Hollywood Bootcamp 4X4X2

Paul Katami's original Bootcamp 4x4 is probably my favorite workout of all time and spawned my own circuits for about two years (!), so it goes without saying that I had to try this one.

The general structure is the same: there are five 4-minute circuits, containing 1 minute cardio, 1 minute lower body, 1 minute upper body and 1 minute core. Each circuit is repeated twice, and there are 30 seconds of rest between each circuit. I absolutely love this structure because you can really push yourself to the max knowing you only have one minute of each exercise. I'm also severely Type A about my workouts and always want to know the countdown, so this structure is perfect for exercisers like me. There's a lovely seconds timer on the left side of the screen, just like in the original 4x4.

In this workout, the moves are a little more creative than in the original. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. On one hand, I found it very fun (and it is still very easy to follow along). On the other hand, I find that my form tends to get sloppier when I'm doing some of these fast, twisty kinds of movements. For example, there's one move in which you "swim" on the floor then jump up into a side squat. It's a fun and creative move, but naturally I wanted to move just as fast as the advanced modifier, so I started to focus less on the form of my squat and more on speed. If I've learned nothing else from all of the barre workouts I've done this past year, form is everything- you want to train your body the way you want it to look and perform. But for these types of exercises, a lot of the intensity is from the speed, so it's hard to strike a balance. Note, though, that there was still no flailing, which was something I've felt I was doing an unhealthy amount of in some workouts (for example, Insanity).

The second big difference is that all of the lower body segments are plyometric, making this both higher impact and more cardio-oriented than the original 4x4. It's a different way to work your lower body from the controlled, low impact exercises in the first, and it's less suitable for those with issues with impact. Also, with my new biases stemming from a year of barre, I think that more controlled movements are better at fatiguing the muscles. I don't like my limitation to be my heart rate, rather my muscles, if that makes sense.

Overall, this was a solid advanced workout and definitely a worthy follow up to the original 4x4. I feel that the structure and variety of the workout makes the time just fly by.

Paul Katami 4x4x2 Bootcamp

Equipment: two sets of weights

Level: advanced

This is either a 50 or 60 minute workout, depending on whether you do Block Five which Katami calls a Bonus Round. The dvd includes a "clinic" which teaches some of the more creative moves and offers form pointers; the menu also has a "shuffle" option that mixes up the order of the Blocks. Low impact and less intense modifications are suggested for most of the moves, and the eight background exercisers do various levels.

BREAKDOWN:

Warm up:

Wrist rolls while slow jogging; slow jog raising arms; slow high knee jog; double jack and squat.

BLOCK ONE:

One minute per segment, 15 second rest between:

Air Jack to Burpee

Plyo Jups (split leg jumps with heel click, 30 seconds each side)

Plank Fly and Tri

Inch Worm (from standing, bend over and walk out to plank, run/run side knees)

30 second break, then REPEAT BLOCK ONE

BLOCK TWO:

Swim and Surf (swim on mat for 4 counts, then pop up to surfer squat)

180 Mat Jumps (jump 180 over mat and land in squat, varying pace)

Flip Curls (descending bicep curls at angle)

Quad Squat to Side Plank (start and come back to "ball squat" position)

30 second rest and REPEAT

BLOCK THREE:

Double Run and Squat (scissor run + 90 degree turn to Squat)

Squat Walk Out (squat Hold to out/out/in/in legs in plank; hold squat 15 seconds at end)

Twisting Leg Push-ups (one leg on top of other)

Tuck & Boat (boat hold and tuck up into hip thrust)

30 second rest; REPEAT

BLOCK FOUR:

Pivot & Tuck Jump (last 15 seconds all tuck jumps)

Single Leg Burpee (controlled descent; 30 seconds each side)

Upright Row to Lateral Raise (last 15 seconds hold in iron cross)

Scorpion (plank, knee tuck, rotation)

30 second rest; REPEAT

BLOCK FIVE/BONUS BLOCK:

4 Corner Jumps (around mat)

Single Leg Dead Lift (30 second each side)

Coil Plank (knees coil to side, into down dog, dive forward and up)

Curl and Reach (oblique reach and twist in boat)

COOL DOWN/STRETCH