Cathe Friedrich''s Supersets & Push Pull DVD (Body Blast series)

(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)On this DVD, master instructor Cathe Friedrich offers two workouts from her Body Blast series: Kick, Supersets, a strength workout in which exercises are performed in rounds, and Push Pull, a strength workout focused on opposing muscle groups. Both workouts are very good, but what really makes this DVD so valuable is the wide variety of customization options as described below.

Supersets is a 53 minute workout. In each round, Cathe does separate exercises to work the legs, back, chest, shoulders/biceps/triceps, and core. After a brief (4-minute) warm-up, there are a total of two rounds, each broken down into two series (A and B). Cathe encourages participants to lift as heavy as possible, and she incorporates use of a barbell, dumbbells, a stability ball, and unweighted exercises as well. Many exercises are non-traditional in nature, as they include "low end" pluses as well as plyometric moves such as jump squats. The workout makes nice use of the stability ball, particularly for the core work, and Cathe finishes with 5.5 minutes of floor stretches.

Push Pull is a 45-minute, full-body weight training routine which works opposing muscle groups. In some cases, the muscle group is worked with only one exercise, whereas other muscles are targeted with several different exercises. Equipment used for this workout includes a tall step, a stability ball, a barbell, and several sets of dumbbells. The workout begins with a 3-minute warm-up which consists of some light cardio plus stretches using the tall step. Cathe then jumps right in on the legs, performing squats with the barbell, deadlifts, lunges (placing one heel on a smaller barbell to increase the work to the quads), and tall box presses. Moving on to the upper body, Cathe does chest press and rows, then ball work, includnig chest flyes and a "Y" move. Additional upper body work includes a shoulder press off the step, a one-arm row, a front raise while seated on the ball, a rear delt raise lying on the ball, bicep work with one leg on the ball for balance, and tricep dips/kickbacks. Cathe also incorporates the ball for floor leg work such as outer thigh lifts and inner thigh squeezes. There is also additional back work, abs work, and calf raises. Cathe concludes with a short (4.5 minutes) stretch that includes some nice shoulder stretches.

As mentioned above, the best thing about this DVD is the wide variety of custom options. The menus for both Supersets and Push Pull include options for playing the entire workout, viewing the chapter selections, and mixing and matching chapters. In addition, each workout offers "Quick Select Premixes" which provide both shorter and longer workout options. For Supersets, there are 14 premixes ranging in length from 28-109 minutes (these include extra cycles, upper/lower body only, etc.), and for Push Pull, there are 7 premixes ranging from 18-77 minutes which also included upper/lower body only options. Finally, there is a "Workout Blender" option which allows you to create your own custom workout by selecting chapters from either Supersets or Push Pull.

If you are familiar with Cathe, you know that she often incorporates upbeat, recognizable music (selections here include "Goldeneye," "Unbreak My Heart," "Walking in Memphis," and "Breakfast at Tiffany''s"). Both workouts are solid, intermediate-level routines which will definitely help you to target virtually every body part from head-to-toe; my overall rating is 4 1/2 starts, and I would definitely recommend this DVD to others.

This is a very well constructed weight workout. You start off with a warm up and use a barbell, stability ball and a step. I found this workout targets different muscle groups in a series that rotates to different body parts. This is great if you love to use the stability ball while lifting. The cueing is awesome and so is the music. Cathe pushes you for the whole 53 minute set. You know you worked out with weights when you have finished. I found that with this series you work each muscle group from a different angle which means you get an overall great workout. Cathe''s cueing is excellent as in any of her workouts.

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Having recently recovered from an auto accident and been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, I''m in a weird place where the workouts that I used to do (classic Firm and Cathe Friedrich) now fatigue me. Yet less intense workouts bore me. These workouts from Cathe Friedrich provide that perfect mid-level workout that 1) makes me feel good and challenged and 2) I can do without becoming fatigued. I adore the use of the stability ball (my low back has never felt better), music and pacing of these. I won''t break down the workouts, since that has already been done in other reviews. Suffice to say that these two workouts are ideal if you are new to working out with weights or if you''re typically intimidated by Cathe Friedrich''s workouts but want to ramp things up.

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I am a FitTv exerciser and a Cathelete. This is better than FitTv....no commercials!!!

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I haven''t done Push/Pull yet, as it is in my Sept 2007 rotation. But I am loving SuperSets. Good workout, wonderful instruction. I can see stregth and endurance gains, especially in the chest exercises, which have always been tough for me. I expect Push/Pull to be just as good. A must have for the collection!!