Rating: Summary: This workout WORKS! Review: This workout is both convenient for busy moms AND truly effective at burning calories! Kathy's 20 minute segments fit into my hectic schedule (even with three young children) and are fun to do. Since I purchased this tape, I've been doing just one 20-minute workout (and the 8 minute stretch at the end) for four days a week, over the last six weeks. I have reduced the size of my waist, hips, and thighs by an inch each! WOW! I would especially recommend this tape to anyone who has used other tapes by Kathy Smith and enjoys her style. But the bottom line is, this workout produces results you can see in a short amount of time.
Rating: Summary: I love Kathy Smith but this tape is annoying Review: The tape is suspiciously cheery, upbeat and nauseating at times. I didn't like it when the other people took turns giving instrucitons because there's no point and its confusing. Its a complicated routine, painful on the joints and not very fun. I like her power step, step, and funcitonally fit peak fat burning tapes. This tape is too trendy for me, it made me feel like a cheerleader slash ego-obsessed-yuppie-feak while I was doing it, much like the rest of her crew.
Rating: Summary: A good "floor day" workout Review: This video is a great sweat-breaker for people who have been doing aerobics already for a while. Probably not for a beginner at all, since Smith goes through a number of the steps/combos so fast that if you didn't already know what, say, a grapevine was, you'd probably be confused. I think at the very beginning, I was thrown because the steps did not always correspond with the downbeat to the music (having been a band geek long ago, I can't stand it when they step offbeat.) But it seemed after the workout started that I didn't notice that happen too often. There is the one spot where the "guy" messes up-- I do always miss it, and agree with Kathy that "he's fired." But just catch up after a sec, and you'll be fine. There are, in the second 20 minute workout, two "tracks"-- one low impact & one high. I am not a fan of the high impact, since my knees & feet aren't fabulous after many years as a waitress in my youth. But the low impact in the second half was fine, and unlike some low-impact workouts, I didn't feel that low impact meant low workout. There *is* a lot of choreography in this workout-- which is why I bought it because I am BORED with the stuff that is not as complex. So I like it okay-- but warn you that if you aren't a quick study, this one will probably frustrate you. If you like the action of a step-type workout but can't take the up and down anymore (the knees again) then this one will be good. I was so-so about the cool down stretch at the end. My hamstring is really tight-- always has been and nothing seems to stretch it out. So since I am not really comfortable with the long leg stretches, I was not as cooled down as I like to be. But if you don't have flexibility issues then you'll be fine with it. I do so love those twisty-spine stretches on the floor-- they really are relaxing. In all, Smith is not an annoying chatty instructor. Her gang of dancers doesn't make too many irritating-after-the-tenth-time wisecracks. However, I do think that the sound techs recorded some of the ones they do make and repeat them at odd times. After a while, you start to get to know voices & recoginze hearing one when their lips aren't moving. This, however, can be both funny & annoying. Just tune it out and go for the sweat. She has a lot of energy, even if she sometimes doesn't explain the steps for the beginner,and low impact does NOT mean NO impact. This is worth putting into your mix of tapes/DVD for the home aerobics workout. I hate going to classes, but do get tired of the same old video all the time. This is a good one and not super-sweet faux motivation.
Rating: Summary: Big Disappointment Review: I was immediatedly sketched out by this video when the first work out (explicitly described as low impact) started the very first step with a jump. Jumping is fine-- but don't call it low impact-- and don't put it into the first core step for goodness sakes if you do. It went downhill from here, I'm afraid. Throughout the video no time or attention seems to be given to form. Steps are overly complicated-- but not for any aerobic benefit reason. Many steps put great strain onto joints-- again not for any particular reason other than they seem to be cool steps. (Not that they were that cool, mind you). If you're a beginner, I'd say stay away from the video because it will be needlessly challenging to your joints and your coordination. If you're advanced, I'd say skip it too, because beneath the quick coreopgrahy there's not a whole lot going on in there for a really good aerobic work out. The camera work was particularly aggrevating. Goofy slo-mo shots (which since in slo-mo were totally NOT to the beat) were very distracting. I usually find something to like in almost any exercise video-- even if there are some I like much more than others. This one I can't think of a positive note about, though.
Rating: Summary: for a time, i liked it. Review: when i first started working out again i enjoyed this video, but as my fitness level increased i began to find it unchallenging. also, she goes over the moves a million times so after you master them you just wish she would get on with it. in total, if you consider yourself in pretty good shape and don't need constant cueing for easy moves, you'll probably find this one a bit boring (and corny.)
Rating: Summary: too many people in the video Review: I love Kathy Smith, but I have to say, this video stinks. The work out is so-so. I had a hard time following because the camera moves around alot and the people in the video kept moving around all over the place. Also, there was a lot of talking and yelling in the video. I prefer that there were few people and less chatter. I usually can keep up with the exercise, but I felt that there were too many distractions to get a good work out. I rated this video 1 star. I will stick with Kathy Smith Step exercise video. I definately feel that I am getting a better work out.
Rating: Summary: NOT MUCH VIDEO Review: AWESOME DELIVERY AND IN GREAT SHAPE...
Rating: Summary: Not bad in a pinch... Review: This video is not bad in a time pinch, but if you are in excellent shape this is probably too easy. I had her VHS version of the Peak Fitness and Fat Burning and hoped it would be more like this. It is, but is much less intensive. The steps can seem confusing, but I thought once I did it once it was fine. However, the steps for the high impact version are vague and not so easy to understand. The people are not quite all in the camera shot and therefore difficult to follow sometimes. If you need a fast workout in your hotel room, this is the ticket. I wouldn't use it for an on-going program. Limited stretching to none at all at the beginning, but at the end the 7 minute stretch is great. Overall I think it serves its purpose for a fast workout, but not much more than that.
Rating: Summary: Kathy Smith Timesaver Review: She put together a nice video. I use it with another DVD. I use one of her 20 minutes aerobic segments, with another DVD's toning exercises. Then I go back to Kathy's stretching segment. The moves she uses for the aerobic part are very effective at getting your heartrate up. The moves are relatively easy. There were even a few new moves that I had to learn. She does not include any weight exercises. There is also a cardio fat burner where you are shown how to do high impact or choose the lower impact, if you so choose.
Rating: Summary: pretty good Review: As the mother of a 7 month old baby, I really appreciate that each workout is only 23 minutes or so. Because Kathy Smith builds the sequence step by step, this one is reasonably easy to follow. By the third or fourth time I used the video I was hitting basically all of the steps, and I am by no means extra coordinated or anything. There are a few things that keep the video from being a 5: 1. The music is really cheesy and completely uninspiring 2. At one point, one of her assistants screws up and calls out the name of the wrong step. I know he does it, but every single time it messes me up. 3. You will definitely need another video for abs and arms, because this has none 4. The cool down to work out 1 is really short. You will need to cool down more on your own before stretching
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