CatheFriedrich's XTrain Series: Hard Strikes DVD

GOOD HOME WORKOUT DVD

I love this because it gives me a great workout 😊

If you think that Cross Fire is hard-core, do not try this one!On my first try, I used 3-pound egg weights, and it was a lot!!I agree, as Cathe Friedrich states, that the moves aren't [too] hard to learn, and that yes indeed the routine goes quickly and goes by fast enough, leaving me gasping for air, panting, dripping, and incredulously happy to survive it.The pace is fast, the activity for about 45 minutes is non- stop, and this is definitely advanced (surprise!?--Not with Cathe Friedrich).The very motivating factor for me is that all the exercisers stick with it, complete the workout, and seem to enjoy it very much.Furthermore, as always, there are plenty of bonuses/ premixes/ add- ons, but I'll explore outside of this super- demanding main routine.This is not low- impact: The majority of the workout involves jump rope, jumping on one foot etc past the low- impact warm- up.It crossed my mind to return this as it is brutally cardio to the max, but the moves and instruction are as good as usual, therefore I will keep at it and improve at my pace. I do not see myself following along (same pace, and 12- pound gloves !!?? ) any time soon, and that is where Cathe's value also is, for me: I can practice for months before I match these furious ladies on the screen. Worth it, but not for the faint of heart rate. If you want to push yourself a lot, this is for you.

This is my 4th Cathe DVD. I'm obsessed with her workouts. This is not for beginners and recommend her other DVDs that include kickboxing before this one. I have to stop this one every so often because I'm 65 yrs old and don't have the lung capacity I used to, but I still do the whole thing and burn anywhere from 350 to 400 calories each time - and that's just the cardio part! I do have to modify a lot of the jumping bits because of an ankle issue, but I still get an amazing workout. Cathe is a total fitness guru and not just a pretty face in spandex, like many of the other fitness "experts." Highly recommend.

I like this video for the kickboxing piece. It is about 30 minutes but you feel like you have gotten a good workout in. Cathe does use a few too many jumping jacks, especially in the earlier part of the video. I wish she hadded added a little more variety in that part. The music is fun and motivating.

I am loving this workout. Cathe is a great instructor, not too chipper/annoying, and I actually enjoy the workout. The background music is nice and the one girl in the video sometimes looks like she's dying along with you which is kinda funny. I feel that the workout is a good length of time and a good workout. There's options for different workouts and there's breaks if you need to cut the workout short. I sometimes stop after the first part (boxing) which is still a 30 min workout and sometimes go onto the conditioning part (weight workout - curls, presses, etc. and core work you will need a set of hand weights for this sections) and stretch which is another 15 min. I use 1 lb. weight gloves instead of boxing gloves and I'm only able to use 4 lb weights right now for the conditioning sections and I still finish each workout red and sweaty and feel like I actually did something without being completely wiped out. It's pretty easy to modify any of the moves (i.e. jumping jacks, shifting, etc.) and still feel like you're getting a great workout. I'm completely hooked and will definitely be checking out more of her videos for the future.