Saundra

April 2011 Rotation will feature workout systems or concentrate on a specific instructor. Also I will be moving this month and with all the stuff that I have, that will be a workout itself. April 1st is Piloxing . I just got this workout. It is an interesting concept and I am looking forward to giving it a try. Week 1 will be FitPrime from the WHFN series. I love the set and much of the music used in these workouts. FitPrime are fusion workouts combining cardio, weights, pilates and yoga. Week 2 will be The FIRM's The Wave system . I was not crazy about these workouts the last time I tried them. I will have to see if my feelings have changed. Week 3 is Patricia Moreno . I will be doing two kickboxing workouts and two dance workouts - both of which are two of my favorite type of workouts. I have reviewed three of the four workouts previously and I was lukewarm on two of the workouts. Week 4 will be KickButt! from the WHFN series of workouts. The KickButt! series is suppose ...

From Tracie Long's Focus series, Weightless is a 30 minute workout that uses your body weight (no equipment). Well, okay. Tracie does use a mat. And there are certain spots that she tells you that you can use weights as props. Again, a great soundtrack and the workout is choreograph tightly to the music. This is a workout that can be "performed" once you really know it. The choreography is athletic in nature but basic. There is some power and a little high impact, but it is mostly low impact workout with some functional fitness and kickboxing inspired moves. The breakdown: Song 1 - warm up Song 2 - Burpees, turn-jumps, squat calf work, step knees Song 3 - Upper Body punches, squats, jogs, jumping jacks Song 4 - Lower body power moves, squat and lunge pulses, jumps in and out, hamstings, triceps push ups Song 5 - Side lunges, triceps dips, shoot outs, crunches, spinal erector work Song 6 - Planks, plank rotation, prisoner squats, push ups with rotation, mountain cl...

Defined Lines is a 50 minute workout that Tracie introduces as mostly a cardio workout. I really didn't think it a mostly cardio workout at all. If I had to characterized the workout I would call it a "total body functional fitness style workout" that uses lots of range of motion. The segments are long but within the segments you are moving quickly from multi joint compound exercise to multi joint compound exercise. Defined Lines uses a medicine ball, a pair of dumbbells (Tracie's pair is 5lbs), a rag (or paper plate if you are on carpet), your own body weight and a mat. There are roughly 10 segments or songs in this workout. Each segment with the exception of Song 4 is roughly 5 minutes. Song 4 is about 3 minutes. The breakdown and some of the moves in each segment are : Song 1 - medicine ball warm up, v-steps, shoulder serves, halos, weaves, lunge-dips with pullovers Song 2 - dumbbells, side lunges, french press, kick backs with leg lifts, delt raise, shoulder r...

Super Cardio Sculpt is a 40 minute workout led by Nancy Tucker. This workout came as an add-on to the original FIRM Body Sculpting System. Of the nine workouts that came as part of that system, this and Body Sculpt were and still are my two favorites. Super Cardio Sculpt breaks down as follows: Segment 1 - warm up Segment 2 - 4 limb aerobics (uses light weights) Segment 3 - Step aerobics (using the top portion of the fanny lifter) Segment 4 - Low impact floor aerobics Segment 5 - Step aerobics Segment 6 - Low impact floor aerobics Segment 7 - Tall Box climb using light weight (shortest segment) Segment 8 - Step Aerobics Cool Down Segment 9 - Stretch. The choreography in this workout is very basic. We are talking grapevines, tristars, knee pull downs, step straddles etc. Nancy cues very well. There is only one part I think out of sync and that is in segment 7. The music speeds up during the knee pull downs and Nancy speeds up with it so you feel like you are rushing during this ...

