This is a fantastic 2-dvd set. It has all of the positives about Gilad and none of his negatives:
*Gilad is engaging and instructs clearly
*The set is lovely (a balcony overlooking a bay...though not his most scenic locale)
*This is one of the more recent releases so the wardrobes are timeless and not distracting (no skin-toned tights and leotards here!)

This is one set that I cannot bring myself to part with! The break downs are as follows:

DVD 1:
8:15 Warm-up
8:40 Buns & Thighs
9:40 Hips & Thighs
9:15 Back
9:10 Chest
8:30 Shoulders
9:15 Arms
5:10 Cool-down

DVD 2:
9:00 Dynamic Moves
9:30 Strength & Balance
9:00 Cardio 1-Basic
9:00 Cardio 2- Challenge
7:35 Compound Strength
9:35 Core Foundations
9:40 Core Challenge

DVD 1 is fairly straight-forward dumbbell work. Gilad encourages you to go heavy(er). I find the BUNS & THIGHS and HIPS & THIGHS workouts particularly effective, despite their short length. ARMS is really handy to have as an add-on. The WARM-UP is "old-school" aerobic moves with lots of arm swings and circles and shoulder circles (and finishes up with some pushups to build heat). The COOL-DOWN is a handy little stretch segment that I've used with other workouts.

DVD 2 is a little more varied in its content (though I do prefer DVD 1). DYNAMIC MOVES feels much like a standing core workout, in that there are many twisting movements and motions that feel sport-oriented (like shot put & discus throws). STRENGTH & BALANCE is like "Gilad does yoga"...but on an athletic level with a focus on strength and balance (hence the title). For example: side planks with a reach-thru/under, Warrior 2, etc. CARDIO 1 is basic, old-school aerobics (V-steps, etc) while CARDIO 2 has a kickboxing flair, with more choreography for punches. COMPOUND STRENGTH is self-explanatory and I can't go into much depth for the core workouts because I never really did them.

While I could never part with this...I never really do it either. The segments are just a little too long to create a do-able full-body workout (I prefer an hour or under). The segments on Disc 2 are interesting, but I can't really classify them and don't know what to do with them. This set is best if you plan on focusing on JUST THIS for a while, and not wanting to rotate it with other DVDs. Gilad provides a rotation (on his website) for how to use these workouts.

Instructor Comments:
Gilad is charming, as always. If I remember correctly, he uses 2 female and 2 male background exercisers (though only 1 male and 1 female per segment). The location is bright and lovely and, aside from the occasional sunny shower (sprinkling rain that's barely noticeable), I'd say the production is just about perfect.

Alisoncooks