Saundra

Behind on blog entries, behind on workouts, behind on my diet...... The procrastinator in me has been in full force this last week or so. The thing about being behind on my workouts is I get caught up on blog entries The thing about being behind on my diet is getting told that by the scale each week Hopefully by May I have shaken out of this funk I am in.

Hard Work Conditioning 2 is another workout that surprised me. I didn't expect to like the workouts as much as I did. I have had this work practically since it first came out and I am just now getting around to doing it. It's a interval workout. I thought the blend of aerobics and toning were more even than in the first Hard Work Conditioning workout. The toning segments featured mostly compound exercise and the layering technique. Many of the toning segments had a cardio and/or a balance aspect to it. The cardio segments were burst of simple sometimes intense movement. Patrick uses the step and 2 sets of dumbbells. This workout is long but can be broken down into Lower Body and Upper Body segments. In my opinion, however because of the compound nature of the moves, you are almost always working both body sections together. I give this workout 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

This is my second time doing Staying Power . Before I go and read what I wrote before I am going to say this is a 3 1/2 star workout. My biggest gripe was that I really couldn't hear the music. I could hear Tracie just fine. This is an interval style workout that used light to medium weights and the medicine ball. I like the intervals and the exercises that Tracie selected. Tracie is always so precise to me. Each move is distinct and identifiable. Going to go and check out my last review...... In my last review I gave it 3 1/2 stars. So that is very consistent. This is a solid workout.

PlayBall in 4 . I like this workout. The workout gets its inspiration from Basketball or so Patrick states and it is divided into 4 quarters. Each quarter is roughly 12 - 15 minutes in length. The whole workout is just over an hour long. Patrick takes you through a series of interval, functional type moves using a medicine ball. Some of the med ball moves are shoulder press, figure 8's, squat press, weaving the ball etc. The ball is used as a prop and also for resistance and stabilization work. I am extremely happy to report that we did not have to bounce the ball. Within each quarter, Patrick incorporates moves that get the heart rate up and then he brings your heart rate down with more static/concentration type exercises. In all 4 segments you are doing some type of floor work with the longest floor work segment coming in the 4 quarter which has a nice ab/core set. Also Patrick uses a left and right pattern meaning you do the combination on the right and then repeat it on the le

"If this workout is a piece of cake, don't eat it." Kelly Coffey-Meyer, 30-Minutes to Fitness Muscle Definition. This has got to be one of my most favorite sayings to quote out of all the workouts that I have and from all the instructors that I have done. I reviewed this workout back on September 25th 2009. I gave it 3 stars with a caveat. I am actually going to change that star ranking to 4 stars because it really is a very good workout. The reason I gave it 3 stars is because I thought the music was just awful. I still think the music selection for the workout is awful, but I am going to try to ignore it. Also the workouts are definitely longer than 30 minutes, which also bugs me considering the title of the workout. But, other than that a great workout.

I reviewed this workout back on August 14. Then I gave it 4 1/2 stars. Before I read what I wrote then I was thinking this is a 4 star workout. So fairly consistent there. I still like this workout. I wouldn't mind if Kelly made another one similiar to this.

Patrick Goudeau's Hard Work Conditioning is 60 a minute workout that I thought was more toning than aerobics. The toning segments featured exercises that were compound in nature and many of the moves had a balance component as well. The aerobic segments contain power moves done in burst. With the exception of the plank jacks on the steps, I really didn't feel that I was working that hard. However, I got a major case of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) as a result of this workout. At first I couldn't place why I was so sore in my lat area and inner and outer thighs until I started thinking about the moves I had done in the workout. Patrick does a good job of keeping the workout moving. 3 out of 5 stars

Interval training is the buzz word for April. I am not a big fan of interval training. I put together this rotation because there are several workouts I have that I have had going on a year now that I haven't done or have only done once. The workouts that you see listed for Sunday are ab/core workouts that I will be doing after a 3 mile run. The featured instructors/systems are Patrick Goudeau, Kelly Coffey-Meyer, Tracie Long, The FIRM, and Cathe. Click on the Image for a Larger View

CIA 2205 Knockout Hi Low is a 56 minute workout featuring Debbie Burns. The emphasis of this workout is more boxing than kickboxing. However, there are kicking moves added throughout the workout. There workout is essentially divided into two Cardio Knockout Hi-Low combinations. Between the two combinations is a "pulse check break" that is only really about 10 seconds. The two combinations are long, but fun and unique. Debbie definitely puts together some different combinations and different moves that aren't seen in other kickboxing workouts. Like most kickboxing combinations it does work the same combination on the left and on the right. What I notice about this workout, you are almost always on your toes while you are punching and kicking. Rarely is Debbie static. Intermixed with the kickboxing are hi intensity plyometric moves (i.e. Ali shuffle, jumping jacks, plyo hops etc). Debbie Burns is another instructor that I went out online to see if she had any other

The FIRM's Bust and Butt is a 44 minute compilation workout taken from the FIRM Cardio (Power Cardio, Cardio Burn, & Maximum Cardio) series. This workout features Tamela Hastie, Dale Brabham, and Carissa Foster. This workout wasn't originally in my rotation, but after disparaging it a couple of weeks ago, I decided to add it in to see if my thoughts about it had change. Essentially it has not. The workout is okay. It seem much longer than the 44 minutes. It felt like there was a 100 different changes going on with all the switching between the different leads. And, because of all the switching which is very quick, it is a good idea to have all your weights and equipment set out to where you can easily access them. The sets are very short and the reps very quick. The basic pattern is that you will do 8 of something, switch to a different exercise and different piece of equipment and do 8 of something else and then come back to the first exercise. The FIRM typically

CIA 2203 Cardio Strike Zone plus Boot Camp is a kickboxing and drill type workout featuring Terri Reeves. The workout is broken down into two main sections - kickboxing and boot-camp drills. The kickboxing section is about 37 minutes in length and the bootcamp section is about 30 minutes in length. I only ever do the kickboxing plus the warm up and cool down. Terri is refreshing. I absolutely loved her energy. I actually went out and did a search for more workouts featuring her, but I couldn't find any. The kickbox workout consist of 3 combos done both on the right and on the left. You will do all three combos twice through on both sides. The first time through Terri breaks it down a little longer. The second time through, Terri tightens up the breakdown and moves through the combo much faster than the first. In each of the combos, you can count on doing some type of Plyometric moves within the kickboxing moves. Terri is very vocal and she likes the sound effects. Lo