Saundra

February 2012 Monthly Rotation

2012-01-31T18:11:00.007-05:00

For February 2012 I will be alternating Insanity workouts with Cardio Karate. I have had the Insanity workouts since 2010 and just never got around to doing them. I would preview them and then decide I would rather do something else.
I have only had the Cardio Karate workouts a little over a couple of weeks. Originally I was planning these for March, but changed my mind. I really want to see what these workouts are all about.
Saturday is going to be Active Recovery day - mostly in the form of some extra stretching. I feel my body needs it.
Since every workout, with the exception of Dynamic Flexibility, is going to be a new workout for me, I will be doing weekly blog post for the workouts I do that week.
I don't have any evening workouts plan for February as I am looking to maximize my rest between workouts.

February 2012
Wed Feb 1 - Insanity: Fit Test & Cardio Abs - 47 min
Thu Feb 2 - Cardio Karate: Cardio Circuits - 63 min
Fri Feb 3 - Insanity: Plyometric Cardio Circuit - 42 min
Sat Feb 4 - Active Recovery: Dynamic Flexibility - 31 min
Sun Feb 5 - Cardio Karate: Extreme Martial Conditioning 1 - 61 min
Mon Feb 6 - Insanity: Pure Cardio - 39 min
Tue Feb 7 - Cardio Karate: Extreme Cardio Interval - 58 min
Wed Feb 8 - Insanity: Cardio Power & Resistance - 40 min
Thu Feb 9 - Cardio Karate: Flexibility Strength Conditioning - 51 min
Fri Feb 10 - Insanity: Cardio Recovery - 33 min
Sat Feb 11 - Active Recovery: Deep Stretch Workout 1 - 20 min
Sun Feb 12 - Cardo Karate: Cardio Intense - 77 min
Mon Feb 13 - Insanity: Core Cardio & Balance - 38 min
Tue Feb 14 - Cardio Karate: Interval Core - 58 min
Wed Feb 15 - Insanity: Max Interval Circuit - 60 min
Thu Feb 16 - Cardio Karate: Cardio Kata - 58 min
Fri Feb 17 - Insanity: Max Cardio Conditioning - 48 min
Sat Feb 18 - Active Recovery: Deep Stretch Workout 2 - 20 min
Sun Feb 19 - Cardio Karate: Extreme Martial Conditioning 2 - 64 min
Mon Feb 20 - Insanity: Max Interval Plyo - 56 min
Tue Feb 21 - Cardio Karate: Cardio Plyo Intervals - 54 min
Wed Feb 22 - Insanity: Max Recovery - 48 min
Thu Feb 23 - Cardio Karate: Cardio Metabolic Intervals - 64 min
Fri Feb 24 - Insanity: Max Interval Sports Training - 55 min
Sat Feb 25 - Active Recovery: Deep Stretch Workout 3 - 20 min
Sun Feb 26 - Cardio Karate: Cardio Complexes - 57 min
Mon Feb 27 - Insanity: Upper Body Weight Training - 48 min
Tue Feb 28 - Cardio Karate: Martial Cardio Circuits - 61 min
Wed Feb 29 - Insanity: Fast & Furious and Insane Abs - 56 min

Patrick Goudeau Extreme Calorie Burn - Thoughts

2012-01-30T16:43:00.005-05:00

Extreme Calorie Burn could have been called Lean Hot Body 2. Same format but slightly longer, Extreme Calorie Burn clocks in at 67 minutes.

I have to say, Patrick annoyed me or maybe it was the camera person. Patrick kept stopping "to coach". I am use to this because he does this in his other workouts. He does this so much in Extreme Calorie Burn that I don't think he even did 1/2 the workout. The part that annoys me is that the camera is on him quite a few times when he does stop which he does so very abruptly. So either I am thinking the exercise is over and I stop too or it messes up my count.

There is a warm up, 5 interval blocks and cool down. The DVD has a chapter menu so you can choose to include the ab workout before the cool down, eliminated the ab workout and go straight to the cool down or do the ab workout on its own at a later time. The ab workout is about 10 minutes and it uses a dumbbell.

The 5 interval blocks each contain two rounds and each round contains two sets. So you are repeating everything four times through. The sets consist of two to three compound type sculpting or muscle conditioning exercises. A minute of cardio breaks up the sets. Then, you either repeat the set or move on.

Now, while you cannot select each block from the chapter menu, the main workout is chaptered. This is great because you can, if you want, skip ahead or repeat segments.

If I were to compare workouts. I like the combinations and exercises in Extreme Calorie Burn slightly better than Lean Hot Body, although over all, I think the two workouts very similar.
4 stars

Sean O'Malley Cardio Coach Volume 5 - Review

2012-01-29T19:18:00.003-05:00

Cardio Coach Volume 5 is 63 1/2 minutes in length if you do the ending stretch. Without the ending stretch, the workout clocks in at a little less than 54 minutes.

Following the same levels and zones as previous Cardio Coach workouts, Volume 5 breaks down as:
Warm up - 5:18 - Level 1
Steady State 1 - 3:03 - Level 2
Challenge 1- 16:22 - three Level 3 Hills, each hill climb is 4 minutes with a 2 minute rest between hills
Steady State 2 - 3:10 - Level 2
Challenge 2 9:37 - six - Level 3 sprints, sprint for 1 minute with a 30 second rest between sprints
Steady State 3 - 3:12 - Level 2
Challenge 3 - 7:24 - four Level 4 Treks, each trek is 30 seconds with a 90 second rest between treks
Cool down -5:39 - Level 2 to Level 1
Stretch 9:54

Volume 5 also contains Coaches Notes track (4:22) and a Bonus Track (3:25).

This is another great cardio coach workout. I love all the tunes but the cool down music. That seems to be the case with me. I feel a lot of the cool down music is a bit sappy. Out of all the volumes, I think I only like the cool down music in Volumes 4 and 3.

Anyway for Cardio Coach Volume 5 - 4 stars.

Michelle Dozois More Cardio Strength - Thoughts

2012-01-27T16:16:00.002-05:00

More Cardio Strength is approximately 55 minutes in length.
There is no warm up. It consist of 5 blocks that are about 10 minutes in length. Each block is composed of 2 rounds that are around 5 minutes. There is a cool down.
This workout follows Michelle, Peak format. That format is:
Base camp, Ascent, Climb and Peak.
With the exception of the first block, which does not include Peak and really doesn't include a Base camp, the other 4 blocks do follow the format.

In the Cardio Strength workouts (this is Michelle's third Cardio Strength Workout) the Ascent level is the strength level, and thus weights are used. Michelle does a lot of compound multi- muscles type exercises. On almost every exercise you are working both the upper and lower body and sometimes the core. The Climb is cardio level - no weights are used. The Peak level is heavy on the plyo. There is a modifier.

The Peak Exercises in this workout are:
Block 2 - 180 Squat Touchdown
Block 3 - Side to Side Jump Squat Down
Block 4 - Ski Jumps
Block 5 - Knee Slappers

My issue with this workout is the no warm up. I already knew it was going to be that way. So I had my system in place on how I would approach this workout.
My Approach:
I use the first round of the first block as my warm up and I don't use weights. Then the second round of the first block I will use light weight. This is for the Ascent level.
Luckily Michelle, keeps the workout pretty even between these two rounds. I say that because many times she has you do the exercises on the right side for the first round and then the second round you repeat everything on the left. So because she work the sides pretty evenly, I didn't have to worry about being uneven.
However, what further annoyed me about the workout is that the Climb level in the first round has you doing a side Burpee followed by a plank lunge jump as your first group of moves. So I wasn't please, because I still didn't feel warmed up. At this point we are about 2 1/2 minutes into the workout.
Once I got past the first block. I felt better about the workout and give it -
3 1/2 stars.

Michelle Dozois More Cardio Interval Burn - Thoughts

2012-01-26T17:24:00.002-05:00

Another winner from Michelle. I am really a fan of her cardio workouts. More Cardio Interval Burn clocks in at 60 minutes, and the time flew by for me. Michelle said something about it being the last block and I was like "really?".
There is a warm up, five Cardio Blocks consisting of two rounds each, and cool down.
Each round consist of a series of training levels. As you proceed through the levels the intensity and movements increase.
The levels are:
Base camp, Ascent, Climb and Peak.
Base camp is your recovery level. Ascent and Climb are where you increase the intensity. Climb is more intense than the Ascent. The most intense level is Peak. This level features a lot of plyo type movements.

The Peak Exercises:
Block 1 - Air Jacks
Block 2 - Jump Shots
Block 3 - Tuck Jumps to a Burpee
Block 4 - 180 Lunge Jumps
Block 5 - Quarter Eagle to Knee Slapper
There is a modifier showing less intense ways to do the Peak Exercises.

More Cardio Interval Burn follows the exact same pattern as Michelle's Cardio Interval Burn workout. I thought this workout was easier than Cardio Interval Burn. There is also more Kickboxing type moves in this workout.
The DVD is chapter so that you can select individuals blocks to do. Each block is about 10 minutes. The music and Michelle are both motivating.
Love the workout.
5 stars

Patrick Goudeau Lean Hot Body - Thoughts

2012-01-23T18:42:00.003-05:00

Lean Hot Body is a 60 minute Patrick Goudeau Workout.
It is interval based - mixing cardio intervals with toning intervals.
The workout follows a similar format to some other Interval Style workouts I have.
You are essentially doing everything twice through. Once on the right and again on the left.
I believe there are five interval blocks for a total of 10 intervals.
I was going to break down each of the interval with each of the exercises perform but the workout is not chaptered - which is a big negative. So the next time I do the workout, I will try to take the time to write down what is what.

It is a shame that the workout is not chaptered or the main part of the workout is not chapter. You can select the cool down and the abs as separate chapter points. Anyway, as I was doing the workout, I was thinking it would be good to mix and match the sections - to design my own workout by shortening it or repeating some sections or simply just doing the intervals I like best.

This workout was challenging for me. Some of the moves I modified. There is a lot of getting down and up from the floor type moves. There are several moves that I really like. I like the roll backs and the step back lunges with clean and press. I also like the repeat side to side lunges and the twisting kickback moves. However, I could have done without the mountain climbers and the burpees. Even so, I think Patrick has a lot of variety in this workout.

Patrick stops to coach quite a bit. He spends quite a bit of time interacting with his Cast.
The music is pretty good. Patrick's energy is very high. Along with 2 pair of dumbbells, a mat is used.
If you add on the ab section, the workout clocks in at about 70 minutes. I didn't do the Ab workout.
4 stars

Cardio Coach Volume 6 - Thoughts

2012-01-23T17:30:00.003-05:00

Cardio Coach Volume 6 is 58 minutes long. Your coach is Sean O'Malley and Sean takes you on a journey through several challenges and steady state intervals.
This workout recommends the use of a heart rate monitor. You use the heart rate monitor to keep track of which level you are working at.
The levels are:
Level 1 Blue - 55% to 65% of max heart rate
Level 2 Green - 65% to 75% of max heart rate
Level 3 Orange - 75% to 85% of max heart rate
Level 4 Red - Above 85%

The workout breaks down as follows:
warm up - 5:28, Level 1 to Level 2
Challenge 1 - 21:01, Four Level 3 to Level 4 hill climbs, followed by a 1 minute sprint, 2 minutes of rest
Steady State 1 - 3:37, Level 2
Challenge 2 - 9:47, Five Level 3 Sprints, Sprint for 1 minute, rest for 1 minute
Steady State 2 - 3:05, Level 2
Challenge 3 - 4:04, Level 2 Climb for 1 minute, Level 3 Climb for 2 minute, Level 4 climb for 1 minute
Cool down - 3:55, Level to Level 1
Stretch - 6:42

I like Cardio Coach Volume 6 because it has more sprints than some of the other Cardio Coach workouts. I also like the length of the workout. The soundtrack is great. The only tune that I didn't care for was the cool down tune.
4 stars

Jazzercise Latin Live - Thoughts

2012-01-20T18:43:00.003-05:00

Latin Live by Jazzercise is 45 minute dance based workout. It stars Judi Sheppard Misset and Cheryl Burke as the instructors. It features a live percussionist and a circular stage surrounded by a ton of cast members. With the exception of the warm up and cool down, Judi and Cheryl take turns leading each of the dance segments.

The Breakdown of the main workout is:
Warm up - features both Judi & Cheryl
Dance 1 - Merengue with Cheryl
Dance 2 - Jazzercise Diva Dance with Judi
Dance 3 - Samba with Cheryl
Dance 4 - Jazzercise The Skip It Dance with Judi
Dance 5 - Jazzercise The Hip Core Dance with Judi
Dance 6 - Cha Cha with Cheryl
Dance 7 - Jive with Cheryl
Dance 8 - Jazzercise - Ball Change Dance with Judi
Dance 9 - Cha Cha with Cheryl
Dance 10 - Rhumba with Cheryl
Cool Down - features both Judi & Cheryl

Now, while the workout is chaptered, you can't select each segment as I have them listed. There is no menu for it. However, you can moved quickly from one segment to the next with your DVD chapter button. Also, I came up with the names for the Jazzercise Dance Segments to differentiate one dance from the other.
Each dance features a song that plays throughout the segment. I love, love, love the music in this workout. I felt the music had a lot of energy. It would have been great if they had a music only option with the workout All the dance segments were very easy to follow. There is repetition within each segment. You are probably doing about four to eight different mini combo moves per dance and then you just repeat those moves for the length of the song. Slight variations are added as you proceed through the dance. Each dance usually ends with a pose from Judi or Cheryl. You come to a complete stop before moving on to the next dance.

I liked this workout. I probably like Cheryl's sections a little more than Judi's. I remember thinking I wish they had an option that combined just all of Cheryl's dance segments.

Well I wish and I got. There are two bonus workouts on the DVD. One is a 20-minute Latin Ballroom Blast and this workout contains all the segments Cheryl lead by herself.
There is also a 10 Minute Latin Ab Blast that includes segments lead by Cheryl.
3 3/4 stars

Patrick Goudeau Body Design - Thoughts

2012-01-16T08:31:00.003-05:00

Body Design is a long workout. I specifically schedule it for today because I knew that I would be off from work. It clocks in at 81 minutes, and I did all 81 minutes, and yes it felt that long.
The DVD is chaptered so you don't have to do the whole workout or rather you have options to jump round and do what you want.
The breakdown is:
Warm up
Design 1 - Lower Body
Design 2 - Chest and Back
Design 3 - Triceps and Biceps
Design 4 - More Legs & Shoulders
Design 5 Abs
Cool Down.

Now Patrick, tells you that you can pick and choose which sections to do, thus designing your own workout. I just think with the way he has it set up, it would be difficult to get a complete workout in.
This is an interval workout and many of the sections contain some type of impact move. Squat thrust and mountain climbers both show up. A lot of the impact moves comes from moving on and off the step. Along with a step, Patrick uses a body bar for sculpting and balance moves. For most of the workout, I used a body bar as well. There were a couple of exercises, where I swapped out the body bar for a dumbbell because I felt the length of the body bar was to long for some of the moves I was executing.

It is often mentioned how much Patrick uses the phrase "Oh My Gosh". Well in this workout he uses it a ton. I really picked up on that at the beginning of the workout but as I moved through the workout, I was no longer paying attention to that.

Patrick stops to coach and check on the other two cast members quite a bit.
This set has a blue back drop and lighted opaque columns . The music has that driving techno beat.
This workout was okay.
3 stars

Cardio Coach Volume 7 - Thoughts

2012-01-16T08:21:00.004-05:00

Cardio Coach Volume 7 is the longest Cardio Coach workout. If you do the workout as designed, it clocks in at 73:46. That includes a 12 minute ending stretch.
The breakdown for this workout is:
Warm up - 4:03 at Level 1
Steady State 1 - 3:03 at Level 2
Challenge 1 - 22:14 - this is four Level 3 treks, each trek is 3 minutes with 2 minutes of rest.
Steady State 2 - 3:49 at Level 2
Challenge 2 - 15:04 - this is ten Level 3 Intervals, Alternating Level 3 Hill for 1 minute, 30 seconds of rest, Level 3 Sprint for 1 minute, 30 seconds of rest
Steady State 3 - 3:50 at Level 2
Challenge 3 - 5:01 - this is a L3 Trek for 4 minutes followed by a Level 4 Trek for 1 minute
Cool Down - 4:48 - work yourself back down to Level 1
Stretch - 12:00

I didn't do the ending stretch.
This is one of my favorite Cardio Coach workouts. I absolutely love the musical score for this. As always, Sean is very motivating. My favorite section is Challenge 2.

4 stars

Cardio Karate Workout System - Information

2012-01-14T16:42:00.005-05:00

I received my Cardio Karate workout system. Right now, I don't plan to do the workouts until March. I did preview the workouts - something that I always do to make sure I actually received the right DVD and that the DVD plays without any problems.

The 14 workouts that come with the system are:
Welcome to the Dojo: Introduction to system only - 6:42
The Perfect Martial Arts Workout - 50:32
Disc 1 Cardio Circuits (Amy Bento Ross) - 63:00
Disc 2 Extreme Martial Conditioning 1 (Gregg Cook) - 60:24
Disc 3 Extreme Cardio Interval (Gay Gasper) - 57:40
Disc 4 Flexible Strength Conditioning (Keli Roberts) - 50:58
Disc 5 Cardio Intense (Amy Bento Ross) - 77:00
Disc 6 Interval Core (Greg Sims) - 57:43
Disc 7 Cardio Kata (Gay Gasper) - 57:22,
Disc 8 Extreme Martial Conditioning 2 (Gregg Cook) - 64 minutes
Disc 9 Cardio Plyo Intervals (Keli Roberts) - 53:45
Disc 10 Cardio Metabolic Intervals (Gay Gasper) - 64:00,
Disc 11 Cardio Complexes (Amy Bento Ross) 56:15,
Disc 12 Martial Cardio Circuit (Steve Feinberg) 61:00

Things I noticed from the preview:

Every single instructor gives a shout out to Century 21. Century 21 built the set that is used in all the workouts.

JB introduces each of the workouts and talks about the instructor that is doing the workout. I think this is his thing. I have a couple of his Urban Rebounder Extreme workouts and he did the same thing.

For the workouts that use the Pull Up bar - there is this warning that appears at the beginning of the workout - It actually beeps at you - "Do not attempt these moves with a portable door mounted pull-up bar like the one sold at Cardio Karate .com". For the workouts, that use the Pull Bar, there is a modification shown using the Band type Tubing.

In Amy's workouts, she talk to JB who is off camera. She and Gay talk directly in the camera (sort of mugging the camera). I didn't notice any of the other instructors doing this.

There is a timer for each workout that counts down - love that. There are also tips that scroll in and out depending on the move that you are doing and what the instructor is saying.

You cannot skip the 30 second introduction that appears at the beginning of each workout.

And there is tons of repetition. I mentioned this because in the infomercial, the announcer says something about being tired of all the "repetitive kickboxing dance workouts" - so as I am watching each workout, I am watching a lot of repetition. Not that I am bothered by this - just wondering why JB doesn't consider these workouts to be repetitive.

With the exception of Steve Feinberg's workout, the men do not wear shirts. All the workouts include at least one male and one female, except for Amy Bento (all women) and Gregg Cook (all guys).

The instructors and the program guides reference "PODS". I translate this to be another word for combos or mini-routines.

The system comes with a Rotational Two Month Wall Calendar, the DVD case booklet, and the Program Guide. 2nd picture up top.

The Program Guide needed an editor. The Taoist 5 Tastes Diet reference the number 7 and then later 5. Also, it mentions the "Urban Extreme 5 Taste Diet". That made me wonder if this diet was also a part of his Urban Rebounder Extreme system. The reference to Urban Extreme just seemed out of place.

Speaking of Diet, the Program Guide includes a 21 Day (1600 Calories a day) menu plan. The Program Guide also introduces the instructors and includes a description of the 14 DVDs that come with the system.
JB's Transformation Workout Calender has you working out 7 days a week. The first month, you do the first 6 workouts (Disc 1 through 6), performing Disc 2 twice - Tuesday and then again on Friday. The second month, you do disc 7 through 12, doing Disc 8 twice a week - Tuesday and Friday. Out of all the workouts, Disc 2 and 8, the Extreme Martial Conditioning workouts, look to be my least favorite upon preview. These are the circuit style workouts that use the pull up bar, dumbbells, and contain lots of core and plank work.

