Saundra

 Heather C Fitness presents Moxie 1 and Moxie 2 . Both are cardio strength workouts that require no equipment. The strength portion comes in the form of body weight exercises often done in the plank position but there are some squats, lunges, dips, crouching tigers, and handstands. Throughout the workouts, Heather gives you options showing you how to make the moves advance as  well as how to make the moves easier. The workouts include balance moves as well as  jumping, running, hopping and some kickbox moves too. Each workout clocks in at just over 21 minutes and probably could have been included on one DVD. What I didn't like is there is no DVD menu. The workout just start to play as soon as you put it in your DVD player.  The DVDs are also DVD-R. I like both workouts well enough but I didn't like one workout more that the other.  I felt they were both good 20 minute workouts. I love Heather's motto, "Love What Your Body Can Do Today". Heather's

Get Bent is advertised as "circus style flexibility training" and there is a bit of that but overall I thought this was a solid stretching and flexibility workout especially for the hips and shoulder. The workout clocks in a around 55 minutes.  The DVD menu contains the following: Play Fit & Bendy Splits Tutorial Intro Warmup Splits Prep Splits Shoulders Backbends Cool Down Kristina uses yoga blocks to help with modifying the stretch and she used a wall for increase or deeper stretching.  There is some tough stretching going on here.   The back bend section was particularly tough for me.  As were the splits.  I particularly like the deep stretching for the shoulder which uses a wall to increase the stretch. The split prep section is a series of hamstring, inner thigh and hip stretches. Most stretches you are doing at least twice.  Kristina will have you do a particular stretch, come out of it and go back and repeat the sequence. The set is a bit funky. Th

Ilyse Baker Your Sexy Everything is a lower body inspired workout.   The workout is composed of mini routines from 5 to 8 minutes. Each routine has a particular focus. Ilyse incorporates total body moves in each mini workout that gives the routine a cardio effect. There are two participants along with Ilyse.  One person is showing more basic beginner moves.  The other person is showing intermediate moves. Ilyse is the one doing the advance moves. The workouts are short but challenging. The Tabata workout comes with a picture in picture (PIP) that demos the move during the 10 second rest. The Thighs workout runs through a series of squats and lunges. There are also some plank jacks in this workout. The Calves workout consists of calve raises, hops and rock and roll calves done in a plank position. Glutes is where you get down on all fours working hydrants and donkey kicks. There is also a series of single leg squats and balance work. The Dancer's Floor Stretch is jus

Ilyse Baker's Dancinerate Sazzy Jazz and Hip Hop Fusion is Ilyse's second Dancinerate workout.  This workout has two dances, one is jazz base and on is hop hop base.  Each has its own warm up and cool down and both routines clock in at around 26 minutes. Ilyse follows a definite pattern in teaching the routines. She introduces the move with slow counts that she runs through three times.  Ilyse then has you rehearse the move at tempo for three times through.  The move is added to the routine and you take it from the top three times. The whole routine is around eight 8 counts. So its not a long routine.  At the end of the workout, Ilyse takes you through the routine for several runs giving you the opportunity for more calorie burn. The music changes as the routine moves along. So you are performing the same moves to different music and different parts of the music. I like this workout. I think I like this slightly better than the first workout. My favorite routine was

Tangoflex Method is a workout method designed to increase flexibility. The Tangoflex system consist of four workouts across two DVDs and has been created by Victoria Sarquisse.  DVD one contains the following : Introduction 50 Minute Full Body Workout Play All The workout starts lying down and finishes standing up.  You are taken through a series of exercises.  Victoria works the body in a variety of positions and levels.  Multiple levels are demonstrated. Victoria will show the advance version and at the same time and picture in picture (PIP) box will pop up that will show how the move can be modified. I like this feature. By the end of the workout, I did feel as if I stretch the whole body. The pace of the workout is slow. The music is methodical and a bit melancholy.  Parts of it made me want to go to sleep.  I like the full body workout but did feel it was about 10 minutes to long. DVD Two contains: Introduction 5 Minute Lower Back Stretch 10 Minute Balance Routine

