grapevines
Jacks (turning in 4’s) / angled fast scissors x8 – 2 sets
2 Heels (hopping) / single swings – 4 sets
Insoles x8 (hopping) / straight leg kicks x8 (hopping) – 2 sets
2 Knee lifts x8 (hopping) / up & over x8 / up & back x8 – 2 sets
Low front kicks (hopping) / alternating side to side kicks (hopping) – 2 sets
Jacks x4 / circle jacks x4 / quarter jacks x4 / double jacks x2 – 4 sets
Block 2 – Stability Ball (I used a 6# weighted ball instead)
Jog & bouncing (dribbling) ball
Hamstring curls w ball curls x8 / squat hops x8 – 4 sets
Jogging & toss ball on count 6 – 8 sets
Pendulums (swinging ball low, medium & high)
Jog & repeat all of the above
Squat jumps while bouncing ball (ball slams) – 4 sets of 8 reps
Block 3 – Light Dumbbells (5, 8 & 10#)
Explosive side to side lunges – one 5# dumbbell – 15 reps
Explosive side to side lunges – one 8# dumbbell – 20 reps
Line taps – one 8# dumbbell on floor in front of you - 16 reps & 32 reps
Lateral hops (bunny hops) – one 10# dumbbell – 12 & 14 reps
Power scissors (rowing db from side to side) – one 5# dumbbell – 21 reps & 24 reps
Squat jacks (reaching db down to floor between the legs & switching hands) – one 10# dumbbell - 16 reps & 20 reps
Quick water break at 28:50 minutes
Low impact butt kicks & tricep kickbacks – two 5# dumbbells – 49 reps
Squat press (squat & press, squat & stand) – two 5# dumbbells – 8 reps
Squat press (just squat & press) – two 5# dumbbells – 12 reps
Block 4 – Mat
Jog around mat & power 7’s – 4 sets
Fast feet around mat – 2 sets
Slam its – 24 reps
Traveling scissors x8 / power scissors (moving to side) x8 – 4 sets
2 Lateral hops (to side) / jump forward & back – 2 sets of 8 reps
Quick water break at 38 minutes
Squat thrusts / lateral hops – 8 sets
Quick water break & put resistance loop around ankles at 39 minutes
Block 5 – Resistance Loop (around the ankles)
Jump rope
Jacks – 16 reps
Twist travel & 4 jacks – 4 sets
Jump forward & back – 8 sets
Jump forward & back & 2 plié jumps – 4 sets
Jump rope
Jacks – 8 reps
Twist travel & 4 jacks – 4 sets
Jump forward & back & 2 plié jumps – 4 sets
Plié jumps – 4 sets of 8 reps
Quick water break & take off resistance loop at 43:25 minutes
Block 6 – No Equipment
3 Jumps forward & jump turn – 2 sets of 8 reps
1 Arm burpees (I used both arms) - 2 sets of 8 reps
Squat digs – 20 reps & 16 reps
Quick water break at 47:05 minutes
Squat & side lunge combo (hopping) – 16 reps & 12 reps
Front jack / back jack / jack /air jack – 2 sets of 8 reps
Lateral burpees (shoot legs out to the side) – 2 sets of 8 reps
The workout ends with a 3 minute cool down and stretch.
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If you liked this workout, check out my review of Cathe Live: Cathe’s Birthday Blast – HERE.
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Whew! It's doable, but it's fast moving. Its actually a lot of fun. I didn't feel like doing burpees today so I substituted with ab work. Overall, it's a great workout.