My dilemma is going to be in determining how I want to use these workouts - coming up with a rotation. I am sure I will make my own. Several of the workouts include push ups, squat thrust, and the sand weights. Dumbbells are used in both Gregg Cook's workouts. The cardio workouts really are not pure cardio. There is a lot of up and down movement (getting down on the floor and getting up). Some of the moves look super cool. I am looking forward to trying most of the workouts.

10 Minute Solution Carb & Calorie Burner

2012-01-09T17:05:00.004-05:00

Carb & Calorie Burner features Michelle Dozois as the lead. It contains 5 - mostly cardio based- 10 minute workouts.
One thing to note about the 10 Minute Solution workouts is that each 10 minute workout is fairly self contain. Meaning they contain some type of warm up and cool down - although brief they may be. Because of this, there is a lot of stopping and starting if you are doing all 5 workouts back to back. I found this to be true in all the 10 minute workouts I have done.

What I found in Carb & Calorie Burner, is that there is a lot of instruction within each 10 minute segment - so it seems like there is even more stopping and starting than just when one workout ends and the next begins.

The five 10 minute workouts are:
Slow & Steady Burn - all cardio - simple moves such as side steps, knee pulls, & marching,
Carb Killer - all cardio with a Kickboxing influence
Power Blast - leg cardio drills
Interval Burn - Boot camp influence (this segment uses a mat and contains an abdominal section, there are also Burpees and mountain climbers)
Metabolism Booster - This is a cardio sculpt workout. You use a pair of weights and also a mat.

The routines are all good. I didn't like anyone more or less than the other.
This workout underwent a name change. I have seen the name as Carb Burner and also Carb & Calorie Burner.
3 stars.

Cardio Coach Volume 8 - Thoughts

2012-01-08T11:22:00.003-05:00

Cardio Coach Volume 8 is an MP3 downloaded interval workout that you can use - I guess - with any piece of cardio equipment. I use the Cardio Coach series with my Treadmill.
The Coach is Sean O'Malley and he guides you through the workout using resistance and speed challenges. Volume 8 is 67 minutes long but that includes a stretch segment. If you do just the treadmill portion, the workout clocks in just under 59 minutes.
To get the best out of the workout, you need a heart rate monitor that can give your heart rate max percentages so that you will know what zone or level you are working out at.
The zones are:
Blue - 55 - 65%
Green - 65 - 75%
Orange - 75 - 85%
Red - 85 - 95%
Sean is telling you what zone you should be in throughout the workout.
Volume 8 breaks down as follows:
Warm up - 4:37 (Starting at Level 1 and working towards Level 2)
Challenge 1 - 6:43 (3 minutes starting at Level 2 working towards Level 3, Level 3 Hill Climb for 2 minutes, followed by a level 4 Hill climb for 90 seconds) If you are using a treadmill, a hill climb would be increasing your incline.
Steady State 1 - 3:57 at Level 2
Challenge 2 - 18:46 - Yep challenge 2 is almost 19 minutes - it is broken up into two Level 3 treks which are 8 minutes each. You get a 2 minute rest in between the two treks. A trek is when you increase both your speed and resistance (incline).
Steady State 2 - 4:46 at Level 2
Challenge 3 - 15:35 -There is a lot going on in this challenge. Essentially, you are doing drop set intervals for 4 rounds. You start with a Level 3 Hill climb for 3 minutes, immediately followed by a Level 4 climb for 1 minute, followed by 2 minutes of rest. As you proceed through the intervals, you drop a minute off the Level 3 hill climb but you also loose seconds off the Rest time.
Cool down - 4:38 - Working to bring yourself back to a Level 1.
Stretch segment - about 7 minutes. I didn't do this segment. I did my own stretching.

This workout is different from some of the other Cardio Coach section in that it does not contain any speed drills. The challenges are hill climbs and treks and they are long so there is not as much variety.
Love the music. Love love love Sean's voice.
3 1/2 stars

The Guinea Pig That I Am

2012-01-06T21:07:00.003-05:00

Even though I won't get to these workouts until March, I decided to go ahead and take the plunge and order Cardio Karate. I really like the clips and hope at least 1/2 the DVDs live up to my expectations.

I ordered online. Typical of ordering online (and I am sure on the phone as well) is that you are offered a lot of add ons.
When you click "Order Now" the first page is where you put in all your information (name, address, and credit card). I deselected the check box that mention something to the affect of authorizing text payments for this phone.

Once you "click here to order", I think it is too late to cancel.

Then you get a series of offers to buy the add on equipment. The first offer is offering you the whole package, I believe the price was $79.95 + $24.95 S+H. Might be wrong on the shipping. In this package comes the pull up bar, three pair of sand weights, and weighted gloves. I said no thanks.
And then one by one, pages came up offering the products in different configurations. For the sand weights it was really weird. There are two prices mentioned if you want to buy all three: One states "A $74.85 value for ONLY $59.95 + $19.95 S+H" and right under that it ask "Would you like to add the Cardio Karate Sand Weights Set to your order for only $24.95?".

Individually the prices are 1lb - $19.95, 2lb - $24.95, and 3lb - $29.95 and each pair has a $9.95 S&H charge.
The pull up bar is $24.95 + $13.95 S+H and the 2 lb Weighted Gloves are $19.95 + $9.95 S+H.
I said "No Thanks" to all of these.

And then, the most interesting part was that I was offered the opportunity to buy an additional Cardio Karate set for 1/2 price $44.93 + $13.95 S+H. I said "No Thanks" to that too. After this page you are presented with an Order Confirmation but there is no order number on the page.

The website states 30 day money back guarantee minus S+H plus there is a $7.50 restocking fee for open products. 2 to 3 weeks for delivery.

That is all the info I have. Oh, I did get an email confirmation saying my order was received, but the email did not have an order number.

I do hope this is going to be a good system. I am looking forward to getting them and hopefully I can wait to March to do them. Although, if it is going to be 2 to 3 weeks for delivery, I should be able to do that. Right now January's rotation is set so it would be February's rotation that would be in danger.

Michelle Dozois Your Best Body Circuit - Thoughts

2012-01-06T18:05:00.004-05:00

Your Best Body Circuit is the third workout in Michelle's Your Body Breakthru series. The other two are Rockin Body Cardio Jam and Slim, Strong, Sexy Body Sculpt.
This series is like a intro to Michelle's Peak Fit Challenge Series. There are a lot of similarities with perhaps the Peak Fit Challenge series being more refined.
This workout, Your Best Body Circuit (YBBC), would be like one of her Cardio Strength workouts, except she includes what I consider to be a true warm up in YBBC.
YBBC is about 58 minutes in length. The DVD does contain a 35 minute express option. Also you can select individual chapter points and make up your own/mix and match the sections. If you do the workout as designed, which is what I did, it breaks down as follows:
Warm up
Circuit 1 (Back & Biceps 1)
Circuit 2 (Chest & Triceps 1)
Circuit 3 (Back & Biceps 2)
Circuit 4 (Chest & Triceps 2)
Circuit 5 (Shoulders with Legs)
Circuit 6 (Legs)
Circuit 7 (Abdominals)
Cool Down.
Each circuit is preceded by a cardio set. The cardio is mostly athletic in nature. There is very little dance and some but not a lot of kickboxing.
The sculpting sets use dumbbells and a band. A blue band does come with the workout. Also each of the circuits contain different sculpting exercises. So where you see the Back & Biceps 1 and then Back & Biceps 2. 2 does not repeat what you did in 1. You are doing different exercises. This is the same for chest and triceps.
Now, within each circuit, you do repeat on the left what you did on the right.

The transitions between each circuit is a bit funky. There is a diagonal wipe that moves you from one circuit to the next. I mentioned this because you need to be ready to go because as soon as it happens Michelle moves right into the cardio.

There is a beginner modifier. The set is brown and the music is pretty good - upbeat. This helped me out because my energy this morning was not so great.

I like this workout.
4 stars

Michelle Dozois Slim, Strong, & Sexy Body Sculpt - Thoughts

2012-01-04T18:10:00.004-05:00

Slim, Strong, & Sexy Body Sculpt - This is a long title.
The workout - well it is not short if you do both portions, clocking in at just over 60 minutes. There really is two separate 30 minute + a few seconds workouts.
The first workout is called Upper Body and Core. The second workout is called Lower Body and Core.
Each workout is broken up into 4 blocks. The DVD is chaptered in a way that you can select individual blocks to do. Both workouts contain their on warm up and a brief stretch at the end.
Michelle uses a band and dumbbells in both workouts. The workout comes with a band - it is blue. It looks similar to what Michelle is using in the workout.
I am not a big fan of band workout, although quite a few of the band exercises she chose I like. Sometimes she has you using the band and dumbbell at the same time - wrapping the band around the dumbbell for even more resistance.
Quite a few of the exercises I found challenging. Also I felt that I had enough time to set up the band for the majority of the exercises that use it. Once or twice the band slipped from my hand then I had to reset myself and missed a couple of reps.
There is a modifier and there is also someone who shows more advance moves.
The set is brown. A lot of brown. The music is okay.
A solid group of sculpting workouts.
3 1/2 stars

Michelle Dozois The Ultimate Workout - Thoughts

2012-01-02T14:15:00.003-05:00

My first workout for 2012 was Michelle Dozois's The Ultimate Workout. The workout, which is about 75 minutes is actually 3 workouts in 1. Michelle calls it The Ultimate Workout because it contains the three main components of a good fitness program. These components are cardio, resistance and flexibility.
So you can play the whole workout, which I did because I was off today and had plenty of time to work out; or you can do any of the three parts on their on or in combination.
30 Minute Ultimate Cardio Blast Workout
30 Minute Ultimate Super Sculpting Workout
15 Minute Ultimate Flexibility Session

The cardio workout. I am a huge fan of Michelle's cardio workouts, so I l0ve this portion even though it included push up. The cardio is mostly athletic, with a little kickboxing thrown in. There is some high impact but their is a modifier showing modifications. The cardio section contains a warm up, 3 combos consisting of 3 main exercises that Michelle builds intensity around and a cool down. The warm up, combinations, and cool down are taught on both the right and left sides so you run through everything twice.
Michelle pack a lot in in 30 Minutes.

The sculpting workout. Either there is no warm up or you are warming up with a weight. I went back and played just the sculpting workout (to see if it had been left out when playing the whole workout) and no - you start off right away with weight.
This workout uses several pieces of equipment. You have a high step, dumbbells, mat, and gliding disc (or you can use paper plate). The use of the gliding disc made several of the exercises more challenging. I used my Cathe gliding disc and they work just fine for the workout.
By the end of the 30 minutes you have hit all the major muscle groups. Some of the exercises are leg press, push ups, triceps dips, bicep curls, wide rows, crunches and lunges. Several of the exercises are done in combinations. So there is lots of compound work. Michelle does stretch you out at the end. Michelle packs a lot in this workout as well but I didn't feel rushed.

The flexibility workout. 15 minutes of pure stretching. And unlike a lot of stretching workouts, it includes very little if any yoga. Michelle uses a mat and a towel and she did the workout barefoot.

The set is nice and the music is good throughout. I really liked all parts of the workout. I don't like the length because rarely do I have 75 minute to exercise at one time, which is the way I would prefer to do this particular workout.

4 stars

January 2012 Monthly Rotation

2012-01-01T10:05:00.002-05:00

Happy New Years Everyone!!!
January Rotation

I am starting off the New Year with Michelle, Chalene, Zumba and a little Patrick.
I will add in some Cardio Coach, some PowerFit and sprinkle in Jazzercise and The PussyCat Dolls.
I am looking forward to this rotation and I hoping to blast away those holiday pounds.

The break down is as follows:
Sunday - Cardio Coach followed by PowerFit/Harmony Core Work
Monday (am) Aerobics & Sculpting (pm) Zumba
Tuesday (am) Turbo Fire Fire Workouts
Wednesday (am) Sculpting workouts (pm) Turbo Fire HiiT Workouts
Thursday (am) Michelle Dozois Cardio Workouts (pm)Dance
Friday (am) Michelle Dozois Cardio Strength Workouts
Saturday rest

My 2011 Year In Review

2011-12-31T10:46:00.007-05:00

2011
Lots of change occurred with me in 2011. I changed jobs again and I moved. So far both are going well. Lots also stayed the same. I once again went to New York in December. Again it was too cold and too crowded. I made it to the Cathe Road Trip, my fourth time. Next year, I might try a different fitness trip. I need to look and see what else is out there. And I bought more exercise DVDs than I should have.
So speaking of exercise DVDs, let talk favorites
Top 10
Michelle Dozois takes the top two spots. These two workouts are part of her Peak Fit Challenge System. I really like the whole system of workouts, a couple of more could have easily made the top ten as well. Two spots are also claimed by Core Rhythms (love those) and two by The FIRM with their FIRM Express System. Overall, I rate the FIRM Express System above average with the two on my list of top ten being the standouts (at least for me) in the group. The surprise on this list for me is Andrea Rogers Lean & Chiseled. I was surprised at how much I liked the workout. It is a barre style workout and they are usually not my favorite.
Tracie and Kelly put out two really good workout in Leaning Out and Split Sessions and Zumba Mix is just fun.
1) Michelle Dozois Pure Cardio
2) Michelle Dozois Cardio Interval Burn
3) Zumba Mix
4) Core Rhythms Latin Synergy
5) Alison Davis FIRM Express Turbocharged Cardio Sculpt
6) Andrea Rogers Lean & Chiseled
7) Tracie Long Leaning Out
8) Kelly Coffey Meyer Split Sessions Workout 1 Upper Body
9) Emily Welsh FIRM Express Ignite Cardio
10) Core Rhythms Jumpin Jive

Least Favorites
I can always find something redeeming about a workout, but overall I did not care for these.
Aerospace Savage
Fit By Tracey Circuit Zone
WHFN Lower Body Burn
Dancing Off The Inches Sizzling Salsa
FIRM The Wave Rock Solid Abs

Equipment/Tools
Urban Rebounder
I like the rebounder. I didn't like any of the workouts that came with them. So I rarely used it until I bought the Fitness Favorite G-Force workouts

Forza Sword
I got this sword to use with Ilaria's Forza workouts. Just one problem, my basement ceiling is too low to swing the sword. I tried. I kept dinging the ceiling. So I need to do these workouts upstairs where I have more ceiling height. That is going to be a hassle because I will have to clear space to do the workouts.

Cathe Slide & Glide Disc
These came with Cathe's Low Impact Series. Pleasantly surprise - I ended up liking these. When I was previewing the Low Impact Series through clips provided, all the workouts using these I found I didn't care for. However, once I started using them, I quite liked many of the exercises

Kelly Coffey-Meyer Start Here - Thoughts

2011-12-30T19:46:00.005-05:00

My last workout for 2011 is KCM's Start Here from her 30 Minute To Fitness Series.
Start Here consist of two workouts, Workout 1 (Cardio) and Workout 2 (Toning).
Workout 1 is actually cardio and toning. The first half (about 12 minutes) is cardio . The second half (also about 12 minutes) is toning.

I did the Workout 2 yesterday evening and Workout 1 this morning. Both workouts use the same warm up. I really like the music in the Warm Up. It had vocals and the words are about "feeling sexy".

So I will start with Workout 2, since I did that workout first. So the Start Here DVD is touted as being beginner workouts. I agree with that in that the moves are basic and straight forward. There is not a lot , if any, compound multi-exercises going on. You are doing one exercise at a time. So this is the type of workout you can go really heavy if you want. There is nothing rushed about the workout. The tempo is fairly steady. I like this one.

Workout 1 (Cardio). I kind of wish this workout was all cardio although the cardio portion I felt to be very repetitive even though it is only 12 minutes or so. There are two pattern or mini routines. The first pattern starts with the Squat Pops, followed by leg abduction, knee pulls, repeaters and he's safe/touchdown. It was weird because with the last move (safe/touchdown), Kelly never added it back into the pattern. It showed up once and that was it.

The second pattern starts with 3 foot stops. I like the second pattern much better than the first. Kelly has a move called the squat hip rocks which was fun. The other moves are side jacks, rear jacks, and side hops.
The toning in Workout 1 is mostly functional fitness. Kelly states "do not go over 5lbs" for this section. Most of the toning has a shoulder emphasis to it. Even though I wish Workout 1 was all cardio, I actually like the toning section better than the cardio section.
I have included worksheets for both Workout 1 (Toning Section Only) and Workout 2.

Start Here Workout 1 - 3 stars
Start Here Workout 2 - 3 1/2 stars

Dance Off the Inches Latin Party Pack! - Thoughts

2011-12-29T15:34:00.003-05:00

Dance Off The Inches Latin Party Pack! was a Christmas Gift. In the box came 4 workouts on three DVDs, a 30-Day rotational calendar and Salsa Sculpting Bars. The bars are pink and solid. They do not shake or rattle.
So the workouts are:
Red Hot Cardio Party
Sizzling Salsa
Total Body Tone with a Twist
Slim & Sexy Dancer's Abs.

I will start in the order I did the workouts
Total Body Tone with a Twist. This DVD consist of two workouts. Both workouts are led by Desiree Bartlett. Toning with a Twist is 21 minutes and Slim & Sexy Dancer's Abs is 17 minutes. If you select play all, it will play both back to back and that clock in at around 36 minutes. Both of
these workouts have a warm up and cool down and both used the Salsa Sculpting Bars.
In Toning with a Twist, you are doing plies, lunges, dips, squats, biceps, triceps, overhead press. This workout is very basic. In between the different sculpting sets you do basic dance movement, merengue or cha cha. I did not particularly like this workout.

Slim& Sexy Dancer's Abs I liked a little bit more than Total Body Tone with a Twist. All the toning is done from the standing position. There is lots of oblique work. The warm up and cool down in this workout are quite lengthy for such a short workout. I did like the cool down.
Overall, I felt that I didn't get a lot out of both workouts. Desiree is pleasant. Beyond being able to select one of the two workouts and play all, the workouts are not chaptered.

Sizzling Salsa is an old Dancing Off The Inches workout. I have seen several clips of this workout but always pass because the clip left me with the impression that the workout is dull. And out of all the DOTI workouts I have done, this is probably going to be my least favorite. There was no oomph in the dance.

However, the soundtrack, I thought awesome. It was mostly familiar music but some of my favorite Latin tunes. With the exception of the cool down, I was really disappointed in the combinations.

The workout is led by Stella Sandoval. She is pleasant and cues well. I did not feel any energy coming from her. It was like she was saying the words but it really did not translate into a Sizzling workout.
Sometimes with dance workouts, I feel they try to make the moves so precise and thus easy/clear to teach that they loose the dance; and it feels stiff and unnatural.
One thing to note is if you have trouble learning the samba, this is a good workout to get the basics of the movement. Stella teaches it in the Latin Lime Twist sections and I thought she did a good job in demonstrating the rhythm.

Speaking of sections, the breakdown is:
The Breakdown:
Warm up
Spicy Salsa Mix
Latin Lime Twist
Mucho Mambo combo
Cool Down
This workout does feature the dance guide. The moves are quite simple.
Approximate workout time - 37 minutes.

Red Hot Cardio Party features Desiree Bartlet. It is about 40 minutes long and follows the standard Dancing Off The Inches workout design.
The Chapter Breakdown:
Warm Up
Cardio Carnivale
South of the Border
Spanish Fire
Cool Down.

Desiree has a based step that she uses throughout all the combinations. It is a merengue with a clap to the side. I thought the clap to the side very babyish. It felt force and other than that and a little too much repetition, I really like the combos in this workout.
The first dance represented Carnival in Rio De Janiero. This dance is cute and bubbly.
South of the Border featured Salsa dances from Mexico and Spanish Fire feature Flamenco steps from Spain.
Other Notes:
Desiree cues well. She also teaches you Spanish. She will tell you something in Spanish and then follow with the English translation. So I got to learn a few Spanish words that I didn't know.
The music fits the dances.

The cast:
I normally only talk about the cast if there is a beginner or advance modifier or if they are really good or really bad. I thought these ladies really good. I was trying to emulate them more than I was Desiree.

Toning With A Twist - 2 1/2 stars
Slim & Sexy Dancer's Abs - 2 1/2 stars
Sizzling Salsa - 2 1/4 stars
Red Hot Cardio Party - 3 3/4 stars

Dance Off the Inches Calorie Blasting Party - Review

2011-12-28T05:19:00.004-05:00

Calorie Blasting Party is a 41 minute working starring Juliane Arney. This Dance Off The Inches workout is a bit different than the other DOTI workouts I have done.
First it does not have a step guide. Juliane teaches the moves in what she calls progressive Tempos. There are three tempo variations - 1, 2, and 3. As you go up in numbers, you go up in speed and movements.
The workout breaks down as follows:
Warm Up
Michelle's Favorite
Cat's Dance
All About Abby
Nicole's Favorite
Cool Down.
Michelle, Cat, Abby and Nicole are all cast members.

