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10 Minute Solution Kettlebell Ultimate Fat Burner is lead by Michelle Olsen.  Despite the title and DVD cover this workout does not use a kettlebell. Although, Michelle does reference the use of the kettlebell though out the workout. She uses a dumbbell for all the moves. The five 10-minute workouts are: Maximum Fat Burner Upper Body Power Sculpt Thigh & Buns Blaster Total Body Sculpt Accelerated AB Toner I used the create a workout function of the DVD and made a 30 minute workout I did one day, and a 20 minute workout I did another day. In Maximum Fat Burner , Michelle intersperses cardio break with dynamic kettlebell style exercises.  Some of the combos in this segment included, single arm swing sequence, double arm swing sequence, bicep curl with kettlebell squat, and double arm swing + squat + Over Head Press. Upper Body Sculpt contain the following exercises:  weighted halo, weighted twist, one arm swing into high pull, clean press sequence, and...

Disc 3 Sculpt of Jessica Smith's contains three 30-minute workouts:  Metabolic Conditioning, Cardio Interval Sculpt, and Barre Sculpt.  These workouts are mostly focused on sculpting but there is a cardio factor to each workout. Metabolic Conditioning uses a mini-step (also called a high step), two to three set of dumbbells, a mat and a towel.  The step is optional.  In this workout, Jessica introduces each move slowly and then picks up the pace for the latter reps. The ending stretch is just over 2 minutes. Cardio Interval Sculpt uses a mat and dumbbells.  This workout contains 30-second cardio intervals.  Typically you are doing three compound or multi-joint exercises followed by a cardio interval.  The ending stretch in this workout is around one minute and thirty-five seconds. Barre Sculpt uses a chair, mat, and a set of dumbbells and an optional ball.  This workout is also performed barefoot.  There are several distinct se...

Total Body Balance is a workout DVD by Jessica Smith that features four 20-minute workouts. The DVD menu offers the following options:     Introduction     Play All     Cardio Flow - 20:57     Sole Sculpt - 22:07     Core Stretch - 23:32     Cardio Dance Sculpt - 20:43 All the workouts are performed barefoot.  Cardio Flow is set out doors.  This is a fusion workout that includes ballet, a bit of modern dance, and big movements. Along with Jessica, there is one other cast member that shows advanced progressions. Sole Sculpt   is your sculpting workout.  It also has an outdoor sets.  Jessica uses a set of 3lb weights. The other cast member (Asha) uses a pair of 5lb weights.  After a 4 minute warm up, Jessica takes you through a series of sculpting moves that include a lot of 4-limb movement. For almost every exercises you are using both the upper and lowe...

Sculpt & Define is a 42 minute strength workout that is part of Michelle Dozois's Peak 10 Fit Body Challenge system.  This workout uses a set of heavy weights, a set of light weights as well as your own body weight to work all the major muscles in the body. Most of the exercises are compound and/or functional in nature. You are working in blocks.  Michelle will do a block of exercises before moving on to the next block.  Within the block, Michelle will start with  a basic or single move and then she layers on additional moves creating a series of move. All of the blocks are executed twice, often changing your lead side the second time through. Throughout the workout, Michelle uses a variety of tempos (slow or 1/2 time or at tempo). For the most part Michelle introduces a move at 1/2 tempo and once you have perform the exercise for a couple of reps, Michelle then speeds up the tempo and you  are doing single count. Please see the attach table for a li...

Jillian Michaels Beginner Shred features three workouts.  Jillian labels these as 20 minute workouts, however, they are closer to 25 minutes. Each of the workouts features a warm up, three circuits, and a stretch. There are five exercises per circuit and each of the three circuits  are performed twice through before moving on to the next circuit. Jillian states that the workouts get progressively harder as you move through them. I didn't really think workout 3 was any harder than workouts 2 and 1. Jillian might start off doing one or two reps but she is mostly coaching and offering form pointers. There are two other cast members.  One cast member keeps the moves at the beginner level and one cast member shows more advance options. I like the set. It was nice bright and spacious. Equipment:  mat, dumbbells The DVD Menu offers the following options: Workouts        Workout 1        Workout 2  ...

AeroPower Round 1 is described as a Women's Upper Body Workout.  It is lead by Michael Olijade Jr of AeroSpaceNY and the Aerobox System.  Aero Power clocks in at around 45 minutes and it is made up of rounds. As you complete a round, a 10 second countdown appears on the screens and counts down the last remaining seconds. The workout then fades out and a graphic reappears introducing the next round - telling you what you are going to do and what equipment that you need for that round. Before the next segment starts, another countdown (this time 3 seconds) appears to cue you to start performing. The workout alternates jump rope segments with sculpt segments. Throughout the segments Michael alters the tempo by slowing the move down and speeding the move up.  All the sculpt segments use light weights except for the triceps dip. Expect lots of reps. The segments require a lot of endurance.  I was definitely feeling the work in my shoulders and I was using one pou...