Zumba 101 Can't Dance stars Beto Perez as  the lead instructor.  Along with Beto, there is Julianna Sartori and Priscilla Sartori who are the background exercises. This DVD contains two programs. The first program is Step By Step.  In this workout Beto takes you through four core dances of Zumba. The dances are Merengue, Reggaeton, Cumbia and Salsa.  Beto breaks down each of these dances teaching them each to a song. After Beto demonstrates the four dances, he takes you through a mini workout that is about 15 minutes long.   Step By Step breaks out as follows: Fiesta - Merengue Lo Que Ellas Quieren - Reggaeton Nena - Cumbia Pachanga - Salsa Tiempo De Bailar - Merengue Pop Baila Mi Soca - Soca Pam Pam - Merengue Baracundera - Cooldown The second program is Dance, Dance, Dance. The order of the workout is very similar to the Zumba 101 Step by Step Class. The only difference in the songs is that Beto adds a warm up song:  24 hours. When the the warm up song starte

Method Express contains six workouts that are all around the 10 minute mark.  Tracy has you use your own body weight,  ankle weights, and hand weights to train the muscles. She uses a variety of positions such as standing, kneeling, prone, supine, all-fours, and lying side to work various areas of the body.  Most of the exercises had a rep count of either five reps or 10 reps.  There were a couple of exercises in the leg workouts that contain more reps.  For the most part, Tracy counts out the reps as she performs each rep. The cuing was pretty decent. Throughout the workouts, when Tracy would complete an exercise, she will tell you "good job".  She does this quite a bit. The music is mostly background music. In Upper Body Express, the music goes completely off three times.  So you just hear Tracy's voice.  Overall, I really like the individual workouts.    There is an option to Play All and if you do that, the workout is 60 minutes. The six workouts are: Sculp

Abs & Stretch is part of the first group of workouts that Amy Bento put out.   It consist of two ab workouts and 2 stretch workouts.  Stretch Section 1 is around 11 minutes in length. The other three segments are around 15 minutes each. Abs section 1 is a high rep workout and features standing and seated abs work.  Ab section 1 has a short warm up  Ab section 2 focuses on planks and working your abs using the stability ball. If you are doing abs 2 as its on workout, there is not a warm up for it.  Both workouts use dumbbells. Both stretch workouts use a resistance band and a mat.  Stretch section 2 is a standing stretch workout and Stretch section 2 is a floor based workout.  The DVD menu: Introduction Play Program Chapters    Back to Main Menu    Abs Section 1    Abs Section 2    Stretch Section 1    Stretch Section 2 Credits These workouts were okay.  You can play all the sections as one workout by hitting Play Program . Although,  I like to use them as add

Tracy Anderson Slim + Sculpt Cardio DVD contains three 20-minute workouts. Two workouts are cardio based and one workout is sculpt based. The sculpt base workout uses a band. The band comes with the DVD. Cardio 1 is the first workout.  Tracy states this is an easier choreograph workout and one in which you should follow along.  It is a mixture of low and high impact moves.  So expect some jumping.  The moves are relatively simple to follow. The problem is that you do not know what is coming next.  The note I put next to workout was "that was a mess". At one point Tracy states that "you are not doing the same move over and over and that you have to focus". Well it would kind help to know what is coming next so that you are able to keep it.  The music was decent.  2 & 3/4 stars Cardio 2 is the second workout. .  Like the first workout it contain both high and low impact moves but Cardio 2 is more of a routine.  There is a lot of  "taking from the top

Cize Disc 3 The red disc contains routines 5 and 6. Routine 5 is Go For It. The main workout clocks in at just under 41 minutes. The pattern is the same as the other workouts. Shaun brings back some moves that you learned in earlier routines and he mixes them with knew moves. Shaun has a singsong way of calling the moves.  I like. It keeps the energy going. In Go For It, there are seven moves plus some free dancing. Go For It - 4 & 1/4 stars Routine 6 is Living in the 8s.   This routine is 50 plus minutes.  There are only 8 moves but the majority of the moves are very intricate - meaning they have several parts that make up the moves. That is where the extra time is coming in - to breakdown the extra parts within each sequence. Like the other routines, after you learn all the choreography, Shaun changes the music and your run through the combination three times in the Cize It Up section. Living in the 8s - 3 & 1/2 stars

