Discover which Cathe Friedrich workouts have the highest rating on Amazon’s customer reviews.

I love Cathe Friedrich workouts.

While doing the research for this post I realized that I’m not alone.

I didn’t find any exercise video she’s sold (there are hundreds) with an average rating below 4 stars (on Amazon).  And of the top 10 videos on my list I didn’t see any reviews below 3 stars.

Impressive. Cathe Friedrich is a badass.

This list will help you figure out which Cathe Friedrich video to buy next.

I’ve done every routine on this list.  I’ll share my tips and recommendations as we go.

And remember, most of these workouts are classic routines that have been around for a few years. 

Cathe Friedrich is STILL producing amazing workouts (they just haven’t accumulated the same number of reviews yet).

So, make sure you check out some of Cathe’s newest programs, too.  (Like the Fit Split series, which you can read more about in this post, Your Ultimate Guide to Fit Split.)

✔ And this guide will be helpful if you’re in the market for an aerobic step (Cathe uses one in a lot of her routines): Your Expert Guide to Buying and Using an Aerobic Step

This post may contain Amazon (or other) affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. You can get more information about that here.

---

---

The top 10 Cathe Friedrich exercise programs that have received an average of (approximately) 5 stars on Amazon (5 stars is the highest rating on Amazon’s customer reviews):

To the Max

I absolutely love To the Max.  This is a total body kick-your-ass cardio and strength training program.  There are a lot of compound moves with weights so your heart rate stays high and you burn a ton of calories.

The main workout is 56 minutes long (my heart rate monitor clocks this workout at 53 minutes long) and I burn about 434 calories when I do it.

You need an aerobic step with 3 risers (on each side), 3, 5, 8, and 10 lb. dumbbells, an exercise loop and a mat to do the main routine exactly like Cathe Friedrich.

There are 13 premix routines on To the Max so you get a ton of effective and challenging workouts to choose from.  I recommend this video all the time.

I’ve posted a detailed review of the main workout on To the Max.  Read my post to find out exactly why I give this program an A+.

*Full disclosure-There was one 3-star rating for To the Max (and 15 five-star reviews).  I’m not entirely sure how this averages out to a 5.0.  When I clicked on the ‘more information’ button for Amazon’s explanation I read this, ‘Amazon calculates a product’s star ratings using a machine learned model instead of a raw data average. The machine learned model takes into account factors including: the age of a review, helpfulness votes by customers and whether the reviews are from verified purchases.’

Pyramid Upper & Pyramid Lower

Pyramid Upper and Pyramid Lower are two separate weight-training workouts on one DVD.

The exercises are done ‘up a pyramid’ by increasing weights and lowering reps in each set for both of these programs.  These are tough routines.

To do the Pyramid Upper routine with the same weights Cathe uses you’ll need 3, 5, 8, 10,12, 15, 20, and 25 lb. DB’s (just grab all of your dumbbells when you do this routine) and a stability ball.  For the Pyramid Lower workout Cathe uses a barbell with 25, 30, 35, and 40 lb. weight, a stability ball and a high step.

The main routine on Pyramid Upper is 59 minutes and I burn about 247 calories when I do it.

I’ve never worn a heart rate monitor while doing Pyramid Lower (I’ll update this post when I do) so I don’t know how many calories I burn.  The main workout on Pyramid Lower is 52 minutes long.

There are 5 premix (extra) workouts included on Pyramid Upper and Pyramid Lower including one routine that combines parts of the upper and lower body workouts together for a total body routine.

Crossfire

Crossfire is an intense metabolic conditioning routine. 

Crossfire is one of my all-time favorite Cathe Friedrich programs and one of the one’s I recommend the most often.  There are 4 circuits of exercises in the main routine with some repetition and easy (but very intense) exercises.

You won’t need an exercise step but you will need an exercise loop, some dumbbells (Cathe uses 3-15 lbs.) and a pair of gliding discs to do the exercises just like Cathe and her team.

I burn about 420 calories doing the main routine in this program.  There are 12 premix routines on the video as well.

You can learn more about Crossfire in my full review of the Crossfire program.

ICE Metabolic Total Body

ICE is one of Cathe Friedrich’s newer series (until Strong & Sweaty and Fit Split) of workouts that she created for the intermediate level athlete (most of her videos are at the advanced level).  Metabolic Total Body is fun and really does hit every major muscle group (for a total body workout).

The only thing that makes this routine less advanced than her usual programs is that there are fewer reps for every exercise. Don’t be fooled by the fact that the ICE workouts are marketed for the Intermediate.  They’re still very challenging.

Even though I spend 90% of my time pushing through the hardest workout I can find I frequently throw in one of the ICE workouts in my fitness program because they’re fun and effective.

The main workout on Metabolic Total Body is 49 minutes long (I burn about 326 calories when I do this routine).  You need 5, 8, 10, 12, and 15 lb. DB’s to do the exercises exactly like Cathe Friedrich. 

