Ripped with Hiit Review Thread

[eyefit]

I was wondering if we could start a thread that is specifically for reviews of the new Ripped with Hiit series from Cathe? I know there are several threads that have been started with reviews and thoughts. Some about specific workouts, some more general. I was hoping we could start an all encompassing thread for the series, though. I went to post my thoughts but wasn't sure which thread to post in.

So far, I've done the following:

Lift it Hit it Legs:

-I did this one this morning and LOVED it! I think it is my favorite of the series so far. The cardio burst moves were perfectly synced up with the weight moves so that, like she said in the description, you are working the same muscle with a plyometric move that you worked with the preceding weight move. I also loved that this one was not as fast paced as the Lower Body Circuit one. The moves felt more controlled. This workout was so challenging that I had to pause the dvd a few times to catch my breath before moving on...something I never have to do with leg training anymore!

Lower Body Circuit:

-This one had more choreography than I expected. The moves were very fast paced, especially in the cardio sections. The workout is high impact, which doesn't usually bother my knees when the moves are drill based. However, I think the fact that the moves were more choreographed on the step than I expected made me mess up my form a bit. I think now that I know what's coming I will like this one better. I was frustrated after doing it, as I always am when I encounter choreography since I have two left feet! The more I thought about it afterwards, though, the more excited I am to try it again and nail those moves.

Lift it Hit it Back, Biceps and Posterior Shoulders:

-I did this one on Sunday and loved it! In fact, I still have DOMS today. She goes quite heavy, so any hopes I had of matching Cathe's weights were quickly dashed. Something to work up to, though. The pace of this workout didn't feel too fast, but it wasn't as slow as say the weights in Burn Sets as an example. Her transition from the last weight set into the finishers, however, were super quick. I had to pause the dvd and back up every time to get situated with my bands or weights when that happened. I really liked the finishers a lot, but I may try the premix without them sometime when I want a shorter workout or just to see what kind of difference it makes in the DOMS area. I've mentioned this before, but I am so happy that she did more of a front/back split in the upper body dvds this time. This allows me to more easily incorporate my Horizontal Conditioning workouts in place of the other upper body disc when I want.

Plyo Hiit 1 and 2:

-I actually did the premix that included both of these workouts, since I really wanted to try them both out. This was an awesome and super challenging Hiit workout! Again, the pace is very quick here. I decided to eliminate some of the directional changes she made to increase the safety for myself. I do not trust myself to pull some of those off without killing myself! lol One example was when she did the move on and off the step where she jumps ropes up and then jumps down, then turns and does it on the other side. I just stayed forward the whole time (which makes it the same move that she does in the Step Hiit tabata of To the Max). I also didn't attempt any one legged moves or the one armed burpees this time. I will probably incorporate those in once I feel more comfortable with the workout and know what's coming. My pace was also behind Cathe, but I decided that was okay. I figure as I do these maybe I will subconsciously start to go quicker, but for now I'm focusing on safety. I think the pace of these workouts were meant to increase dexterity and agility...two fitness aspects I definitely lack!! LOL

Low Impact Hiit #2:

-I did this one on Saturday. I enjoyed it a lot and it got my heart rate up, but not high enough that I would truly consider it a Hiit workout. It's a great low impact workout, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't as intense to me as say Afterburn or the first cardio section of Athletic Training. I would even say that the Low Impact Hiit from XTrain is a tad more intense. The moves were fun, though and definitely a workout I will use a lot. Again the pace of the workout was super fast, but I personally really do like to slow down the move and go deeper for my intensity. I find when I'm going too fast my moves are more shallow and I'm getting a less intense workout (that may just be me though). I'm thinking the next time I do this one I may add a tiny bit of plyo and just go deeper rather than faster to up my heart rate.

Upper Body Circuit (only did the blast only premix):

- I did this one after my weight workout on Sunday (because apparently I'm crazy...LOL). It was a short tabata style cardio. The work itself was only 9 minutes (the premix is 22 minutes but with 5 minute warm up and 7 minute cool down). There is very little rest so the 9 minutes is TOUGH. If you really want an intense burst of cardio as a finisher, this was a good one! I still need to do the whole workout, though. On preview, it looks fun.

I still have to do the Chest, Triceps and Anterior Shoulder disc (planned for tomorrow) and the Low Impact Hiit #1 as well as the UBC workout mentioned above. So far, though, I am really enjoying these workouts! I think I'll love them even more after I do them a few times.

For those that have Cathe Live, has anyone done the RWH Hi/Lo she did last Thursday? I think this one looks like a great mix and is like a bonus "premix" from the Low Impact and Plyo Hiit dvds. I'm excited to try this one!