Kettlebell Krush is a 41 minute workout.  It is a drill based workout. Throughout the workout you are doing 30 seconds of work and this is followed by 10 seconds of rest.  There is a countdown clock in the lower right corner. The workout moves from one exercise to the next. Paul uses the 10 second break to explain the next exercise or next sequence. Along with Paul, there are two other exercisers. One person is doing advance moves and the other person modifies the moves. Paul does quite a bit of the workout but he also stops to coach and point out form on the other two participants. This workout was challenging. The best part about the workout is the length. I found this to be a very efficient workout. The DVD menu offers the following options: Intro/Clinic (this segment is just over 3 minutes. Workout music off. 4 stars

Cize Disc Two the blue disk contains routines three and four. Routine 3 is Full Out . The main workout sans warm up and cool down is around 35 minutes.  This workout follows the same pattern as the two previous routines. In this routine, there are 8 moves.  The music used in break down section was full of energy and kept me motivated until the last move was taught. This one was fun. 4 stars Routine 4 is Go For It. This routine is around 41 minutes. There are only "six" moves in this routine however the moves are very intricate. For instance, the move Handcuff - Shrug could actually be broken down into 4 separate moves. And Shaun teaches each move in pieces. You repeat each piece 4 to 8 times before adding to it the next piece. Once you get the whole sequence, you either move into the cize bounce or you take it from the top. The move that gave me the most trouble (and I actually thought it should be the easiest move) was the Twist - Criss Cross - Hand. I had

Kettlebell Konnect is a 58 minute workout and it is all about connections.  Paul starts with one move and he continues to layer and/or add on additional components (moves) to create an intricate compound combination. And yes, by the time he is done most of the connections (Paul spells konnections with a K) are quite complex. There is a 5 minute warm up before you move into the connections. There are  six konnections. The konnections vary in number of components and length.  Some of the konnections are cardio base, some are strength base.  Some require balance.  Konnection 6 is your core segment. There is a five minute stretch. There are three additional cast members.  One cast member is showing modifications and performs the moves with a dumbbell. Only one kettlebell and a mat are used. The music is background and the set is spacious. The DVD menu offers the following options: Intro/Clinic - 12 minutes Kettlebell Konnect Workout [music off] Also the workout, uses subt

Cize is Shaun T new workout program and it is (according to ShaunT) the end of exerCIZE. The main Cize program comes on three discs.  Disc one, the yellow disc features the first two dances. Crazy 8s is routine number 1. It clocks in at 29:55, not including the cool down.  Crazy 8 routine is made up of 8 moves that Shaun T teaches in the layered take it from the top approach. The base or transition move is called the cize bounce. You normally go to the cize bounce prior to learning a new move or taking it from the top. Towards the end of the workout, Shaun gives you a water break and time for you  to collect yourself before you move into the Cize It Up segment. In this segment, you perform the routine to a "popular" or "contemporary" song.  While you are learning the routine, the music/beat are the same throughout the teaching part of the workout.  For Crazy 8s's I love the music Shaun uses to teach the routine.  I felt it was something you could really

 Amy Dixon 's Raise Some Bells is a 41 minute kettlebell workout. Amy uses one kettlebell to take you through a series of progressive exercises. You do the exercises for approximately 12 to 16 reps.  Some of the exercises are layered.  So the first four reps are done at the most basic level, then the next four reps, Amy adds to the exercise and then she might change it up again after another four reps. Amy  moves from one exercise to the next without much of a break. In many cases, you start the exercise at half tempo before moving on to full tempo. The full tempo of the workout can be quite fast. The DVD Menu Ultimate KB Workout Ultimate KB Workout - Without Intro KB Core Workout KB Core Workout - Without Intro Kettlebell101 The core workout is 7 minutes and the KB 101 is approximately 5 and 1/2 minutes. I like this workout.  The music is pretty good.  The set is okay  Along with Amy, there are two other cast members.  One cast member does show modifications.

