RSSWOMAN + STRENGTH = GORGEOUS : 4 TOUGH STEP CIRCUIT WORKOUTS
May 27, 2008
Circuit means that cardio and strength segments keep alternating, a few minutes of one alternating with a few minutes of the other. This is my favorite type of exercise because the cardio gets done and I get strength with lots of variety. The time never passes faster than with circuits.
You hear people talk about feeling energized after exercise, but you probably feel more like dragging yourself home and falling on the couch. Since circuits do not endlessly repeat the same exercise, your brain and body stay interested and willing to keep going. The boredom factor is zero.
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Strength is essential for aging well
As we get older, fitting in some strength work is especially important. Cardio seems to be the one thing we focus on so we can burn a few calories, but we need as much strength work as cardio. Your outlook is tougher. Your posture is better, you heal faster. And you sure do look better.
I don’t want to go to a weight room and do a similar routine each time. Weight machines are always a little intimidating. They can be hard to figure out and I can never remember how much weight to set them for. This way, you get your own instructors mixing it up for you and guiding you through the movements using a variety of equipment.
4 Great whole-body workouts
Here are 4 well designed total body workouts. They all use a step but there’s no fussy choreography because the step segments are not more than 10 minutes long. The time doesn’t allow for complicated dance sequences that clog up your head and irritate your feet.
These are challenging, plain and simple. If you’re looking to move beyond a plateau, if working out bores you stiff, if you think you are (or want to get) strong enough, these are for you.
Available at Collage Video
All the workouts are available at CollageVideo. All these workouts are mix and match in DVD format, so you can do just cardio, just weight, or skip sections if you’re working through an injury in that body part.
If you don’t like the step, search Collage for ‘floor circuit’ or ‘floor interval training’ in the keyword box. You’ll get 130 choices.
Remember to watch the 1 minute video clips to get an idea of what’s in store.
Cathe Friedrich : Drill Max
Cathe is the supreme queen of the ultra-tough workout and she proves it yet again with Drill Max. She is technically excellent with superhuman stamina. You will never see her fatigue; sometimes she pretends to be tired, but that’s just to make the rest of us feel better. She looks like a small woman, very fit but neither thin nor too muscled.
You use a stability ball, tubes, weights…but every move is a tough one. There is nothing easy going on here. The blurb on the back of the case calls it ‘deliciously intense’. Sends chills up my spine just writing it. You have to build up to Cathe and come down gently for a few days after.
Patrick Goudeau : Body Design
Patrick is a funny guy to spend 90 minutes with. He’d be a great person to go shopping with. He does this goofy giggle thing that keeps the whole thing light-hearted, he makes jokes, but the undertone is of a serious workout. In Body Design, a cardio move is done for about a minute, followed by a strength move for 2-3 minutes, and on it goes. The idea is to keep it creative while staying continuously in motion.
The only equipment besides the step is a body bar. Body bars are good because you can use them in many ways. I bought mine at www.fitnesssource.ca. I like different equipment because each thing challenges the body in a slightly different way so it is forced to continually adapt. The result is faster progress.
Kelly Coffey-Meyer : Cardio Sculpt Fitness
Now here’s the body I want. Kelly looks perfectly proportioned and very powerful. This girl seems fierce even when she’s smiling, like a friendly tiger. She’s calm and encouraging. The music is excellent, reminding me of jazzy island rhythms. The pace is fast, right out of the gate. A low impact, easier version is demonstrated by one of the backup, but there’s no slowing down.
You have 5 circuits each in 4 parts. Each circuit begins with a cardio routine that’s actually fun because the moves are simple and the music carries you along. A strength set follows, then a 1 minute cardio burst while your muscles rest from the weights. The last segment is a shorter version of the same weight workout.
The weight moves would be a challenge even without any weight because of the variation that Kelly uses for working each muscle group. The ab section at the end is done to great music by Whisky Train, with very motivating lyrics about choosing change. As soon as I’m done this program, I look forward to doing it the next time. That’s not something you can say often.
Sharon Money-Twombly : All Body Attack
This woman is somehow manages to seem very pleasant and easygoing - but I keep doing reality checks. It seems unbelievable that this nice person is causing you to feel such suffering. I don’t know how she does it. She’s obviously working hard herself and she’s clearly passionate about exercise, and yet she seems like one of the other mothers at your kids’ soccer game. Meanwhile, you’re sucking air and wondering if 30 seconds are up yet.
Like Patrick’s Body Design above, the cardio and strength segments are only 4 or 5 minutes long and alternate quickly. There are two other similarities between the two workouts, namely that strength and cardio are often happening together, and many of the movements are working multiple joints or body parts at once. It’s great. Results happen fast.
This is one tough workout. The weighted movements are unusual and incorporate balance and coordination, which I appreciate since so much conventional weighted work is done holding the lower body still. There is also an innovative section where you are actually holding the step (or a riser, depending on your level of strength) while moving in various ways. It is odd, but you get used to it fast, and you can certainly feel the work.
Next purchase
Here’s the next one on my list. It’s Sharon again, in a DVD called Athletic Step Jam. She could not look more friendly, could she? And yet, how deceiving appearances can be. The hour ahead will be pleasure for the pain. Actually, I see it’s a 102 minute workout. Oh, yeah. I’ve watched the clip 40 times at least.
Wise decisions
Remember that these are advanced level workouts. Start easy. Modify moves that are new. Don’t expect to do everything the first day. You’ll get there.
Every one of these is an incredible mind and body experience. Without mental toughness and determination, and some attack in your attitude, strength alone might not see you through.
Peel back the outer shell of your every day self and set her aside for an hour. Deploy that part of you that doesn’t hold back. Believe that nothing is too tough for you. If you don’t know now that you can take on anything that comes at you, that you are always enough for yourself, you will after these workouts.
Comments
4 Responses to “WOMAN + STRENGTH = GORGEOUS : 4 TOUGH STEP CIRCUIT WORKOUTS”
Got something to say? I hope so.
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A Greener Tea
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I have used the Cathe Friedrich DVDs since my son was born 8 years ago, and I alternate Cathe with Jari Love who also has some great hard workouts. I have been looking for some new workouts to mix in, so I am looking forward to trying some of the ones you mentioned.
Hi, Marinda,
I love Cathe. But do look at some of the ones above. They are truly great. Kelly Coffey-Meyer is a big favorite of mine right now. Where do you buy your DVDs?
I use Collage usually or buy directly from Cathe.com, but I have been lucky enough to find a few good ones at discount stores for much less (never Cathe though). I think I am going to try one from Kelly Coffey-Meyer.