Cathe Friedrich Reviews

What You Need To Know about Cardio Fusion with Cathe Friedrich (A Review)

March 7, 2016

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If you’re looking for an intense, advanced step aerobics routine then you’re at the right place.

Cardio Fusion starts off with two cycles of classic step aerobics followed by power circuit segments pieced together from a couple different Cathe Friedrich programs.

Here’s a preview of Cardio Fusion:

This workout is fun and a true calorie-killer.  (I burn over 650 calories when I do this routine.)

You’ll need an aerobic step like this one to do the workout…

Let me tell you everything else you need to know about Cardio Fusion…

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.

Cathe Friedrich and her team doing the Cardio Fusion workout in front of an aerobic step

Instructor-Cathe Friedrich

Category-Cardio (step aerobics)

Equipment

Aerobic step with 2 risers (on each side)

Stability ball*

*This is the big ball you can lay on top of to do strength training, not a weighted (medicine) ball

a 5 lb. weight

Length-73 minutes

HRM-655 calories

Choreography-Ace

My choreography ratings are a reference to the complexity of the choreography, not the intensity of the routine.  Follow the link above to read more about that.

My rating– A

✔ Learn more about buying and using an aerobic step in this post: Your Expert Guide to Buying and Using an Aerobic Step

Important Stuff about Cardio Fusion

I have to give Cardio Fusion an Ace choreography rating. (You can read what I mean by Ace choreography here.) Some of the sections are easier than others but it might be too complex if you’re new to step aerobics.

The Cardio Fusion routine has 3 cycles of exercises from 3 different Cathe Friedrich videos all smashed together. This is nice because you get a taste of several different videos that you may not have.  The programs spliced together are Body Max 2 (blue outfits), Low Impact Circuit (green), and Drill Max (the girls are wearing pink in this video).

This is a pretty long program. I’d have two waters nearby.

There are 3 premix workouts (additional routines) on this video: All Step (48 minutes), Mixed Cardio (41 minutes), and Mix & Max (80 minutes).  This post is on the main workout, not a premix.

The sound quality on my DVD is not great. You actually get a choice on how you want to hear the vocals after you hit Play.  I always select the Normal Mix (the other options are Vocals Only and Music Louder) but for some reason I can still barely hear Cathe’s voice.  It may (or may not be) my copy of this video.

The Cardio Fusion workout is a step routine and then a whole slew of power circuit segments on the step.

You’ll need enough space to do a grapevine out to the side of your step. That’s slightly more space than I normally recommend.

Remember to read to the end of this post for tips to complete every cycle of this routine as well as links to a few places you can compare prices for this video 🙂

Warm-Up

The warm-up in Cardio Fusion is from the Body Max 2 program and is a short step routine followed by a lower body stretch.

Main Workout (The Exercises in Cardio Fusion)

Step Routine I

The first thing you do after the warm-up is the step routine from Body Max 2.

There’s no build-up of all the working parts of this section.  If you’re not familiar with that video (Body Max 2) you’ll be lost*

If you’re comfortable with step aerobics then you’ll learn it pretty quickly because she cues you through the whole thing.  She does this step routine twice.

*Don’t avoid this entire workout because of this.  You’ll be missing out on an amazing video if you do that.  I’m just telling you the facts so you’re prepared.  Challenge yourself to learn it.  You’ll be glad you did.

Step Routine II

Now there’s a step cardio segment from Low Impact Circuit.  Cathe teaches you all the steps this time.

Power Circuit Section I

Now you start doing intense circuit intervals.

There are 4 power circuit segments from Body Max 2.  These are hard because you’ll be exhausted long before you’re near done.  Hang in there.  You’re building cardiovascular endurance.

The choreography this time is a little easier than the first step section so focus on getting every rep in there.

I think the third circuit section is the hardest (power turning squats).  The last circuit is killer, too. She throws air jacks at you.  Don’t get mad.  Just do them.

Lower your step down to one riser (on each side) for the rest of the video.

Power Circuit Section II

This section is from the Drill Max video.  It’s the easiest of all the choreography.  There are 6 circuits (drills) in this section.

You’ll need one 5 lb. weight for the first drill and there are about a 1000 line taps so be ready for that.

The third drill requires an exercise (stability) ball.  The size of your ball here matters.  I struggle with this section. 

The ball I have that’s about the right size is really too heavy for this whole section.  I have another ball that’s lighter but it’s quite a bit smaller. It depends how I feel that day as to which ball I use.

I hope you’ve got on a good support bra—when you get to toe taps in drill four you’ll need one.

Drill 6 is fun until you get to the blast section.  You’ll want to slap Cathe when she shows you what you have to do (squat thrusts with a tuck jump, then a 2-feet jump up and over the step).  There are 8. 

It’s your last move before the stretch so find that last ounce of energy and do them.

Stretch

The stretch segment takes you back to Body Max 2.  Your flexibility is important.  Don’t skip this.

Now What?

No matter how many times I do Cardio Fusion it’s always hard as hell.  If you don’t feel like a superstar when you’re done then you must be a pro athlete.

You can find Cardio Fusion in a few places:

Cathe’s website

Amazon

Collage Video (the Collage Video version uses a different cover on the ad, but it’s the same program)

And don’t forget about Cathe on Demand

You can access every single Cathe Friedrich routine (there are hundreds) with a membership.  I LOVE this.  Do a new workout every day!

This post, Everything You Need to Know About Cathe Live and Cathe on Demand, will answer all your questions about the program.

Thanks for reading!

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