I like the 4 combinations. Most of the DOTI workouts only have 3 combos and the workout length is relatively the same. So this one moves a little more quickly than most. There is repetition. You are repeating each move at each tempo at least four times (usually two on the left and two on the right). Also each dance is composed of 4 moves each. So after teaching each section (i.e. Michelle's Favorite, Cat's Dance etc) Juliane runs through the mini routine twice before moving on.
I did not think any of the steps complicated.

Juliane cued well but her voice annoyed me at times. When she is giving instruction, she is fine. When she is trying to encourage enthusiasm, her voice gets all babyish - shrill almost - like a force happiness.
This is an okay easy going workout for when you don't want to work to hard but you do want to move.
3 stars

Weight Watchers Punch! -Thoughts

2011-12-26T12:00:00.003-05:00

Weight Watchers Punch! is one of those workouts I have had for awhile but I am just now getting around to doing it. I had to look at the back of the DVD cover to see when it came out. I could not remember if it was earlier this year or last year. It was last year.
So this DVD features Stephanie Huckabee and it contains three kickbox inspired workouts.
Beginner (30 minutes)
Intermediate (35 minutes)
Advanced (45 minutes)

I previewed the Beginner workout but I did both the Intermediate and Advance Workouts.
Essentially the three workouts are the same which annoyed me greatly. First the three workouts feature the same warm up and cool down. That was no big deal. But once you got into the workout, they pretty much resembled each other except for slight and I do mean slight variations. The intermediate workout has a little more content than the beginner and the advance workout a little more content than the intermediate mostly in the form of repetition.

Jab, Cross repeater knee - in all three workouts
Rock Step - in all three workouts
Jump Rope - in all three workouts
Hamstring Curl Elbow Strike or Row - in all three workouts
Heel Digs with Figure Eights - in two of the workouts
Jab to Front/V step - in two of the workouts

Now I know many of these moves appear in all Kickbox workouts but it was almost the exact same sequencing in all three. And it is three different workouts because Stephanie and the cast are wearing different outfit in each of the three workouts.

Speaking of the cast, there is a beginner modifier. The workout, however, is very easy to follow. Stephanie's cuing is excellent. In the intermediate workouts, she reminds you constantly that you are doing an intermediate workout and in the advance workout, she reminds you constantly that you are in an advance workout. The impact increases as you go from beginner through advance. She is always reminding you to keep up the energy.

There is a pattern to each of the combos. Stephanie teaches it by layering and taking it from the top. She puts moves together and then she break it down. So it takes some time for the combo to come together and this is done on both the right and the left sides.

I did the intermediate workout and I like the workout. Nice easy workout to practice your kickbox moves. I didn't get annoyed until I did the advance workout and it felt like I was doing the exact same workout as the intermediate. I then previewed the beginner and realize the moves were the same or very similar throughout.
The workout comes with pink weighted gloves.
I wish there was more variety between the three workouts, but for the two I did do I give it
3 stars

Dance Off the Inches Dance It Off & Firm Up! - Thoughts

2011-12-25T21:05:00.004-05:00

Dance It Off & Firm Up! features Bethany Lyons as the lead. The workout is about 41 minutes and follows the same patterns as all the other Dance Off the Inches workouts. There is a step guide. I didn't use it. The moves are very basic and easy to follow
The workout breaks down as follows:
Warm up
Rock It
Own It
Tone It
Cool Down
The Rock It and Own It sections are the mini dance combos. Tone It is not really a mini combo. It is a bunch of toning moves done with a dancer's flair. Plie, tondu, lunges, squats, calf raises, and posse are some of the moves in this section.
In the two mini routines, Bethany has this swivel hip move that she uses as her base move. So instead of marching it out you do this swivel move before taking it from the top or adding on.

There seemed to be a lot of taking it from the top in this workout. Although, I don't think it is any more or less repetitive than any of the other Dance Off the Inches workouts. I just wasn't in the mood for what felt like endless repetition. I was ready for the combos to come together a little quicker.

I thought Bethany did a really good job with her delivery. The only thing she kept doing that got on my nerves was mentioning one of the cast members (Lea this, Lea that) and it wasn't like Lea was the beginner modifier. She didn't mentioned the other cast member by name until the cool down. And her name escapes me right now. I didn't hear it as much as I heard the name Lea.
It is amazing the things that can bug you.
Anyway, I do think this workout is decent.
3 stars

Weight Watchers Time Crunch Training - Information

2011-12-24T08:27:00.005-05:00

Note: I have not done this workout. Nor am I planning to do it. I got this workout for a friend and I was looking it over before I sent it off to her.
So this is just for informational purposes only if anyone is interested it the workout.

As far as I know, you can only get Weight Watchers 10-Minute Time Crunch Training with resistance cord from a Weight Watchers center.
The workout cost $24.95 and comes in a big box. The only think in the box is the workout, the resistance cord, and 10-Week Exercise Tracker. The rest of the box is filled with the plastic bubble paper. The box was very light to pick up. When I first grabbed it, I remember thinking it was light for its size.

The DVD includes five 10-minute workouts. There workouts are:
Upper Body
Lower Body
Total Body
Core
Interval Training

The DVD is programmable.
No star rating as I have not done this workout.

The FIRM Hi Def Sculpt - Thoughts

2011-12-23T14:59:00.005-05:00

Originally a part of the The FIRM CardioWeight System, Hi-Def Sculpt is currently sold as a standalone workout. It features Annie Lee as the lead and it is about 45 minutes in length.
When this workout first came out, it was not a favorite of mine. I still wouldn't call it a favorite, but I appreciate the workout much more than the first one and half times I did the workout.
I would add it into a rotation and then take it out when I remember I didn't like it.

With weight workouts you can generally increase the weights to make the workout harder or easier. This workout, however, really has the elements of a beginner's workouts. First Annie and the cast members (there are four) are using only light and medium weights. Light being 3lbs and medium being 5 lbs. I went much heavier than this depending on the exercise. This workout is part of the system that came with the Pink Adjustable Cardio Weights. I have only used the weights a couple of times because they are cumbersome and it is easier for me to just grab my dumbbells.

The difficulty in this workout is selecting the proper weight Often Annie is combining upper and lower body moves and she uses the same weights for both.

The tempo of this workout is also extremely slow. Often I found myself trying to execute the moves simultaneously. However the moves are not perform this way. You do one and then the other. For instance, first you plie and then you upright row. I was trying to do both together. Adding to the slow tempo of the workout is the fact that after every couple of exercises, Annie stretches the muscle group just worked. So the pattern is something like - 2 exercise, stretch, 2 exercises, stretch etc.
Overall, I think Annie did a good job cuing. My one beef is she didn't tell us when we were alternating a move. Several of the exercise, you do one side and then the other. Then she will through in an exercise where you alternate and unless you are looking at the TV, you miss that.

If you are looking for a workout that introduces you to Basic Sculpting, that has a slow and methodical tempo, this would be the workout for you. I think this would be good if you are getting back into exercise, an Active Recovery day, or you don't want anything overly complicated.

This workout is chaptered. There is also an express workout option (about 25 minutes workout) on the DVD. There is a beginner modifier. The music, I thought was really good and the set I thought bland.
3 1/2 stars

Dance Off the Inches Hip Hop Body Blast - Thoughts

2011-12-21T14:40:00.003-05:00

Hip Hop Body Blast is Jennifer Gilardi's third hip hop dance workout for Dance Off the Inches. This workout is about 45 minutes in length and like all Dance Off the Inches workouts or the ones I have, this workout has a Step Guide to teach you the moves. I never or rarely used the Step Guide. I will do the workout first and if I have trouble picking up a step, I will go to the step guide.
I didn't have any trouble picking up the steps in this workouts. The steps are basic and Jen repeats them enough so by the time we were moving on, I had picked up the move.

The DVD is chaptered. The sections of the workout are:
Warm Up
Dance 1: In The Club
Dance 2: Groovin
Dance 3: Kick It Up
Cool Down

Out of the three Jennifer Gilardi DOTI workouts, this one is my favorite. With the exception of the first tune in Dance 1, the music was really good and worked well with the choreography. I wasn't feeling the Hip Hop in that first tune of Dance 1.

There are two cast members in the workout and there isn't really a modifier. There is only one move, where Jen had one of the cast members jump in place, while Jen and the other member did a full spin.
There is quite a bit of repetition and layering. Jennifer does do a good job in keeping the workout moving.
I like this one.
3 3/4 stars

Ilaria Abs & Pushups Plus - Thoughts

2011-12-19T20:02:00.004-05:00

Well, if you can't tell, I am pretty much ignoring my December Rotation. I
decided to plug in some workouts that I have never done or haven't reviewed. One such work is Ilaria Montagnani Abs & Pushups Plus. I have had this workout forever. Probably since it was release. I am not a big push ups fan and I have enough other workouts that work the abdominals.
Because of the pushups this workout had a real dread factor for me, but it wasn't that bad. I did most, actually all the push ups on my knees. The only part of the push ups section I did on my toes were the Plank type exercises.

Ilaria starts the workout with Plank variations. So I really consider this workout an add on because you really do just hop into the workout. The workout alternates push up sets with ab sets. In the push ups sets, you are doing about 3 sets of pushups and Ilaria gives you a rest and brief stretch between the push ups sets. Whereas during the ab sets, you are going form exercise to exercise and only breaking when you go into your push ups. During the push ups sets you are pretty consistently doing 10 reps all the way through except for the last plank exercise in which you do 5 reps. The ab sets ,the reps vary. I included a worksheet with the rep count but I might have gotten some of them wrong. The majority of the ab exercises you are doing 16 reps. The ab section was easier than I thought it would be.
There is a very brief ending stretch.

This DVD is not chaptered. It would have been nice to combine all the push ups sets or all the ab sets back to back or simply just to be able to skip to a certain exercise of the workout.
If you want to work on your push ups, this is a good workout to do that with.
While I thought the workout okay, I honestly doubt if I will do the workout again.
3 stars

CIA 2603 Criss-Cross Cardio - Thoughts

2011-12-19T18:42:00.002-05:00

Criss-Cross Cardio is a reacquired workout for me. I bought this workout a few years back when Advanced Workouts was having a huge sell on CIA Video workouts. When I got the workout and previewed it, it didn't appeal to me, so when I was off-loading workouts trying to wean my collection, this went by the wayside.
So why do I own this workout now. I think it was a review, somebody had mentioned how much they like this workout. I started thinking to myself "that I really didn't give it a fair chance". Plus, CIA workouts are getting harder to find. So I decided to get this one again while I had the chance.

And, I am glad I did. The workout is about 64 minutes and stars Sherri Jacquelyn. I don't know much about her. Reading the back of the DVD cover she has been in previous CIA workouts.

Criss-Cross Cardio is predominately a kickboxing workout with some mixed martial arts. The mixed martial arts comes in the form of Capoeira which is a Brazilian form of martial arts.
After the warm up, which is about 7 minutes, you go into the cardio portion.
The cardio portion consist of mini routines of punches and kicks. There are a total of three 8 count combinations that Sherri teaches. In between teaching the combos, she throws in fast twitch drills and plyometrics (some type of jumping move).
When she is teaching you the combo, she starts off teaching it slow or 1/2 time and then after about two times through she speeds it up to tempo. She also takes time to tell you what is coming up next. She usually does this while your are marching or while you are in the middle of a drill that is about to end. I did think there was quite a bit of down time in the workout.

I will say if you are a person who is a stickler for form you may want to skip this workout. Along with Sherri, there are two cast member. One cast member does modify the moves showing easier variations.
The Capoeira sections is your sculpting section. This is about 16 minutes long. It is mostly lower/core sculpting with a lot of balance work thrown in. In the first part, you do four different exercises for three sets. The exercises are Ginga Sway, Squat into a front quad push, side lunges, and hip rotation back leg press. I like the exercises in this section.
The second part you do one exercise in which you do a squat single let shoot through. I didn't particularly care for this exercise.
The workout concludes with an ending stretch.
I thought the music was pretty decent throughout the workout until it got to the tune used for the ending stretch. It was blah. The set is the tonal brown set used in the 2600 series. It is okay. It certainly is not the worse CIA Video set.
3 1/2 stars

The FIRM Time Crunch Cardio - Thoughts

2011-12-18T18:26:00.004-05:00

Time Crunch Cardio consist of three 20 minute workouts featuring Allie Del Rio as the lead. The three 20 minute workouts are self contain workouts in
that they each contain their on warm up and cool down.
There are two other cast members. Jen does advance moves. Rebekah does the beginner modification and she is truly modifying the moves. She doesn't use weight and she does all of the blast with virtually no impact.

The three workouts are:
Cardio + Sculpt Combo
Fat Blasting Bursts
Calorie Burning Cardio
I have included break downs for both Cardio + Sculpt Combo and Fat Blasting Bursts. Both of these workouts use weights and they have cardio burst/blast.
Also, both workouts use a lot of multi-joint compound exercises. Lots of layering. So at any one point you could be doing 4 exercises in combination.
If I had to differentiate between the two, I would say Cardio + Sculpt Combos lean towards being slow and heavy whereas Fat Blasting Burst is more fast and light. (Heavy and Light in terms of weight used). I thought the tempo on Fat Blasting Burst a little faster than Cardio + Sculpt Combo.
Calorie Burning Cardio does not use weights. I think this is great because so many of the FIRM cardio workouts use weights. Also this workout has the best music. The music in the other two seemed more background. I like the mini routines that Allie came up with. I just thought a couple of them a bit too long.

The DVD:
The menu has options to choose any one of the three workouts. Each workout is chapter but there is not a separate menu that breaks down each workout. You can chapter pass the warm ups or to a certain section in any of the workouts if you want.

Cardio + Sculpt Combo - 3 1/2 stars
Fat Blasting Bursts - 3 1/2 stars
Calorie Burning Cardio - 3 3/4 stars

Fitness Favorites G-Force 2 - Thoughts

2011-12-11T08:38:00.004-05:00

First off Fitness Favorites and FitPrime workouts are one-in-the-same. There was a name change mid-way through where FitPrime became Fitness Favorites.
G-Force 2 features Carol Miller as the lead and it is a 49 minute rebounder workout. Along with Carol, there are three additional cast members. Carol and cast workout barefoot. The workout is also shot in a "live" classroom format.

G-Force 2 breaks down as follows:
Warm up - approximately 5 minutes and it uses the rebounder.
Cardio Phase using the rebounder - about 35 minutes
Lower Body Sculpt section - about 7 minutes
Core and ending stretches - about 7 minutes

There is not a lot of upper body work unless you count the plyo handstands done off the frame of the rebounder. Carole does use a pair of weighted gloves through out the workout and that adds extra intensity in the cardio phase.

During the cardio phase, you are doing back to back sets (tunes) on the rebounder. The moves are simple. Some of the moves are sambas, turns, jacks, pendulums, alternating knees and alternating kicks. You are also doing a lot of bounce moves on the rebounder. This is actually the move I have the most problem with because it is hard for me to control the bounce to where I am not double bouncing. Double bouncing tends to get me out of sync with the choreography.

Carol is great. She cues well. The music is traditional old FIRM style music. Much of which, I like. The set is also traditional old FIRM style with the Greek Statues and the Columns.

There was something a bit funky going on with the cameras. At times the picture was very clear and precise and then when they switch to a different angle, the picture became dull, faded and almost out of focus. It was like they used two cameras to film and one camera was a better quality than the other.

I like this workout, but not as much as G-Force 1.

3 1/2 stars

FitPrime G-Force - Thoughts

2011-12-09T16:44:00.004-05:00

This was my first rebounder workout and I really liked it. G-Force is a 53 minute Cardio & Weights workouts. It stars Tracie Long as the lead. In fact, Tracie does the whole workout by herself. There are no cast members.

If you think about old time FIRM AWT workouts, this is what G-Force reminds me of. However, instead of using the box step (fanny lifter) or floor for cardio, you use the rebounder.

On average, you are doing about 3 cardio tunes on the rebounder and then a sculpt set. Several of the sculpt sets use the rebounder as a prop or exercise tools. For instance, you do the leg press off the rebounder. The workout even includes floor work. The floor being the surface of your rebounder.
The set is okay - perhaps a bit busy. The music I like. Most of the workout is choreograph to the music and it flows well with the rebounder and sculpt sets.

As this was my first time really using my rebounder, I had to adjust to some of the movements. Tracie started off teaching you the foot pattern before adding arms and direction. The moves are simple. The challenge for me was in controlling the double bounce.

Along with the rebounder, dumbbells are used. Tracie is also wearing 1lb hand gloves.

The back of the DVD cover breaks down the workout like this:
rebounder warm up - 3 minutes
standing stretches - 3 minutes
cardio segment 1 - 8 minutes
weight segment 1 - 3 minutes
cardio segment 2 - 10 minutes
weight segment 2 - 4 minutes
cardio segment 3 - 8 minutes
weight segment 3 - 2 minutes
floor work (legs & core)- 8 minutes
Stretches - 3 minutes

I think this one is going to be a favorite. 4 stars

Toby Massenburg Max 30 - Thoughts

2011-12-05T18:15:00.003-05:00

I thought Max 30, featuring Toby Massenburg an interesting collection of workouts. There are three
workouts on this DVD. However, the workouts are not chaptered. If you want to skip ahead to a different block, you can't unless you use the fast-forward option.
The workouts are:
---Max Sculpt (~35 minutes)
---Max Cardio (~35 minutes)
---Max Core (~ 10 minutes)

I did Max Sculpt and Max Cardio. Both of these are complete workouts meaning they contain their own warm up and cool down.
On Max Sculpt's equipment list, you will find dumbbells and on Max Cardio, you will find the club step.

Both workouts are set up in the same pattern. Within each block you have three drills and two exercises per drill.
Within a drill you have a basic exercise and then you have a more advanced exercise which Toby calls "Max". You follow this with another drill in which you have a basic and max exercise. Then the third drill (which Toby call "the combo drill") combines the two basic exercises from the 1st and 2nd drill. This is followed by combining the two max exercises from the 1st and 2nd drill into its own combo drill.

All exercises are perform for 30 seconds. You do two exercises back to back before you get a 30 second break.
Toby has a 30 second clock up for each exercise. The clock resets for another 30 seconds when you go into your "Max" exercise. Then the clock disappears until the next drill begins. I wish Toby would have kept the 30 second clock for the breaks as well. That would have been a nice added feature.

Toby mostly talks through the 30 second break. Offering encouragement and showing you what is coming up. Toby is very exuberant. He reminds me of a very peppy cheerleader.

There are two cast members but no one modifies. Toby also likes to stop and show form pointers using the two cast members but it is not excessive.

Overall I like both workouts. I probably like Max Cardio a little more than Max Sculpt. There are parts that I didn't care for at all. Like Block 5 in Max Sculpt - much of that felt awkward.
The exercises in Block 3 of Max Cardio were a bit tricky getting the pattern down.
Also Max Sculpt really is a Cardio Sculpt workout.

The workout does move alone. I did the workouts on two separate days and thought they made for a good set of "get in and get out" workouts.

Max Sculpt - 3 1/2 stars
Max Cardio - Leaning toward 4 stars, maybe 3 3/4 stars.

December 2011 Monthly Rotation

2011-11-30T21:04:00.003-05:00

December is here. Wow, this year has really flown by fast.
I am starting off the month with a new workout, Max 30 by Toby Massenburg. The DVD has three workouts (Max Sculpt, Max Cardio, and Max Core /Abs). I will do Max Sculpt December 1st and Max Cardio December 2nd.

The rest of the month looks like:
Sunday - Fitness Favorites Rebounding/Treadmill
Monday - CIA Kickbox Workouts
Tuesday - Fitness Favorites Cardio Sculpt
Wednesday - CIA Step Workouts
Thursday - Fitness Favorites Cardio Sculpt
Friday - Tracie Long Fitness 30 Minute Focus Series
Saturday - Rest

Looking at my rotation, I have three totally brand new to me workouts. Max 30 is one. The other two are G-Force 1 and G-Force 2.