September 2015 Monthly Rotation Rotation Breakdown Sunday - Run/Treadmill Monday - Sculpting Tuesday - Powerstrike Ilaria Wednesday - Cardio Coach Thursday - Kettlebells Friday - CISE workouts. Saturday - Rest Day

Zero to Sixty Adrenaline Rush is a just over 60 minute workout.  After the warm up, you go into a the cardio segment which is around 27 minute long.  This is followed by a 27 minute weight segment and then the cool down. So in this workout you are doing your cardio first and then your weight workout. The cardio portion included body weight work such as reverse lunges and push ups all of which are done is a combo pattern to the beat of the music. There is also quite a bit of impact in the form of jumping, running and plyos.  Sharon varies the rhythm and pace of the moves - speeding them up and slowing them down.  There is a modifier showing less intense version of the move. The first part  of the weight segment  is standing and there is a cardio aspect to this portion of the weight workout because the rest are brief.   You get a bit of a rest  between exercises as Sharon explains what you are doing next but again, it is brief.  The weight segment also includes floor work.  Some

Zero To Sixty Low Impact with Weights is close to a 70 minute workout if you do the whole workout.  Sharon alternates cardio, body weight, and sculpting (using 5lb dumbbells). Most of the impact is low, however Sharon shows high impact modifications. Plus she has a cast member showing lower impact/lower intensity modifications. Sharon teaches the combos in a break down pattern. You first start the combo by doing several sets of reps usually on both sides. Then she slowly builds a pattern by taking away reps and creating a combo by joining various moves/exercises. Expect lots of repetition. DVD Menu Intro to Play All Pre-Mixes      Zero to 40 - Light Weight Day      Zero to 40 - Heavy Weight Day      Zero to 30 - All Intervals      Zero to 26 - All Combos Chapters      Combo One      Combo Two      Combo Three      Combo Four      Combo Five      Quick Stretch      Core/Abs      Final Stretch Credits I like this workout.  The music is pretty good and Sharon is

Slim Series Express is an extension of Debbie Siebers Slim in 6 Series.  The Slim Series Express workouts are all around 30 minutes or less.  The workouts come on two disc. Disc 1 contains Cardio Core! Express, Cardio Sculpt! Express and 6-Minute Abs!.  Disc 2 contains Cool It Off! Express and the same 6-minute Abs! workout that is on disc 1. Cardio Core! Express alternates cardio segments with core/abs specific segments.  Debbie uses a pair of light dumbbells for the sculpting sets.  I did this workout about three weeks ago and I wrote down on my notes that I thought the workout was repetitive and boring and that the music is better than the music used in 6-minute Abs!. However, I did find Debbie pleasant Cardio Sculpt! Express is primarily and upper body workout. Along with dumbbells, you use a resistance band for some exercises.  Debbie uses knee ups to transition between the different exercises. I did not think the cuing was great in this workout.  With that said it is an

All Body Attack is lead by Sharon Twombly. This workout was previously released under the CIA brand as CIA 2704 All Body Attack. All Body Attack is an interval weight training workout.  Sharon alternates strength segments with cardio segments.  Almost all cardio segment have some type of explosive or plyo move.  There is a modifier who shows a less intense version of the move.  Expect several sets of quick feet moves. The strength segments features both dumbbell weight exercises and body weight exercises.  Most weight exercises are compound in nature (i.e. combining biceps with a rear static lunge) or there is footwork with the strength move. You repeat almost all the sequences/exercises twice through. So expect at least two sets for each group of moves. A step is also used in the workout.  I like this workout. I thought Sharon was good and the music decent. The workout was challenging  and moved fairly quickly for such a long workout. The length of the of workout is 84 min

Figure 30 Butt Volume 2 is a 30 minutes workout that focuses on the rear end. The DVD has the following chapter points: Warm up - 5 minutes Weighted Butt & Balance - 10 minutes Table & Bridge - 10 minutes Stretch - 5 minutes With this series, I think Tracie was really trying to change up the "warm up".  In both her Figure 30 workouts, I found the warm ups to be the most intricate parts of the entire workout. And I really can't say I felt warmed up. The weighted Butt & Balance section used one dumbbell for the first group of exercises - which were single leg squats and single leg dead lifts and two dumbbell were used for the sumo squats and dead lifts. There is a bit of power thrown in the the form of single leg track jumps. The Table and Bridge segments use ankle weights in the table exercises and your own body weight  is used for bridge workout.  This segment also includes superman butt lifts.  Tracie stretches you throughout the workou

