Was short on time again today so did the all standing premix for this. Clocks in at just under 30 minutes. A pretty intense warm up with medium tension resistance tubing, followed by some nice upper body combos with some balance challenges thrown in. Not bad for a sub-30-minute workout but really want to try the whole thing when time allows. Thank you Cathe, for giving us these time-saver premixes! At least I can do part of these new workouts even when I don't have time for the whole thing.
LMR Elevated Upper Body
- Thread starter Hazlady
- Start date
I did this one last night. Again, I enjoyed the creativity that Cathe put into this. This is not a typical strength workout. This is compromised of compound movements. It is shoulder intensive and I have a little issue with my left shoulder right now so I had to do less reps for a couple exercises. I used lighter weights and I am feeling the fatigue in my arms this morning. This is a good alternative to traditional weight work. I tend to get bored with the same Ole, same Ole. I also like that the Hiit Fusion is on this DVD, so you can add some cardio. Cathe gets an A for creativity. Looking forward to trying out the others.
Debinmi
Cathlete
This UB workout could be used as a sub for physical therapy if you use light weights and bands. Great for counteracting poor posture, rotator cuff issues, degenerative discs, etc. If you use lighter weights and bands you can still do your regular UB strength training in the same week. Just another idea.
Yes, the time-savers are appreciated. It gives us more options depending on how much time we have. I did the whole upper body workout today and really liked it. It is creative, different than a traditional upper body workout, but when it was over I felt worked. Cathe does a good job incorporating core and balance while working your upper body.
I just received my DVDs Tuesday and did this upper body this afternoon. While it is innovative, I agree it is shoulder intensive, IMO to the detriment of a full upper body workout. I’d give it a 3.5 of 5 for that overemphasis. I would’ve have preferred a more balanced workout.
Irolnnyl
Active Member
Your like or dislike of this one might boil down to what type of workout split or rotation you follow. I try to do two upper body sessions over the course of a week. One is heavy, compound movements, with an emphasis on back. This one works well for the 2nd workout. If your routine is different, I can understand the frustration. I think of it as a “specialty” workout
FitSaxe
Cathlete
Exactly.....You have taken the words out of my mouth!
I actually love love and love this workout. I have just completed the main 51 minutes for the second time!
This is a gem. "The la crème de la crème"
FitSaxe
Cathlete
To make a fair opinion of a workout, I always try out a full series when it get released. This enable me to think properly on how to incorporate it into my rotation and routine. I prefer to stick to the purpose behind and fully understand. This avoid ME any frustration.
Last edited:
FitSaxe
Cathlete
Thanks to Cathe for bringing in the creativity. Yes I see what you mean reading this above --- Same here!
Many fitness trainers nowadays are offering complex moves combining two to three moves.
I am happy Cathe is bringing it to us at the comfort of our house in a safe way.
Debinmi
Cathlete
I agree with you in that it is more shoulder intensive. I need a little extra shoulder work so I don't mind. I also agree you have to think about how to incorporate this into a rotation for balance. I sometimes will add in an extra shoulders day using STS2 Parts, or Xtrain BurnSets or the Rear Delts Bonus, or from ICE MM. So @Irolnnyl's idea to use it as a 2nd UB is a helpful option. Using a shorter premix and combining it with a traditional UB day premix might make for an interesting workout to get the benefits of both types. It is well chaptered, so another option is to skip some of the shoulder work. I often do that with the bi's/tri's in some of Cathe's UB as I think they're often overworked.
I agree, there are lots of options but skipping shoulder work on this particular workout would be hard since many of the exercises are compound. So also goes the option to lighten the weight for the shoulder moves..yes, it’s easy on the one where one arm is bi and the other shoulder but other exercises are pretty integrated. The result for me will be to go lighter on most of this workout…which is perfectly fine. I don’t lift super heavy like Cathe and crew…I never have (my heaviest hand weights are 15’s) and I still get great results from her routines.
I also don’t do rotations…I’d rather get my workout outdoors which depends on weather where I live. So, when I hit my indoor workout room, it’s always what I feel like doing at the moment. I like it that way and it’s why I have tons of Cathe DVDs…the variety, the premixes, it’s all good. There are about 20 that I’d love to give away, if anyone is interested! My 70+ old joints and feet don‘t like doing everything they used to do 20-25 years ago…just listening to my body. So far, I still have my original hips and knees!
Kellyro77
Cathlete
Finished the workout. I heartily agree - almost feel like this workout should have been called "Shoulders with Bonus Upper Body Moves"
As others mentioned - doesn't make the workout bad. It's very creative and interesting and I agree it will have its place with a well-rounded fitness routine.
I've still not completed all the workouts in this series just yet, but I'm really starting to feel like this series is more along the lines of maintenance than actual strength gains or cardiovascular improvements (again, unless you're coming out of a period of inactivity or recovering from an injury or illness.)
It's not as tame as the original LMR. I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel some DOMS in my shoulders tomorrow. Just not as intense as say, ICE or XTrain (if you're looking to compare this to another series that's a mix of cardio and strength.)
As others mentioned - doesn't make the workout bad. It's very creative and interesting and I agree it will have its place with a well-rounded fitness routine.
I've still not completed all the workouts in this series just yet, but I'm really starting to feel like this series is more along the lines of maintenance than actual strength gains or cardiovascular improvements (again, unless you're coming out of a period of inactivity or recovering from an injury or illness.)
It's not as tame as the original LMR. I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel some DOMS in my shoulders tomorrow. Just not as intense as say, ICE or XTrain (if you're looking to compare this to another series that's a mix of cardio and strength.)
Debinmi
Cathlete
I agree with you on the integrated combination moves. I found it harder to get a nice full body workout with the TB workout as well due to having to lift to the smaller muscle group in the combos so larger/stronger muscles don't feel much. That's why I decided to go lighter with that one next time and just make it into a metabolic TB and treat it like a cardio workout. This UB, I think I'll go light too and use it as a supplemental UB. I'll use these and enjoy them as something different, just not too often. At least not now. Things can change.
I did the standing only premix for this upperbody as I was hearing a lot of reviews say it was reminding them of PT moves. I also went light on a few of them moves as I don't want to injure the rotator cuff while working out. So I used 3, 5, 8, 10s. I like the standing portion and think it will fill a gap that other upper body workouts miss. I will use this as a secondary workout to my main upper body workouts since it does target the smaller muscle groups that I feel get neglected in normal upper body workouts. This is just my opinion.
Debinmi
Cathlete
I agree with your opinion. I think it's a really good supplement to heavier weight work. I had shoulder repair surgery on my right side years ago. I have a tear in my left rotator cuff now for which the orthopedic recommended surgery but I went with the PT route which helped enough to avoid surgery. Recovery from shoulder surgery is very long as we've all witnessed by Cathe's recovery journey. So this workout will go a long way to help preserve joint heath.