Cathe Low Impact Challenge - Thoughts

2011-11-30T20:32:00.003-05:00

Low Impact Challenge is a 50 minute step workout. It is part of Cathe's Low Impact Series of workout.
The 50 minutes breaks down as follows:
Warm up
Step Combo #1
Step Combo #2
Step Combo #3
Step Combo #4
All Combos
Cardio Blast
Stretch

If you are at all familiar with Cathe's step workouts, you should have absolutely no problem in picking up the choreography and routine in this workout. In fact, I was put off by the clip and save this workout to near last because everything in the clip look so old and reused.
So I was mildly surprised that I enjoyed all the combos. I think the combos flow well. My only complaint within the combos is that there is a lot of repeaters and sculpt 7s.

I was enjoying the workout up until I got to blast. The blast is about 10 minutes long, and it is mostly just lots of repetitions of various leg sculpting moves. Up to this point, this workout was on its way to being a 4 or 4 1/2 star workout.
I even liked the music.
Next time I do this workout I will probably skipped the Cardio Blast.
3 1/2 stars

The FIRM Fat-Burning Cardio Toning - Thoughts

2011-11-30T19:35:00.003-05:00

This workout annoyed me. Fat-Burning Cardio Toning is 30 minute workout featuring Tina Smalley as the lead. It a cardio-sculpt workout that uses the resistant cord/tubing as resistance and to sculpt the muscles.

It was the resistance cord that was annoying. It kept slipping from my feet. Also many of the moves are compound in nature, so while the resistance of the cord would be fine for one part of the exercise, the next part of the exercise the resistance would be too light or too heavy. So I was constantly changing the cords depending on the exercise.

The pattern of the work is:

Warm up

Standing Sculpting Section using the Resistance Cord.

Standing Cardio Section using the Resistance Cord

More standing sculpting, including work for the core.

Floor Sculpting using the Resistance Cord.

Ending stretch using the Resistance Cord.

I did enjoy the floor sculpting and ending stretch segments. If it wasn't for those two sections I would be giving this workout 2 1/2 stars instead of 3 stars.

The FIRM Fat-Burning Sculpting Ball Workout - Thoughts

2011-11-29T18:39:00.004-05:00

The FIRM's Fat-Burning Sculpting Ball Workout continues my week of revisiting some older workouts.
It is a 30 minute workout featuring Tina Smalley as the lead.
I like Tina. I have had the opportunity to take a live class with her and found her to be an awesome instructor.

This workout is a kit workout. It comes or came with a 4, 6 or 8 inch sculpting ball.
The workout starts with a 6 minute warm up. The first 3 minutes is without the ball and the second 3 minutes you are doing pretty much the same exercise but this time adding the ball.
After the warm up, you go into the first standing sculpting set that is broken up by a series of push ups using the ball. I felt my heart rate get up on some of the standing work. A lot of the exercises are compound in nature.
Before you go into a second standing sculpting set that is broken up by a series of plank moves using the ball, you have a rather extended ball cardio section. I thought this section a tad bit long or rather it became repetitive.
After the second sculpting set you move on to standing core work to work the obliques. Tina put in as stretch for the upper body before going to the floor for more core and abdominal work.
The workout ends with a stretch using the sculpting ball.
The music is good. The set is "ho hum".
I like this workout. I felt like I got a good workout in 30 minutes. I used a 6lb ball for the sculpting sets and a 4lb ball for the cardio segment.
3 1/2 stars

The picture is from the FIRM Believers Trip Fall 2008.

The FIRM Slim & Sculpt Stability Ball Workout - Thoughts

2011-11-28T20:14:00.003-05:00

So I was over at Collage Video and someone posted about revisiting old workouts. I have plenty of workouts that I would like to do again but never seem to get to. This is usually because there is something that I want to do more. I will start off adding these workouts to the rotation, but before I finalize it, these workouts usually get kick to the side.

So in the spirit of revisiting old workouts, I am going to shove a few of them in - starting with The FIRM's Slim & Sculpt Stability Ball Workout. This is a 30 minute workout featuring Allie Del Rio as the lead.

I believe this workout was part of the first or second group of "Gaiam" or "Pink" FIRM workouts. The workouts were not part of a "system" and they went straight to retail.

What first caught my attention about this workout was the crappy set. Or crappy by FIRM standards. It look like the inside of a storage room or warehouse, very barren looking.

So the workout. It starts with you sitting on the ball for the warm up. Pelvic tilts, toes taps, leg kicks are some of the moves you are doing. Allie says "Get your heart rate up" I was like "how"? This is very light workout, the most intense section came during the side and front lunges where you are swinging the ball in a chopping motion.
Because you are taking the Stability Ball over your head, this part of the workout does not work well with low ceilings. I exercise in my basement and the ceiling is low so I kept hitting it.

Most of the workout is done either seated on the ball, lying on the floor or leaning over the ball. Push ups, glute lift, crunches, plank holds all show up in this workout. For the most part you are doing 12 or 16 reps for each exercise.
The music is so so.
It's an okay workout. For me, it would fall in the category as an Active Recovery workout. And I have other Active Recovery workouts I would rather do more.
So 3 stars but a lukewarm 3 stars.

Karen Voight Ballet Bodysculpt - Thoughts

2011-11-27T17:01:00.003-05:00

Last up with the Barre workouts is Karen Voight's Ballet Bodysculpt.
I have been racking my brain to see if I previously did a Karen Voight workout and nothing comes to mind. So I think Ballet Bodysculpt is my first workout from her.
As an instructor, I thought she was very good. Precise cuing, excellent form, comfortable demeanor are all characteristics I would use to describe her.
Ballet Bodysculpt is a barre workout. It is 40 minutes in length and contains the following segments:
Warm Up
Chair (barre) Exercises
Abdominals
Matwork 1
Matwork 2
Cool Down
Along with a chair, Karen uses a mat and an inflatable ball. The segments are short but tough. I thought each section moved right along making for an efficient workout.
The set is an outdoor set. It is Karen's ranch in Montana. When I first saw a clip of this workout, I remember thinking "They could have cut the grass." Karen is actually working out on what looks like hardwood floor placed over the grass.
The music is good. And while it is very familiar music (I have heard it in countless workout videos), the tunes chosen work well with the workout and they are tunes that I don't mind hearing over and over again.
The DVD comes in a CD size cardboard case.
4 stars

Core Rhythms Latin Synergy - Thoughts

2011-11-27T13:30:00.002-05:00

Latin Synergy is about a 50 minute workout that feature six of the rhythms in the Core Rhythms series.
The workout breaks down as follows:
Warm Up - about 3 1/2 minutes
Merengue - ~ 8 minutes
Cha Cha - ~ 7 minutes
Salsa - ~ 8 minutes
Samba - ~ 6 minutes
Paso Doble - ~ 6 minutes
Swing - 8 minutes
Cool down -~ 4 1/2 minutes (Bolero Dance)

Janna and Julia each lead various segments throughout the workout.
I love this workout. I really like how they include a lot of the rhythms in this workout. Most of the other workouts only include two main rhythms, along with a warm up and cool down. That sometimes can get repetitive. In Latin Synergy, not all segments include sprints. The sprints occur in the Salsa and Swing rhythms.
Latin Synergy is the longest Core Rhythms workout.
4 1/2 stars

Cathe Cardio Supersets - Thoughts

2011-11-23T07:37:00.004-05:00

Another workout in Cathe's Low Impact Series is Cardio Supersets. The main part of this workout is under 42 minutes and then there is a Bonus Step Routine that is just over 21 minutes.

When I did this workout. I did the main workout in the morning and did the bonus step premix version in the evening.

I really think the Bonus Step Routine is misnamed. It is really not a routine. Cathe should have simply said "Now let's grab your step, and continue with Cardio Supersets format using the step". Knowing that would have help my impression of the sections because when I started the Bonus Step Routine, I was like "this sucks, what kind of routine is this". When I realized that she was simply continuing her format and that it was a true extension of the cardio supersets format, my opinion of that segment change.
Other than a couple of the exercise that I thought killed the momentum of the workout, (most notably the puddle jumps) I like this workout. I particularly like the exercises that included the discs. I think the discs are getting easier for me to use.

The music is good in this workout. There are several premixes but I don't think there is a premix that include only one set of each of the exercises which is kind of how I would like to use it.
Overall, I like this one. Originally, I was thinking the Bonus Step portion was gonna be 2 star workout. However, as an extension of Cardio Superset it is decent.
3 1/2 stars for entire workout

Tracey Mallet The Booty Barre - Thoughts

2011-11-23T07:10:00.003-05:00

Continuing with my barre workouts is The Booty Barre featuring Tracey Mallet. This workout is on the lengthy side, clocking in at 64 minutes.
The workout uses a chair as the barre, a mat and a set of light weights. Tracey and cast used 3 to 5 lbs. I used 1 and 2lb weights.

The sections in the workout are:
Booty Barre Warm-up (about 9 minutes)
Booty Barre Sculpted Arms (about 10 minutes - uses light weights)
Booty Barre Workout (about 33 minutes - uses a chair)
Booty Barre Abs & Flexibility (about 13 minutes - uses a mat)

I really really like the Sculpted Arms sections. I used lighter weights than Tracey and felt the burn. I think this is a section I can really workout up too.

The barre workout which is the lower body workout left with me foot fatigue. You are up on your tip toes quite a bit and I think this is why I experience the fatigue. In this section, Tracey fuses the moves with a bit of jazzy dance. I like the way the camera followed Tracey as she switch from side to side which she did quite a bit. I do think this section a bit long or it could be the way Tracey broke it up. There is a "cardio" section that comes mid-way or perhaps 2/3 of the way through. So you think, or I thought the section was coming to an end but then you go into another segment of barre work.

The Abs & Flexibility or cool down section features push ups to work the core and then some traditional (with a bit of style) abdominal section.

Tracey cues fairly well. My only complaint is that most of the time you are doing the move on one side for a series of reps and the you switch to the other side. However, at times she alternates the moves but she doesn't tell you that she is alternating. So if you are not looking at the TV, you miss that you should be alternating the move and not doing it on one side.

There is a beginner modifier. The set and music work well with the workout. I do wish the DVD was more finely chaptered. You can skip to each of the sections but within the sections you cannot skip to certain exercises.

I like this workout. 4 stars.

Cathe Slide & Glide - Thoughts

2011-11-16T20:51:00.003-05:00

Another workout in Cathe's Low Impact Series is Slide & Glide. Slide & Glide features a pair of discs, a band loop and a mat.

The main part of the workout is broken up into two parts.
Part 1 is a Cardio Segment in which you use your Slide & Glide disk the entire time. This section is about 20 minutes. After awhile, it feels like you are doing the same thing over and over. There is not a lot of variety in this part of the workout. So I started off thinking "this isn't bad" but by the end of the segment I was ready to move on.

Part 2 is Muscle Conditioning Segment. In Part two, depending on the exercise, you will use your discs and/or band loop. I really enjoyed part 2. You start off with legs. This is followed by triceps, back, biceps, chest, and then abs. I like the exercises many of which used the discs and it was challenging.

The discs are also used in the warm up and the cool down.

The DVD contains an Introduction is which Cathe gives you tips on using your Slide & Glide discs. I found this helpful. I have hardwood floors so I had to used the disc covers. I didn't have a problem with the discs sliding & gliding over the hardwood.
My main problem came when I had to send both feet out during a standing move. Most notably slide or disc jacks. There are a couple of times when we are in a plank and doing a jack with the legs but in this position, I did not have a problem at all.

Out of all the Low Impact Series workouts I have completed thus far, Slide & Glide by far has the best music. In the other workouts, the thought that the music was awful crossed my mind but not so in this workout.

3 1/2 stars - Really it is 4 stars the for the Muscle Conditioning Segment and 3 for the Cardio Segment.

Susan Chung Rapid Fire: Results - Thoughts

2011-11-16T20:07:00.002-05:00

RapidFire: Results is the second workout by Susan Chung. The total workout is 77 minutes in length - which is about 17 minutes too long for me. The great thing about the DVD is that it is well chaptered.
The chapters are:
Warm up
Combo 1
Drill 1
Combo 2
Drill 2
Combo 3
Drill 3
Combo 4
Drill 4
Metabolic Weights
Core/Abs
Stretch
I did the warm up Combos/drills 1 through 4 and the stretch. So my workout was about 50 minutes. And, I like what I did. Susan advertises the workout as containing Unique Kickboxing combinations. I certainly thought the punches were unique. Within each combo Susan uses the layer approach first starting with punches and then adding kicks.
The drills are pretty good too. Jumping Jacks, burpees and speed skaters show up. Even so, I still like the drills. Susan combines those athletic moves with various kickbox moves.

There is a modifier (Kitty) and an advance exerciser (Chris).
I like the way Susan cues. She tells you what you are doing or rather she tells you when a new move is going to show up about 8 counts ahead. That gave me time to wrap my head around it and pick up with her as soon as she went into the move.
The only time I got annoyed with her cuing is when she went into cadence calling, but she didn't do it a lot.
There are 9 pre-mixes on the DVD ranging in time from 34:56 to 73:16 .
The set reminds me of the set used in the CIA Videos. The music is decent.
3 1/2 stars

Andrea Rogers - Lean & Chiseled

2011-11-13T19:50:00.002-05:00

Xtend Barre Lean & Chiseled is a 55 minute "dance and Pilates inspired workout". The workout is led by Andrea Rogers. Along with Andrea, there are two cast members - one who demonstrates beginner modification moves and one who demonstrates more advance moves.
The workout is broken up into the following sections:
Warm Up (6 min)
Upper Body (11 min)
Barre (23 min)
Core (10 min)
Cool Down (5 min)
In the Upper Body section, Andrea uses 1 lbs weights. The Barre Section is the lower body section and Andrea uses a chair in place of a ballet barre.
For the Core section as Mat is used.

The set has a really clean and minimalistic look. The music is good. The workout isn't necessarily set to the music but the music has more than just a background feel to me. For the most part the music sounds like something you would hear in a "hip" clothing store.
This type of workout is always challenging for me; and this workout was no different. I really felt my muscles fatiguing with the small movement patterns. The workout has a real nice flow and moves seamlessly from section to section. It follows a predictable pattern. For the most part you are doing 16 reps or two sets of 8 reps for each exercise. At least that is the way it seemed to me.
There is not much about this workout I didn't like. Andrea's cuing is clean, precise and encouraging. She does stop to point out form and give coaching tips several times throughout the workout.

The DVD is packed with extras:
There is footage from Shiva Rea's Creative Core Abs as well as footage from Exhale's Thighs and Glutes workout.
There is also an introduction and tutorial from Andrea.
4 1/2 stars

Cathe Athletic Training - Thoughts

2011-11-11T21:40:00.005-05:00

Clocking in at 56 minutes is Athletic Training. This workout uses the club step, weights, loop, tubing, and the discs in various segments.
After the warm up, there is a step cardio section. I did not care for it. It is mostly repetitive drills.
That was really the only part of the workout I didn't care for. The rest of it moved along quite nicely. Most of the exercises are multi-joint compound type movement. And, most are working the upper and lower body at the same time.
The core section is floor work. A few of the exercises in this section also appears in Turbo Barre.
Oh, there is the music - I didn't care for that either.
3 1/2 stars

Susan Chung Rapid Fire - Thougths

2011-11-11T20:24:00.003-05:00

So this is my second time doing Susan Chung's Rapid Fire: Kick, Box & Core Burn and I like it a lot better this time around than the first. If you do the workout in its entirety, it is very long - about 95 minutes long. I don't have a Heavy Bag. So I didn't do that part of the workout. I also skipped the Floor Core/Abs section.
There is a Standing Core Ball Work section and I did do that.

There is a warm up and as warm ups go, it is okay. After the warm up, comes Shadow Boxing of which there are three rounds. Susan uses light hand weights and she also uses the layer approach, adding punches as you go a long. So for instance, in the first round, she starts off with 4 punches and by the end of the combo you are doing 14 punches. You do this several times through before moving to the other side.
After Shadow Boxing, is Kickboxing. There are three segments here as well. This part of the workout requires endurance in the hip flexor area of the body. I felt the kicks and knee lifts in my hip flexors quite a bit.
In the standing core work section, Susan uses a Core Ball (essentially a medicine ball with handles). I do not have one of these so I used a med ball. Although I might get one. This section uses the upper body quite a bit.

There are a lot of Chapter points on the DVD so you can jump around. However, it is a bit haphazard. For instance there is a Chapters section and a Mix and Match section. Chapters breaks the segments down at a higher level (i.e. shadow boxing) whereas the Mix & Match section is more granular (you can choose round 1, 2 or 3 within Shadow Boxing).

There are ten premixes. There is also a lengthy workout Introduction as well as Safety Guidelines and Tips. The music is decent - no real complaints here. The set is (I am guessing) a gym. There is a door that has exit sign above it. Also, the lighting is such that you can see the shadows of Susan and the cast members. This didn't really bother me, but at some point in the video you can see the top of someone's head. It appears that they are sitting watching the filming. I think this shows up in the Kickboxing section. There are some annoying camera angles going on as well.

For the parts of the workout I completed - 3 stars.

Cathe Turbo Barre - Thoughts

2011-11-06T18:15:00.004-05:00

Well I can't say that barre workouts are my favorite type of workouts, so as workouts go, Turbo Barre which is from Cathe's Low Impact Series is okay.
It is a bit long. I purposely schedule this workout on Sunday, a day I knew I would have enough time to complete the whole thing - the whole thing being 74 minute long.
The workout is broken down as follows:
Warm Up
Upper/Lower Body Muscle Endurance
Ballet Barre Leg Conditioning - this section is further broken down into
......thigh focus
......Glutes/Hamstring focus
.......Hip & Outer thigh focus
.......Calf Raises
Floor work - this section is further broken down into
......Push Ups
......Tricep Dips
......Planks
......Abs
Stretch
So quite a bit going on and by the ending stretch, I was ready to be done.
The warm up started off good but Cathe include some barre leg conditioning drills in the warm up. I actually would have preferred that she left this to that section of the work out. The warm up is almost 11 minutes.
I enjoyed the upper/lower body muscle endurance section. This section features exercises that start of in isolation mode and then adds compound multi-joint movement.
The barre work - lots of reps in this section and lots of endurance required. Several times I stopped the exercise and started marching and then joined back in when I felt the fatigue subside. I like working with the Turbo Tower and was happy that I had it to use rather than a chair.
The floor work - again okay. I felt this section typically Cathe.
Really I just felt the workout too long and next time I do the workout, I will choose one of the premixes. Although they are kind of lengthy too.
There are three premixes on this workout
Lower Body Express - 52:21.
Turbo Barre Express #1 - 64:13
Turbo Barre Express #2 - 57:24
Equipment used: dumbbells, band loop, Turbo Tower
3 stars

Core Rhythms Jumpin Jive - Thoughts

2011-11-02T18:06:00.004-04:00

Jumpin Jive is about 42 minutes in length and features Champion Ballroom Dancer Julia Powers and Jaana Kunitz.
The sound track is awesome. I absolutely love the music in the workout. In the Core Rhythm workouts the moves are choreograph tightly with the music. Along with a warm up and Rumba cool down, the two main sections of Jumpin Jive are Salsa and Swing.
Jaana leads the warm up and Swing section. Julia leads the Salsa and cool down segments.
In the Salsa and Swing segments, there are about 4 mini combos that you repeat several times. As you go through each iteration of the combo you are adding a little bit each time. Both the Salsa and Swing conclude with "a sprint" which are very high energy moves.
The Core Rhythm DVDs are very versatile. You can follow the workout from the front or from the back.
I had fun with this one.
4 1/2 stars

Cathe Afterburn - Thoughts

2011-11-01T18:54:00.004-04:00

Afterburn (I like the name of this workout) is a 54 minute interval workout. This workout is part of Cathe's Low Impact Series. And I will go ahead and say this here. Low Impact does not mean No Impact.
There is some impact and like any other workout (in my opinion) the impact can be modified to be more or less.
So Afterburn is an interval workout that features 10 intervals. Each interval consist of two exercises and after you complete the two exercises you repeat them again before moving on.
The DVD chapter points list them a 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and so forth. On my worksheet I listed them once and gave you a separate column for Interval A and Interval B.

Typically one of the exercise in the interval is cardio based and one is weight based. Along with dumbbells, Cathe and crew also used Dixie cups and the Slide & Glide Exercise Discs.
I am working out on hardwood floors and I didn't have any problem using the discs on my flooring. Now I did have a problem doing the disc Jacks (one of the exercises). I am going to have to work on getting both my feet to go into the Jack position at the same time.

There is a cool down and a separate stretch segment. I mention this because during the cool down, Cathe flies through stretches towards the end of the cool down barely holding them and then she states "Let's enjoy a relaxing stretch." The ending stretch is about 5 minutes. The warm up is also or just shy of 5 minutes.

