Cross Train Express: Leaner Legs

Cathe Friedrich
Year Released: 2000

Categories: Lower Body Strength


—Workout Description—
Leaner Legs is a solid traditional endurance/strength training routine. You get all the traditional leg exercises: squats, deadlifts, lunges, plies and calf raises. The Leaner Legs abs workout is as traditional as the leg routine – all types of crunches. Not including the abs segment, this workout clocks at about 39 minutes. You will need a high step or something similar and weights. Cathe uses a 35 pound barbell and 10 and 8 pound dumbbells. The only non-weighted segments are the calf raises which are supposed to function as an “active recovery.”

Note: I find that I have to adjust my poundage more than Cathe does. For example, I can use heavier weights for squats but have to lighten my weight during the endless static lunges to maintain my range of motion. If you only have one barbell, you can have a pair of heavy dumbbells handy.

—Presentation—
I liked the set. The environment and lighting gives the overall video a yellowish hue which reminds me of desert sands - a nice warm tone. Overall the crew looks nice and their fitness levels are inspiring. I like the new mix crew members better now (from the intensity and body blast series) for the reason that the energy levels and enthusiasm is higher. In Leaner Legs, the crew feels almost non-existent as they do not utter a word and the camera never focuses on them. This really makes it feel almost like it is just you and Cathe working out – and I kind of like that. The chaptering is disappointing in the CTX DVDs as they are not as detailed compared to Cathe’s newer releases. With Leaner Legs you get the following chapters: warm-up, the workout, ab work, stretch. Although I love the overall soundtrack for the CTX series, the music featured in Leaner Legs, although nice to listen to, is my least favourite – it does not provide that motivation, especially when you need it.

—Review (Legs)—
DIFFICULTY:
Get ready for huge droplets of sweat and even a bit of trembling! Leaner Legs is a tough little routine that is designed for at least intermediate exercisers. This workout is much harder than a 30 or so minute leg workout would seem to be given the hurried pace and the fact that you practically dive right into the workout. The warm-up is surprisingly short, clocking at about 3 minutes. It incorporates no stretches but instead a series of non-weighted squats. Perhaps Cathe was trying to pack as much punch as possible given the promise of a time-friendly workout routine.

ADJUSTING THE PACE:
>From a timeframe perspective, the nonstop action can be advantageous if you are looking for a slightly longer leg workout because you can press pause to towel off, drink water or like I do, grab a pencil and scratch in your rep count and poundage. I have tried this workout without pausing and with pausing. I find that I sweat a lot more and get the most out of my workout when I pause it periodically because I can use heavier weights, do more reps and more importantly, execute better form. Also instead of treating the calf raises as a recovery period, I can do them with heavy weights instead.

COMPLETENESS:
Overall, I think this workout does a great job at working the legs but I need more glute work! I like to add on a short floorwork section that emphasizes the glutes. For example I tried Slim Series Firm It Up! floorwork right after Leaner Legs and I felt thoroughly worked out.

EXERCISE VARIETY/HIGHLIGHTS:
The variety of exercises are too few to keep up the interest levels and fun factor for some but this really is a no nonsense workout that gets the job done for the most part. Sometimes we just need to get back to the basics of traditional weight lifting and Cathe does a great job at keeping us motivated and coaching us through these effective though arguably less interesting routines. I liked using the high step in this workout, especially for the lunges as it adds a balance challenge. The highlights of this workout are the challenges thrown in: sit and stands or hover squats, endless static lunges and low ends (especially during plies). Completing these exercises, even if that means doing less reps with heavier weight makes you feel that you have truly accomplished something great.

LASTING APPEAL:
Being one that tends to prefer workouts that incorporate a good mix of traditional and not so traditional leg exercises, Leaner Legs will never make it to my ‘top picks’ list but nevertheless, it does deliver a good workout. Not only are my legs getting stronger but my overall body’s endurance is increasing too. I always feel refreshed, strong and wasted at the same time on completing Leaner Legs, especially when adding on floorwork, which always feels so much harder after this workout. Leaner Legs still outshines many recent productions, which reveals that this workout was way ahead of its time. I can still see myself reaching for this workout in the future as I like the overall feel of the CTX series and I feel that with modifications, this workout can help me reach a higher fitness level.

—Review (Abs)—
Similar to the leg routine, this is a no nonsense workout. The abs are blasted through continual crunches that vary in style. Nothing fancy – these are just basic exercises that are easy to learn and bring on the burn. Despite its simplicity, I like this abs workout along with all the other CTX abs routines as they are short, effective, flow nicely and have no dread factor. With that said, this is an abs routine that I can reach for often.

Instructor Comments:
Cathe is very natural on camera and it feels like she is actually talking to you. Her form is great and the cueing is as good as it gets. Cathe talks a lot but it is all relevant to the workout as you get great form pointers and words of encouragement.

Celes

08/12/2004