Gay Gasper
I really enjoyed this tape! It offers many options for most exercisers,
and
plenty of room to grow. For the beginner, it breaks down common aerobic
moves step-by-step, then shows you how to put the moves together. More
advanced exercisers can skip the introduction and go right to the
30-minute
low-impact routine. And it really is low-impact: high-impact options
are
shown in a split screen at times, but the core workout remains easy on
the
joints.
The first 12 minutes leads the viewer through twelve common aerobic
moves
such as the march, v-step, grapevine, mambo and others. The moves are
performed first with only the legs, then with arm moves added on. For
some
moves, extra options are shown such as march with tap, or double ham
curls.
The final half hour is a coordinated aerobic routine. The combos are
cued
very precisely, and she takes it from the top several times throughout.
I
know there is mixed feelings out there about TIFTT, but this tape is
geared
to people who have trouble with aerobic moves. If you see a move from
earlier and roll your eyes going "not this again," you probably are not
the
target audience here. But if you see a move from earlier and go "yay, I
know
this part," this routine would be perfect for you.
Initially, I thought I would use the whole tape through, treating the
12-minute primer as a warm-up. But by my second viewing, I was
fast-forwarding straight to the workout proper. And by the third time,
I
could do the whole thing without stumbling. It's not a fancy workout,
but it
's a nice comfort tape for days when you still want to work a little,
but
you don't want to do any thinking.
Joanna C
1/05/01
I checked it out from the library. It quite a nice low impact (with high impact options shown) cardio tape. In the first section she teaches several types of basic moves, march, v-steps, ham curls, mambos, etc and then in the second section she combines the moves into combos. She teaches each combo and then does them all together, so I guess people who don't like taking it from the top wouldn't like that. But it's a nice 55 minutes of cardio including warm-up and cool down. I would definitely recommend it for those who consider themselves "choreo-klutzes" because it gives you an opportunity to learn the moves upon which most choreography is based. It's also good for someone who wants a nice medium intensity low-impact workout. Even though the moves are straightforward it can be quite intense if you put your energy into it. It's just Gay alone leading you through the routine on a nice clean set. The music is enjoyable too.
Instructor comments:
Gay comes across as very personable and sweet on this tape. Her cueing is excellent.
Loretta S.
7/7/02
This is a completely solid beginner's hi/lo routine. In fact, I can't find anything critical to say about it. Okay, here's one thing. One or two of the combinations takes up more space than I might like it to, but it is easy to modify this workout in that regard. Gay does the workout at a beginners' level, and there are modifications shown for making the workout more challenging.
Altogether, there are four separate combos, then in combo five you put all of the combos together. The combos are fun, basic but not completely boring for someone advanced who is doing a very easy workout week. The cardio intensity increases as you go through the combos. But it is still a beginner's workout, all the way. The very beginning of the workout, for the first twelve minutes, Gay previews all of the moves for you. I sometimes use this as a no-thinking-required warm-up to another cardio or weight workout.
To sum up, this is a classic, in my book. I hope it makes it to the hall of fame someday!
Kathy
Instructor comments:
I like Gay. She is a very good instructor. She is encouraging, but not a cheerleader. And her form is excellent.
Kathy Weller
wellermcgovern@attbi.com
12/12/02
This is one of the first workout videos I bought and definitely one of my wisest purchases. I've outgrown other 'beginner' videos, but I can still workup a sweat with this one by putting a little extra heart into it or doing a few intervals whenever the high impact version comes on screen. Also, my roommate who never exercised started using this because "it looked fun". She is completely choreography challenged, but this helped her learn the basic steps enough that she could even start up in a beginning aerobics class without feeling left behind.
To give you an idea of my fitness level: I'm 21 years old and a beginner on the cusp of intermediate. I've been working out steadily for the past three months and off and on for a year.
Instructor comments:
I really enjoy Gay in this video. She is encouraging without being annoying or overly perky. I'm not a big fan of someone telling me how great I'll look on a video since they don't know me.
Tev Ye
2/26/03
FBWD is an excellent
introduction to aerobics for
moderately active beginners and
lower level intermediates.
However, it might be challenging
for people who are very out of
condition. The 12 minute
introductory section makes it
very easy to learn all the steps
and makes the main work out
much less intimidating. I found I
could master this work out pretty
quickly - it was nice not to feel
like a dunce. I really enjoyed the
simple choreography that Gay
uses. Although simple it is fun
and beginners will feel a real
sense of accomplishment when
they master it. I still enjoy using
it on those days I just cant be
bothered with choreography but
feel like working out. The music
is quite good - it is easy for
beginners to hear the beat and
it's not too monotonous. I also
liked the length –great for
people trying to lose weight. I
would definitely recommend this
one! I'm really hoping Gay will
make a beyond basic work out
for intermediates!
Instructor comments:
Gay is friendly, matter of fact and
cheerful in FBWD. Her gentle
enthusiasm and enjoyment are
very motivating and she doesn't
irritate me like lots of other
instructors. Her form is good
and her cuing is clear.
Souhair
8/5/03
The first part of this shows each move used and could probably be done as a warmup for the 'real' workout. The actual workout is about 30 minutes long and the cueing is excellent. all the moves are simple enough to follow and she takes it from the top (tifts) a lot so if that bothers you you'll probably want to pass on this. I usually do leslies and george foreman on the floor or my urban rebounder or walk outside so this was a very nice low impact change of pace. she shows a higher impact/intensity version and whenever I felt like my heartrate was dropping some I'd 'up' the intensity with one of those moves here and there.
the only drawback is I absolutely hate the dummies format with the stupid target and inset pictures and stuff! I find it annoying. I have this on video but I've heard that the dvd lets you turnthis feature off (I'm not sure though!) Iguess the insets are needed to 'up' the intensity though. I found the time to go by pretty quickly and felt like I had a fun but simple workout.
Instructor comments:
likeable and pleasant. I like her pretty well.
Susanna
4/23/06
