Rating: 
Summary: DON'T EVEN BOTHER
Review: IT'S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET INTO THID WORKOUT. I BOUGHT IT BECAUSE I LOVE THE GRIND WORKOUTS, BUT WHAT A DISSAPOINTMENT. FIRST OF ALL THE MUSIC IS HORRIBLE, AND THE CAMERA ANGLES KEEP CHANGING. IT MAKE THE WORKOUT VERY HARD TO FOLLOW CAUSE YOU CAN'T REALLY SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING. ALL AROUND DISAPPOINTMENT
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Bad
Review: Ok I gave this 2 stars instead of 1 because, if you can ignore everything else and put some effort into it, the actual workout does get your heartrate up and gets you a little sweaty. But (where do I begin??) this is a kickboxing workout, and if you haven't done anything martial-arts like before I am sure you could be very easily injured since the instructor gives no safety/form information. I HATE HATE HATE it when an instructor tells you to the opposite cueing (right is left and vice-versa). Amy Acuff is not motivating AT ALL! She is Calista-esque boney (scrawny doesn't equal fit to me) and totally lacks coordination (ok that can be a bit funny to watch), her only reason in the video is to make boring comments read from cue cards. And they talk about how great the music is but they only play a few good songs. I also found alot of the moves awkward to do and transitions between moves really poor. And I found it annoying when they would minimize a screen and put in a mini screen of one of the other participants faces. Definately go for a different video or DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: What you make of it....
Review: The first time I did this work-out I was barely sweating. I was more focused on learning the routine than making it difficult. I've found that the better I know the routine, the more intense I can make it by having tighter movements and getting into the routine more. Also, someone looking for a harder, more intense work out should try the extended work out on the dvd. The extended workout goes through the warm-up, teaching and cardio work-out twice, and then the cool down. This is opposed to one segment of cardio. Amy drives me nuts, she's definetly not a dancer. The rest of the people in the video are good at what they do and help keep you pumped up. It seems like Allan doesn't give enough directions at first, but you'll appreciate that when you know the routine by heart.
Rating:
Summary: Misleading:Amy cuff is not the Instructor, Allan Aranz
Review: The worst part of this exercise video is Amy Cuff. The class is lead by another instructor who is not even on the cover of this dvd. She gets paid more money to look ridiculous on a video. I mean what was the point of having her there? She couldn't follow any of the steps and looked like some dum blonde that never worked out in her whole life so annyoing especially her comments.... On the other hand, if you could overlook her and concentrate on the routine, music, dramatic people in the back you will get an excellent workout! I have been doing this dvd for 3 months now and i have firmed up my abs, arms and lost a few inches on my thighs. You start the steps slowly, working on little bits of the routine first until you repeat them a few times and go tempo. All parts of your body are in movement. I don't get tired of it. But it took time for me to ignore Amy Cuff. The instructor seems very educated on exercise to be placed with an air head like Amy on an exercise video. Throughout the entire video you can tell that he feels 'this is a professional insult to be placed with this airhead' but i guess he took it as stepping stone to eventually get his own tapes without some 'olympic star name.' Amy Cuff, stick to high jumping. Allan, keep it going the dancers in the back all have great personalites and workout very nicely. I didn't like the girl with the short shorts and big thighs i think a different athletic outfit would have suited her.
Rating:
Summary: This one is flawed . . .
Review: This is a good tape to own if you are into contemporary music, and want some variety in your collection. Although the sound quality is poor, the music is really fun and it is well choreographed. Once you get the hang of the moves (trust me, if I can do it, ANYONE can) it is an easy and fun routine that I look forward to doing. However, it isn't very challenging and wouldn't be suitable for all fitness levels. And Amy Acuff, who is supposed to be the main attraction, is not that great. She is so uncoordinated and confused me when she was on the screen. Stick to the high-jump Amy! She is the reason I gave this tape a 2.
Rating: 
Summary: best workout ever
Review: This is my favorite video ever and I have been doing workout videos for a long time. To get the bad stuff out of the way, yes Amy is a total spazz and the girl behind Alan apparantely thinks it's a cheerleading video instead of kickboxing.
Now to the good stuff. Most of the dancers (male and female) are really hot and the music is fabulous. Even though it's a couple years old now, I started hearing the songs from it at the trendy stores in Atlanta -it makes me want to go home and work out. Once you learn the moves, you cycle through them in a routine, so you're not stuck there doing the same thing for forever like a lot of videos.
You can work at your own level and keep track because they pause in the middle to check your pulse. This is probably the best part because if you're dragging, it let's you know that it's time to pick it up.
It tones your whole body, including muscles I didn't even now I had. If your body starts to get used to it, you can work a little harder, like by doing jump kicks instead of the regular ones or get deeper into your stances.
Fianlly there are some great stretchs at the end.
This is the only video I've been able to do week after week and still see results. Over the year I've been using it, I've lost about 30lbs and I haven't really been trying that hard.
I'm still hoping MTV is going to make another workout video because I can't find another one that compares.
Rating: 
Summary: A fun routine to have in your workout rotation
Review: This is only the second workout video I've ever bought, and I was expecting it to be a lot more difficult than it was. This is really a beginner level video as far as fitness goes, but maybe intermediate as far as the difficulty of the moves. The instructor is low key and not annoying, and the music is great. The moves themselves aren't hard to learn and are demonstrated in an easy to follow fashion, aside from the reversed cueing - but once you learn the routine you just remember to switch sides and more or less ignore the instructor save for the counts. It got me into my target heart rate zone for 15-20 minutes without boring me to pieces, and had a nice warmup and cooldown. I will likely go elsewhere when I get in better shape and this ceases to be any challenge at all.
Rating:
Summary: Beginner Level Kickboxing
Review: This is strictly a beginner kickboxing workout. It is fun, and has great motivating music. Especially when you put it through your stereo speakers using the DVD. Amy Acuff looks a bit lost and uninspired here, and the instructor Allan is unpeasantly condescending to her. He is a good instructor, and if I were to guess, I would say he is upset that she gets higher billing than him. And, maybe rightly so, but unprofessional of him nonetheless. The workout is easy to follow, and will get you sweating if you put some effort into it. This really is a fun workout, but I have a hard time dealing with his attitude, and it detracts from the whole workout for me. Probably, the workout itself deserves 5 stars for beginners, 4 stars for people who are a bit beyond that, but it lost a star or two for the reasons mentioned.
Rating:
Summary: good to have with your other tapes
Review: this tape is good to have in you work out collection if you use workout tapes often as i do. it has some kickboxing and some dancier moves. Not terribly hard to follow. you will work up a sweat. that amy girl--what ever her name is--is a big dork, and also adds some unexpected humor into your workout. The other people working out in the tape are just fine.
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't kick ...at all
Review: This video has only made it into my DVD player once, and I had a difficult time not getting up and turning it off. I bought this video thinking that, true to MTV form, it would be a fun, energizing opportunity to get in a good workout. Unfortunately, I BARELY got a workout and didn't even feel that it offered much in the form of entertainment value (as is typically the case with MTV productions). If you are JUST starting out with exercise (or, specifically, kick boxing) than this video might be a viable option... However, if you're a "seasoned" athlete, or if you are looking for a heart-pumping challenge, I would definitely recommend looking elsewhere. You won't get a kick ... workout here.
|