I like Afterburn. After the second interval, I was feeling the love. I like the disc and dumbbell exercises the best. Cathe does have a couple of exercises - the squat digs and air squats - which I thought were too similar to each other.

This is my second Low Impact Series workout and I like the two I have tried. After seeing the clips, which did not enthuse me, I wondered how many of the workouts I would like.
I did not care for much of the music. I have a feeling it is going to be that way for this entire series.
The set. There is no scenery like there is in her other series. It looks like frosted windows. While not bad for any other instructor, for a Cathe video ..... Well, I've come to expect more.

But the workout is pretty good.
4 stars

November 2011 Monthly Rotation

2011-10-31T19:17:00.005-04:00

November. November.
This month I originally intended to do a dance/pilates rotation.
I kept the dance but I have subbed out much of the pilates for the new Cathe LIS workouts, some barre workouts and kickboxing workouts.
I have quite a few new workouts scheduled for November, compared to October when I think I only had two new workouts.
Overall, October has been a good month. Considering that I started the month off with a cold and then injured my low back, I kept a good focus on my eating, so I still managed to loose 7lbs. I didn't do this following Weight Watchers though. I just could not get with their new plan. So I went to monitoring my calories.
I feel pretty good and my back is feeling much better. I thought after running 6.2 miles on hard pavement, that I might be feeling some tightness but no and that is a good thing.

So November. Morning/Evening
Sunday - Barre type workouts / Evening Rest
Monday - Kickboxing / Yoga
Tuesday - Workouts from Cathe LIS series / Zumba Short/Express Workouts
Wednesday - Core Rhythms / Patrick Goudeau Dance
Thursday - Lower Body Emphasis / Prevention Dance
Friday - Core Rhythms / Evening Rest
Saturday - Rest / Rest

Marine Corps Marathon 10K - Thougths

2011-10-30T17:52:00.003-04:00

MCM10K
Cold, the Bridges were icy, and there were a ton of people.
Well yesterday we had snow, which is a bit unusual for us in October. As a result of yesterday's snow, a lot of roads iced over. In fact, while driving in to the race, the radio station had a laundry list of accidents they were reporting.
Part of the course run took us over a couple of bridges and the bridges were icy. Every one immediately starting slowing down and "babying" their steps until they got beyond the bridge. Along with the bridges being very slippery, so were the traffic lines that are painted on the road. After stepping on one of those once, I tried to avoid stepping on any more of them.
I should have thought to bring Kleenex. My nose kept running.
It was cold but I really didn't feel the cold until the race was over and all the runners were slowly and I do mean very slowly making their way to get their medals and to the finishers area.

According to the results page, there were 6867 finishers. It seemed like there were a lot more people out there than that. Marathon photo was suppose to have tons of people out taking photographs, but I can' t find one photo of me. So I don't know if they primarily focused on the Marathon, or if they just haven't been able to up load all the photos.
For my first 10K, I think I did okay. I may try to do it again next year. We will see.

Cathe Total Body Trisets - Thoughts

2011-10-27T19:37:00.003-04:00

Total Body Trisets consist of two workout one DVD. The DVD is part of Cathe's Low Impact
Series . There are a total of ten DVDs that are part of this series.

Total Body Trisets is broken up into Lower Body Split - 39 minutes in length and Upper Body Split - 56 minutes in length.

Both workouts share the same warm up and stretch both of which are just over 4 minutes long.

The thing that caught my attention about the warm up was that there was no marching until the last 10 seconds and then you were just transitioning into the next segment. I guess I am so use to marching in a warm up, that I kept trying to add it in there.

Both workout follow the same pattern. You are doing three Trisets for each muscle grouping. Within each Triset, you are doing three exercises rotating through for two sets.
For the Upper Body Split workout, the first muscle grouping is Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. The second is Back, Biceps, and Core. For the Lower Body Split workout, you just have one muscle grouping and that is legs.

I am talking about both workouts together but I did the workouts on two separate days. I really like the variety in both workouts. Not the same old, same old moves - just slight variations here and there to make the workout unique. Something else that I like about the workout is the tempo. The tempo of the workout kept the workout moving. So the workouts went pretty quick.

Specifics to the workout:
Upper Body Split - The reps for this workout seemed to be all over the place. Depending on the exercise, you are doing anywhere from 10 to 32 reps. I actually found this annoying, as I was looking for more of a pattern.
Equipment: Weights, Stability Ball

Lower Body Split - The first two Trisets has a real cardio effect going on. I felt it; and Cathe kept mentioning taking time to "lower the heart rate before moving on." Depending on the exercise, you are doing either 12 or 16 reps.
Equipment: Dixie Cups, High Step, Weights, Stability Ball

Other Stuff:
Cathe does a lot of cadence calling - calling or counting out the reps. I didn't like this. I like it much better when she ask "What number are we on?" And, yes she does do this from time to time.

So, this month, I have been doing workouts from Cathe's STS series, and what I wish Total Body Trisets had but doesn't is the graphics (Information bar in STS) telling you what exercise you are doing and how many reps. That is such a nice feature. Cathe does tell you what you are doing before you do it and in many cases she briefly demonstrates the exercise, but I miss the graphics. I've gotten spoiled.

The only other thing I will mention is the music. Overall, just not good, because this a weight workout, I am not going to ping on it to much. For the most part you are not doing any exercise to the beat of the music. So it is just like the music is just there. There is an option to select Vocals Only Mix. I may try that next time and add my on music.

I do like both workouts. Ignoring the music, I say -
Upper Body Split - 4 stars
Lower Body Split - 4 stars

STS Mesocycle 3 Strength -Worksheets

2011-10-23T20:33:00.004-04:00

STS (Shock Training System) Mesocycle 3 : Strength - Thoughts

2011-10-23T20:02:00.003-04:00

Cathe's STS Mesocycle 3 Strength is as its name implies about Strength. It is a 4 week program
and it consist of two upper body workouts and one lower body workout per week for a total of 12 workouts. All 12 workouts come together in a DVD case that in my opinion isn't very durable. Inside the case are clear plastic holders and more than half of the plastic is cracked. However the DVD themselves are just fine. I do like the case better than some of the other workout system cases that come with multiple DVDs.

The suggested rotation has you doing 3 workouts per week. The 12 workouts break down as follows.
Disc 25, 28, 31, & 34 are Chest & Back workouts
Disc 26, 29, 32, & 35 are Plyo Legs workouts
Disc 27, 30, 33, & 36 are Shoulders, Biceps, & Triceps workouts

With the exception of the Plyo Leg workouts, the exercises are the same for each week and only the rep count changes. In the Plyo workouts you are alternating plyometrics (lots of jumping) with weight work. Typically you are doing about 12 reps per leg for the Plyo Leg weight exercises.

Mesocycle 3 includes an optional set of leg workouts as an alternate to the Plyo Leg workouts and they are called Squat Rack Legs. The Squat Rack Leg workouts are for those who want a Pure Strength workout similar to the Upper Body workouts offered in Mesocycle 3. The Squat Rack Leg workouts come in there own separate case and the Disc are 37, 38, 39, & 40.

This is a series where you are suppose to be lifting heavy. As you go from week to week the rep count decreases for all the workouts except Plyo Legs. If you do the workout as design you are doing 4 sets of each exercise. The first week is 8 reps per exercise, the second is 7 reps, the third is 6 and then it goes back up to 8 for the fourth week. The reason that the rep count is going down is because as your move to the next week you should be increasing the weight that you are lifting.

These are some long workouts. The only workouts that are under an hour are the Plyo Leg
Workouts. All the workouts feature about a 4 to 5 minutes warm up but the ending stretch is
relatively short. However, each DVD comes with a 14 minute Extended Stretch. This stretch is the same across all DVDs.
What makes the workout long is the rest period in between each exercise. Because you should be
lifting heavy, you need the rest in between the sets so the muscle can recover.
The Leg-Squat Rack workouts have the longest rest at 150 seconds. That is 2 1/2 minutes. The Chest & Back workouts on average have 75 seconds between each exercise. The Shoulders, Biceps & Triceps workouts on average have about 60 second rest between each exercise.

I say on average, because the rest periods are not consistent with the upper body workouts. As you move from week to week, sometimes the rest would be 30 seconds and sometimes 60 seconds in the Shoulders, Biceps & Triceps workouts. For Chest & Back sometimes you would get 75 seconds and sometimes 65 seconds.
I found this extremely annoying because it messed up my rhythm and what I could do during the rest period. For instance, first I would walk around, then I take a drink a water, then I would record my reps, then I start my stretching, then I would start prepping for the next set. I couldn't be consistent with this routine because the rest are not consistent.
I am not sure if this was an editing issue or if this was designed. The rest seemed a bit haphazard
so I am thinking it was an editing mistake, especially because Cathe keeps stating over and over the importance of taking the full rest.
For Plyo Legs workouts, you are given 30 second rest between each exercise.

Speaking of the rest, Cathe takes this time to give a lot of form pointers. I found this to be
beneficial. However, there is a lot of reuse footage so you do hear the same thing again and again.

Each workout has a title bar that appears at the bottom of the workout. I love this feature. It
shows the rep count, your 1 rep max % (beneficial if you are doing that), the exercise you are
performing, targeted muscle group and how much time is left left in the rest.

Mesocycle 3 Strength are no nonsense to the point workouts. I know some find this cycle boring but I like it the best. I will say I don't do this workout as design. This time around I took out a set (only did 3 sets per exercise). That was to get the workouts under an hour.

These workouts are extremely well chaptered. So you can skip around at will pretty easily. The only thing about doing this is that you will most likely be altering your rest periods (either giving yourself too much or not enough depending on where the chapter point starts).
Also when I do Mesocycle 3, I add in the Squat Rack Legs and work the legs twice. Mostly this
is because I can't decide which (the Plyo Leg workouts or the Squat Rack legs) to do.
So a typical rotation for me would be:
Monday - Chest & Back
Tuesday - Plyo Legs
Wednesday - Shoulders, Biceps, & Triceps
Thursday - Legs Squat Rack

If you are wondering why the set is called Mesocycle 3. It is because there is a Mesocycle 1 focusing on Muscle Endurance and a Mesocycle 2 focusing on Hypertrophy.

For STS Mesocycle 3, I give it 4 stars.

Cathe Stretch Max - Thoughts

2011-10-23T10:47:00.003-04:00

Cathe's Stretch Max is a DVD that contains three separate total body stretch workouts.
The three workouts are:
No equipment basic stretching - approximately 22 minutes
On the ball stretching (Stability Ball) - approximately 19 minutes
Band-Based Stretching (Resistance Band) - approximately 18 minutes

Each segment also uses a floor mat. Cathe and crew are barefoot.
The music is very mellow in each of the segments. It has a relaxing quiet tone to it. Nothing is rushed in any of the workouts. Most stretches are held for 15 to 20 seconds and the stretches are static. There is not any dynamic or ballistic stretching in this workout.

Also there is no warm up to the stretches. Cathe starts the workout and you start stretching. On the back of the DVD cover, it does state that "You should be completely warmed up before participating in the segments." For me this is fine as anytime I do these Stretch workouts I am tacking them on to the end of a run.

All three workouts give you a good stretch. I like the band and stability ball workouts the best. The non-equipment stretch workouts seems long to me. With that workout I am usually ready to stop stretching before the workout ends.

3 1/2 stars

Teeter Hang Ups Inversion Table - Thougths

2011-10-19T19:43:00.009-04:00

Teeter Hang Ups - Inversion Table

I have owned my inversion table for 3, maybe 4 years now. I don't use it a lot. In fact there will be long stretches in between use. At one point, I thought about getting rid of it because it does require space. You can go the route of storing it in a closet, but then it's a hassle to move it in and out.

Over the past couple of weeks, however, I have used it a lot. Why? Because I did something not so kind to my lower back. And this is where this table is worth its weight in gold. It is worth every bit of the $300.00 I spent on it. I actually injured (or perhaps re-injured is a better term) my lower back October 3rd. I spent the rest of that day and the next day, massaging, heating and cooling the area. And that got me to where I could move, but I could still feel the pain and tightness. It severely limited my workout schedule to where I either modified the workout a lot of just completely skipped it.

To be honest, I forgot all about my Inversion table. When I moved, I never set it back up. The table was off in a corner against the wall. It wasn't until I was looking for something else and looked up and saw it that my eyes got wide - "Inversion Saundra, That is the answer". That was Monday, October 10th.

The inversion table is clunky to move. I remember thinking "I am going to tweak my back even more, just to move it out from the wall" but I managed it and over the last few days my low back has been feeling better and better. I have been inverting about 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening.

I bought my unit (F7000 Inversion Table) from HSN. At the time I bought the unit, they were giving 6 flex pays and free shipping. The unit has some weight to it. It came mostly pre-assembled, but there was still some assembly work to do. The table is very stable. I never feel like I am going to tip over. I never feel unsafe on it. The weight capacity of the Inversion Table I have is weighted for 300lbs. Also you can adjust the length of the table to your height fairly easily by moving the slider bar up or down.

As far as space goes, you need enough room so table can freely move and rotate with hitting anything. I currently have my unit set up on a 6' by 4' area; and I probably don't need that much.

So other than the space it requires and that it is clunky to move, I am really happy with this unit and so glad I didn't give it away. My lower back loves me for it.

4 1/2 stars

The Pro-Form 600 LT Treadmill - Thoughts

2011-10-15T13:41:00.004-04:00

The Pro-Form 600 LT Treadmill is HSN and Pro-Form 2011 model treadmill. Each year HSN brings out a new Pro-Form model to sale. On the HSN website the treadmill is called Pro-Form Step Up Personal Trainer Treadmill. The price of this treadmill is $699.95 and the Shipping & Handling is free. I have had this treadmill since May.
Assembly is required. It took me and another about an hour, maybe a little less to put it together. The instructions are fairly detail and everything went together as it should.

I had the 2007 model of this treadmill, but I like the advertised upgrades so much I decided to get this one.
Pre-Program Workouts
The 2011 model comes with 16 Pre-program workouts. Of the 16, 4 are distance, 5 are timed, and 7 are calorie burned workouts.
The distance workouts are 1 mile, 5K, 10K, and 1/2 Marathon.
The time workouts are 20 min, 25 min, 30 min, 45 min
The calorie workouts that are broken down by time are 20 min, 25 min, 30 min, 40 min, 45 min, and two 60 min workouts.
There is also a Weight Loss Center that allows you to input your weight and then select a 200, 300, 400, or 500 calorie burn program.

Features
The Quick Speed Controls go from 0 to 10 MPH. You can also manually increment the controls by .1mph.
The Quick Incline Control go from 0 to 10%. You can manually increment those controls by .5%.
You have a heart rate monitor, a fan, and a sound system. It is also IPOD and IFIT compatible.
Included with the configuration I purchased is an 8 week Jillian Michael's I-Fit card. This card has 24 workouts ranging in time from 20 minutes up to 45 minutes I believe.
Other features are cushion support and a space saver design.

There are three LED Display Windows. The left display window cycles through time, incline, and distance. The center console shows the current state of the program you are doing. Depending on the workout program, it is either a circular track or terrain-hills. The right displays window cycles through distance and speed. It will also show your pulse when you used the heart rate monitor.

The Best Features:
The pre-program workouts and the IPOD compatible sound system are the best features. The sound coming out of the speakers is very good. The sound controls go up to 10 and it can get pretty loud. Love this.

The Worst Features:
The fan. You can barely feel it. It comes with a low and high setting and there is no noticeable difference between the two. Definitely could be more powerful. I am comparing this to the 2007 model I had where the fan was very good. Both the 2007 and 2011 models are in the same price point. I might have even paid more for the 2007 model. So I am very disappointed in this mediocre fan.

Another feature that annoys me greatly is the Time Display. This is something that has recently come to my attention about the treadmill since I started training for a 10K. I cannot run a 10K in under an hour. I have been averaging a time between 1:16 and 1:24. My problem with the time display is that when it gets past an hour of workout time, it no longer shows you minutes and seconds. Instead, it shows you hours and minutes. This is so annoying. Anybody training for a race, knows that times come down to seconds. So I don't understand why they program the display this way. And yes there is room for it. Two weeks in a row I did the 10K with 1:18 but I don't know if I slightly improved. They could have showed the display as 78:SS (SS being whatever the seconds are).

The display issues are only a big deal if you are training for a long race. Before, I never did a treadmill workout for that length of time, so it never came up.

I still like the treadmill but I would love it if the fan was better and the time display showed minutes and seconds for workouts longer than an hour. I guess I should mention the belt. It works great. I walk on it, jog on it and have run on it with no problems.

3 1/2 stars

Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Desserts - Thoughts

2011-10-12T20:00:00.003-04:00

Breyers Smooth and Dreamy Ice Cream Bars & Sandwiches

According to Breyers, their "Bars and Sandwiches are so delicious and indulgent, you'll be amazed that they have less fat and calories than regular ice cream bars and sandwiches."
Well I have tried several of them and I agree they are delicious.

The flavors are:
Triple Chocolate Chip Bars (130 calories and 6 fat grams)
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bars (120 Calories and 4.5 fat grams)
Vanilla Fudge Brownie Sandwiches (160 calories and 4 fat grams)
Chocolate Caramel Brownie Sandwiches (160 calories and 4 fat grams)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwiches (160 calories and 4 fat grams).

The only flavor I haven't tried is the Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bars. Of those that I have tried, my favorites are Triple Chocolate Chip Bars and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwiches. Both of these taste absolutely yummy.
Most of the time I buy them at Target. They cost $2.99 and you get six in the box.
If you like chocolate or things chocolatey, they are great and they are a good alternative to the many Weight Watcher Desserts and another way to add variety to your dessert menu.

5 stars (This is mostly for the two flavors I like a lot).

Michelle Dozois Rockin Body Cardio Jam - Thoughts

2011-10-05T19:44:00.004-04:00

Rockin' Body Cardio Jam is a 50 minute cardio workout that is a part of Michelle's Your Body Breakthru Series.
It features a warm up, six cardio section and a cool down.
I am fast becoming a real fan of Michelle's cardio workouts. This workout is pure cardio. There are some old school aerobic, dance, kickboxing, and athletic moves. There are no burpees or squat thrust. The only time the hands touch the floor was during a front kick touch down.
There is a modifier that keeps the moves low impact but even the impact stuff isn't very high impact.
The workout moves from one section to the next with a simple video transition. So there is no real down time. Michelle starts each combo with a march and that is your time to grab a drink of water.
You cycle through each combination twice. Within each combo Michelle teaches the combo on the right and then on the left. The first time through is the break down. The second time through Michelle tightens up the combo so things come more quickly and it is just about putting it together to get the most out of the workout. After the second time through a combo comes that quick transition to the next segment.
The music is up tempo and decent. The set is okay, kind of brown.

The DVD is chaptered very well. Along with being able to select each cardio section by chapter point, Michelle includes an introduction, an express workout that is 30 minutes and material
about the Your Body Breakthru Series.
Great workout.
4 1/2 stars

October 2011 Monthly Rotation

2011-09-30T23:09:00.004-04:00

October 2011.
I am still training for my 10K which will be October 30th.
Monday - Thursday I have double workouts planned. Mornings will be cardio and evenings will be strength training.

Morning
Sundays will be a 6.2 mile run on either the treadmill or outdoors. This will be followed by 15 to 20 stretch workout.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, I will be doing some of my favorite cardio workouts. Only one workout will be new to me and that is Rockin Cardio Jam.
Wednesday's will be 3.1 (5K) on the treadmill and I might follow this with some ab work. I will have to go through my workouts and see what short (no more than 10 minutes) ab workouts I have.

Evenings - I will be doing STS Mesocycle 3.
Monday - Chest & Back
Tuesday - Plyo Legs
Wednesday - Shoulder, Biceps, Triceps
Thursday - Squat Rack Legs

The majority of the STS workouts are over an hour. I will be cutting them down so that they are under an hour. Hopefully, I can do this just by going from 4 sets to 3 sets of each exercise.

Saturday is a rest day.

Paul Katami Burn & Build - Thoughts

2011-09-29T18:09:00.003-04:00

Burn & Build is a kettlebell workout featuring Paul Katami. This workout uses a high step which Paul often refers to as "the board". Along with Paul, there are three cast members. One cast member is modifying the moves and this person uses a dumbbell instead of a kettlebell.

The workout contains a warm up, seven exercise blocks and an ending stretch. At about 70 minutes, I thought the workout long. Like KettleBell Drills and KettleBell Kombos each exercise is timed. However in this workout the timed exercise are for 90 and 60 seconds. For instance the first two warm up exercises start off with a 90 second timed leg drill. The first two warm up exercises, you do not used the bell or the high step. The warm up is about 10 minutes.

