About me: I'm an advanced exerciser who loves all kinds of exercise, including dance, strength training, pilates, yoga and fusion workouts. I was recently diagnosed with some joint problems, so I can't do high impact workouts anymore. Kettlebells have been so wonderful for me, so I can get a great workout without the impact. Kettlebell workouts tend to be very, very expensive and it's important that each dvd be a good value for the money. Thankfully, Lauren's workout is not only a great value, but is easily one of my best purchases of the year! The production values are very good and it's also nice to have a dvd in a pleasant outdoor setting. The music is also pretty good but I'm usually working too hard to notice it!

I love Lauren as an instructor--she's motivating and encouraging. She is also in fabulous shape (she had a baby a few months before filming), as is her background exerciser. Her form and tips are also impeccable. There is some good material on her dvd, including a tutorial covering each exercise on the dvd, joint mobility warmup, a 12-minute fat blaster workout, and 40-minute workout. I like Lauren's workout because she does a kettlebell move, and then follows it up with a bodyweight exercise. Given that I have the attention span of a small child, I greatly appreciate this! Lauren does each workout barefoot and I have begun to do the same. I'm not worried about dropping the kettlebell on my foot and it really helps me to grip the floor much better. Here are breakdowns of and comments on each of the routines/workouts:

Joint Mobility Warmup (approximately 6 minutes)

1) Neck: Look side to side (over the shoulder), turn ear to each shoulder
2) Obliques: Reach wall to wall, keeping hips stables
3) Shoulders: Reach wall to wall, turning opposite palm up (both palms are up at the end of the movement), shoulder rolls/circle front to back, back to front
4) Hamstrings/hips: Full body roll, letting arms dangle
5) Hips: Hip circles in each direction, pelvic tilts front to back (Lauren notes how these are used in kettlebell swings)
6) Knees: Knee circles in each direction (keep knees soft)
7) Ankles: Rotate foot in each direction, switch legs
8) Wrists and forearms: With fingers clasped, circle wrists, switch directions

I really liked the joint mobility warmup. I actually feel loose and ready to go. She includes a few more exercises than Anthony does in the original AOS Providence and I think they help a lot (e.g. ankle circles).


12-Minute Fat Blaster (approximately 13 minutes)
(All rounds are 1 minute, with the exception of round 6, which is 2 minutes. There are 30 second breaks between each round.)
Round 1: Front Squat (30 seconds); 2-handed swings (30 seconds)
Round 2: Tricep Pushups (30 seconds); Squat Thrusts (30 seconds)
Round 3: Deadlifts (30 seconds), Mountain climbers (30 seconds)
Round 4: Clean, squat and press, right side (30 seconds) and left side (30 seconds)
Round 5: 1 arm rows, right side (30 seconds) and left side (30 seconds)
Round 6: High Pull, catch, Squat (30 seconds; Alternating clean (30 seconds), alternating swings (30 seconds), overhead swings (30 seconds)
Round 7: Abdominal work consisting of forearm plank (30 seconds) and Russian twist (30 seconds)

I felt like I'd actually DONE something in less than 15 minutes! I really liked the overhead swing (I used 25 lbs) and the fact that I could adapt everything to low-impact (e.g. mountain climbers) using my Val-Slides. That last 2-minute round is really tough!


40-Minute Workout
(All rounds are 2 minutes and each round is repeated once and there is a one minute break between each round.)
Round 1: Suitcase deadlift, right and left sides
Round 2: 1-arm row, right and left sides (30 seconds each side), Alternating swings (1 minute)
Repeat rounds 1 and 2
Round 3: Front Squat, right and left sides (30 seconds each side); Clean and Press right and left sides (30 seconds each side)
Round 4: Tricep Pushups (30 seconds), Squat Thrusts (30 seconds), Overhead Swings (1 minute)
Repeat rounds 3 and 4
Round 5: Back Lunges, right and left sides (30 seconds each side), Alternating cleans (30 seconds), Mountain Climbers (30 seconds)
Round 6: High Pull, catch, Squat (1 minute), 2-Handed Swing (30 seconds) and Alternating swings (30 seconds)
Repeat rounds 5 and 6
Round 7: Abdominal work consisting of pullover to crunch (30 seconds) and Russian twist (30 seconds)

This is my favorite of the two kettlebell workouts. It's tough, but you really get a full body workout by the end. I'm just glad the abdominal work is so short. The overhead swing really is a 'money' move, as one of our VFers has said! I really feel my core on that one! As for the bodyweight exercises, those mountain climbers are really tough--I'm not sure if I'll ever be conditioned enough to where they are easy to perform.

I'd recommend this dvd for everyone. I think beginners (to kettlebells) will greatly benefit from her excellent tutorial. She talks about common mistakes that people make, and I think this is a good way to learn proper form from the very start. Beginning kettlebellers will also appreciate the shorter 12-minute workout, which will allow them to build up to the more advanced 40-minute routine. (Lauren mentions that if you want a challenge, you can repeat the 12-minute workout.) More experienced kettlebell aficionados will be challenged by this workout by increasing their kettlebell weight (though I suspect that those overhead swings will kick everyone's tail) and really taking advantage of the tough bodyweight exercises. Lauren's dvd is well chaptered, so it's easy to go back and repeat a round or two if desired. I should also note that while it's great for me (and other women) to see such an inspiring, strong female kettlebell instructor, this workout is NOT just for women. Men would appreciate this too. There's no talking down to women, no slimming talk (there is one reference to tightening up your glutes during lunges, but that's true!). The focus is on getting functionally strong and fit using a very efficient workout.

I really can't think of enough positive things to say about this workout. The only constructive criticism I could offer is that maybe her next dvd could include a good active, PNF-type stretch routine for the cooldown. Kettlebell dvds in general often don't include post-cooldown stretches. (Lauren does mention that you can use the joint mobility section for a warmup and cooldown.) Also, it would be nice to have premixes where you wouldn't have to go back to the workout menu for the main workout after the warmup. Other than those very minor issues, this is a job extremely well done. I can't wait to see what Lauren has in store for us next!

Instructor Comments:
Lauren is my favorite kettlebell instructor--she's motivating and encouraging. She also seems to realize that I have a very short attention span and keeps things moving.

naturallove