There are a ton of premix routines in this program (I don’t own the video but have done these workouts off my subscription to Cathe On Demand.).  It looks like (from what I can see on Cathe On Demand) that there are at least 13 premix routines included with the main workout.

I love the ICE workouts because the quality of the videos is amazing, there’s on-screen captioning for you identifying the exercise and weight you’ll need (this feature is super helpful), the location and fashion choices are all modern and the moves are new and fun.

Butts & Guts

Cathe uses quite a few tools during Butts & Guts (5 lb. DB’s, an aerobic step, an exercise loop or exercise band, stability ball, ankle weights, and a 35 lb. barbell).

The program is mostly low-impact, the exercises are original and it’s effective.

I burn about 382 calories in the main workout which is 78 minutes long. There are also 4 premix routines on Butts & Guts for a total of 5 workouts to choose from.

You can read my detailed review of Butts & Guts.  (I tell you what equipment is optional and exactly what exercises you’ll be doing.)

Turbo Barre

If you haven’t tried a barre workout yet, then start with Turbo Barre.

Only about half of this program is what you expect to get with a barre workout (lower body sculpting using high rep leg lifts and squats).

The other half of this routine is a high-rep upper body workout using very light weights as well as a core segment.  You get a total body workout with Turbo Barre.

Cathe uses her own barre that she calls a Turbo Tower (you can just use a chair or table that’s waist high), 5 lb. DB’s, an exercise loop, and a mat.

The main program is 78 minutes long and I burn about 321 calories when I do it.  There are 3 premix workouts on Turbo Barre for a total of 4 programs to choose from.

X10

The X10 video has several different styles of exercises blended together in roughly 10-minute segments.

The aerobics styles are called step, low-impact, hi/lo, cardio, and fat-burning.  Cathe uses a step with 3 risers (on each side), 8, 10, and 15 lb. DB’s, discs, and a mat (for the stretch only).

There are 12 premix routines included on this video for a total of 13 workouts (almost 2 weeks of different routines if you work out every day).

You can read my thorough review of the X10, 77 premix.  I burn over 700 calories when I do this premix!  It’s tough.

Core Max

Core Max is from Cathe Friedrich’s Hardcore Series of videos.

There are 3 main workouts on Core Max—workout 1 is 22 minutes, workout 2 is 20 minutes, and workout 3 is 18 minutes long.

You need a stability ball and an 8 lb. medicine ball to do the exercises exactly like Cathe does them.

I’ve never worn a heart rate monitor for these routines so I don’t know how many calories you might burn.  I usually add one of these routines to the end of a 3-5 mile run or a 30 minute cardio workout.

Core Max is a perfect addition to any exercise video collection because sometimes you just need a good ab routine (and nothing else).

Muscle Max

I love Muscle Max.  This is one of my favorite Cathe Friedrich videos.

If you enjoy lifting weights at a gym then you’ll love this routine.  It’s a total body weight training program you can do at home.

Cathe uses an aerobic step with 2 risers on each side, a barbell with 20, 30, 35, and 40 lbs., a variety of different DB’s (Cathe uses 10, 15, and 25 lbs.), an exercise band, and a mat. 

The main routine is 68 minutes long and I burn about 342 calories.  There are 4 shorter premix routines on Muscle Max for a total of 5 workouts to choose from.

You can find out exactly what weights I use and the exercises that are in Muscle Max by reading my review of Muscle Max.  

Flex Train

If you’re looking for a new workout that’s going to sculpt your body then try Flex Train. Cathe uses heavy weights and high reps to take you to a new level of burn. 

You’ll need 5, 8, 10, and 25 lb. DB’s, an exercise band, an exercise loop (you can use the band for these moves if you don’t have a closed loop), discs, and a mat to do the exercises exactly like Cathe.

The main workout is 56 minutes long and I burn about 380 calories when I do it.  There are 3 premix workouts that are all shorter versions of the main program.

You can learn more about Flex Train in my detailed breakdown.

I want to finish by letting you know that there were several more Cathe Friedrich exercise videos on Amazon that averaged 5 stars.  But the number of people that reviewed those programs was less than 15 individuals (as of the date of this post).

I selected the routines that had the most 5-star reviews for this list but don’t forget that there are even more amazing Cathe Friedrich videos out there to consider when you’re looking for a new program.

PRO TIP-Remember that you can compare the prices for these programs on Amazon, Cathe Friedrich’s website, and at Collage Video.

And you can access every single Cathe Friedrich routine (there are over 300) with a membership to Cathe on Demand.  I love it.  Sign up for a month and try out a different Cathe workout every day!

Two helpful articles about Cathe on Demand:

Everything You Need to Know About Cathe Live and Cathe on Demand

How to Use Your Cathe Live or Cathe On Demand Membership