Body Blast: Timesaver
Cathe FriedrichYear Released: 2003
Categories: Athletic Stretch , Step Aerobics , Total Body Workouts
Show newest reviews first
This DVD is a nice compilation of 5 short advanced workouts. It is modeled after the CTX series which provides cardio workouts followed by a short weight lifting routine for one or two body parts. I think it would be a great value for many, but as an owner of the other Body Blast workouts, it seems unnecessary for me to own.
All 5 workouts include a warmup and cooldown stretch and clock in between 38 and 48 minutes. The workouts you get are:
~ Step routine and Chest/Triceps (Step Jump & Pump)
~ Step and Hi/Lo routine and Back/Core (Step Blast, SJP Hi/Lo)
~ Step routine and Biceps/Core (SB)
~ Kickboxing Routine and Shoulders (Kick Punch Crunch)
~ Legs and Abs
I put the source of the cardio sections in parenthesis.
Most of the workout pieces come from the cardio tapes of Body Blast series (SB, SJP, KPC) along with Legs & Glutes. There is a tiny bit from Supersets, and nothing from Push Pull. There is some bonus footage (approximately 5 minutes per workout), which is what helped me decide to order this DVD. The bonus footage is all strength work, and mostly straightforward.
The cardio sections are taken intact from the original workout. There is not really much mixing up, like there was on the Terminator DVD. I think if you wanted to create a similar rotation it would be very easy to do a shorter cardio section from the original workouts and then just tack on some weight work and get a similar rotation.
The DVD has music options (louder, normal, lower), a Mix and Match menu, and a Workout Blender. However, the Blender (and the Mix and Match) only allows you to pick parts from that a single day's workout, which I think is a flaw. It would be more useful if you could pick from all the parts on the DVD and create your own workouts to your liking.
The one workout that looked interesting and different enough from the original was the Legs and Abs workout, but one workout alone was not enough reason for me to keep this DVD. If there had been an easy way to put together all of the strength segments into a complete upper body workout, it might have been more enticing for me to keep this.
I know there are many who bought all four DVDs who can find a use for this one because they like being able to have these short options on one DVD. It just isn't worth it for me personally. I prefer variety, and these workouts would not feel different enough from the originals.
I would still recommend this DVD to someone who didn't purchase all of her Body Blast workouts, especially if you only do Cathe cardio in small doses. I think it would be a great compliment to the Supersets/PushPull DVD. And if you can only afford one DVD this is probably the one I would recommend, because you get a bit of everything on it. There are lots of possibilities from this DVD beyond the 5 workouts, if you are willing to program your DVD player. It is a great value when standing alone, just not a great value as part of the total Body Blast Package, IMO.
This DVD is a nice compilation of 5 short advanced workouts. It is modeled after the CTX series which provides cardio workouts followed by a short weight lifting routine for one or two body parts. I think it would be a great value for many, but as an owner of the other Body Blast workouts, it seems unnecessary for me to own.
All 5 workouts include a warmup and cooldown stretch and clock in between 38 and 48 minutes. The workouts you get are:
~ Step routine and Chest/Triceps (Step Jump & Pump)
~ Step and Hi/Lo routine and Back/Core (Step Blast, SJP Hi/Lo)
~ Step routine and Biceps/Core (SB)
~ Kickboxing Routine and Shoulders (Kick Punch Crunch)
~ Legs and Abs
I put the source of the cardio sections in parenthesis.
Most of the workout pieces come from the cardio tapes of Body Blast series (SB, SJP, KPC) along with Legs & Glutes. There is a tiny bit from Supersets, and nothing from Push Pull. There is some bonus footage (approximately 5 minutes per workout), which is what helped me decide to order this DVD. The bonus footage is all strength work, and mostly straightforward.
The cardio sections are taken intact from the original workout. There is not really much mixing up, like there was on the Terminator DVD. I think if you wanted to create a similar rotation it would be very easy to do a shorter cardio section from the original workouts and then just tack on some weight work and get a similar rotation.
