Rating: 
Summary: boring
Review: The instructor is annoying. The workout is too easy. I didn't feel like I got a workout after doing it. My grandma could do this video! The only difficult part is the ab work @ the end.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't hold a candle to Boot Camp Training
Review: The negatives first: 1) The cardio work is not vigorous enough for someone that is used to exercise--e.g. anyone that walks frequently at a good pace and has done some muscle work. 2) There is no real building of rhythm and intensity, and certainly nothing to compare with the warm-up in Crunch's Boot Camp Training workout. (Moves are added on by the instructor, but variety in itself does not equal greater intensity or difficulty.) 3) The minor benefit of the lunges, which are a major feature of the workout, doesn't justify the possible injury to the knees, which are one of the most injury-prone parts of the body. If there are going to be exercises relying heavily on knees, then those exercises had better be worth it. 4) The claim that the viewer will have the body he wants, if he eats right and does this workout, just isn't credible. First, anyone wanting to be fit will need to move the bar of difficulty in order to get a sleek and well-muscled figure---and this routine (or any single routine) won't do it.
On the plus side: 1) the abdominal exercises are not easy, and it's the only time when the instructor asks "Are you feeling it?" that I actually think "Is she kidding?" 2) Violet Zaki, the instructor, is pleasant, informative, and avoids unnecessary chatter; what she says is worth listening to. 3) I prefer Zaki's cool-down to the cool-down in Boot Camp Training, which I feel is insufficient.
In sum, this is a relatively unchallenging workout, with the exception of the abdominal work near the end. It is slower-paced and less invigorating and fun than Boot Camp Training, which is a better bet for someone wanting a routine to "grow into."
Rating: 
Summary: Great DVD!
Review: This is a great DVD! The instructor, Victoria is one of the best I've seen, especially amongst the Crunch videos. She is encouraging and upbeat without being at all annoying, which is a rarity amongst exercise instructors. The video uses two sets of weights, one lighter and one heavier, to tone muscles while alternating with bits or cardio. The combinations she takes you through are great, so you're doing combinations of exercises for the same muscle group, but without the monotony of repitition. It's a great workout and you will be feeling it by the end! I only wish it were a bit longer, but the price is very low!
Rating:
Summary: A great muscle-toning workout!
Review: This is a pretty good body-sculpting workout, including a quick warm-up and cool-down in the 35 minutes. It alternates between weight lifting and short bouts (just a few minutes at a time) of cardio without weights. You workout your whole body: abs, arms, legs, buns, etc. There is an extra bun-toning segment on this dvd, which is a real burner! If you have the picture-in-picture feature on your TV, then you can watch something else while having the workout in the smaller screen. That is something I have been able to do and it makes the time go faster. The workout is pretty easy to follow and naturally repetitious, which makes it easy to get a hang of. If you want to get more out of it, then you add to the amount of weight you are lifting. They recommend you have 2 weights (say 5 lbs each) and one heavier weight for a few of the exercises. The instructor is helpful and isn't overbearing in her encouragement. I have a few of the other Crunch videos, and they always have a good atmosphere along with a good group of people that are exercising along with you. This is a good video to do on alternate days; it doesn't really fill the cardio realm of exercise, it being mostly slow movement with weights. This is definitely a toning workout to add to your collection!
Rating:
Summary: Creative but moves a bit too fast
Review: This is a very creative workout. There's cardio in between upper and lower body, abs, and an bonus glutes section.
This isn't a traditional gym style workout of doing one exercise at a time. Most of the exercises are done in combinations, i.e. squats into bicep curls, lateral raises and hammer curls done in lunge position. This is by no means the first and only workout that does combinations, but the secret that makes this workout fun is the exercises that are chosen to be combined together, making each combination smooth and fun to do. One example is to lunge, pulse, pivot both feet 90 degrees, squat, pivot back to lunge position, and pulse. That's the gist of that combination. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing choreographed weight training, which is a cool concept because choreography is fun. The creativity in combinations such as this is unique and therefore refreshing.
Since this workout is only 30 minutes, each combination is done too fast, so there's no time to work the muscles to fatigue. So why can't I just add more weight? Even though the exercises combined make the workout fun, I get annoyed when a lunge is done into a lateral raise. Lower body and upper body require different weights, so doing lunges with lighter weights feel useless, but I can't use heavier weights because I'm doing lateral raises after the lunges. That's the main beef I have with doing combination exercises.
The cardio is okay. They are simple hi/lo and kickboxing.
Overall, this is a fun workout. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is creative and different. The tough factor wasn't very high but it was pretty fun.
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