This tape is annoying. It is obviously geared to
the MTV generation. The production looks like something
recorded in a basement on cheap equipment.
Tracy York is an instructor I usually like well
enough, but she wins the Denise Austin Lifetime
Achievment Award for most annoying video instructor with
this little confection.
The exercisers are nauseating to behold. Especially
the one with the long hair hanging throughout the
workout.
Since I have dance training, I did not find the tape
hard to do, but for someone without dance training or
uncoordinated, this tape would be impossible.
There is too much concentration on quick camera
movements and not enough focus on footwork. I wish I
hadn't wasted my money on this loser.
Grade: C-
Amy Steppe
Tracy York is very energetic and a
pretty decent instructor. I just don't care much for the
Crunch format with all the whooping and other sound
effects that obviously aren't coming from the class.
This is a short (24 minutes) floor aerobics video with a
5-minute warmup and a 4-minute cooldown. Supposedly the
interval style format helps burn fat faster. I didn't
detect that this was an interval tape until I re-read the
cover. I kept wondering what the 'power bursts' were that
Tracy kept referring to, since I didn't really notice any
big changes in intensity throughout the video.
Don't be misled by Collage's rating of this video as
"intermediate" with "moderate"
choreography. I think it's more for beginners -- I
haven't done floor aerobics in years and this was pretty
easy for me to follow without getting my heartrate
anywhere near my maximum training zone.
This could be a fun workout for beginner to
intermediate exercisers, although I'm not sure how much
fat you can burn in 24 minutes at the intensity of this
video. Maybe I'm just used to killer hour-long step
videos. Don't hesitate to buy it if you can get in on
sale and aren't looking for a super intense workout.
Joni O
I must admit that I disliked this tape the first time I
did it--the camera cuts away from the footwork at the
wrong moments to focus on one of the perky, whooping
exercisers, which made it difficult to follow at times.
And the so-called power bursts weren't all that
challenging. After a few more tries, the tape doesn't
seem so bad, but it doesn't seem long enough (23-24
minutes of aerobics) for me. And the choreography isn't
"dancy" or challenging enough to maintain
interest. Beginners or low intermediates looking for a
short tape and who like the Crunch format(short series of
choreographed moves punctuated by "encouraging"
messages) might want to give this a look, if it's on
sale.
Instructor comments: Very perky.
Elaine C.
3/11/97
The video is fast paced, they get right to it instead of
introducing you to everyone. Tracy gives you enough time
to learn each step to the routine, but doesn't waste time
going over and over it. The moves are easy and the power
bursts in each of the 4 sections are great calorie
burners.
Lori
Jaramillo
4/9/97
This video consists of four aerobic segments which
take a total of thirty minutes to complete. The workout
is challenging mainly because Tracy's cueing is so poor.
It is nearly impossible to follow because she changes
moves so quickly. She seems to care more about keeping
the heart rate up then keeping the form in good shape.
She has you doing bouncing squats. Now is it just me, or
did I hear like a thousand times before never to bounce
when stretching?! I've never done the first fat blaster
video, but this one only has two "whoops" in
it. The background is studio like and the extras in the
video seem way to happy to be exercising. If you like
doing tons of grape-vines, this is the video for you.
Other than that, I just feel that this video does not
give a good workout at all. Good luck to all of you who
attempt it!
Kari R.
06/19/97
This high/low workout is sort of like intervals. You
do regular aerobics for a couple of minutes, and then you
do high-intensity for a minute or so. You can definitely
tell the difference in intensity, but I'm not sure that
you get up to maximum or over during the intervals.
Nevertheless, it's a great workout, and fun too.
Choreography and intensity (during the
"regular" phases) are both intermediate. Tracy
doesn't waste time explaining the moves, so the first
time you might have a little trouble following her. But
none of the moves are very complicated, so you won't be
lost for long.
The workout flies by. The aerobics section is 20
minutes, but it seems even faster because you're
switching back-and-forth with the intervals so often. I
don't think this is quite as good as the NAC Interval
tape, but it definitely has its merits. And at under $10,
who can resist? (I was lucky, though, I got mine through
the exchange!)
I give this workout an A-. If it were just a little
bit longer, it would get an A.
Annie S.
8/18/97
I like this little gem. I bought this after doing the Crunch workout on a day off and decided to try a video. One complaint is the production quality... Crunch is a nationally known gym with top instructors and a daily show on ESPN 2. Tracking needs major adjusting. If not Firm quality at least call Step In Motion or Greg Twombley, (who has filmed quite a few Crunch instructors.)
Alright about the video. The choreography is simple and fun and I like the music because it reminds me of mid-80s Prince and his Minneapolis sound. It's about 24 minutes of beginner to intermediate cardio which makes it a good prelude to heavy weight work . It doesn't take itself seriously and Tracy cues beautifully. She doesn't miss a beat. I did this video after recovering from jet lag and needed to feel my body move again. The set is Crunch standard, colorful and bright. The exercisers aren't color co-ordinated so it looks like a regular aerobics class. It's not a Desert Island video but for a day when you need a light workout and need to get the kinks outs.
Instructor comments: Energetic and perky without being cloying like Denise Austin. She's a veteran instructor, (ESPN Fitness Pros and the Classic Buns of Steel series) Cues effortlessy, and is just having fun.
Jean-Leslie Wakefield
8/16/98
Well, I didn't like this video the first time I did it, but it's kinda grown on me. It is pretty short, about 35 minutes, and I could do without the little inspirational blurbs they put on the screen. Tracy York messes up a couple times, forgets some steps or rather just skips them altogether, which is annoying. The girl with the long hair down her back is SO annoying,but more annoying is the African American guy in the back--he's SOOOO annoying. Blech, all his little facial gestures really bother me. The music is sad--it's not inspirational really. But the moves Tracy does are pretty good, overall. The cooldown is good, that's for sure. It's an intermediate tape, and great for those days when you don't have time for a full workout. for some reason, the more i do it, the more i like it.
Instructor comments:
perky, not bad, didn't mind her at all.
Hillary
acugirlnyc@aol.com
12/05/02