The DVD has music options (louder, normal, lower), a Mix and Match menu, and a Workout Blender. However, the Blender (and the Mix and Match) only allows you to pick parts from that a single day's workout, which I think is a flaw. It would be more useful if you could pick from all the parts on the DVD and create your own workouts to your liking.
The one workout that looked interesting and different enough from the original was the Legs and Abs workout, but one workout alone was not enough reason for me to keep this DVD. If there had been an easy way to put together all of the strength segments into a complete upper body workout, it might have been more enticing for me to keep this.
I know there are many who bought all four DVDs who can find a use for this one because they like being able to have these short options on one DVD. It just isn't worth it for me personally. I prefer variety, and these workouts would not feel different enough from the originals.
I would still recommend this DVD to someone who didn't purchase all of her Body Blast workouts, especially if you only do Cathe cardio in small doses. I think it would be a great compliment to the Supersets/PushPull DVD. And if you can only afford one DVD this is probably the one I would recommend, because you get a bit of everything on it. There are lots of possibilities from this DVD beyond the 5 workouts, if you are willing to program your DVD player. It is a great value when standing alone, just not a great value as part of the total Body Blast Package, IMO.
I am going to summarize timesaver workout #5 which is somewhere around 50 minutes of leg work concluding with some ab work. It has footage from mainly Legs and Glutes and some from Step Jump and Pump.
It starts off with standing exercises which come from Legs and Glutes and Step Jump and Pump. Cathe also put in some bonus footage, which included kick-butt lunges and one legged squats. Then she moves into the floor work from Legs and Glutes. I really enjoyed this leg workout because I felt it was very balanced between the quads and hamstrings. I feel that many of Cathe's tapes don't have enough focus on the hamstrings, glutes, and inner/outter thighs, but this one is does. This is a dream leg workout.
In comparison to Legs and Glutes, I feel that this workout is slightly easier, briefer, and it's nice that it includes the ab work! Definatly going to be using this one a great deal!
Instructor Comments:
Cathe's a wonderful instructor as always. :)
I am going to summarize timesaver workout #5 which is somewhere around 50 minutes of leg work concluding with some ab work. It has footage from mainly Legs and Glutes and some from Step Jump and Pump.
It starts off with standing exercises which come from Legs and Glutes and Step Jump and Pump. Cathe also put in some bonus footage, which included kick-butt lunges and one legged squats. Then she moves into the floor work from Legs and Glutes. I really enjoyed this leg workout because I felt it was very balanced between the quads and hamstrings. I feel that many of Cathe's tapes don't have enough focus on the hamstrings, glutes, and inner/outter thighs, but this one is does. This is a dream leg workout.
In comparison to Legs and Glutes, I feel that this workout is slightly easier, briefer, and it's nice that it includes the ab work! Definatly going to be using this one a great deal!