Led by Lisa Kay, Cardio Sculpt Blaster is a 30 minute cardio sculpt workout and it is light on the sculpting. The Workout features the FIRM Fanny Lifter, two sets of dumbbells (3lbs and 5lbs) and is roughly broken down into 10 segments. I say roughly because the DVD is not chapter. The workout was also released on VHS. Of the 10 segments, 7 of the segments contain squats of some sort which started to annoy me. "How many times can we do squats in a 30 minute workout?", I pondered by the fourth time they cropped up. The segments are broken down into low impact floor aerobics, box step aerobics, four-limb (using light weights) aerobic. All of the combinations are very basic and easy to learn. It has been quite awhile since I the last time I did this workout. In fact, so long that I can't tell you when. I thought I remember the workout having more intensity, more pizazz, more oomph! but it is lacking in all that and more. Lisa tried to give the workout energy but it...

Quickfix Cardio Hip Hop is a 40 minute dance workout led by Juliane Arney. The workout is broken down into four 10 minute dance routines. The dances are: Routine 1 - Inner Dancer Routine 2 - Rhythm Routine 3 - Low & Funky Routine 4 - Hip Hop Groove Each of the dances are broken down into 8 counts and consist of two sections. You learn section one, run through it a few times. You learn section two, run through that a couple of times and then you put both parts together without a break. Juliane does a great job in breaking down all the moves. First she gives you a basic move (Julianne calls it a lifeline) that you can come back to should you get lost or just need a break. Second, she gives each move a name which after attempting Tracy Anderson dance cardio, I find to be very helpful. Lastly she does a great job in cuing the moves, although I will say she is overly peppy. Now while there are two ladies dancing behind her, there is no modifier. All of them are performing the same...

59 minutes in length, Peak 10 Cardio Strength is a cardio sculpt workout. This workout follows the same format at Peak 10 Cardio Interval Burn in that you have a series (five) blocks. In this workout they are called Peak Training Blocks. Each block consist of 2 rounds that are about 5 minutes each. So you have: Base camp - rest/recovery Ascent - sculpting sets. Michelle has two pair of dumbbells (light & heavy). Climb - cardio Peak - jumps (each Peak featured some sort of jumping move). My complaint with this workout is that there is really no warm up. Michelle incorporates the warm up in the First Training Block. Quoting her, she states "the warm up is a workout". I didn't like this at all. She uses the Base camp in this block to introduce her crew and then she grabs weights and you are into the Ascent phase doing squats and functional fitness sculpting. Now, the first training block does not include a Peak phase because she states "this is the warm up" a...

Peak 10 Cardio Interval Burn is an all cardio 65 minute workout featuring Michelle Dozois. Michelle introduces what she calls Peak Cardio Blocks. There are five blocks and within each block you perform the block twice through (for a total of 2 rounds per block). Surrounding the Peak Blocks there is a warm up and a cool down. More info on the Peak Block . There are four section within the peak block. They are: Level 1 - Base camp (equivalent to rest and/or recovery) Level 2 - Ascent (mostly low impact cardio) Level 3 - Climb (intensity kicks up, lots of high impact) Level 4 - Peak (definitely high impact, lots of jumping) The workout has a definite kickbox flavor to it. Many of the moves especially in the Ascent Level are kickbox inspired. As you move from one level to the next a bell chimes letting you know you are approaching the next level. The base camp level is very brief. No more than 15 to 20 seconds. Ascent and Climb are about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes each and the Peak level is ar...

Circuit Zone is a 71 minutes workout featuring Tracey Staehle. I have had this workout for awhile, probably 1/2 year and am just now getting to it. It is one of those workouts that I kept meaning to add into the rotation but never found a place for it. There is a kick box influence in this workout. I also consider it to be endurance base. The workout starts with two warm up segments. The first warm up warms up your upper body by doing a series of punches. The second warm up warms up your lower body by doing a series of kicks. After that we move into the circuits. Circuit 1 - (Upper Body) Lat pullovers, chest press, push ups, rear flys, Circuit 2 - (Lower Body) Alternating lunges, boxers stance squats, rear lunges, pulse squats, Circuit 2 - (Bonus Lower Body) Alternating Plyo Lunges, knee jump kicks, front back lunges Circuit 3 - (Upper Body) Bicep and Triceps Work Circuit 3 - (Bonus Upper Body) Triceps Circuit 4 - (Lower Body) Outer and inner thigh Leg Lifts, jacks using a band Ci...