There’s just something about a workout that mixes up two kinds of exercisey parts and smushes them together in perfect harmony that makes me happy.

Metabolic Circuit Blast Live is a great example of a routine that achieves that goal (seamlessly fusing cardio and strength training in one workout).

Cathe Friedrich is a master of fitting a bunch of moves together in a beautiful fitness puzzle that will leave you satisfied with your daily workout and ready for more.

Here’s a taste of what you’re going to see in this LIVE Cathe Friedrich routine:

Metabolic Circuit Blast Live with Cathe Friedrich can only be accessed with a membership to Cathe Live.

And you can access all of her video workouts PLUS her Live routines with a membership to Cathe on Demand + Live (this is the membership I have, and recommend).

If you have questions about either of those programs I suggest you read, How to Sign Up for Cathe Live or Cathe on Demand + Live.

Now let me tell you what you’ll need and what to expect in Metabolic Circuit Blast Live…

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Air Date-07/10/2014

Instructor-Cathe Friedrich

Category-Cardio + Strength

Equipment–10, 12, and 15 lb. dumbbells; exercise loop (Cathe calls this a firewalker band), medium resistance tubing

If you’re still adding to your dumbbells collection then use my links above to buy the dumbbells I recommend.  Or read A Women’s Guide to Buying Dumbbells.

This graphic will help you know what dumbbells Cathe is using during her Live workouts:

Length-44 minutes

HRM-381 calories

Choreography-Simple

My rating– A

Important Information about Metabolic Circuit Blast Live

The Metabolic Circuit Blast Live program is cardio mixed with compound strength training exercises.  That means you’ll be working more than one body part at the same time in a lot of the intervals.

If this is the first time you’ve done any of Cathe’s live workouts you’ll immediately realize that it’s nothing like her choreographed professionally produced videos.  These live workouts are filmed in Cathe’s gym with real people.  If you love doing aerobics classes in a gym then these workouts will make you happy.

The breaks in this live video are very short.  You’ll have time to get a sip of water as long as it’s close by.

Make sure you read the rest of this post for tips on how to conquer each section of this program.

Warm-Up

There’s a short cardio warm-up using no equipment.  Some of the moves in the warm-up are high-impact.

Main Workout (The Exercises in Metabolic Circuit Blast LIVE)

Cardio

The first cardio exercise is a power ¼ turn squat to one side.

There are two sets of 8 with jump ropes in between.  Make sure you bend at the waist and stick your butt out.  Keep your head up.

Repeat that pattern to the other side.  Then grab 10 lb. dumbbells

Strength

Squats with an overhead press with the 10’s.

There are 36 squats with changing arm patterns.

Cardio

The next cardio segment is a spring shooter (this is a vertical jump in a one-leg lunge position).

You do two sets of 10 on each leg.  You’ll be off the beat of the music.

Strength

Forward leaning elbow to knee.  Alternate legs.

There are 20 reps

WATER BREAK

Cardio

Grab your firewalker band (exercise loop) and put it around your ankles.  You’ll be doing plié jacks (with the loop around your ankles).

There are 3 sets of 16.  Ouch.  That’s a lot of reps.

Keep the band around your ankles to do three jumping jacks with a tuck jump (8 sets).  Repeat.

Remove one leg from the band and get a 15 lb. dumbbell for the compound strength move.

Strength

Plié squat with an upright row (16 reps on each side) using the 15.  Put the band back around your ankles for air jacks.

Cardio

There are 3 sets of air jacks.  Twenty reps in set one and 10 in the second and third set.

Wide squat touch the floor with a vertical jump.  You keep the band around your ankles for these.

There are two sets of 12

Remove the band and get your 10 lb. dumbbells for the strength compound exercise.

Strength

Lateral walks with the 10’s.  There are 8 passes.

WATER BREAK

Cardio

Squat digs are the next metabolic circuit cardio exercise.

There are 4 sets of 8

Jumping Jacks

Repeat another 4 sets of 8 squat digs.

Strength

Squat kick/squat lunges are next.  There are 8 sets on each leg.

WATER BREAK

Cardio

Go get your tubing.  Put it on the floor.  You’ll be doing straddle turns over the tubing.  There are 3 sets of sixteen turns on each side.

Strength

Next you’ll do chest flys with the tubing.  If you picked the wrong resistance tubing you’ll know right away because this will either be way too easy or you’ll just about bust a vessel in your head trying to squeeze the band up.

There are 2 sets of 12

Put up the tubing and get 12 lb. dumbbells for double arm overhead tricep extensions.  There are 12 reps.  Try to keep the weights touching.

Cardio

Go get one 10 lb. dumbbell for the metabolic cardio exercise. The move is a side jump with a tiny vertical jump at each end.

There are 2 sets of 16.  Keep your core tight and your legs together.

Strength

Keep the 10 lb. dumbbell for a side lunge with an overhead press/leg lift.  You pick up the weight on every other lift.

There are 16 reps on each side.

Cardio

The next exercise is a side to side lunge with one 10 lb. weight.

Turning power lunges are next.  I think you do it for 20 seconds.  I lose my balance when I do this exercise.  I feel like an idiot because the move is easy but it always happens.  There are 2 sets.

Strength

Rear lunge with a hammer curl.  Cathe uses 10 lb. dumbbells.

There are a lot of reps (22 curls) so think about that when you’re selecting your weight.  I use 10’s too, but the last few reps are definitely hard.

Cardio

Line taps are next.  Keep your hips forward and stay in a low squat.

Strength

Get your 10 lb. dumbells for a forward lunge/backward lunge with a tiny jump.  You move the same leg front and back.

There are 8 in each set

WATER BREAK

The last cardio move is a shuffle-shuffle drop that transitions into a suicide run.  I always wonder why she doesn’t keep the same move for the whole interval but she doesn’t.

There are 2 sets for 20 seconds.

Cool Down/Stretch

Now you cool down and stretch for a little over 2 minutes.

Now What??

If you enjoy Cathe Friedrich programs I recommend that you sign up for a least one month of her On Demand service.

I think it’s worth it.  There are so many workouts to choose from and the style (of her live routines) is a refreshing change from the videos.

Access to her live studio workouts is currently $9.97/month.  And you can get access to her studio workouts AND every video she’s every made for $19.97/month.  (This is the one I subscribe to.)

Thanks for reading!