Butts and Guts

This morning I used my Butts and Guts DVD from Cathe Friedrich.  Fun bit of trivia, I bought this DVD as a birthday present to myself. . . a couple years ago now and I'm still loving it!

As the title suggests, this DVD focuses on your butt and your gut. It is not cardio, nor is it super-intense weight training.  Rather it is its own breed of video but it still has me dripping in sweat and trembling from exhaustion.  There are 31 minutes of standing glute work followed by 19.5 minutes of floor work and 14 minutes of abs.  There are also a couple bonuses: stability ball abs (15 min) and bonus lower body (5 min).  This work-out REALLY does its job!  I noticed a firmer, more shapely backside after mixing this in my rotation, about twice to three or four times a month.  This does a great job of targeting the glute muscles from several different angles.  It also hits the quads and hamstrings (as they are all connected) and of course the abs.  Butts and guts is a solid work-out that can be tacked on to another work-out in pieces or endured all at once.  However you take it, I highly recommend it for strong and shapely legs.

Pros:

Very effective.  If you want a more shapely and firmer behind, doing this work-out will definitely help you on your way.

Cons:

It is a bit long.  To do all the "regular" DVD with no bonuses is just over an hour (about 75 min).  Not too long, but longer than the time I usually allot to work-out. 

Intensity Factor:

8 out of 10 (assuming you use weights that challenge you)

(Currently I use much heavier weight than Cathe does for most of the exercises.  Initially this was not true, but I have worked up to it.  In the beginning she uses 5lbs for lunges.  I use 8 or 10lbs.  She uses 35lbs (I think) for deadlifts and I use 65lbs.  Likewise for squats.  Later she puts on 2.5lb ankle weights.  I put on 4lb ankle weights and use an extra 10lb dumbell for some of the exercises.  I also put my ankle weights on at the start of the floor work, rather than waiting until she does a few exercises in.)

Recommended Fitness Level:

Intermediate/Advanced

Work-out review of Cathe Friedrich's "Pyramid Upper and Lower Body" DVD.

Today I will review Cathe Friedrich's Intensity Series: Pyramid Upper and Lower Body.

This is definitely one of her "older" DVDs but it is a SOLID work-out.  It is a "stand alone" video, too, thus, if you are wanting ONE video that will seriously work your arms and/or your legs (both work-outs are on this DVD and you can do one or the other or there is a premix for BOTH), this is IT!  You pick three weights for each exercise.  I always go down from my max, so for example, I can crank out 8 reps of bicep curls at 20 lbs, so that is my max weight for that exercise.  So I start two increments down (for my weight system, that is a ten pound weight with a 1.5 lb hand-weight on my wrist - hey I do not have 12 lb dumbbells yet, so I improvise).  So you begin with 12 reps at your lightest weight (11.5 lbs for me), then you do 10 reps with your middle weight (15 lbs for me) and then 8 reps with your heaviest weight (think as heavy as you can lift for that exercise - 20 lbs for me).  Then you go back down with 10 reps of your middle weight and 12 reps of your lightest weight.  Then you move on to the next exercise.  It is a tried and true formula.  She keeps it moving (I often have to hit pause to get my weights situated as she does not wait!) and the music is peppy (although definitely reflective of the decade it was produced). I try to do this video (once for arms and once for legs) at least once a week. 

 Tip: Keep a notebook handy to write down what weight you used for each exercise as there is a lot of switching going on and it gets tough to remember.

Pros: Solid work-out.  I ALWAYS feel this one.  As I said earlier it is a tried and true method.

Cons: Uses lots of different weight selections.  You could probably get by with just dumbbells for at least the arms portion and maybe the legs (depending how heavy you lift), but as you get stronger, it will require more equipment.

Intensity Factor: 8 out of 10 (assuming you really push yourself selecting the heaviest weight you can handle with good form)

Recommended Fitness Level: all (beginner through advanced - just start with weights you can handle and keep at it!)

Background for "My Great Journey With Exercise Videos"

A while back, I made a post about exercising and how it important it is to me.  Then I promised to post reviews of my videos to help out those that might be looking for something like what I use.  And I have not done anything with it since.  To be honest, the task has been a bit daunting as I have been using exercise videos for about six years now.  It all started when I gained a little too much weight in my second pregnancy so when I tried to get back into my regular running routine (which I did pretty-much all through college, simply because I was intimidated with the thought of going to the gym - haha), I was WAY off-balance.  (And it was winter, that might have had something to do with it, too - since he was born in December.)  In any case, after a twisted ankle a few scrapes and bruises I decided I needed to try something else.  I bought one of those steps from Wal-mart.  You know the pretty green and purply color ones.  I should add that those steps are actually a bit smaller than the regular "health club" step, just FYI.  Anyhow, the step came with a video: "Basic Step" by Cathe.  I started with that one and continued using Cathe videos pretty exclusively for about five years.  It has only been in the past six to eight months that I have tried a few other series.

Why you may ask?  Well I will tell you!  First off, because I LOVE Cathe.  I fell in love with her from the start as she is so positive and upbeat.  She was encouraging and fun.  She was very "doable."  She is not quite like some of the other leaders out there that are all crazy and tough.  She is more "try this, do what you can until you get there."  She CAN be intense and encourages reaching that level, but she is definitely VERY approachable at all levels of fitness.  Secondly, I did try getting another video shortly after purchasing a few Cathe ones.  It was called "Slim and Lean" by Jari Love.  I tried it maybe twice and was SOOO disappointed.  IT WAS SOOO BORING!!!  And Jari was not all that encouraging or anything.  From then until about January of this year I have been a tried and true "Cathlete."  Now, why have I suddenly changed some. . . well I have been doing these videos for so long my body has some SERIOUS muscle memory going on.  In other words, I have "burned out" on these combos and they no longer require much effort AT ALL.  Now, Cathe has put out more videos since the ones I have used, but they have changed some and she really adapts to meet all different audiences, some AWESOME (like her Low Impact Series) and some a little disappointing (some of her X-Train Series).  In any case, I was just ready for something new and more intense.  A friend lent me P-90X.  and although I enjoyed Tony a lot, I was not all that impressed with the program, so I moved on to Insanity.  That was fun, but I was already the level of the "second set" of videos and although they are pretty decent work-outs and require no equipment, they are certainly NOT all that joint friendly or that much fun really. . .but I do plan to continue using them as I am able.  The previously mentioned friend also let me my latest passion, Turbo Fire by Chalene.  Wow, those regular cardio work-outs are SO MUCH FUN!!  The hiit ones are pretty good, too (although I think Cathe's hiit videos are tougher).  I was not so impressed with the "strength" ones as they use a band and it just pulled funny or I could not figure out the right strength level. (I have quite a few weights, so I lean more toward just doing traditional weight exercises.)  And I have not even TRIED the stretch videos yet.  (Oops!  Yeah, that is just how I roll, I'm still learning to like stretching and Yoga stuff. . . I know it is good exercise and good for your body but I just have trouble with something that does not make me sweat profusely or hurt afterward.  I do plan to give them a shot one day. . . honest.)

In any case, this is my "work-out journey" in a nutshell.  My next goal is to get up some reviews of my favorite videos, so stay tuned.

In the mean time, here is a lovely photo of my recently updated work-out space.  I posted about it moving from the basement to the garage a while back.  Now my dearest hubby has helped me "tidy it up" and "upgrade" (notice the nice big screen tv?!?) some.  We are also planning to climate control the garage, so once we get that figured out, it will be golden.  In the mean time, I often sweat a little extra during work-outs in the summer, even if I get up early, but it is a great space, so I really cannot complain much!