[tiletha444]

Thanks for the detailed reviews!

I have only done RWH Plyo HiiT 2....and I love it! I typically do not do Cathe's plyo/high impact workouts because I have to be careful with my knees, but I really liked the look of this one and decided to try it. There are many ways to modify this one since she uses the step (lower your step height or just use the platform, bunny hop some of the moves, only do the 1st set, etc). I really like the music, too. It has a driving beat that keeps me going!

I am sore today, but my knees feel fine! I only used the platform, and still had a great workout.

[eyefit]

Originally Posted by tiletha444

Thanks for the detailed reviews!

I have only done RWH Plyo HiiT 2....and I love it! I typically do not do Cathe's plyo/high impact workouts because I have to be careful with my knees, but I really liked the look of this one and decided to try it. There are many ways to modify this one since she uses the step (lower your step height or just use the platform, bunny hop some of the moves, only do the 1st set, etc). I really like the music, too. It has a driving beat that keeps me going!

I am sore today, but my knees feel fine! I only used the platform, and still had a great workout.

I love the way you modified it with the platform! Come to think of it, I should have thought of that when I did the Lower Body Circuit. D'oh! I think next time I attempt that one I'll go down to one riser and see if I can manage the moves better.

I love the music in these, too. I'm usually pretty easy to please on the music front, though. I'm happy as long as the music isn't screeching (hello Upper Body Trisets from LIS! ) or the made up lyrics aren't totally ridiculous (the Depeche Mode "People are People" song in Flex Train was a tad painful for me...).

[tiletha444]

Originally Posted by eyefit

I love the way you modified it with the platform! Come to think of it, I should have thought of that when I did the Lower Body Circuit. D'oh! I think next time I attempt that one I'll go down to one riser and see if I can manage the moves better.

Awesome! I hope that helps you next time.

It sounds strange, but after all these years of working out, I've finally realized it's OK to make the workout work for me!

[bubbles76]

How similar is this set to Xtrain? Do you think they would play well together?

[Aquajock]

Anyone got any reviews of the core workouts / sections?

TIA !!!

A-jock

[bfit]

The only ones I ordered were the Low Impact HIIT and the Upper Body Circuit HIIT. For the Low Impact workout I did both 1 and 2 plus one of the core sections, and I really liked it. The cardio is not as intense as Cathe's high impact, but for me it was fine since I try to avoid very much high impact. The core work was a mix of things but fun and the 12 minutes flew by. I've also done the Upper Body Circuit workout. There's some high impact that can be modified. My only complaint about this workout is that there's not as much upper body work in it as I thought there would be. Next time I'll use heavier weights though, and maybe I'll feel it more. I did not try any of the core sections on this DVD.

[eyefit]

Originally Posted by bubbles76

How similar is this set to Xtrain? Do you think they would play well together?

I think they would play well together, in fact I plan to combine some of the weight workouts from XTrain and STS with RWH in January after I've had a few weeks to play with these. I think the RWH workouts are more intense, though. To me, the leg workout I did today felt way more effective and challenging in 40 minutes than other leg workouts that are much longer! I think it would be a good plan to alternate the two sets, though. RWH feels more intense and focused whereas I think XTrain is more of a well rounded series, if that makes any sense.

Originally Posted by Aquajock

Anyone got any reviews of the core workouts / sections?

TIA !!!

A-jock

I did do the Abs #2 the other day. I found it to be almost identical to the core work she's been doing in the Live workouts lately. I want to say it was just like the core section in the Butts and Guts Live workout, but don't quote me for sure. Good mix of standing and weighted work. The plank section at the end was awesome and I felt a nice burn in the rectus from that one. I haven't done Abs #1 yet, although I plan to do that tomorrow with the Chest, triceps, shoulders disc. HTH!

[athompson10]

The only one I managed so far is Low Impact Hiit One. Even for HiiT training, it is a short workout, just under 20 minutes for the cardio section. There is a good fun warmup, decent stretch and almost no equipment, just a yoga mat as your guide for jumps/steps and two Dixie cups (I went with no mat and two pairs of balled-up socks). I'm a high intermediate and this workout wasn't terribly tough for me; I only went about 80% as deep/fast as Cathe and Crew did but they were going turbo-fast some of the time and I can't move my feet that quickly on my workout carpet. Cathe's cueing leaves a little to be desired in this one - she cues the move as she's doing it, or if she sets up the move well she neglects to say whether you're alternating legs or pulsing for three counts until you're already moving. Fortunately the choreography is very straightforward, so at most you'll miss a rep while you're getting back on track.

[eyefit]

I want to quick thank the folks who put the tags on this thread. I am always SO bad about doing that. Thank you!