Instructor Comments:
Cathe's a wonderful instructor as always. :)
Timesaver is made up of the following Body Blast workouts: Step Blast, Step Jump & Pump, Kick Punch & Crunch, Legs and Glutes and two brief core/ab segments from Supersets. This disc is broken down into 5 workouts:
Day 1
SJP warm up
SJP step
SJP Bench Press/Chest Flye
SJP Tricep extensions
New Footage Chest ~ Pushups
New Footage Tricep overhead press/kickbacks
SJP Stretch
Day 2
SB Warm Up
SB Combo #3
SJP Hi-Lo #1
SJP Hi-Lo #2
SJP Deadrow/deadlift
New Footage Double Arm Lat Rows
New Footage Supermans on Ball
SS Wood chops
SS Sidebends on Ball
New Footage Bent knees and pikes on ball
SB Stretch
Day 3
SB Warm up
SB Combo #1
SB Combo #2
SJP Barbell Curls
New Footage One Arm Curls
KPC Abs and planks
KPC Stretch
Day 4
KPC Warmup
KPC Intermediate Intensity Drills
KPC High Intensity Drills
SJP Dumbbell Shoulders
New Footage Barbell Upright rows
KPC Stretch
Day 5
LG Warmup
LG Leg Presses
LG Hover Squats
LG Rear Lunges Rt. Leg
LG Plie squats
LG Rear Lunges Lt. Leg
LG Plie squats
SJP barbell squats
New Footage Kickbutt lunges rt. leg
New Footage One-legged Squats rt. leg
New Footage Kickbutt lunges lt. leg
New Footage One-legged Squats lt. leg
LG Standing leg extension
LG Outer thigh lifts
LG Glute/Hamstring tucks
LG Glute/Hamstring raises
LG Outer Thigh/Glute sweeps
LG Inner Thigh Lifts
SJP Abs & Planks
SJP stretch
The new footage imho, is the reason to buy this disc. It is nice to have shorter workouts, but you can pretty much do any of the cardios here with the premixes Cathe offers or with the click or two of a remote. But the new footage is great. The one legged squats and the one armed bicep curls especially. I wouldn't drop the money for this alone if I had the other Body Blasts already. But I preordered and got it for a great deal. Plus, with bits of SB, SJ&P, and KP&C on one disc, it will be easy to program a new 10-10-10. I love it!
Instructor Comments:
Cathe is unparalleled in terms of form, energy, and instruction.
Timesaver is made up of the following Body Blast workouts: Step Blast, Step Jump & Pump, Kick Punch & Crunch, Legs and Glutes and two brief core/ab segments from Supersets. This disc is broken down into 5 workouts:
Day 1
SJP warm up
SJP step
SJP Bench Press/Chest Flye
SJP Tricep extensions
New Footage Chest ~ Pushups
New Footage Tricep overhead press/kickbacks
SJP Stretch
Day 2
SB Warm Up
SB Combo #3
SJP Hi-Lo #1
SJP Hi-Lo #2
SJP Deadrow/deadlift
New Footage Double Arm Lat Rows
New Footage Supermans on Ball
SS Wood chops
SS Sidebends on Ball
New Footage Bent knees and pikes on ball
SB Stretch
Day 3
SB Warm up
SB Combo #1
SB Combo #2
SJP Barbell Curls
New Footage One Arm Curls
KPC Abs and planks
KPC Stretch
Day 4
KPC Warmup
KPC Intermediate Intensity Drills
KPC High Intensity Drills
SJP Dumbbell Shoulders
New Footage Barbell Upright rows
KPC Stretch
Day 5
LG Warmup
LG Leg Presses
LG Hover Squats
LG Rear Lunges Rt. Leg
LG Plie squats
LG Rear Lunges Lt. Leg
LG Plie squats
SJP barbell squats
New Footage Kickbutt lunges rt. leg
New Footage One-legged Squats rt. leg
New Footage Kickbutt lunges lt. leg
New Footage One-legged Squats lt. leg
LG Standing leg extension
LG Outer thigh lifts
LG Glute/Hamstring tucks
LG Glute/Hamstring raises
LG Outer Thigh/Glute sweeps
LG Inner Thigh Lifts
SJP Abs & Planks
SJP stretch
The new footage imho, is the reason to buy this disc. It is nice to have shorter workouts, but you can pretty much do any of the cardios here with the premixes Cathe offers or with the click or two of a remote. But the new footage is great. The one legged squats and the one armed bicep curls especially. I wouldn't drop the money for this alone if I had the other Body Blasts already. But I preordered and got it for a great deal. Plus, with bits of SB, SJ&P, and KP&C on one disc, it will be easy to program a new 10-10-10. I love it!
Instructor Comments:
Cathe is unparalleled in terms of form, energy, and instruction.
