Rating: 
Summary: Quick but tough, thorough, and with nice blend of styles.
Review: This was my first Karen Voight video, and I liked it a lot. When I read reviews on other sites, I found that many people complained that the workout wasn't challenging enough, but I found it to be a just-right short workout for my intermediate level.The workout begins with a rather lengthy (7-minute) warm-up that goes quicky from one move to the next. This section raises your heart rate somewhat, although I would have preferred a shorter warm-up with more time devoted to toning. The 17-minute segment of standing toning exercises which follows is definitely tough. Karen uses 3-lb. weighted balls, but she is also shown using dumbells. I started with 5-lb. dumbells and could do the first few exercises okay, but I had to lower the weight. I don't have weighted balls, so I used my 2-lb. ankle weights but held them in my palms similar to the balls. Some of the reviews I read said that the workout moves too fast to use heavier weights, but I think that with practice, I could stick to the 5-lb. dumbells. For most of the exercises, Karen does one slow set and then a second faster set in which she does move quite quickly. I found the upper body portion to be strong on the back and shoulders but less intense for the biceps and triceps. Karen then moves to a few exercises for the legs, including squates, lunges, and leg raises for buttocks. Because the entire toning section lasts only 17 minutes, no one muscle group is worked out particularly hard, but it's great if you're looking for quick overall toning--it reminds me of Tamilee Webb's I Want That Body. You can stop the tape after the toning segment--Karen pauses at this point--or continue on to the next section, for abs. I was surprised to read that the abs section is 17 minutes long, as it went by very quickly. Here Karen combines traditional crunches--some done holding weights--with more Pilates-type abs moves. Each exercise was very intense, but not so difficult that I was unable to perform any moves; I felt like I got a very good abs workout. The tape ends with about 16 minutes of basic yoga poses. This section flowed nicely from the abs work, and it provided a nice stretch at the end of the workout. I found Karen to be an excellent instructor: she is amazingly fit in appearance without being intimidating, and she did a great job cuing and explaining each move. The background music was jazz/R&B (some with vocals) which was pleasant without interfering with the workout. One thing that was a little odd was how the images flashed between different sets. The main set consists of Karen in a studio with her hair down and giving live instruction, but during each exercise, the camera flashed to Karen in the studio with her hair up, Karen in a living room setting, and Karen outdoors. Although this was a bit strange, each set was appealing, and I didn't mind the transitions. Overall, I would recommend this workout to advanced beginners/intermediates looking for a fast, varied toning program that is not too strenuous. I plan to do this workout on alternate weeks with Kathy Smith's Lift Weights to Lose Weight, which is a little more challenging.
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