Each of the seven blocks has a particular theme or focus. Cardio focus, core focus, strength & power focus are the predominate themes. You are doing each exercise in each block for 60 seconds. Each block is roughly 7 to 8 minutes. The board or high step is used as either a prop or to do some type of step up/step down move. Of the workout, I think the warm up, blocks 1, 2 and 7 are the hardest. I do like all the modified options that Paul shows with each exercise. For the most part, I did not try to stay in pace with the cast and Paul tells you in any given time drill that we can do something faster or slower than what the cast is doing.

The ending cool down starts off with a light jog and then moves into static stretching. Paul does not use the high step or kettlebell in the cool down.

Paul is a chatterbox. At one point, I thought "he needs to take a breath". He demonstrates a move that he tells you we should know because he showed it to us in the clinic. So one might ask then, "why does he need to go over it in the workout again?" Well probably because people like me don't often do the clinics, we just jump right in.
While his demonstrations didn't bother me in KB Drills and KB Kombos, in Burn & Build it did because this is a long workout; and as it is suppose to be a more advance than the other two, the demonstrations could have been left to the clinic. So yes, this DVD does include a Kettlebell Clinic workout and it is different than the clinic on KB Drills and KB Kombos. The DVD also includes a Core workout.

Back to Paul for a second, I think I have gotten use to the way he likes to stop and point out form. Although, I do think he does too much of this. I mean, he even did this in the cool down stretch segment. In Burn & Build the only time I got irritated with this is when he went back to join the cast members because a couple of times it appears he messed up their rep count causing them to try and get back in sync with him. Just not smooth at all.

The DVD is somewhat nicely chaptered. The main part of the workout is chaptered according to the blocks. So you can skip from block to block however within each block you cannot jump to an exercise. The chaptered blocks are better than nothing though. At least you can easily enough make the workout shorter. If I do this workout again, I would take out a block or two to get the workout under an hour.

Overall I think this is an okay workout. I don't love it but don't hate it either. Of his three KB workouts, this is my least favorite.
3 stars.

Seasun Zieger Z-FIT Super Step - Thoughts

2011-09-27T19:18:00.003-04:00

Clocking in right at 60 minutes is Seasun Zieger's Z-Fit Super Step workout. The workout consist of a warm up, 3 step combinations, the combinations spliced together, cool-down, core work and a stretch.
With Seasun's workouts, I like to learn them a combo at a time. Actually, this is only my second step workout with Seasun and I found Super Step much easier to learn than her CIA 2903 Stepping Up workout. That is
not to say that there isn't a lot of complexity with this workout. There is. You are doing a lot of turns, pivots, and moves with your back toward the television.
What makes Seasun difficult is that she cues in chunks. What I mean by that is that she will tell you a head of time what you will do. And what you will do might be 4 moves back to back. That is what I mean by chunk. She throws a chunk at you instead of teaching 1st move, then 2nd, then the 3rd etc.
Also, what she does that a lot of advance step instructors do is she spends a lot of time (in terms of reps) on simple moves and not enough reps on the more complex moves.
There is a modifier who really does simplify the workout. In Stepping Up, I felt the modifier was doing a different workout than Seasun and the rest of the cast. In this workout, not so much.
I followed the modifier 1/2 the time and I followed Seasun 1/2 the time. One of the combos has as series of burpees. I definitely followed the modifier during that move. Not that I cannot do a burpee, I just have a problem with them showing up in a step workout.
The music...........Not great. Actually, the parts of the music I really didn't care for was combo 1 and the last tune in Combo 3. Ho hum is how I would describe the tune in combo 1 and the tune in the combo 3 just didn't fit to me.
The cool-down is incredibly short. - almost non-existent. I skipped the core work. So no comment there. And the ending stretch is decent.
Believe it or not, I did enjoy the workout. I think it is better than average.
3 1/2 stars

Paul Katami Kettlebell Kombos - Thoughts

2011-09-23T18:07:00.004-04:00

Kettlebell Kombos is a 41 minute workout featuring Paul Katami.
In this workout, Paul combines a series of moves together creating mini combinations.
He does each set of moves for 30 or 60 seconds. Depending on how elaborate the combo is, you may go through two complete cycles in a 30 second period. In that case, Paul often repeats the combo for another 30 seconds. We are talking per side.
Almost all the combos have a right and left lead. There are some combos that alternate
the lead and most of the combos are 60 seconds long.

There are approximately 3, maybe 4 - what I call Practice Breaks - where Paul has you
practice the move before starting the clock. I kind of think this was unnecessary for him
to do because he already demonstrates the move before he sets the clock.

Other than the practice breaks and the constant stopping to check form, (that is just his
style of training - at least that is what I gather) I like this workout.

The music is just okay. The set is a warehouse. At one point in the workout you could
hear a helicopter flying over the building. There is a modifier.

The DVD that this workout comes on, also contains two other workouts - a Core Workout and there is a Kettlebell Clinic. The Kettlebell Clinic workout can also be found on Kettlebell Drills DVD.
3 1/2 stars.

The FIRM Lower Body Sculpt 1 - Thoughts

2011-09-22T20:38:00.003-04:00

From the first FIRM Body Sculpting System is Lower Body Sculpt 1 featuring Lisa Kay. The workout is just over 30 minutes long. There is a
modifier and the workout uses the fanny lifter.

This is a standing lower body workout. The warm up is about 5 1/2 minutes long. In main part of the workout, you are doing a series of plie squats, traditional squats, lunges, dips, and of course, leg press. Roughly, you are doing about 3 sets of each. In between the sets are cardio break. One break uses the 6 in step and the other cardio break is done on the floor. Both cardio breaks focuses on the lower body. There is a 3 minute or so stretch at the end.

This is a nice workout. Lisa does a good job. The music could be louder. The thing that irritates me the most about the workout is that the DVD is not chaptered. So you have to wait for the FBI warning to come and go. Also, Lisa introductions is about 2 minutes long, but at least you are able to fast forward through that.

All in all - not bad.
3 stars

Paul Katami Kettlebell Drills - Thoughts

2011-09-16T20:46:00.003-04:00

Kettlebell Drills is about 36 minutes in length and features Paul Katami. The music is minimal, mostly background and the set is a warehouse.
The DVD contains three separate workouts. There is a Clinic or Tutorial. That is a little over 30 minutes. There is the Drills workout and there is a Core specific workouts. The core workout is about 18 minutes.
This review is just of the Drills workout.

So, along with Paul, there are two other cast members (Toby and Sarah). Sarah is your modifier. Paul likes to stop and point out form. He does this quite a bit. It's annoying because it is not natural. It appears to be very scripted.
The workout starts off with a warm up and the warm up uses the kettlebell. I was okay with this. Normally, I get annoyed with using weights in a warm up, but this didn't bother me. Now, I did use my lightest kettlebell for the warm up.
Because the warm up exercises are timed as well, there is really no distinction of when the warm up ends and the actual workout begins. Each drill is either 30 seconds or 60 seconds. Usually for the 60 second drill you are doing multi-joint compound exercises that time a lot of time to execute plus you are alternating sides.
In a lot of the 30 second drills you are doing one side and then the other side.
Before each exercise, Paul demonstrates what you are doing which gives you a rest in between the drills. This is my first time doing this workout. I might find once I know the workout that this is too much time between the drills, but first time out, I was happy to watch Paul demonstrate the move before we went into it.
There is a clock that appears in the lower left corner that counts down the drill. I am happy to report that I found the clock pretty much in sync with the exercise meaning it started and stopped when we did. There is one drill that goes a little past the clock time but I think that was Paul adding an extra rep. In any case, you can go at your own tempo. During a couple of the pivot moves, I most definitely was following my own tempo.
The clock is on the lower left and appearing briefly in the lower right is a caption telling you the exercise you are doing. I have included a spreadsheet of all those exercises.
I really appreciate the fact that Paul took the time to do this (write a caption for each exercise) but he didn't chapter the workout. So you can't chapter backward or forward to start or repeat a drill. If you hit your chapter button, it takes you back to the main menu where you can select the Clinic, Drills, or Core workout. There is a brief cool down after the drills.
I think this is a good workout. I have some serious DOMS which I am still feeling because of this workout. The pace is great. I will say that I got mixed results as far as calorie burn. My heart rate monitor showed 272 calories burned and my bodybugg showed only 131. Even so, I still like the workout. Paul cues well and is likable even though he annoys me stopping to do his form check thing. Overall, better than solid.
4 stars

Aerospace Savage - Thoughts

2011-09-14T20:21:00.004-04:00

Savage is a workout featuring Michael Olijade Jr. It clocks in at about 55 minutes. The workout consist of boxing drills, jump rope drills and squat drills. Each round features these three disciplines and there are four rounds.
The warm up is about 3 minutes and as warm ups go, I didn't care for it. Michael does tell you if you are not warmed up enough to do more. The Savage workout does not have a cool down. There is a second workout on this disc called Serene (reviewed July 11, 2010) that you can do for your cool down if you like but it is a 30 minute workout.

The set is a boxing ring that has a chair in corner, a water bottle on the floor and it's dark. At one point, in one of the rounds or at the end of the round, Michael tells you to keep moving but he goes and sits in the chair that is in the corner. I thought that comical.
The music, I think is pretty good. The workout is choreograph pretty precisely with the music.
When Michael does the boxing speed drills, the music is right in sync with his punches.

The workout is narrated or voiced over; and the narration is very much in sync with what is going on in the workout. Michael uses a clock in the upper left corner that appears and disappears throughout the workout. When it appears it tells you how much time you have left in that rounds The rounds vary in their length. As you progress through the rounds, the jump rope sections get more intricate, the boxing drills also get more intricate as well as pick up speed and tempo. For the squat section, you perform a different type of squat in each round.

Round 1 - about 11 minutes or so
Starts up with jumping rope - basic, side to side, on one foot.
Then you go into Boxing drills. You only throw 2 punches (the jab and the cross or power punch)
This part uses light hand weights. First you work in Southpaw position and then you move to Orthodox position. (You switch between the two during all four rounds). In round 1, if you throw as many punches as Michael, you would have done 390 punches.
This round concludes with squats. These are traditional squats that you do slow and then fast. You are doing almost three minutes of squats.

Round 2 - about 18 minutes or so.
This round is long. You start the workout with boxing drills. First with hand weights and then you later drop the weights and you do speed drills. You are working in reps of 7. Over and over again throwing a jab and power punch. By the end of this round, if you did all the punches, you would have done 1345.
After boxing, is jump rope and this is followed by squats. The squats in this series is step squats.

Round 3 - about 11 minutes.
Start of with boxing drills. This was my favorite section. Mostly because Michael adds the upper cut and hook. So there is more variety in this round of boxing. Light hand weights are used in this round as well. Punches thrown 784.
Next is jump rope, followed by squats. The squats in this round is side to side jump squats.

Round 4 - about 9 minutes.
Starts with boxing - combines the speed combos from round 2 and round 3. By the end of the round, 882 punches thrown.
Next is jump rope (super intricate but not long). This is followed by in and out jump squats.

I didn't come anywhere close to doing all the punches. Had I, I would have done a total of 3401 punches. This workout is highly, super, extremely repetitive. Michael does tell you that is how you build your skills and that you shouldn't expect to do the whole workout the first time out. In fact, he said it could take 6 months to master the workout.

I did not like this workout. During round 2, I came very close to stopping and chucking the workout. Round 2 felt so long and repetitive and all you are doing is 2 punches for what it seems like forever. Even round 3 which I like the best is still repetitive. I definitely did not care for the leg work which is just a series of squats and the jump rope sections are just okay. I guess I couldn't find the fun factor. On a positive note, I burned almost 400 calories and I do like listening to Michael. I think he has a nice voice.

If you are a person who is looking to build endurance then this workout may be for you.
2 1/2 stars

Cathe Body Max Upper Body - Thoughts

2011-09-13T21:57:00.004-04:00

This really isn't a premix. However, Body Max's Upper Body is a distinct section within the Body Max workout. The Body Max workout is the third workout on the Power Hour DVD.
This DVD is chaptered very well and it is easy to pull out just the Upper Body section in the Body Max workout and do it as a standalone workout.
This part of the workout clocks in at over 30 minutes and it is an endurance workout for the upper body. You need to have you weights handy because you are moving pretty rapidly from one exercise to the next. Within each set of exercises, Cathe may give you a 5 to 10 second break before you are back at it.
You are working chest, back, shoulders, biceps and triceps (in that order) and you are doing any where from 3 to 4 exercises per muscle group.
Because the DVD is so well chapter it is easy to tack on the warm up (which is about 8 minutes) and an ending stretch (which is about 4 minutes). This is how I do the workout. So my whole workout time ends up being about 45 minutes for this workout.
The workout uses, the club step, dumbbells, and a barbell.
It is a solid upper body workouts and Cathe doesn't have very many complete upper body workouts. She has a lot of parts or splits. To me this is better than a premix because you don't get all the stops and starts of a premix - in other words no choppiness.
3 1/2 stars

Cathe Legs & Glutes - Thoughts

2011-09-13T21:42:00.006-04:00

Cathe Legs & Glutes is probably my favorite Cathe Lower Body Workout. It clocks in at about 51 minutes. It uses the high steps, dumbbells, barbell (but just for balance - I used my dowel), and ankle weights.
It also uses no weights or your own body weight for several exercises. Many of the exercises have a cardio factor to them. I was thinking the workout could be called Legs & Cardio or maybe Cardio Legs. I know my heart rate got up there on several exercises.
There is a little bit of everything in this workout. You are hitting the legs from all angles - quads, hamstrings, outer thigh, inner thigh, calves, and glutes. There is standing work and floor work. Toning, sculpting, and power moves are included as well.
The workout moves quickly. You don't get a lot of rest in between the sets or even between the exercises. I think Cathe is going more for endurance than strength with this workout.
What I probably like best about the workout ---- is the soundtrack. There are many vocal tunes and it is awesome to just crank up the volume and workout.
4 1/2 stars

Cushion Tiles, Arobotile, Rubber Flooring - Thoughts

2011-09-09T22:33:00.006-04:00

Cushion Tile also known as Arobitile is an interlocking portable flooring system that can be used in a variety of ways. One of those ways is as gym flooring. They come if a variety of colors - Yellow, black, deep blue, medium blue, red, green, white, dark and light gray. The tiles are 1 foot by 1 foot and approximately 1/2 inch thick. You can also purchase borders and corners for a nicer, finish look.
They are relatively cheap compared to other flooring systems but the price can still skyrocket depending on how many you purchase.When I bought these for my town home basement, initially I was looking at creating an 8 X 8 area, so I ordered 64 cushion tiles plus the borders and corners to go with it, I later decided that it wasn't big enough and went back and ordered 40 more tiles plus the borders. With that I was able to create at 10 X 10 area.

This was back in 2008. I paid $506.80 for the materials, which include (104 tiles, 4 corners, & 44 borders) + $156.6 for shipping. Now that shipping cost is spread across two separate orders. So the total cost for the flooring including shipping was $663.40.
Initially I ordered red and med blue tiles. When I went back to get more tiles, they didn't have enough quantity of either red or med blue so I got dark grey. A cool feature of the tiles is that you can make some cool patterns. My initial pattern, I had blue in the center, red surrounding blue, and grey surrounding the red. It was great for when you are doing any type of exercise that require a grid or a place marker, because it created a natural mark or section on the floor.

Over Berber Carpet:

The basement in my town home had Berber carpet over concrete. I wanted a flooring that I could afford that would allow me to easily turn, spin and that also provided support for the joints. So I thought this would be a good compromise. It delivered on the extra support and it was much better to turn on it than it was to turn on the Berber, but it still wasn't as smooth as I would have liked.
I created a pretty big mat, 10 X 10 space plus borders and corners. When all tiles are connected in this faction, the flooring (mat) is very difficult to move as one piece. Almost impossible. You have to go through disconnecting many of the tiles to move a section of the tiles.
Also, I did get some rising or tile separation. I really tried to make sure all the tiles were firmly connected to start and then I would go back over the tiles stepping on the "joints" one by one to make sure they were connected. If I placed a step on the mat, I would try to line the step up to hit the center of the tile. If the step is on the tile joints, when you step on the step, it can cause the tile to sink and the one it is connected to, to rise. This can lead to you getting your foot caught.

Over Base Grade Cut Pile Carpet:
So I moved, and when i moved my plan was to put in a real gym floor in my basement. Until I was able to do that, I took an extra room and set it up as my gym.Well this room has base grade cut pile carpet. This space is not as big a the previous space I had in my basement, so I was only able to create at 9 X 8 area. So I put down the cushion tiles over the base grade carpet and became immediately annoyed with my workout space. Because on this surface, the tiles do not work very well. While on Berber, I used to have a little rising of the tiles. On this carpet here, I have a lot. During dance workouts, step workouts or hi/lo workouts, I am constantly catching my feet on tiles that have risen because the tiles do not maintain a consistent smooth surface. So before each workout, if it is cardio, I am going through making sure all the tiles are level. It doesn't do any good. The tiles still rise depending on where you step. It is just very annoying because it stops all momentum you have while working out.

Over Puzzle Mats.

I got so frustrated that I went out and bought puzzle mats to put underneath them because I was told I needed a more solid surface and with a solid surface there would be less rising. So now, I have the base grade carpet, puzzle mats, and the tiles. Now the tiles are extremely difficult to move when all connected together. They weigh a lot.However, somehow, even with them on top of the puzzle mats, the puzzle mats were shifting or slipping underneath. The whole puzzle mat was doing this. I had a treadmill off to the side and I would notice that it was butting up against the treadmill when before there was plenty of space between the mats and the treadmill. It absolutely did not make since to me. I can't move them when all the tiles are connected. However, after a workout, you could noticeably see how the whole thing had shifted. After adjusting this twice (which requires undoing the tiles, so I could move the puzzle mats) I got rid of the Puzzle Mats and just went back to the tiles being directly on the carpet. To make matter worse, the puzzle mats did not eliminate the rising and tile separation.

Over Concrete:
So someone on one of the exercise forums was asking about the cushion tiles, and I gave her my experience. She then ask me about what if they were on concrete. Well I am actually in the process of redoing my basement, so I have a lot of exposed concrete. So I took some of my excess mats down there to test out the tiles on concrete.I found that placing them on concrete gives the tiles an incredibly smooth surface. No rising, no tiles separating. I was impress. Very easy to turn and do dance steps. The only thing about them being on concrete is that you can tell they are over concrete because the cushion and support is noticeably not there. It is certainly better than working directly on concrete. It is just that after having the tiles over various surface I could tell the difference.

Other characteristics of the tiles:
They are great for weights. They really absorb the impact of the weight if you drop the weight.The underside of the tile has a definitive pattern that when placed on carpet leaves that pattern in the carpet. It even left the pattern on the puzzle mats. They can be slippery when wet.And while portable, they are heavy to move in a bunch. I notice this when I moved and had to carry them up a flight of stairs.They are not difficult to connect, but can be cumbersome depending on whether you are connecting the male to the female or the female to the male - one is easier that the other. When putting a mat together, after I have decided on the number of rows and columns, I will go through and create columns and then connect the columns together, instead of trying to connect one square at a time. For me, it is easier.
All in all this has been a good investment and served its purpose. I wished it work better over carpet than it does. I like the portability and how you can create a define area within another area.

Two places where these tiles can be purchased are:
http://www.dynamicfitness.com/detail.aspx?ID=998
http://www.greatmats.com/products/cushion-tile.php

3 1/2 stars

Kathy Smith Aerobox Workout - Thoughts

2011-09-07T16:55:00.003-04:00

Kathy Smith Aerobox Workout features Michael Olajide Jr and is approximately 50 minutes long. The workout is really led by Michael, with Kathy offering a tip here and there.
This workout originally came out in 1999 on VHS. I have the workout on DVD and the DVD is chaptered very nicely.
The DVD Menu is as follows:
Kathy's Intro
Warm Up (7 mins)
Stationary Boxing (10 mins)
Stick and Move 1 (5 mins)
Jump Rope 1 & Stick and Move 2 (6 mins)
Jump Rope 2 & Stick and Move 3 (6 mins)
Jump Rope 3 (4 mins)
Aerobic Cool Down (6 mins)
Stretches (4 mins)

Kathy's Intro is very good. She and Michael spend some time going over the moves and talking about why you take a certain stance as well as they go over the punches. I found Michael's instructions very informative with some great tips.

