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