Body Blast: Push & Pull

Cathe Friedrich
Year Released: 2003

Categories: Balance/Medicine/Mini/Stability Ball, Total Body Workouts


Note: The following review is based on the version of Push Pull from FitTV; however, since the workout is only 45 minutes and it was an hour long program with commercials, I believe that there are few, if any edits.

Push Pull is a 45-minute, full-body weight training routine which works opposing muscle groups (hence the push-pull concept). In some cases, the muscle group is worked with only one exercise, whereas other muscles are targeted with several different exercises. Equipment used for this workout includes a tall step, a stability ball, a barbell, and several sets of dumbbells; I don't have a barbell and was able to make out fine with dumbbells (Cathe keeps her barbell set at 40#, so this makes substituting easier). I've provided an overview of the workout below, but for a full breakdown of the exercises included, the soundtrack, and a video clip, visit Cathe's web site.

The workout begins with a 3-minute warm-up which consists of some light cardio plus stretches using the tall step. Cathe then jumps right in on the legs, performing squats with the barbell, deadlifts, lunges (placing one heel on a smaller barbell to increase the work to the quads), and tall box presses. She often varies the count (ie, 2 up, 2 down; 2 down, hold 2, 4 up; 3 pulse down, 1 up; etc.) for greater variety during the lower body work. Moving on to the upper body, Cathe begins lying on the floor for a chest press, and then back to standing for rows with the barbell.

Next comes the ball work, starting with chest flyes on the ball and then flipping over to work the back with a "Y" move. A particularly tough move for the shoulders follows: you place your feet on the box, your hands on the floor, and then do a shoulder press. Additional upper body work includes a one-arm row, a front raise while seated on the ball, a rear delt raise lying on the ball, bicep work with one leg on the ball for balance, and tricep dips/kickbacks.

Cathe then incorporates the ball for what would normally be leg work on the floor: draped sideways over the ball, you do an outer thigh lift, and then lying with the ball between your legs, you do an inner thigh squeeze. Further back work comes in the form of a modified superman on the ball, and then abs are worked with a reverse curl, touching your toes to the ball. Calf raises with the box and shin work seated on the ball finish the workout.

Cathe concludes with a short (4.5 minutes) stretch that includes some nice shoulder stretches; I just wish the stretches had been held a bit longer. By the end of this routine, I felt like I had gotten an excellent workout without feeling completely exhausted. Similarly, the next day, I was pleasantly sore in certain areas (mainly my lower glutes, inner thighs, and front shoulders/chest), but I wasn't in pain to the extent of making me dread doing the workout again. Also, I really liked how the stability ball was incorporated into the exercises, both for balance and just to add interest. My one complaint was that there was only a single exercise for the abdominals; I wish Cathe had targeted the abs as fully as she did the back. Overall, however, I enjoyed this workout and know that I will continue to find it useful and effective.

Instructor Comments:
Cathe always displays impeccable form, although I wish she had cued a bit more here, especially with the ball work. I also find her to be a bit goofy--she makes a comment about getting "toasty" several times during this workout. She works out here in her usual studio with three background exercisers (one of whom shows a few modifications) to a soft rock soundtrack (recognizable songs performed by different artists at a more upbeat pace).

Beth C (aka toaster)

01/31/2006