Cardio Karate Week 1 - Thoughts

Cardio Karate Week 1 featured only one workout.
Disc 1, Cardio Circuits is led by Amy Bento Ross. The workout is approximately 63 minutes in length. Along with Amy, there are two background exercisers, Jill and Uchenna. Modifications are not shown. All the ladies do the same moves. The moves are simple and basic enough so modifications really are not needed.
The workout roughly breaks down as follows:
Warm up
Combinations
Core/Abs
Cool Down
While the workout does not contain a chapter menu, you can skip through the workout using your remote chapter button.
The main part of the workout, the combinations contain 4 pods (mini combinations). Each pod consist of 4 moves. Amy teaches each pod using the layer approach. You learn one side by adding moves, you do all moves back to back before moving to the other side to repeat the sequence. When you have learn both sides, you do the whole pod (both sides) before moving on the the next combination. After you have learned all four pods, Amy takes you back to the beginning and you do all four pods back to back.
The Exercises:
Pod 1
Squat Hammer Strikes
Cross Lunge High Low Block
Knife Strikes
Horse Stance Block Series

Pod 2
Elbow Strikes
Knee Around the World
Triangle Side Squats
Alternating High Blocks

Pod 3
Sliding Knee
Front/Back Kicks
Cat Stance
Alternating Elbow Blocks

Pod 4
Slide, Cat, Kick
Hop, Cat, Kick
Diagonal Palm Strike
Leg Sweep Into Side Hammer

Abs (with sand weights)
Alternating Elbow Strikes Across the Body
Forward Dive with back Kick
Crunch and Hip Heist
Plank, Hamstring, Side Kick

Love the music. I thought it really went well with the theme of the workout.
Amy, I felt did too much yelling, mostly at Uchenna and Jill. It was distracting. At one point in the workout she made a comment about Cardio Karate being "different than anything you have seen on the market, not that repetitive Tae Bo." However, later in the workout, she remarks about Cardio Karate "Repetition is memorization on that body, it strengthen the body. These moves are repetitious. The more you do them, the more you find that is in them."

Well, Okay but Tae Bo can say the say thing can't it. Didn't understand or get that at all. Why call out one workout for the same trait you are touting in your own workout.

I enjoyed the pods and I am looking forward to the other workouts in the series. I really started to get into the moves. From previewing, I think Disc 1 has the most basic combos and I expect the other workouts to be more intricate.

3 1/4 stars

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