High Step Challenge and Muscle Max
The High Step Challenge (which uses a miniature version of a regular step) is a circuit workout that takes you through 5 cycles that include cardio (with or without the step) followed upper and lower body strength moves. The cardio sections are about 1-2 minutes long and are about medium intensity. The strength moves include:
- leg presses with overhead presses
- dips
- side pushups (killer!)
- barbell squats
- deadlifts
- rows
- pushups
- bicep curls
- shoulder rotations
- hover squats
You move from one exercise to another with no rest and you can use a regular step or a BOSU in place of the High Step (which is what I did) if you don't have one.
The first time I did this workout, I wasn't crazy about it. But, the more I do it, the more I like it. It moves fast and offers just enough intensity that you feel like you worked everything without killing yourself. This is a great video for when you want a little bit of everything, but don't have time to devote to longer workouts. You'll hit every muscle in the body and the workout flies by.
Muscle Max
This total strength workout is my favorite in this whole series. The workout is broken down into different muscle groups where you perform 3-4 exercises per muscle. Some moves include squats, lunges, pushups, lateral raises and bicep curls. The difference is that, because the focus is on endurance, you change tempo throughout the exercises, which cuts down on the sets. The workout moves very quickly and the premixes offer timesaver versions for both DVDs. My only complaint is that she does too much arm/shoulder work (in my opinion).
Core Max and Stretch Max
The Core Max DVD includes 3 workouts, one with no equipment, one with a ball and one with a medicine ball. The no equipment ab workout includes a number of standard moves like bicycles, planks, oblique, lifts, hip lifts and an endless variety of crunches as well as very advanced levitation holds. The ball workout, my favorite, includes roll outs, roll ins, pikes, reverse crunches, ball exchange and some interesting rotations. The medicine ball workout includes curl ups, v-sits, oblique rotations, wood chops and crunches. Each workout is about 20-30 minutes long and a nice add-on workout. The moves are advanced, particularly the ball workout, and you might choose a shorter pre-mixed workout when you're short on time.
Stretch Max also includes 3 workouts: no equipment, exercise ball and band. All three workouts focus on slow, static stretching for the entire body and, as in Core Max, the ball routine is my favorite and includes some innovative stretches and very relaxing music. The stretching workouts are also about 20 minutes long and an excellent add-on to the end of another workout or on it's own. Both Core Max and Stretch Max are my favorite DVDs in the Hardcore series.
Kick Max
Cathe's Kick Max DVD, a kickboxing workout, offers some variety for her exercisers. The first section, which includes 4 kick/punch combos, is mostly low impact (with some jumping jacks) while the Blast Challenge offers more intensity for those wanting to raise the heart rate. The kick/punch combos are simple and Cathe breaks them down with the punch combos first (e.g., jab, cross, hook, uppercut) then the kicks (knee, side-kick), putting them together and repeating on the other side. The combos are fun, but not as intense as her other kickboxing workouts. The 4th combo is the most intense and my favorite with jabs, uppercuts, hooks, side kicks and side lunges. The Blast Challenge is just what it sounds like: high impact drills like jumping jacks with air-jacks, side-lunge with side-kicks, jump rope and circle jumps. The entire cardio portion is about 50 minutes long followed by light conditioning drills designed to strengthen your legs and perfect your kicking techniques. The exercises are very slow versions of kicks with some pulses thrown in for a serious burn. Overall, the workout didn't feel as intense as her other kickboxing videos, but the DVD has premixed workouts to choose from so you can mix things up.
Hardcore Extreme
Like her other series, Cathe always includes one killer DVD that includes a compilation of exercises from all the videos in the series. The Hardcore Extreme DVD includes 3 such workouts, all of them long and full of variety. The Interval Circuit includes 6 intervals from Imax 3 as well as 3 cycles from High Step, giving you more than an hour of strength and cardio. The High/Low Intervals workout is my favorite and includes a mixture of Imax and Low Max Intervals, followed by the Kick Max Blast Challenge. I have yet to make it all the way through but, if I did, it would be a good hour of solid cardio. The last workout is Interval Blast & Legs and includes 6 Imax 3 intervals, the Kick Max Blast Challenge (twice!) and the conditioning drills from Kick Max as well. This workout is, like the others, over an hour long but it feels even longer, maybe because you do the Kick Max Blast Challenge more than once. You also have the option to Mix & Match (as in the other videos) although I wish she offered the Workout Blender available in her Intensity Series which allows you to put together different moves without having to program your DVD player. Either way, this DVD offers some killer workouts for advanced exercisers!