Timesaver contains 5 workouts by
Cathe Friedrich, ranging in length from
38 to 48 minutes. Four of the workouts
contain a warmup, cardio segment(s),
strength training for 1 or 2 bodyparts,
and a stretch; 2 of those also contain
core work. The fifth workout is all leg
work plus abs, and includes a warmup
and stretch. Each workout also
includes bonus footage which is not
available in any other Cathe workout.
None of the workouts contains a
cooldown; instead, there is a screen
instructing you to pause the DVD to
cool down before moving on to
strength work.
Timesaver #1:
38 minutes. Includes warmup, step
aerobics, and chest/triceps from Step,
Jump & Pump; bonus timesaver
footage for chest and triceps; stretch
from Step, Jump & Pump.
Timesaver #2:
40 minutes. Includes warmup, combo
#3 and stretch from Step Blast; hi-lo
combos #1 and #2 from Step, Jump &
Pump; back and core work from SJP,
bonus footage, and Supersets.
Timesaver #3:
45 minutes. Includes warmup and
combos #1 and #2 from Step Blast;
biceps and core work from Step, Jump
& Pump, bonus footage, and Kick,
Punch & Crunch; stretch from Kick,
Punch & Crunch.
Timesaver #4:
43 minutes. Includes warmup,
moderate intensity drills, high intensity
drills, and stretch from Kick, Punch &
Crunch; shoulder work from Step,
Jump & Pump and bonus footage.
Timesaver #5:
48 minutes. Includes warmup from
Legs & Glutes; leg strength work from
Step, Jump & Pump, Legs & Glutes,
and bonus footage; ab work and
stretch from Step, Jump & Pump.
My favorite of all these workouts is #3,
because I prefer step and I enjoy
working biceps. #4 runs a close
second – I love the kickbox drills, but
shoulder work is far from my favorite
thing to do. In #3, the bicep work
bonus footage includes concentration
curls using the stability ball as a
preacher curl bench. Feels very
effective, and you can really see the
biceps working in that position!
Timesaver #1 is an easy way for me to
do Step, Jump & Pump, since Cathe’s
hi-lo is not my favorite (although I can
tolerate it a little better in this series).
The bonus footage in #1 includes
some pushup variations – 6 counts
down/2 counts up, 2 counts down/6
counts up, and alternating pushups
and one-arm pull-backs (calls on the
core a bit, like plank work). Timesaver
#5’s bonus footage includes
something called “kick butt lunges” –
you step forward into a lunge, then
immediately pull the front foot back into
a hamstring curl, nearly kicking your
butt with your heel. These are very
interesting, although I’m not sure I’m
doing them quite right yet – I don’t
seem to be putting nearly enough
weight on my front leg when I lunge
forward. These may take some getting
used to, and I imagine they might
cause trouble for people with knee
problems. As far as the bonus footage
goes, those are the things that stand
out the most for me.
I don’t mind that the cooldown is left
out; I just pause the DVD and use that
time to walk around and drink some
water for a minute or two.
If you’re trying to decide whether it’s
worth it to get this DVD just for the
bonus footage, here’s my take on it: If
you really don’t want to bother with
programming your DVD player, or if
you don’t have a multi-disc DVD
player, it may be worth your while to
get the Timesaver DVD, especially if
you’re looking for shorter workouts
with the Body Blast series. Also, if
you’d like a ready-made one-week
rotation that works each bodypart once
a week, this might fit the bill. However,
if you’re looking for a very strength-
focused workout, this probably will
disappoint you. I’d say this DVD is best
if you’re short on time and want
workouts that cram in cardio, strength
and core work in a maintenance
program. Also, if you do the workouts
in order, there are repeats of warmup
and stretch segments (Step Blast
warmup two days in a row, KPC stretch
two days in a row, and SJP stretch in
#1 and #5); it doesn’t bother me, since
it’s not the main part of the workout, but
it may bother some people.
I see this one having its place in my
collection, but I probably won’t stick
with it for more than one week at a
time, probably just a week every month
or two.
