Review (5/5): 10 X the fun!
What's not to love about this DVD? You have every type of cardio, from low impact on the floor to high impact on the step. You also have workout lengths to suit everyone. You can do a single X10 workout, or mix and match the sections. When I have the time, I love to workout for at least an hour a day, so I do the 77 minute premix, which includes all the sections.
Workout details:
Step - 26:12
Low Impact -- 24:56
Hi/Lo - 25:58
Cardio Blast - 24:38
Fat Burning Circuit - 28:53
Warm Up - 7:55
Cool down - 5:18
The premixes range from 36 minutes to 77 minutes and include the x10 sections in different combinations.
Here are my impressions of each section:
WARM UP
Pros:
Cathe is a master at warm up movements. They are just enough to get your muscles warm and the blood flowing.
Cons:
The normal music track (with vocals) was very loud and it was hard to hear Cathe over the music. This can be remedied by choosing just instrumental or just Cathe's voice. This would be a pain though, because you would have to do this every time you put the DVD in the player.
STEP
Pros:
It's tough! Your heart rate will definitely be up there.
Cons:
My joints didn't care for this section. I particularly disliked the jumping on and off of the step with 4 risers. Of course, I don't have to match Cathe's movements.
Cathe doesn't mention any low impact modifications. I've done step long enough to know modifications, but it would have been helpful for Cathe to mention some.
LOW IMPACT
Pros:
This was my favorite section. My joints certainly loved this part. Maybe it's because I'm older and my joints can no longer take high impact. I like to think it's because I've become better at listening to my body and knowing its limitations.
In spite of the moves being low impact, my heart rate stayed just as elevated during this section as during the other, higher impact sections.
Cons:
None that I can think of.
HI/LO
Pros:
The beat of the music perfectly matched the moves. This really helps me to give it my all.
I didn't jump nearly as high as Cathe and crew, but my heart rate was up there the whole time.
The music tunes were recognizable to me, even though the words were different.
The Lo section (with weights) was tough! Cathe uses 8 pound weights, but you can always go heavier or lighter as needed. Cathe encourages you to use heavier weights once you get stronger.
The unusual moves, e.g. the upright row into a snatch. It's always fun to do some different weight moves, after all how many ways are there to do a bicep curl?
Cons:
None.
CARDIO BLAST
Pros:
It was at this point in the workout that I started to admire Cathe & crew's purple workout shoes. This distracted me from the `pain' of the workout.
This section was just as tough as Beachbody's Insanity workouts!
Cons:
Cathe doesn't offer any modifications, so if you need some, you should watch this section before doing it so you can be prepared to do your own lower impact modifications.
FAT BURNING CIRCUIT
Pros:
A true metabolic training workout, mixing cardio with compound move weight training. Even though I did this section last, I felt a second wind and a burst of energy at this point.
Cons:
None.
NOTE TO SELF:
Do NOT attempt this workout the day after a leg workout like Lean Legs and Abs. This is what I did the first time I did this workout and I was regretting it.
All in all, a great, fun workout that will get you moving and burning calories