This is my least favorite cardio section of all 8 of Cathe's new tapes. On the plus side, it finishes with a wonderfully redeeming cardio step routine, the triceps work is my all-time favorite and the ending stretch is awesome.

There's a 5 minute warm-up and stretch, then a section of kickboxing, a section of hi/lo and a section of step. The cardio totals 30 minutes. The kickboxing frustrates me because it uses so much space. I like it more now that I've learned to wait until the step section at the end of the cardio to get my step out, but then I don't like putting the tape on pause, especially because adapting the workout to my space keeps my intensity level lower than I'd like. The hi/lo is straightforward athletic stuff that Cathe spices up with 3 tough floor intervals: high jogs, plyoheel digs and plyo jumps. The step section is a real party: she includes double ricochets, a rebound move that I've always loved, a very fun mambo on the step and lots of power 7s and power 3s.

The triceps work is fantastic. As in the other CTX tapes, the music changes for the strength work -- the strength music sometimes reminds me of Irish folk music, other times of Spanish flamenco music. Whatever the heck it is, it's really unusual and really works with the strength work. Cathe does a mix of exercises, including close grip bench presses with a barbell, supine French presses, a superset of standing 1-arm o/head tricep press with kickbacks and finishes you off with tricep push-ups. Look out for the word "Bonus" in this workout. Cathe has some form tips on this section that I really appreciated, including having your elbows brush your ribcage on the bench presses and demonstrating proper hand placement during the tricep push-ups.

The stretch is another outstanding stretch segment. All of the CTX videos have great stretches.

Instructor Comments:
Cathe always feels "live" to me, no matter how many times I've done her videos. She just has a natural rapport with us. Trivia: Her hair in the introduction to the CTX series tapes is very styled and straight -- but by the end of her workouts, it's usually a riot of curls. Those curls really suit our Cathe.

Daphne M