Although I can exercise at an advanced level and have in fact done some of Cathe's other DVDs, they always leave me feeling completely worn out, and thus I tend to have a high "dread factor" for her workouts. Happily, High Step Circuit, which is labeled on the DVD case as "Beginner/Intermediate" (although only "Intermediate" on the DVD title credits) was a perfect fit for my preference to work out at a more immediate level.

As the title would suggest, this is a circuit workout broken down into six cycles (about 6-7 minutes apiece), each one consisting of a 1 minute cardio segment using the high step (the Firm's Fanny Lifter, which is what I used, also works well here) followed by a lower body toning exercise (also using the step, sometimes set at a lower level), a compound toning exercise using light (3 lb.) weights, an upper body toning exercise using tubing (which I don't have, so I just stuck with the dumbbells), and finally, core work. All of the moves are quite basic, and each cardio choreography sequence is repeated four times within the 1 minute interval.

Here is a complete breakdown of the workout:

4 minute warm-up consisting of basic side-to-side steps and various large arm movements; no static stretches

Cycle 1
cardio: basic climb with step hop, alternate leg extension, repeater
leg press--squat/overhead press with weights--overhead press with tubing--plank work with legs moving in and out

Cycle 2
cardio: knee lift, repeater knee, run on step, tap down
side/back lunges--plie squat with weights--plie squat with upright rows using tubing--side-to-side rotations (seated on step)

Cycle 3
cardio: step knee to corner, tap/rock press, push off hop
running man (knee raise/rear lunge)--static lunge plus front/side raise with weights--front/side raise with tubing--plank with knees in and out

Cycle 4
cardio: knee side, over step, knee back, repeater knees
lunge kicks--back lunge with dumbbell hammer curls--bicep curls with tubing--crunches on floor

Cycle 5
cardio: step kick--repeater front/rear kick--side kick over step
leg press--deadlift/dead row with weights combo--rear delt flyes with tubing--obliques on step

Cycle 6
cardio: one-legged squats, hop over step, swims (hop side-to-side)
leg sculpting drills (crouch and raise knee)--tricep dips off step--triceps with tubing--push-ups (various options)

4-minute cool-down stretch; mostly full-body stretches on floor

The total workout time is 48.5 minutes; there is also an 8.5 minute stability ball segment which contains various types of crunches (eg, lying on the ball, resting your feet on the ball, holding the ball in your hands/under your knees, and lying face-down on the ball for back work). I loved the variety that the cycles offered, and I found that changing quickly from one thing to the next made the time fly by to me. I don't like complex choreography, so the simple moves on the step were perfect for me, yet I also found them to be fun, especially the kickboxing-type moves. Also, I had no problems keeping the intensity up to my level. In fact, I think this workout would be very easy to modify up or down simply by changing the step height and the resistance (weights/tubing). Although I did go with a higher step height than Cathe in spots, I stuck with the light weights and considered the entire routine to be more of a cardio workout--which worked well considering that my heart rate was in my target zone for almost 40 minutes! However, I obviously got a good toning workout too since I can feel it in both my arms and legs the next day; if you wanted to use this DVD more for strength, you could simply just use heavier weights.

Although I do think this workout is easily modified for most levels, I would NOT recommend it to absolute beginners, especially since Cathe does not go into form details; also, I think some of the step work, even modified, would be too intense for those new to exercise. However, advanced beginners with some exercise experience under their belts should do fine as long as they modify when needed, and intermediates like myself should easily be able to make this workout work for them as I did. Finally, the DVD offers many options, including a breakdown of the workout by cycles as well as a more complete "Mix and Match" menu. Overall, I would highly recommend this fun, varied, full-body workout, especially to advanced beginner through high intermediate exercisers.

Instructor Comments:
Given that Cathe considers this to be a beginner/intermediate workout, her style is much more toned down than usual; I actually preferred this and did not miss all of her usual "whooping." As always, she cues well, encouraging the viewer to modify as needed.

Beth C (aka toaster)