Instructor Comments:
Cathe is her usual professional but
friendly self in these workouts. Her
cueing is right on most of the time (for
me), but in #4 the cueing is sometimes
a little late during the kickbox drills. If
you're used to Christi's cueing, Cathe's
cueing may seem a bit late, though.
Timesaver contains 5 workouts by
Cathe Friedrich, ranging in length from
38 to 48 minutes. Four of the workouts
contain a warmup, cardio segment(s),
strength training for 1 or 2 bodyparts,
and a stretch; 2 of those also contain
core work. The fifth workout is all leg
work plus abs, and includes a warmup
and stretch. Each workout also
includes bonus footage which is not
available in any other Cathe workout.
None of the workouts contains a
cooldown; instead, there is a screen
instructing you to pause the DVD to
cool down before moving on to
strength work.
Timesaver #1:
38 minutes. Includes warmup, step
aerobics, and chest/triceps from Step,
Jump & Pump; bonus timesaver
footage for chest and triceps; stretch
from Step, Jump & Pump.
Timesaver #2:
40 minutes. Includes warmup, combo
#3 and stretch from Step Blast; hi-lo
combos #1 and #2 from Step, Jump &
Pump; back and core work from SJP,
bonus footage, and Supersets.
Timesaver #3:
45 minutes. Includes warmup and
combos #1 and #2 from Step Blast;
biceps and core work from Step, Jump
& Pump, bonus footage, and Kick,
Punch & Crunch; stretch from Kick,
Punch & Crunch.
Timesaver #4:
43 minutes. Includes warmup,
moderate intensity drills, high intensity
drills, and stretch from Kick, Punch &
Crunch; shoulder work from Step,
Jump & Pump and bonus footage.
Timesaver #5:
48 minutes. Includes warmup from
Legs & Glutes; leg strength work from
Step, Jump & Pump, Legs & Glutes,
and bonus footage; ab work and
stretch from Step, Jump & Pump.
My favorite of all these workouts is #3,
because I prefer step and I enjoy
working biceps. #4 runs a close
second – I love the kickbox drills, but
shoulder work is far from my favorite
thing to do. In #3, the bicep work
bonus footage includes concentration
curls using the stability ball as a
preacher curl bench. Feels very
effective, and you can really see the
biceps working in that position!
Timesaver #1 is an easy way for me to
do Step, Jump & Pump, since Cathe’s
hi-lo is not my favorite (although I can
tolerate it a little better in this series).
The bonus footage in #1 includes
some pushup variations – 6 counts
down/2 counts up, 2 counts down/6
counts up, and alternating pushups
and one-arm pull-backs (calls on the
core a bit, like plank work). Timesaver
#5’s bonus footage includes
something called “kick butt lunges” –
you step forward into a lunge, then
immediately pull the front foot back into
a hamstring curl, nearly kicking your
butt with your heel. These are very
interesting, although I’m not sure I’m
doing them quite right yet – I don’t
seem to be putting nearly enough
weight on my front leg when I lunge
forward. These may take some getting
used to, and I imagine they might
cause trouble for people with knee
problems. As far as the bonus footage
goes, those are the things that stand
out the most for me.
I don’t mind that the cooldown is left
out; I just pause the DVD and use that
time to walk around and drink some
water for a minute or two.
If you’re trying to decide whether it’s
worth it to get this DVD just for the
bonus footage, here’s my take on it: If
you really don’t want to bother with
programming your DVD player, or if
you don’t have a multi-disc DVD
player, it may be worth your while to
get the Timesaver DVD, especially if
you’re looking for shorter workouts
with the Body Blast series. Also, if
you’d like a ready-made one-week
rotation that works each bodypart once
a week, this might fit the bill. However,
if you’re looking for a very strength-
focused workout, this probably will
disappoint you. I’d say this DVD is best
if you’re short on time and want
workouts that cram in cardio, strength
and core work in a maintenance
program. Also, if you do the workouts
in order, there are repeats of warmup
and stretch segments (Step Blast
warmup two days in a row, KPC stretch
two days in a row, and SJP stretch in
#1 and #5); it doesn’t bother me, since
it’s not the main part of the workout, but
it may bother some people.
