Cathe Friedrich: Cardio Core Circuit (Review)

If you know me, you will say that I can be a little OCD.  Nowhere have I realized just how OCD I can be as with my workouts.  I'm always worried I'll get stuck in a rut - and I'll see no more results.  So, I'm constantly trying to do things differently.  I love my Michelle Dozois and Jari Love videos but recently I bought several videos out of my comfort zone to change it up.  One of them was Cathe Friedrich's Cardio Core Circuit (2009).

Because I'm very OCD, I read a lot of video reviews and fitness articles online.  I'd heard a lot about Cathe but had never tried her videos, mainly because none of them are available through Netflix.  And so I did something I rarely do - I bought a copy (albeit gently used) of Cardio Core Circuit, without having tried it first.  I chose this video because it requires no equipment, which is rare for Cathe, from what I see.  Her videos often require a lot of very uncommon equipment, which really frustrates me. 

This workout is broken down into five circuits.  In each one you'll do three high impact moves and then repeat them.  You have a short recovery after each, marching in place.  Then on to a crazy ab exercise.  Repeat this five times.  At the beginning of the video is an effective warm-up and there's a good stretch at the end.  

To be clear - this video is filled with high impact moves with no nice dance moves in between.  You just go through these, one after another.  These moves are very similar to the moves Michelle Dozois "peaks" with in her Peak 10 workouts.  In hers, you do them for 30-60 seconds after having done high impact cardio (dance-like but high impact) for five minutes prior.  Cathe just goes through these crazy "peak" moves one after another.  

This video almost killed me.  In a way I like just how no-nonsense it is - and with no crazy complicated choreography that gripes me with other instructors.  But these moves are intense and often involve jumping very high for prolonged periods.  

The core work is also intense.  I was only able to do the regular moves on two out of five.  For the other three, I had to do the "modified" (i.e. beginner) version.  It's been a long time since I had to "modify" any workout to be easier.  

At the end of this workout I was drenched with sweat and barely able to breathe.  Wow!  That being said, I'm not really looking forward to doing this video again.  I can see how Cathe gets results and you pay for those results.  I'll do this video again and I'll keep doing it....but ouch!  One thing is for certain - when you get through something like this, your confidence really spikes; it's a great feeling......  The feeling in my calves, which ached with pain for a week afterward, was not so great.  Must stretch a bit more before jumping around so much!

Bottom Line: This is a super-advanced workout.  Try it only after Michelle Dozois' Peak 10 videos.