Hardcore: Gym Style Legs
Cathe FriedrichYear Released: 2005
Categories: Lower Body Strength
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Gym Style Legs is not what I was
expecting but this isn't necessarily a
bad thing. She starts with the typical
dynamic warm up. If you've done one
Cathe weights warm up, you've done
them all.
First up is squats. 3 sets of 16. Gym
style seems to mean less pulsing reps,
low ends, etc. When she does do
those, they come as a bonus at the
end of the traditional sets. The bonus
on the third set of squats is fairly short.
I could have gone longer. All in all, not
a very tough squat segment. Cathe
includes about 30 seconds of rest
between sets and stretches between
each set. Cathe used a 40 lb barbell
and I used a 50 lb barbell (but her legs
are still nicer than mine.)
Next is lunges. Cathe goes very light
here, 8 lbs. I had flashbacks to the light
weights she used in Muscle Max for
legs and decided that Cathe might
have a point with the light weight. Alas,
Cathe appeared not to have a point.
The second round of lunges I doubled
my weight and even with the bonus
reps, I wasn't that challenged. Her light
weight is puzzling because she goes
SO heavy in the upper body workouts
but relatively speaking seems to go
very light in the leg work. There just
doesn't seem to be enough reps to
justify the low weight.
Following lunges are plie squats.
Again 2 rounds although she included
pulses in each round. She goes light
here again with 10 lb dumbells. I used
15 lbers and I do not have thighs that
could crack walnuts.
Band leg press is next. If you
remember my Muscle Max review, I
said this move had flames shooting out
of my butt. Suffice to say I kept my fire
extinguisher handy during this round.
She does 2 sets of 16 reps. I swear
Cedie forgot to count and we did more
(at least that's my butt's story and it's
sticking to it.)
Two new versions of deadlifts are next.
Doing the deadlift with the toe elevated
caused me to feel it more in the calves.
Not sure if that's what is supposed to
happen but there you go. The other
version, where you stand on a platform
and work from the bottom, seemed
tougher than normal deadlifts. Watch
your back on these, very easy to arch
when you stay that low.
Slow motion lunges are the final kiss of
death for your quads. Once again,
Cathe goes light and uses only 5 (!) lb
dumbells. I used 15 lbs. She does 4
sets of very very slow lunges that stay
low for most of the reps. Tough but she
gives you breaks between sets and the
sets aren't that long. I think most
people could go heavier than Cathe.
Standing calf raises are the last
standing work exercise. Pretty
standard here but she did some count
variations that helped keep me awake.
Floor exercise is next. She starts with
those tibalis anterior toe pulls she
does in the Body Blast series. As a
runner, I appreciate these. Lots of
traditional Cathe stuff like inner thigh
squeezes. A new sequence where you
lie on top of the ball and roll out on one
leg and than back in had some choice
words coming out of my mouth. She
also uses the band to replace ankle
weights in some exercises which is
nice because it's easier to adjust the
tension with a band than ankle
weights. The floor work is a good 20
minutes long.
Stretch is standard Cathe stuff with lots
of yoga moves like downward facing
dog.
My final verdict is the jury is still out.
Except for Slow and Heavy legs, I'd
have to say this is the easiest Cathe
leg workout I've done. It also feels a bit
unbalanced as the floor work was
tougher than the standing work. The
floor work in PLB, however, is still
tougher. The music is also barely
audible (although that could just be my
copy.) I'd classify the workout as
classic work with a few twists. Nothing
radical or killer, just a solid workout.
Instructor Comments:
Professional as always. Provides form
pointers but they are more reminders
than instructions. She is obviously
working hard right along with you.
Very encouraging without being perky.
Holy burning hamstrings, Batman! I had major DOMS in the hamstrings the next day - great news, as I feel too many Cathe weight tapes emphasize quad work at the expense of the hanmstrings.
I was surprised that I wasn't bored during a 67-minute leg tape, except once, during the super-slow lunges (but that was only at the beginning, as I soon began groaning and having to use all my energy to finish the set). My continued interest has to be due to Cathe's teaching, since the music was horrid most of the time, especially during the first set of lunges. The stretch music was fantastic, though.
Instructor Comments:
Instructs the whole way through without seeming to be out of breath - how does she do that? Excellent at keeping both sides even, thanks, in large part to Cedie's counting.
BTW, I have every Cathe tape, and have never seen Cedie look so lovely - her hairstyle here is really flattering.