I see this one having its place in my
collection, but I probably won’t stick
with it for more than one week at a
time, probably just a week every month
or two.
Instructor Comments:
Cathe is her usual professional but
friendly self in these workouts. Her
cueing is right on most of the time (for
me), but in #4 the cueing is sometimes
a little late during the kickbox drills. If
you're used to Christi's cueing, Cathe's
cueing may seem a bit late, though.
Cathe Timesaver Day 5 Review
Day 5 is leg day with abs.
WArmup is from Legs and Glutes with lots of squats,pulse squats and static lunges with pulses. A very well rounded warmup. I liked the instrumental techno music.
The workout starts off with Legs and Glutes leg presses using a 15 lb dumbell in both hands. These are done at a very fast pace. I'm used to Firm tall box leg press and a slower speed. So I had to lower my step of 10 inches. It felt a whole lot better. I couldn't keep up with Cathe's pace using a 14 inch step. I think Cathe is using 12 or 14 inch mini step. The music is pretty depressing sad ended relationship and now all thats left is a band of gold and all her dreams are shattered. I tried not to listen to the lyrics..ugh. Then after leg press, its fast squats using a 15 lb db. The next exercise is dips with heel elevated on a smaller db. Then the next exercise is squats like Bodypump from Cathe's Step Jump Pump. I did wall squats with a stability ball. Then there is new film footage not seen in any other Cathe workout. The exercise is Butt kicks where its a quick lunge and then you pull back and do a hamstring curl kick. Its pretty fast. I'm not sure I liked the exercise and felt it in my knee. Then butt kicks are quickly followed by 1 legged squat. After this, the workout goes back to Legs and Glutes front quad raises and side leg raises using ankle weights. The song is a very bad version of Hall and Oates "I can't go for that" and I was starting to imagine what this guy wanted the girl to do? ewe, not good to think about when trying to work out. Ok, I was pms'ing..haha.
Then you go on the floor...ah...but not to rest. You do the entire floorwork of Legs and Glutes which is 1 legged glute raises laying on your back, glute leg raises on all fours, side shoot outs and inner thigh squeeze. Cathe starts getting the giggles and makes me smile everytime. The workout is finished with the ab work from Step Jump Pump . Its traditional crunch ab work with some pilates and alot of plank work with some twists. The stretch is from Step Jump Pump which is another sad song about someone being used and abused in a romantic relationship.
The music has lyrics that may be annoying and non inspiring. But there is an option where you can Turn the music off and use Cathe's cueing(but you can still hear a hint of the music, its not totally turned off like Cathe's newer dvs like STS and Tri Sets), normal mix or music louder mix. The DVD also features a workout blender where you can select each chapter and what order you want to do each exercise . For example, you can change the order and do floorwork first or abs and planks first. You can do the whole workout backwards for a different feel. Although I don't know if I would want to finish off with Leg presses. It would be fun to do Leg press and then do the floorwork just for a different kind of workout. This DVD has so much options. this is just one of 4 other workouts!
Its organized like this:
Warmup
Leg Presses
Hover Squats through Barbell Squats
Kick But lunges through One legged Squat
Standing Leg Extensions through Outer Thigh Lifts
Floorwork
Abs and planks
Stretch.
Instructor Comments:
Cathe is very upbeat and happy and smily. Its a relaxed cheerful atmosphere. She is chatty too and sometimes talks so much that she loses count. Thankfully, Cedie helps even things out with the counting. The gals in the back are Cedie, Brenda, Jai and Lorraine for Legs and Glutes. Rhonda joins the group in the Step Jump Pump film footage. I like to see real sweat when working out and these athletic women do sweat!