Tracie Long's Figure 30 Hips Volume 1 is a 30 minute workout.  According to the back cover, it features "a series of athletic and ballet inspired movements that complement the way your hips move, work and play". There is some ballet movement but mostly I felt like it was more athletic based in natured than ballet.   The workout breaks down as follows: Warm up - 5 minutes High Cardio Hips - 10 minutes Sliding Ankle Weighted Hips - 10 minutes Stretch - 5 minutes. I tried this workout before but I could never get passed the warm up.  The warm up requires a bit of thinking and focus. The moves are a bit unusual. There are balance moves that require you to stand on one leg and circle the other leg.  A lot of the moves required a stable core.  I was doing quite a bit of wobbling. High Cardio Hips can be characterized by lots of hurdles, lunges, a great deal of balance work, and split  jumps.  Lots of track and field influences in this workouts.   This segments also

21 Day Fix targeted workouts DVD consist of two workouts, one for the abs and one for the legs. Both are 30 minutes workouts and feature a modifier. These workouts are part of the Ultimate Upgrade Package. Flat Abs Fix is the targeted AB workout.  This workout does not contain a warm up or cool down.  After a brief introduction, Autumn jumps right in.  You are working the abs from all angles - standing, prone, supine, lying side and seated. There are twelve exercises.  Autumn does two exercises and then she repeats them before moving on to the next two.  In several of the exercises, you start the exercise on one side working for 30 seconds before switching to the other side for the last 30 seconds.  The rest are between 16 and 27 seconds so the rest vary. The equipment used is a single dumbbell and a mat. Barre Legs is the second targeted workouts.  This workout uses the same warm up as many of the other 21 Day Fix workout.  This workout uses your own body weight to get the w

Plyo Fix is a "bonus" workout that comes with the 21 Day Fix system. This workout clocks in at 31:20.  It follows a similar format as some of the other 21 Day Fix workouts.  In Plyo Fix, you do six rounds.  Each round consist of two exercises that you repeat twice before moving on.  You do each exercise for about a minute. You do get a rest between each exercise and the rest vary from 20 to 39 seconds.  As this is a "plyo" workout, all moves contain some type of hopping or jumping move. However, there is a modifier for each exercise. Not bad.  3 & 1/2 stars

Disc 2 of teh 21 Day Fix contain the following workouts: Cardio Fix Dirty 30 Yoga Fix 10 Minute Fix for Abs . Cardio Fix and Dirty 30 contain the same warm up moves as Total Body Cardio Fix, Upper Fix, and Lower Fix.  The moves are jog in place, jumping jacks, windmills, side stretches and toe touches. Cardio Fix and Dirty 30 has the same format as those workouts where you are performing the exercises in rounds that you repeat. Yoga Fix is similar to the Pilates Fix workout where you perform exercises as a series of moves.  10 Minute Fix For Abs is also performed in rounds. With this workout you jump right in and it is none stop until the workout is over. Autumn works out with us for the first round and during the second round she gets up to coach the participants. There is a modifier for each workout. There is a music off options. One thing I forgot to mention is that each workout has an Equipment Needed page that tells you what equipment you need for the workout

Disc 1 of the 21 Day Fix Workout System features the following workouts: Total Body Cardio Fix Upper Fix Lower Fix Pilates Fix 10 Minute Fix For Abs Overall, all workouts follow a similar pattern which is a series of rounds containing two exercises each and you repeat the round before moving on.You perform each exercise for roughly a minute and you get a 15 to 20 second rest between the exercises. Also, like most Beachbody systems, each workout contains the countdown timer in the lower right corner.  These workouts also contain subtitles that tell you which exercises you are doing and it tells you for how long and/or how many reps.  Love this feature. Total Body Cardio Fix , Upper Fix , and Lower Fix contain the same warm up moves and cool down moves.  Roughly the warm up and cool down runs around 3 minutes per workout.  Also all three of these workout use weights.  Pilates Fix is made up of a series of exercises as oppose to rounds.  Depending on the exercise you will