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...

  Lower Body Sculpt and Upper Body Sculpt are DVDs eight and nine respectively in the Figure 8 Fitness System.  They both clock in at under 30 minutes and they both have a modifier to show a simpler version of the move. Lower Body Sculpt uses your own body weight to get the job done. It features two tempos - the paso doble and the jive.  In the paso doble segments your are sculpting the muscle with squats, lunges, plies, and calf raises.  Of course Jaana adds her dance flair to each move.  In the Jive segments you are getting the heart rate up with cardio. So essentially Jaana is alternating the paso doble tempo (sculpt) with the jive tempo (cardio) for a cardio leg workout.  Love this workout. Upper Body Sculpt uses a band (tubing) to add resistance for the upper body. After the warm up, Jaana takes you through a series of moves that work the five muscle groups of the upper body. The exercises are: Double Arm Rows (Single for modification)...

Cycle 2:  Peak! is the second DVD in The FIRM's ZipTrainer System.  This systems comes with three workouts. The first workout on the Peak! disc is Cardio 2 .  Cardio 2 is lead by Alison Davis.  Alison's workouts is a 15 minute high energy workout. You are constantly moving and going from one sequence right into the next without much of a break. There are two other cast members, Annie and Stephanie. Annie is performing the advance moves which are often high impact and Stephanie is performing the beginner modifications. This workout features 4 SBT's or Short Burst Training Cycles.  You do two rounds of each SBT. During each round you work for 30 seconds and rest for 15 seconds. The SBTs in Cardio 2 are: Front/back Squat with an overhead raise with the ZipTrainer Step, Skip, or Jump over the Zip Trainers (Dome Positions) with an alternating kickback Hitchkick Football Shuffle into three alternating rows. There are burpees in this workout but they are not...

  Les Mills Pump and Burn clocks in at 33:21.  It features a variety of instructors that change in and out teaching a particular track.  There is one cast member that shows beginner modification moves. Pump and Burn is a sculpting weight workout that utilizes a principal they call the "Rep Effect".  Simply put, it means you are doing a ton of reps per track.  The workout is broken down into tracks.  Each track concentrates on a particular body parts or parts.  Mostly you are doing one exercise at various tempos for the length of the track. You are given a brief rest within the track. This usually occurs when you have just over a minute left.  However, between the tracks there is plenty of time to recover because the music stops and you are setting up for the next track.  The instructors also take this time to demonstrate and explain what is coming next.  This is also a time to stretch the muscles. The music is okay. I like s...

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 cumber...

Cathe Slow & Heavy series is a 3 workout set . This series works your muscle by doing a 2 count in the negative and a 6 count in the positive. Moving through the workout so slowly and hopefully with control makes these workouts very challenging. The workouts are: Slow & Heavy Legs & Shoulders - 66 min Slow & Heavy Chest & Back - 59 min Slow & Heavy Triceps & Biceps - 60 min Slow & Heavy Legs & Shoulders was probably my favorite of the three and in particular the Leg workout. Cathe used pre-exhaust sets in between the Slow & Heavy sets. The Slow & Heavy sets included traditional Squats, Static Lunges, & Plie Squats. The pre-exhaust sets included Front Lunges, Reverse Lunges, and Side Lunges. The upper body workouts were pretty standard and all the exercises including push ups in Slow & Heavy Chest & Back and dips in Slow & Heavy Triceps & Biceps included the two-six count breakdown. What I notice about these workouts ...

30 Minutes To Fitness Muscle Definition . First of all, both workouts (it features two) are longer than 30 minutes. The second of the two workouts does not have a warm up so you really need to do your own warm up ahead of time which makes the workout even longer. I am harping on this because one of the reasons this series interest me and thus why I purchase it is the fact that the workout are advertised as being 30 Minute workouts. If I combine the two workouts I will get a 60 minute workout which is usually the amount of time I have to workout per session. 30MTF Muscle Definition features several premixes. One of the premix is called full body and it is both workouts combine. This is this one I did. I found this workout to be unique. Kelly included traditional exercises with many new and not the "same old same old" exercises in this workout. Many of the moves were compound in nature or had the layering effect where you started with a basic move and then added to it. Most ...

This workout is 40 minutes in length and is led by Allie Del Rio. Allie is one of my favorite FIRM instructors and this workout is one of my favorite "pink" FIRM workouts. I am not crazy about the "pink" FIRM workouts but if I had to choose the best among them, then this would be one of them. I thought the workout moved extremely fast. However, the exercises were sequence in a way that you could go heavy on some of the lower body moves. I think my favorite part of the workout was the ab set. It was short but had some of my favorite ab and core moves. This is probably my 5th or 6th time doing this workout. I use this workout on sculpting days when my time is short or when I am trying to throw a little variety in my sculpting routine from the more traditional weight workouts that I prefer to do. Many of the exercises in this workout are compound in nature. I give this workout 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars.