Video Fitness

Ultimate Body Zone

Debbie O'Toole

The workout is broken up into three zones: Cardio, Strength, Ab work.

The Cardio is kickboxing with high impact jump roping style moves. If you've done Cathe Friedrich's Kick Punch Crunch it may remind you of that, but I think KPC is higher impact.

The Cardio is only 35 minutes total.

She uses crescent kicks, back fists, arm blocks, which are a nice variety from jab, cross, roundhouse, side, front, back (which she also uses).

I personally love crescent kicks, so I definitely bought this workout for that reason.

Cuing during CArdio is practically non-existent. When you do get it, iit occasionally is wrong. I did get frustrated trying to pick up the routine, but when I got it, I did have fun.
From the point of view of someone who gets frustrated after I *know* the routine with having to learn it every time I do the workout, I think i'll appreciate this later on.

This is not a workout for people who don't regularly do cardio kickboxing.

The music throughout this and the strength was very good. I love the techno-drive to the cardio music especially. The abs music wasn't as inspiring, but I only got through 2 of he ab exercises before my kids needed my intervention.

The strength work was much better in terms of cuing and form pointers. She tag teamed with a man named Ken. Ken was likeable without being overly peppy.

You start off with a compound move - squats with shoulder presses - 3 sets (15 or 16 each? Seemed like in the first set there were 25... but I could have been delerious). They both did the first set, took a little rest, then Ken did the second set, and then Debbie did the third - while one was doing the set alone, the other gave form pointers.

Then there were static lunges (3 sets). After that, a standing leg extension where you lift your thigh up so it's parallel to the floor, place a dumbell on it, and then extend and retract the lower part of the leg (leg extension).

I enjoyed that alot. Again, 3 sets.

The final leg exercise was 3 sets of squat/side leg lifts. 16 on each side.

For upper body it seemed like we only did two sets of lots of the exercises. I can't rememember if we did 3 sets for the first one or not.

1) Chest presses on the ball

2) Lat rows (one armed) with the other palm on the ball.

3) Standing bicep curls. The last set with a knee up modification for balance enhancement.

4) Tricep french press - Ken used a weight, Debbie used tubing

Abs:

I only did the first two - the 100 move and the bicycle.


Overall, the set design was sparse but nice (not shabby) and both Ken and Debbie had a nice professional and approachable demeanor.

I really liked this and hope that she cntinues to put out workouts like this one.

I can see doing this every week in the short run until I get tired of doing it and then maybe every 2 wks.







Instructor comments: Debbie is very energetic. I liked the sound of her voice.

Her cueing during the cardio was minimal and it was very hard for me to catch on right away to the moves - and I'm well experienced with kickboxing cardio.

Her cuing during the strength workout was excellent, imho.

Debbie seems to know what she's talking about, showed form that *i* thought was good, and had an admirable physique

Leela

1/15/05



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