Saundra

PIYO Strength DVD.  This DVD is part of the deluxe package. Along with the DVD you get a set of discs. The DVD contains two workouts: - Full Body Blast - Strong Legs Full Body Blast clocks in at 29:13 and it has the following segments: warm up dynamic & static legs core & more supine arms & abs hamstrings & cool down Working with the discs was challenging.  It definitely took the workouts up a notch for me.  These were the workouts that could have been called "Sweat" and/or "Drench".  Even though I didn't feel as if I were doing a cardio workout, I definitely felt a cardio effect from the workout. Strong Legs clocks in at 25:09.  I did this workout right after the Full Body Blast workout and I probably  should not have done that because I got annoyed that many of the moves/exercises in Strong Legs, I had just done in Full Body Blast. I wanted more variety or something different for the Strong Leg workouts. Plus this wor...

My first workout for 2012 was Michelle Dozois's The Ultimate Workout . The workout, which is about 75 minutes is actually 3 workouts in 1. Michelle calls it The Ultimate Workout because it contains the three main components of a good fitness program. These components are cardio, resistance and flexibility. So you can play the whole workout, which I did because I was off today and had plenty of time to work out; or you can do any of the three parts on their on or in combination. 30 Minute Ultimate Cardio Blast Workout 30 Minute Ultimate Super Sculpting Workout 15 Minute Ultimate Flexibility Session The cardio workout . I am a huge fan of Michelle's cardio workouts, so I l0ve this portion even though it included push up. The cardio is mostly athletic, with a little kickboxing thrown in. There is some high impact but their is a modifier showing modifications. The cardio section contains a warm up, 3 combos consisting of 3 main exercises that Michelle builds intensity around...

Another workout in Cathe's Low Impact Series is Cardio Supersets . The main part of this workout is under 42 minutes and then there is a Bonus Step Routine that is just over 21 minutes. When I did this workout. I did the main workout in the morning and did the bonus step premix version in the evening. I really think the Bonus Step Routine is misnamed. It is really not a routine. Cathe should have simply said "Now let's grab your step, and continue with Cardio Supersets format using the step". Knowing that would have help my impression of the sections because when I started the Bonus Step Routine, I was like "this sucks, what kind of routine is this". When I realized that she was simply continuing her format and that it was a true extension of the cardio supersets format, my opinion of that segment change. Other than a couple of the exercise that I thought killed the momentum of the workout, (most notably the puddle jumps) I like this workout. I particula...

Another workout in Cathe's Low Impact Series is Slide & Glide . Slide & Glide features a pair of discs, a band loop and a mat. The main part of the workout is broken up into two parts. Part 1 is a Cardio Segment in which you use your Slide & Glide disk the entire time. This section is about 20 minutes. After awhile, it feels like you are doing the same thing over and over. There is not a lot of variety in this part of the workout. So I started off thinking "this isn't bad" but by the end of the segment I was ready to move on. Part 2 is Muscle Conditioning Segment . In Part two, depending on the exercise, you will use your discs and/or band loop. I really enjoyed part 2. You start off with legs. This is followed by triceps, back, biceps, chest, and then abs. I like the exercises many of which used the discs and it was challenging. The discs are also used in the warm up and the cool down. The DVD contains an Introduction is which Cathe gives...

Afterburn (I like the name of this workout) is a 54 minute interval workout. This workout is part of Cathe's Low Impact Series. And I will go ahead and say this here. Low Impact does not mean No Impact. There is some impact and like any other workout (in my opinion) the impact can be modified to be more or less. So Afterburn is an interval workout that features 10 intervals. Each interval consist of two exercises and after you complete the two exercises you repeat them again before moving on. The DVD chapter points list them a 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and so forth. On my worksheet I listed them once and gave you a separate column for Interval A and Interval B. Typically one of the exercise in the interval is cardio based and one is weight based. Along with dumbbells, Cathe and crew also used Dixie cups and the Slide & Glide Exercise Discs. I am working out on hardwood floors and I didn't have any problem using the discs on my flooring. Now I did have a problem doing the disc Jac...