Out of the Boxing sections, the boxing in the Aerobic Cool Down section is my favorite. The Stationary Boxing section is good also but at times I thought the punches were super fast. Kathy does tell you if you think it is too fast to slow it down. In the other boxing sections (called Stick and Move), I found several of the moves to be awkward. I was finding it hard to get and keep the rhythm. I am sure the more I do the workout, the less I would feel that way. However, overall - not crazy about the boxing combinations.

I like the Jump Rope sections the best. Not that I can jump like Michael - but it was still pretty cool trying to do some of the moves. Jump Rope 3 is super hard. In fact, Kathy sat this one out as did most of the cast. You don't have to use an actual jump rope. They had someone demonstrating without an rope. I used a jump rope and jumping rope is tough and a super calorie burner.

Most of the videos I have with Michael, he is narrating the workout. In this workout, he is teaching it as he is doing it. It is Kathy who is doing the narration, which are mostly cuing fillers.

The set is a warehouse, I think. It looks industrial. The music fits the workout. The video kept switching between black & white and color, or maybe they just muted the color. Between Michael, the music, and the set, I like the vibe in this workout. The workout has a lot of natural energy.

3 stars

Cathe Pyramid Lower/Upper Body Worksheets

2011-09-06T17:36:00.005-04:00

Pyramid Lower Body and Pyramid Upper Body. I reviewed both of these workouts on July 28,
2009. I still love both and still give them 5 stars.
This entry is just so I can add the worksheets for the workouts.

CIA 2404 Step Till You Drop 2 (Cardio-Dance Step) - Thoughts

2011-09-05T19:27:00.003-04:00

Cardio-Dance Step is one of the segments on CIA 2404 Step Till You Drop 2.
CIA 2404 features Laura Downing, Melissa Cantillo and Mark Hendricks as the leads. The whole workout is over 2 hours long and breaks down as follows:
Warm-up (Laura) 7:30
Strong Step (Laura) 35:00 (Athletic Step)
Intervelocity Step (Melissa) 30:00 (Step segments mix with weight segments)
Cardio-Dance Step (Mark) 32:00
Smooth Cool-Down (Mark) 4:00
Core Conditioning & Stretch (Melissa) 14:00.
Now, I have had this workout for a while and I have done the different parts of the workout at different times. The section of the workout that I gravitate towards the most is Mark's section because I like his section the best. In fact, I no longer do Laura's and Melissa segments and I only kept this DVD because I like Mark's step routine so much.

So Cardio-Dance Step is really just one long dance combo step routine that is taught in that Take It From The Top layered approach. There are some tricky moves and you are doing lots of spins, turns and direction changes. Mark lets you know that this is DANCE step. So he tells you to have long lines and to lengthen your moves.
For the most part you are doing the moves on one side and then you move to the other side. However, when you go to the other side to learn the moves, you do not get the same amount of break down as you do on the first side.
This is good and bad. If you need more time to get the steps down, you may find yourself rewinding. However, if you got the move down, then the lack of breakdown on the second side won't bother you and you are happy to move on - and it makes it feel more like a dance routine.
I like dance workouts and I like the way Mark combines dance and step. Mark has a lot of flair and he has this habit of going "heck heck" which I guess is his version of "Wooing".
The music is club dance techno. The set has an Asian decor feel to it.
Cardio-Dance Step is fun for me. I really don't even think I am working out. It is one of my favorite workouts that I don't do enough.
4 1/2 stars

Kelly Coffey Meyer 30MTF Bonus Stretch - Thoughts

2011-09-05T11:18:00.004-04:00

On the 30 Minutes to Fitness Bootcamp DVD, is a Bonus Stretch segment. This is a review of that.

Kelly also includes this as one of her premixes on the disc. If you do the premix version, called Stretch Session, you get the warm up along with the bonus stretch. This premix is 22 minutes.

I did this stretch after a treadmill run, so I didn't do the premix version.

The bonus stretch section by itself if approximately 18 minutes.

This stretch is more lower body than upper body stretching. It reminded me of old-school stretching. The kind of stretching I did in PE class in high school. Because the emphasis is more on the lower body, I found it excellent to do after my run.

Kelly starts with standing stretches and then moves to the floor for lying and seated stretching.

Kelly uses a towel on several of the exercise to get a deeper stretch. She does what she calls "ballistic" stretching, (I call it pulsing) but she gives you the option not to do it and just to hold a static stretch.

There is one super challenging stretch in which you are lying on your back and then you take your feet over your head and touch the ground.

There is music, mostly background. I barely heard it or notice it.

This is a decent stretch. 3 stars

September 2011 Monthly Rotation

2011-08-31T21:25:00.002-04:00

September 2011. I have morning and evening workouts planned.
Morning will be cardio and the evening will be sculpt workouts.
I am still training for my 10K at the end of October so I have two treadmill days.

Morning schedule:
Sunday - Treadmill
Monday - Step (CIA Video & SeasunZ)
Tuesday - Boxing (Michael O & Kelly Coffey Meyer)
Wedneday - Treadmill (Cardio Coach)
Thursday - Zumba
Friday - Cathe Step
Saturday - Rest

Evening schedule:
Sunday - I will be adding a stretch immediately after the run.
Monday - Lower body
Tuesday - Upper body
Wednesday - Evening Rest Day
Thursday - Weights/Kettlebells
Friday - Evening Rest Day
Saturday - Rest

The FIRM Cardio Step Mix - Thoughts

2011-08-31T19:20:00.003-04:00

It has been a gazillion years since I have done Cardio Step Mix and I remember it being much harder than it was today. Although, I only used a 6 inch step height, maybe next time, if there is one, I will go for an 8 inch step height.
But at a 6 inch step height, I pretty much felt that it was a steady state workout with a few dips in intensity.

This is a compilation workout that is comprised of various step segments from various FIRM workouts. This compilation is made up of Fat Blaster (Allie Del Rio, Nancy Tucker, Lisa Kay), FIRM Cardio (Heidi Tanner), Power Cardio, (Dale Brabham), Maximum Cardio (Carissa Foster), Cardio Burn (Tamela Hastie), The Tortoise and The Hare (Tracie Long), and Super Cardio (Jennifer Carman, Carissa Foster, Allie DelRio).
The step segments are repetitive. Within each step sequence you are repeating the same 4 to 6 moves over and over. Many of the combos use light dumbbell for the FIRM's signature 4-limb movement. That is okay. Just noting that you are getting quite a bit of sculpting as well.

Many FIRM follower really love this workout. This has never been a favorite of mine. Mostly because it was one of the last compilations to come out (at that time) and by that time, I had already seen many of the segments used in other compilations. For instance, this workout resembles The FIRM's Tough Cardio Mix (TCM) quite a bit. TCM is a 45 minute workout, whereas Cardio Step Mix is a 62 minute workout. This workout does include an abdominal section.
The warm up, ab sections and final stretch segments do not use the step.

Along with dumbbells, and a step, a dowel is also used. The step in this workout is a square box step. So if you have a Fanny Lifter or a High Step, you can use either one.
3 stars

The FIRM Upper Body Split - Thoughts

2011-08-30T19:16:00.003-04:00

Upper Body Split is another FIRM compilation workout that is 61 minutes in length. It features several FIRM instructors from various FIRM workouts. The segments and FIRM instructors are Pam Cauthen (FIRM Strength), Carissa Foster (Maximum Cardio), Jen Peluso (Better Body & Buns), Tracie Long (The Tortoise, Maximum Body Shaping), Stacey Millner Collins (Prime Power Fat Burning), Tamela Hastie (Cardio Burn), Dale Brabham (Power Cardio), Allie DelRio and Lisa Kay (Fat Blaster), and Heidi Tanner (FIRM Cardio).

So this workout is upper body, abdominals, and cardio. I didn't mind the cardio so much but there are a lot of ab sets. Maybe as much as 5 or 6. Now you are not doing them all in a row. They all don't appear at the end of the workout but they are interspersed throughout the upper body sets.

My main gripe about this workout is that for an upper body workout you are getting a lot of lower body work as well. This is mostly because many of the upper body moves are combined with a lower body exercise (i.e. upright rows with plie squats).

The equipment list include: dumbbells, barbell, med ball, dowel, fanny lifter (or tall box).

I didn't like the flow of this one as much Lower Body Split but I really like the upper body sets on the their own. Great old-fashion sculpting.

This workout to is well chaptered with a great DVD menu. I wish The FIRM would have kept this up in the DVDs that have followed. There are 14 separate chapter points.

3 1/2 stars

The FIRM Lower Body Split - Thoughts

2011-08-30T18:44:00.004-04:00

Lower Body Split is a FIRM compilation workout. It is a 69 minute workout featuring the following FIRM instructors: Pam Cauthen, Taber Bruner, Carissa Foster, Jen Carman, Tracie Long, Tamela Hastie, Lisa Kay, and Dale Brabham.
The workout features various segments from FIRM Strength, Better Body & Buns, Maximum Cardio, Maximum Body Shaping, The Hare, Cardio Burn, FIRM Cardio and Power Cardio.
This is a long workouts. Within the 69 minutes, you are doing several sets of leg presses, lunges and squats. You work your lower body both in the standing position and on the floor.
The floor work includes shoot outs, lying leg lifts, hamstring curl, table work, and bridge work.
However, it is not all standing work and then all floor work. The floor work is interspersed throughout the workout and in between the standing sets.
There is a long set of abs or rather 3 short sets at the end of the workout.
The equipment list is long: dumbbells, fanny lifter, med ball, barbell, dowel, ankle weights, and 2 x 4 board.
Overall, I think this workout really had a good flow. Just when I had enough of the squats or lunges, it was time to go to the floor. I also felt the pace was good - that I had enough time to set up for the next exercise because you are moving equipment in and out of the workspace quite a bit.
I did think the workout was slightly too long. However, I really didn't feel that way until I got into the third set of abdominals and my workout still wasn't over.
What is really nice is that this workout is extremely well chaptered with a great DVD menu; something the FIRM is not known for with their DVDs. You can skip ahead or back between 15 different chapters. So I have to give them a bravo for that.

Yeah. I like this workout. 4 stars

The FIRM Tight Buns & Killer Thighs - Thoughts

2011-08-26T20:14:00.003-04:00

Tight Buns & Killer Thighs is a 30 minute lower body workout lead by Kelsie Daniels. This workout came out as an add-on to the CardioWeight System. So it to features the FIRM adjustable pink hand weights.
The exercises are layered. They start with a basic move and then add on for a multi-compound move. In between the weight exercises, there are cardio burst or plyo sets for added intensity.

First group of exercises features a courtesy dip, into leg extension, into a single legged squat with a knee lift. Cardio Blast: Dip press into High Knee Runs,
Second group of exercises: Side lunges, outer thigh lift, hip rotation, rear leg lift. Cardio Blast: Hopscotch.
Third group: deadlifts, heel push, heel lift, front lunge, glute lift. Cardio Blast: Squat thrust into plank jumping jacks.
Fourth group: Plies squats, inner thigh contraction, inner thigh lift. Cardio Blast: Squat jump into side kick.

After the fourth group, you do a cool down. Then you go down to the floor for bridge work and then a final stretch.

Now, I like this workout. It flows well and the pace is great. I hadn't yet started to get annoyed with the Squat thrust burpee move.
Actually, I did this workout before I did Slim Without The Gym and Slim & Trim.
Now of the five FIRM workouts, I did this week. Four of the them had some form of the burpee move. So by the time I got to Cardio Core Fusion, I was more than annoyed that this move kept showing up.

Going back a week, this move also showed up in Boot camp: Maximum Calorie Burn, Target Toning, and Calorie Explosion. And it is not that I hate the move, I just don't like it showing up in every other workout.

Okay, back to Tight Buns & Killer Thighs. It's solid. Great way to spend 30 minutes.

3 1/2 stars

The FIRM Slim Without the Gym - Thoughts

2011-08-26T19:25:00.005-04:00

Slim Without the Gym is one of those workouts that I never get or got around to doing because it is hard for me to find a spot for it in my rotations.

The FIRM promotes the workout as a travel workout - One that you can take anywhere with you because the equipment that you will need or use for the workout is very easy to pack. The workout is a "kit" workout. Meaning it comes with a type of equipment, tool, accessory etc. The items that come with this workout are a jump rope, a tube (cord with handles) and a loop (band).

The workouts contains 4 individual workouts that you can combine for one long workout. If you click the "play all" button, the order of the workout is:
The Jump rope/Plyo section, (jump rope)
Upper Body Workout (cord and loop)
Lower Body Workout (cord and loop)
Core workout (cord and loop)
Each section is about 11 minutes or so, and each sections has its own warm up and cool down.

You can select each of these workouts individually from the DVD menu. They are listed as:
Brazilian Butt Lift
Armed and Dangerous
Tummy Tuck
Total Body Burn.

There is a bonus section on the DVD and within the bonus section, there is a chapter on Jump rope basics.
In the Jump rope section alone, I burn 119 calories. This section alternates jumping rope for about 2 minutes with plyo drills. The only thing that annoyed me about this section is that one of the plyo drills included squat thrust/burpees. Otherwise, I really like this section.

In fact, I like the whole workout a lot and I usually don't care for band type workouts.
The upper body section hit all the muscle groups. The lower body section has a great series of exercises and the core section was just all around solid. I like the way the cord and the loop is used throughout the workout. Great flow is what this workout has. I did think that with some of the exercises I didn't have enough resistance with the cord that came with the kit. So when I do the workout again, I will look for a cord with more resistance.

The workout features Annie Lee as the lead and it is 46 minutes long.

4 stars. I am actually tempted to give it 4 1/2 stars. The only thing I didn't care for in the workout is the one plyo section.

Amy Bento KB2 - Thoughts

2011-08-23T20:23:00.004-04:00

A 65 minute workout, KB2 combines Kickboxing combos with Kettlebell Intervals. There are four combos and four intervals. These are surrounded by a warm up at the beginning and a cool down and stretch at the end.
Kickboxing combo sections:
The combos are more drill base than routine base.. Certainly, they are less intricate that many of Amy's other Kickboxing workout.
I like the combos. Amy does include a couple of new moves that haven't been in her other workouts. In terms of content within each combo, the warm up and combo 1 probably has the most content. The others seem short on content but made up for it in repetition. There is lots of repetition. Also, the combos are super easy to follow.
The Kettlebell Sections:
In some intervals, Amy uses two kettlebells and in some intervals, she uses only one.
Interval 1: High Pull, Snatch, Middle Get up (1 kettlebell)
Interval 2: Dual Swings, Dual Cleans, Front Loaded Squats (2 kettlebells)
Interval 3: Push ups, Renegade Row, Walk Forward/Back Plank Position ( 1 kettlebell)
Interval 4: Clean to rack, Press to Lunge holds (2 kettlebells)
When Amy used two kettlebells, I used dumbbells. When she used one kettlebell, I used a kettlebell, but the heaviest kettlebell weight I own is 10lbs. I think Amy is using 25 lbs per bell. Amy tells you anytime she is using two bells, you can choose to use one bell.

The workout slows down during the kettlebell sections. Amy gives herself and us a lot of time between the sets to recover. In each interval you are doing two sets of the exercise.

Following the last interval, is the cool down, which I really think of as a dynamic stretch or standing stretch. After this section, Amy goes on to a floor section.

Along with Amy, there is Uchenna. However, she is not modifying any of the moves. In some cases, particularly during the combos she is going harder than Amy. For the intervals, there is a picture in picture window that appears, showing you how to modify the moves with dumbbells.
Also Amy and Uchenna are doing the workout barefoot. The first time I did the workout, I did it without shoes, but this time I wore shoes.

The DVD is chaptered and does contain premixes. My biggest complaint about the DVD are the premixes. There are three of them and not one of the three is a combos only premix. Very annoyed with that.

The music is decent. It is mostly instrumental but the beat is good.

3 1/2 stars

The FIRM Hard Core Fusion - Thoughts

2011-08-16T19:55:00.003-04:00

The FIRM's Hard Core Fusion is a 56 minute workout and it features Allie Del Rio as the lead. This workout was and I guess still is part of the FIRM's Cardio Weight Systems. I privately have dubbed this system as BSS5. This is the system that came with the pink adjustable hand weights. I have the hand weights. I never use the hand weights. Instead, I used my regular dumbbells.

This workout follows the classic FIRM pattern of aerobics and toning intervals. It starts with a warm up and then goes into a series of alternating toning and aerobic segments. The final toning segment includes ab work before going to the final stretch.

Now the FIRM has always tended to layer moves but in this series of workouts, they started giving the multi-joint/compound exercise moves names.

The Dip and Scoop (working legs and chest)

Power Press (squat and bicep curl)

Butt and Back Burner (deadlift, double arm row, one arm sweep)

Corkscrew (lunges front and back with a chop to the side)

Triceps Tummy Toner (triceps and crunch)

There is a bonus section on the DVD that breaks down these moves.

Also on the DVD is an Express Workout option that is 35 minutes.

Some of the music is good. Some not so good. The set is okay, I guess. When I first got this series, I was like "What happen to the great sets the FIRM use to have?" This workout was released in 2007.

This workout is okay. Allie does a good job cuing. I don't love the workout but I don't hate it either.

3 stars

Michelle Dozois Peak Fit Challenge Cardio Interval Burn - Additonal Thoughts

2011-08-14T19:40:00.003-04:00

So I reviewed (March 8, 2011) this workout when it was Released as Peak 10 Cardio Interval Burn. Michelle re-filmed this workout as part of the Peak Fit Challenge System.
And in my previous review - boy did I give it high praise - 5 stars. I still really like the workout, but before I read my previous review, I was thinking of giving it 4 1/2 stars.
Either way, I think Cardio Interval Burn is still a top notch workout. I do wished that it was under an hour. The workout clocks in at over 65 minutes.
I read where I said the Peak 10 DVD is chaptered very well. However, the Peak Fit Challenge version - not so much. You don't have the menu options to pick and choose the individual sections at will.
Out of all the workouts that I have, and I have a lot of workouts, this workout here has probably been my best calorie burner. It is definitely in the top 10, if not top 5.
So yeah, 4 1/2 - 5 stars.

Michelle Dozois Peak Fit Challenge Cardio Strength 2 - Thoughts

2011-08-11T19:04:00.001-04:00

Cardio Strength 2 is approximately 57 minutes in length.
It features five blocks that are about 10 minutes each plus a cool down.
The first block, the "Warm up" block doesn't do the Peak intensity level.
I put warm up in quotes because I really don't think it is a warm up.
It really goes straight into the Ascent Level using weights and then you go into the climb level. You repeat this cycle, leading with the other side. The rest of the block follows the pattern of Base camp, Ascent, Climb and the Peak.
In each of the Ascent levels you are using weights. This is where the strength part comes in. This part moves. In each Ascent, you are probably doing anywhere from 5 to 7 different strength exercise.
In each of the Climb levels you are or should be working aerobically. This is where the cardio part comes in. The Climbs are my favorite part of the workout.
In each of the Peak levels, you are doing some type of jumping and trying to push yourself and your intensity as much as you can. The exercises for the Peaks are:
Block 1 - No Peak, Block 2 - Tuck Jumps, Block 3 - Leap Jump Shot, Block 4 - 180 Squat Touch Downs, Block 5 - Air Jacks.
Base camp is the recovery and while brief (for the most part) you get the full recovery period before you start going back at it. I know in a couple of the other workouts, Michelle actually starts the exercises while in the Base camp level. If you are still trying to recover after the Peak then you miss a few of the reps. This happens a couple times in this workout but not as much as in some of the other workouts. At least that is my perception.

I like this workout. It is very much like Cardio Strength 1. If you took the Fit Test you will see a few of the exercises that are in the Fit Test appear in this workout.

Going back to the warm up issue, I actually did the first cycle of block 1 without weights and then in the second cycle of block 1, I added weights. The only thing about doing this is that Michelle tends to focus on one side of the body for a cycle and then she switches to the other side during the second cycle. So there is the potential for an imbalance.

Luckily she runs through the exercises three to four times each within each cycle, so I will switch to the other side so I can somewhat work the sides equally.

Other than not liking the lack of warm up (I am sure I will get over this eventually), I like this workout a lot but not any better or worse than the first Cardio Strength workout.

3 1/2 stars

Michelle Dozois Peak Fit Challenge Dynamic Flexibility - Thoughts

2011-08-10T19:45:00.003-04:00

Dynamic Flexibility is the Peak Fit Challenge Systems active recovery workout. There are 5 segments and the segments are anywhere from 4 to 8 minutes. The whole workout is about 29 minutes.
The first three segments are standing and done without the band. The last two segments are floor based and use the band.
The workout can be done with shoes or without.

