Bootcamp Strong – A Fun Calorie Scorcher Full of Variety!

Cathe Live Review: Bootcamp Strong Live

Wow what a fun workout! I loved it! There is so much variety in this workout that the time just flew by and before you know it you are done and into the cool down.

Funnily enough I was kind of dreading this workout as, from the video preview, I saw it contains two of my least favourite moves – air jacks with the resistance loop around your ankles (if you have done Cathe’s Crossfire workout – you know what I am talking about – that Firewalker Tabata is just dread incarnate!) and elevated lunges… need I say more…?!

Now normally I would modify air jacks with the resistance loop to normal air jacks without it, as it feels uncomfortable for me and I don’t feel I get the best workout then. However, today I promised myself I would try them with the resistance loop and see what happens. Well I did it! Was it elegant? No. Did my legs / feet feel like they weren’t my own by the end? Yes. But I got through it and that was two rounds of 4 sets of 4 jumping jacks / 4 air jacks! So I felt quite accomplished by the end!

Even the elevated lunges weren’t too bad – only 16 reps per side and no pulsing – yay! It’s always the extra reps and the pulsing that gets me… However, I did lower my step height to 8” – so two risers each side - as otherwise I really feel it in my hips and not in a good way.

(In case you are not familiar with Cathe Live – it is a streaming service offered by veteran fitness professional Cathe Friedrich, where she provides access to her live classes filmed at her gym in Jersey. Currently, there are over 200 workouts available in the archive, which you can access at any time, and a new class is recorded nearly every week. More details are provided at the end of this review).

The Workout

This is a cardio and strength workout set up in six rounds. Each round has cardio and a mixture of lower, upper and core exercises. The workout uses quite a bit of equipment – dumbbells, full size step with 3 risers each side, resistance loop, gliding devices and a mat. However, for me that’s what helped to make it so fun, as you were constantly changing the focus of each exercise and challenging the body in different ways.

The cardio is an interval – either done on the step or the floor. There is no choreography in this workout – the cardio consists of one or two moves repeated for a short period of time, for example pop squats or jacks / air jacks. Some of the moves also use either the gliding devices or the resistance loop. The strength work is often compound moves – using more than muscle group at a time, such as, plie squats with upright rows. The strength exercises do target each of the main body parts.

What You Need To Know

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

The Moves

Bootcamp Strong is 50 minutes long. It aired on 25th October 2018. The workout starts with a thorough 5:30 minute active warm up and then moves into jump ropes before starting the first round.

Round 1:

• Pop squats

• Leg abduction with front raise off step (one 10# db)

• With resistance loop around wrists – straight arm pulses out to the side (whilst bringing heels forward)

• Squat thrust with two plank jacks on the discs with hands on step

Round 2:

• Jumping jacks and air jacks with resistance loop around the ankles

• Elevated lunges with foot on step and 1 arm overhead press (raising / lowering db) (one 8# db)

• Crossback lunges with hammer curls (3’s pulsing) (two 8# db)

• Crossback lunges with bicep curls (two 10# dbs)

• Squats and deadlifts (two 15 or 20# dbs)

Round 3:

• Disc mountain climbers with hands on the step

• Plie squat with upright rows (two 12# dbs)

• High rep lunge taps – 1 foot on disc

• Back lunge with knee raise and lateral raise (two 5# dbs) (Cathe miscounts the 2nd set so rather than 16 she only does 12 reps)

Round 4:

• ‘Attacks’ with resistance loop around the ankles (leg wide apart and jump up raising the arms in an ‘attack’ motion)

• Firewalkers with resistance loop around ankles (wise side steps – 4 to each side and back again)

• Calf raises and hammer curls (two 8# dbs)

• Calf raises and bicep curls (two 10# dbs)

• Crazy 8’s (two 8# dbs)

• Tricep dips on step with feet on discs and extending leg out as you dip (ends with more dips without the discs)

Round 5:

• Power 7’s and Power 3’s on the step

• Back lunge with overhead press when you stand (two 10# dbs)

• Rear delt flys (two 8# dbs)

• Standing overhead tricep extensions (two 12# dbs)

Round 6:

• 1 arm burpees with hands on the step (2 sets of 10)

• Squat toss (one 10# db)

• Pullovers on step (two 15# dbs)

• Leg thrusters on step

• Chest flys on step with leg elevated (two 15# dbs)

The workout ends with a relaxing 3:30 minute cool down and stretch.

Take Action

Try it today! Cathe Live is a streaming service available from Cathe.com – you can subscribe to monthly ($9.99 pm), six monthly or yearly plans and has over 200 live workouts in the archive for you to access at any time.

If you liked this workout, try Cathe Live: Ready For Action Bootcamp - see my review HERE.