I like all the segments with segment 3 being my least favorite but it was still okay. Segment three is Yoga based. You are doing a series of sun breaths, planks into downward dogs etc.

Segment two and four are probably my favorite. I just love the dynamic stretching and fluid movements in two and I love the leg stretches using the band in four. Also, both segments has good tunes.

Only complaint and I stated it before is that fact there is no menu breakdown of the segments. I can definitely see me using some segments more than others.

3 1/2 stars

Sean O'Malley Cardio Coach Volume 2 - Thoughts

2011-08-10T19:23:00.003-04:00

Cardio Coach Volume Two is a downloadable mp3 workout that you can use with cardio workout equipment. I used it with my treadmill. The coach is Sean O'Malley and in Volume Two, Sean leads you through a 39 minute workout that takes you through various level and intensity.

You decide your own level and your intensity based on how hard you work.
There are four levels in the Cardio Coach program.
Level 1, Blue Zone, Heart Rate 55 to 65%
Level 2, Green Zone, Heart Rate 65 to 75%
Level 3, Orange Zone, Heart Rate 75 to 85%
Level 4, Red Zone, Above 85%
To get the most out of this workout you really need a heart rate monitor.
The workout breaks down as follows:
Warm up (4:13) - Level 1 into Level 2
Challenge 1 (7:49) - Four Level 3 Hills, Each hill is 1 minute with a 1 minute recovery in between.
Steady State 1 (1:50)- Level 2
Challenge 2 (6:30) 1 Level 3 Hill for 3 minutes, 30 Second recovery, 1 level 3 sprint for 3 minutes,
Steady State 2 (3:18) - Level 2
Challenge 3 (8:39) - 5 Level 4 Treks, each trek is 45 seconds with a 1 minute recover in between. (A trek is a hill and sprint combined)
Cool Down (4:59) - Level 2 into Level 1

I really love all the music except the cool down music. That is generally the case with most of the Cardio Coach Workouts. It is like when they get to the cool down music they go all sappy on you.

4 stars

Michelle Dozois Peak Fit Challenge Pure Strength 2 - Thoughts

2011-08-09T20:22:00.003-04:00

Pure Strength 2 is approximately 50 minutes in length. It follows the same format as Pure Strength 1.
Which is:
Warm up
Back
Chest
Back
Chest
Legs
Arm/Shoulders
Legs
Arms/Shoulders
Stretch
During the warm up, Michelle first starts off without weights. After about 2 minutes, she grabs a set of light weights and takes you through a series of moves that show up later in the various sections.

While the various sections target a specific muscle group, Michelle does end each section with some type of full body exercise move.

Michelle coaches quite a bit - stopping to point out form. Also I notice that I need to pay attention to the television more, because along with coaching, Michelle chats a lot. Several times I thought she was still setting up the move and I look up at the TV and she had already started doing the exercise. I was waiting for a verbal start cue that did not come.

You are moving from exercise to exercise at a quick but steady pace. So while I included the list of exercises, there is really no time to record reps and weight plus she uses the band or your body weight for most of the exercises.

I really like the way this workout is constructed. I don' t think I like it any better than Pure Strength 1. The two are pretty similar with just some new variations in the exercises.

For this workout, I didn't even attempt to use the band that came with the Peak Fit workouts. Instead, I used dumbbells or tubing which worked fine.

3 1/2 stars

Michelle Dozois Peak Fit Challenge Anywhere Anytime No Excuse Workout - Thoughts

2011-08-08T17:17:00.005-04:00

Clocking in at about 42 minutes in length, is Anywhere Anytime, No Excuse Workout. This is the Peak Fit Challenge System's "Travel" Workout; and if you don't have a DVD player with you, Michelle includes a Take It With You guide of all the exercises she includes in the video.

My problem with this workout being a traveling workouts is that if you are staying anywhere where you have people below you, you are going to annoy the heck out of them because there is quite a bit of jumping in the workout.

So there workout starts with a 5 minute warm up.
Then there are two 5 minute Ascent levels that are done back to back.
This is followed by a series of "metabolic circuits" that consist of Base camp (level 1), Climb (Level 3) and Peak (Level 4).
Now in the Climb sections, the first portion is plyo/power work (i.e. jacks or squats), this is followed by leg endurance strength (lunge variations), and then you go down to the floor for some type of push up/plank core combination. Each Climb section follows this pattern.

In the Peak section, you are doing some type of jumping. In the Base camp section, you are shuffling side to side.
After the metabolic circuits, a 5 minute cool down follows.

During the Peak sections, Michelle takes the opportunity to give a shout to her cast members, sharing their successes and roles with the Peak Fit program.

This workout requires no weights or any type of equipment. I would say you might want to have a mat handy for the push up/plank core work but there is really no time to move it in and out of the workout space.

I like this workout. I actually felt I was training harder with this workout than with Pure Cardio. My heart rate monitor was going berserk on me during the Peak sections.

4 stars

Michelle Dozois Peak Fit Challenge Pure Cardio

2011-08-05T20:49:00.004-04:00

Pure Cardio from the Peak Fit Challenge system is a near perfect cardio workout - for me anyway.

It is less than an hour - clocking in at just over 50 minutes; and that includes a warm up and cool down.

It contains some of my favorite cardio elements - kickboxing, dance, and athletic hi lo. More importantly, it does not contain burpees, squat thrust, push ups (for the instructors who like to put push ups in a cardio workout) or the use of weights.

What I like about this workout is that practically all the moves can be modified to a low impact version without loosing any of the choreography of the workout. Also the soundtrack is pretty good - with the moves fitting the music well.

So within the Peak Fit Challenge System you have Interval Climbing.
The first level is called Base camp. Used of recovery.
The second level is Ascent. Used for strength and/or endurance.
The third level is Climb. Higher intensity. Fat burning level.
The fourth level is Peak. Metabolic stimulation. Very high intensity for a short duration.

In Pure Cardio you only do the first three levels and really it feels like you only do the Ascent and Climb level because Base camp is very brief throughout all the blocks.

Along with the warm up and cool down. There are four 10 minute blocks. Each block contains two 5 minute cycles. Essentially you are doing one cycle on the right and then you repeat the cycle on the left before moving on to the next block.

Michelle does the whole workout. No stopping to coach.

I love the moves in the workout; and as I stated at the beginning this is a pretty perfect cardio workout for me.

5 stars

Michelle Dozois Peak Fit Challenge Cardio Strength 1 - Additonal Thoughts

2011-08-04T19:38:00.004-04:00

I reviewed (Thursday March 10, 2011) Cardio Strength 1 when it was just release as Peak 10 Cardio Strength. I don't really have a whole lot more to add. I will reiterate that I still don't like that there is no real warm up.

Michelle re-shot this workout. So, there is a different cast than in the Peak 10 release.
Also the Peak 10 release has menu options so you can select the different blocks you want if you didn't want to do the whole workout. As stated in the previous post, that option is not available with the Peak Fit Challenge release.

Michelle does stop the exercise to coach quite a bit and thankfully that band is not used in this workout.
In my previous review, I gave it 3 1/2 stars and I would still give it 3 1/2 stars.

Michelle Dozois Peak Fit Challenge Core Dynamics

2011-08-03T20:29:00.003-04:00

Clocking in at just about 20 minutes is Core Dynamics. This is the Peak Fit Challenge workout that specifically targets the back, core, and abdominal region. Also there is a little glute work going on as well.
The 20 minutes is broken down into 4 five minute blocks. Block 1 uses a single dumbbell and it is standing ab work - with a functional fitness twist. Block 2 is equipment free and is floor work. Plank work, side rolls, and ankle grabbers are some of the exercises perform in block 2. Block 3 uses the band and you are working off of one knee for much of the workout. There is also some side plank moves. Block 4 is equipment free as well and is more of a traditional floor ab set.

My favorite section is Block 2. My least favorite is Block 3 and that is mostly because of the band. I actually chucked the band and replaced it with the FIRM's purple (strongest resistance) band for much of block 3.

I really like this work. The 20 minutes moved quick. In Michelle's introduction she states you can do the workout as one 20 minute workout or you can add a 5 minute block at the end of another workout.

My problem with that and with all the workouts in the Peak Fit Challenge System is that there is no menu option breaking down the actual workout. The menu choices given are: Introduction and Play Full Workout. Now the workout is chapter and you can easily skip from chapter to chapter using your DVD buttons but it would have been nice to have this choice from the main menu or even a sub menu.

But the workout itself is a great core workout and I give it 4 1/2 stars.

Michelle Dozois Peak Fit Challenge Pure Strength 1

2011-08-02T18:45:00.005-04:00

Pure Strength 1 clocks in at around 50 minutes. It consist of a warm up, 8 cycles or rounds and a cool down.

Each round including the warm up and cool down are about 5 minutes each. Michelle uses light weight during the warm up and the warm up includes several of the exercises you will see in later rounds.

Each round focuses on a particular body part or muscle group. At the end of each muscle group, Michelle includes a total body exercise to round out the 5 minutes. As with the Fit Test and all the workouts in this series, bells go off letting you know when the round is almost finish.

The flow of the workout (the core part) goes like this: back, chest, back, chest, legs, arms/shoulders, legs and arms/shoulders. Now while Michelle is essentially performing the exact same exercise from one set to the next, she does vary the tempo and rep count. Also each plank pushup combination is different.

Dumbbells (light and heavy) are used as well as the a band This band comes with the Peak Fit System. Frankly I don't like the band. I used the band for the first set of each exercise but for the second set I switch to dumbbells. The band has almost no elasticity and on many of the exercises I didn't feel as if I was executing the exercises properly using it.

The exercises where I felt the band was a good fit was during the squat lunge combo exercise in the Leg cycle and during the squat band overhead press side to side in the arms/shoulder cycle.

What I like most about this workout is the flow. The exercises move from one to another and the exercises are not overly complicated. Before I could look up and check the time, the workout was ending.
What I like least - the band.

Michelle does do most of the workout. I think only once maybe twice she stopped working out and starting coaching.

3 1/2 stars

Michelle Dozois Peak Fit Challenge Intro & Fit Test

2011-08-01T19:29:00.004-04:00

Peak Fit Challenge is an 8 week program that was developed by Michelle and Phil Dozois.

The program includes 10 workouts that come in a CD size DVD booklet. Also included: An 8 week training plan, an Anywhere Anytime Take it with you Guide, and a Nutrition Guide.

The first DVD is Intro and Fit Test. In this DVD Michelle spends some time explaining to you the program and how the program works. The Introduction section is approximately 8 minutes in length.

Also on this disc is the Fit Test. Michelle states that it should be done at the beginning of the 8 weeks and again at the end of the 8 weeks.

The Fit Test consist of 10 exercises (please see the Exercise Test Chart for exact exercises - click on image for larger view). Michelle does include a warm up and a cool down with the Fit Test. The whole Fit Test is approximately 29 minutes in length and it is a nice little workout.

During the test, there are bells that indicate when you start, when you are at the 1/2 way point, and the end of the test. You do each exercise for a minute and then you get a minute recovery.

A nice feature of this workout is that you have subtitles telling you what is coming up and what you are doing. Also there is a start/finish clock that indicates where you are in the minute.

During the fitness test, Michelle starts off my showing you the move and then stops and she moves around and starts talking and coaching, pointing out form etc.

A nice start to the program.

3 Stars

August Rotation 2011

2011-07-31T19:27:00.002-04:00

Well, my initial plan for August was to do systems. My original plan included Peak Fit Challenge system and the Aerobox systems, but it became a hassle ordering the Aerobox system so I nixed that.

So then I decided to do the Peak Fit Challenge System with Tracey Staehle's New Total Body Boot Camp workouts. These workouts were supposed to be release mid-June, but as of right now I still don't have them, so this plan too got nixed.

The latest plan is to do the Peak Fit Challenge system with "Pink" FIRM workouts. It has been a couple of years since I have done many of the Pink FIRM workouts.

I have signed up for a 10K race. Race date is October 30th. I will start training for that with treadmill work on Sunday and Wednesday.

Also, I have just received the new Amy Bento workouts. I will try to fit KB2 in sometime as an evening workout. I also ordered Seasun's new Zfit Step and I plan to start learning the combos to that as well.

2011 Cathe Road Trip - More Pictures

2011-07-31T14:22:00.005-04:00

Name of Cathe Gym

Welcome Poster for Cathelete

Cake on Night Two

Cathe and Crew

Saundra and Cathe

Cathe RoadTrip 2011 Pictures

2011-07-30T16:57:00.007-04:00

Some pictures from Cathe RoadTrip 2011.

First we have FeelFitWear. This is the line of workout wear that Cathe will be wearing in the new Low Impact Series.

Me after Spin Class
Cathe Poster Sign

Cathe Store
Me after Athletic Step

The Filming Studio and Cathe leading class.

Just before step class and Cathe cake served on night one.

Tracie Long Functional Foundations - Thoughts

2011-07-28T18:20:00.004-04:00

"Welcome to the Revolution" Tracie states at the end of each of these workouts. The Revolution being a "different" way of training or the foray into functional fitness type training.
Functional Foundations is a workout set that consist of two workouts: Core Strength and Core Cardio. They were made in 2004 and during this time it seemed like "functional fitness" was the new fitness buzz word of the day.
I thought and I think I was hoping that functional fitness was a passing fad but no, it is still around today - not always called functional fitness but certainly with the elements of functional fitness.
Well these two workouts are led by Tracie Long and definitely as far a functional fitness home DVDs workouts go, Tracie is one of the leaders, and she is superb in these workouts as well.

Core Strength is a 50 minute workouts. It uses a stability ball, mat, and various weighted dumbbells. This is a strength, balance, and posture workout. There is almost no cardio. Usually with functional fitness workouts, I usually feel the cardio on some of the exercises, but there was almost no cardio effect for me with this workout. There is some jumping but the jumps are done in a very control manner, which for me, eliminated the cardio effect.
Some of the exercises you are doing in Core Strength are:
Thread The Needle, X on the Ball, A-Frame, Crocodile Rock
.
Core Cardio is also approximately 50 minutes in length. It uses a step, band loop, and a medicine ball. This workout didn't have as much cardio as I would have like. The cardio segments are very short. Along with cardio segments, there seemed to be a lot lower body specific exercises - some used the band. I remember thinking at one point I was doing a lower body workout because there are a lot of lunge and squat variations being done throughout.
You are also doing a lot of jumping and the medicine ball is used in several combinations for added intensity.
Some of the exercises in Core Cardio are:
Rock The Baby, Side Lunge with Jumps, Side Squats & Traverse Lunges, Mountain Climbers.

Both of these workouts were filmed on the U.S.S Yorktown in Charleston South Carolina. So as far as sets go, it is pretty unique. The music is typical Tracie and the exercises are choreograph precisely with the music. Each workout comes on its own individual DVD and both DVDs are well chaptered. Love that.

Core Strength - 3 1/2 stars
Core Cardio - 3 stars

Special K Protein Shakes - Thoughts

2011-07-26T19:06:00.006-04:00

I am usually pretty skittish when it comes to trying “health” shakes. The ones that are low in calories, usually don’t taste very good and the ones that taste good are high in calories. I find this is especially true for the pre-made shakes. With tastes being so specific to an individual, reading reviews of the products have to be taken with a grain a salt.

So when I came across the Special K Protein Shakes, I read a bunch of reviews and the majority of them pretty consistently said the shakes taste good. It just wasn’t one flavor they said tasted good, but according to the reviews, all the flavors were yummy. When I decided to give them I try, I had a hard time deciding which flavor to go with, so I went with all three and I bought a pack of each flavor.

The Special K Shakes come 4 bottles to a pack. Each bottle is 10 oz. I bought mine at Target for $5.44 a pack. Wal-mart also sells these and the other day I saw the same four pack at CVS Pharmacy for $8.82. Of course I thought CVS was crazy.

So the flavors: French Vanilla (180 calories, 5 Grams of Fat, 5 Grams of Fiber and 10 Grams of Protein) For those of you who are watching carbs – there are 29G. Sodium is 220mg and sugar is 18G.

The other flavors are Strawberry and Chocolate. Strawberry has the same nutrient numbers as French Vanilla and the only thing different about the Chocolate flavor is the calorie count which is 190.

So the taste. I have to agree with many of the reviews. I thought they tasted pretty good. My only slightly negative comment is about the Strawberry. I felt the first swallow has a slightly medicinal taste to it - almost like cough syrup. As I kept drinking the Strawberry shake, I didn't notice that particular taste as much. I notice this with each strawberry shake I had and I have had three of them at this point and time.

The bottle states that it “satisfies hunger longer”. “ For me, I found it kept the hunger at bay for about 2 maybe 2 ½ hours. Lately, I have been trying to keep my eating times consistent throughout the day. So I will eat at 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm and 6pm. I will have the protein shake at 9am and usually I found myself hungry between 11 and 1130am.

I am giving the French Vanilla and Chocolate shakes 4 stars and the Strawberry 3 1/2 stars.
I am pretty happy I found these.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Pedometer

2011-07-24T20:13:00.006-04:00

So a few weeks ago, I joined Weight Watchers at Work, and one of the things I found out is that they have this new pedometer which they call PointsPlus Pedometer.

Well considering that I have the bodybugg, a heart rate monitor, a Garmin GPS watch, it is not like I need another tool to attach to my body, but I am a gadget person and I was sold on the fact that it could specifically count my Weight Watcher Activity Points (AP) that I earned throughout the day. So there would be no guessing or converting. I would just wear the pedometer and check the display to see how many AP points that I earned for that day.

You can use the pedometer in two modes - 'All Day' or 'Active'. 'Active' is when you want to record or track a specific workout session and 'All Day', well it tracks your daily movement including any exercise sessions all day. The default setting is 'All Day'.

So the box states:
"This pedometer is powered by motion sensor and step filter technology, and is the only pedometer that can count your activity PointsPlus values in addition to steps and distance! It's a great motivator to watch the progress bar fill up as you walk your way to an earned activity value. Clip it on and go!"

And when it is working, it does do all that. So we have my experience and we have my friend's experience with the PointsPlus pedometer. My experience with the WW PointsPlus pedometer is that the thing keeps resetting itself. It will go along fine for a while and then it will start blinking on and off. I will reset it. Then it will go along fine again for awhile and then it starts blinking on and off. So now it has become a hassle.

My friend's experience with her WW PP pedometer is that it will not track her steps, distance or Activity Points but she can use the stop watch function that it has if she wants, she can use the clock function that it has if she wants. So some functions work, but the main function that she wants to work (tracking AP ) does not. The pedometer she has doesn't do the blinking on and off thing.

Based on these two experience, I don't think these pedometers are very stable. Now, my friend is getting a replacement for hers. I on the other hand probably won't bother and it will just end up in my junk pile.

The pedometers cost $23.95 by the way.

For what they are designed to do, I give it 3 1/2 stars.
For what they are not doing, that they are suppose to do, I give it 1/2 a star.

Tracie Long Better Burn Better Buns - Thoughts

2011-07-11T20:30:00.005-04:00

Better Burn Better Buns is a functional fitness workout that is 55 minutes in length and it is led by Tracie Long. The workout uses a rag or you can use a paper plate or gliding disc to work the lower body. There are about 4 sets of lower body work using the rag. There is also some standing single leg isolation work. The types of moves that you are doing are leg lifts, zig zags, single leg squats, push lunges, standing shootouts.. - all using the rag or your own body weights. No dumbbells are used.
The workout also has medicine ball cardio and core sets. I thought the medicine ball routines fun. However, they are repetitive . You are repeating the same group of moves about 8 time through but I find this is typical for a Tracie Long workout. The moves are simple , repetitive and allow for full execution and the majority of the time you have cool music that you’re performing the move to so the repetitiveness of it doesn’t bug me. Some of the cardio moves, are hurdlers, X marks the spot, and stir the pot.

Like the other Tracie Long Training workouts this workout has a beginner modifier and an advance modifier. In this workout, the beginner modifier is showing several moves performed with a balance stick or dowel or you can use a broom. Also Tracie and the advance modifier use this tool in the two core segments. One core segment at the beginning of the workout is a series of core moves and in this segment, you are using the dowel as a guide – moving your feet and hands over it. The other core segment is at the end of the workout and you are using the dowel as resistance and to increase the intensity and range during ab crunch work.

Better Body Better Burn is my favorite of the four Tracie Long Training (TLT) workouts.
4 stars