A friend was kind enough to lend me this DVD, and I am really glad I had the opportunity to try it. I am a high intermediate exerciser but am fairly new to kettlebells (been using them for just over a month or so). I had heard excellent things about instructor Lauren Brooks, especially her excellent form pointers, and so I mainly wanted to take a look at this DVD to review Lauren's exercise demos and to make sure that my own form was correct.

The Main Menu for this DVD reads as follows:

INTRODUCTION
KETTLEBELL SAFETY AND SIZE
EXERCISE DEMONSTRATIONS
WORKOUTS
CONCLUSION
MORE INFORMATION

In her brief (<2 minutes) Intro, Lauren talks about how she is both a certified RKC kettlebell instructor and a clinical nutritionist. She also introduces her long-time client, Robin Duncan, a fit woman in her 50s who joins Lauren for the workouts. The recommendations for Kettlebell Safety and Size appear on-screen accompanied by Lauren's voiceover. She suggests that women who are in shape start with about 15-18 lbs (up to 8kg); men can go even heavier than this.

The Exercise Demonstrations cover ALL of the moves included in the workout, which is nice. They are short (about 1 minute each), but Lauren does do a thorough job of breaking down each movement. Here are the exercises which are included (as they appear on the submenu, correcting for typos):

1. Deadlift
2. Suitcase Deadlift
3. Two-Hand Swing
4. One-Hand Swing & Alternating Swing
5. Overhead Swing
6. One Arm Clean
7. Front Squats
8. Kettlebell Push-Ups
9. One Arm Rows
10. Russian Twist
11. Pullover Crunch
12. Mountain Climbers
13. Back Lunge
14. Squat Thrusts
15. High Pull, Catch & Squat

As you can see, no all of the exercises are actual kettlebell moves; Lauren incorporates some bodyweight exercises into the workouts to increase the cardio effect. Selecting "Workouts" takes you to the following submenu:

JOINT MOBILITY WARM-UP
QUICK FULL BODY FAT BLAST
SCULPT AND CONDITION IN UNDER 40 MINS.

The Joint Mobility is a 6-minute segment that can be used as a warm-up for either of the two workouts. It begins with neck, torso, and shoulder stretches. Lauren performs a full body roll and then travels down the body to roll the hips, knees, and ankles; she finishes by rolling out the wrists and forearms.

The Quick Full Body Fat Blast is a shorter version of the main workout which can be done in about 13 minutes. This workout is performed in one minute rounds: you will perform two different exercises for 30 seconds each within each round, and then you will rest for 30 seconds before moving on to the next round. Here is the breakdown of rounds:

#1: front squat and two-hand swings
#2: push-ups and squat thrusts
#3: deadlifts and mountain climbers
#4: clean, squat & press (left & right)
#4: one-arm rows (left & right)
#6: high pull, catch & squat plus alternating cleans plus alternating swing plus overhead swing (this round is 2 minutes)
#7: abs cool-down: forearm plank and Russian twist

The 40-Minute Sculpt and Conditioning Workout follows a similar pattern, but here the rounds are 2 minutes long with a 1 minute break in-between. Also, every time you complete two rounds, you go back and perform a second set of those same two rounds. The breakdown is as follows:

#1: suitcase deadlift (left & right)
#2: one-arm row (left & right) and alternating swings
Repeat 1 and 2
#3: front squat (left & right) and clean & press (left & right)
#4: tricep pushups plus squat thrusts and overhead swings
Repeat 3 and 4
#5: back lunges (left & right) plus alternating cleans and mountain climbers
#6: high pull, catch & squat plus two-hand swing and alternating swings
Repeat 5 and 6
#7: abs cool-down: pullover-to-crunch and Russian twist

In her Conclusion, Lauren talks about how using kettlebells helped her to get back in shape just months after her pregnancy; she is enthusiastic about the benefits of using kettlebells for anyone.

Overall, I think this DVD is generally well-done. However, it didn't quite click with me, as there where several things I didn't like about it. To be fair, I will list both what I did and didn't like so that others can make their own decision.

What I DID like about this DVD:
*I like that Lauren is a certified RKC instructor AND a clinical nutritionist (although the later doesn't really come up here).
*I liked the inclusion of exercise demos for all of the moves. These were helpful, if brief.
*I liked the inclusion of two workouts, both a shorter workout (and one that was truly short!) and a longer one that was still well under an hour.
*I liked the inclusion of an older, very fit background exerciser (Robin).
*I liked the pleasant outdoor setting (it appears to be a city courtyard).

What I did NOT like about this DVD:
*I just didn't warm-up to Lauren. I'm not sure why; she definitely seemed competent. It may just be an age mismatch--I am nearing my mid-40s, and she appears quite young (I am guessing late 20s/early 30s). I haven't had this problem with other young instructors, but I just found myself unable to relate to her...and wishing that her background exerciser, Robin, was leading the workout!
*This may relate to the last item--and it may just be a pet peeve of my own--but it REALLY bothered me that Lauren wears her hair loose for these workouts. Normally this would not be an issue for me, but she has hair that is almost down to her waist, and she was constantly pushing it out of the way. Not only did I find this to be a distraction, but also I found it to be unprofessional.
*Although I liked the inclusion of the exercise demos, they seemed a bit short and felt a bit rushed to me. I actually preferred the exercise breakdowns by Anthony and Beth on The Kettlebell Way To Your Perfect Body Volume 1.
*Regarding the workouts themselves, I personally did NOT like the inclusion of non-kettlebell (bodyweight) exercises. I have taken up kettlebells because I want to work with the KETTLEBELL not because I want to do the same old exercises I have seen on other DVDs for years now! Also, working with the kettlebell provides plenty of a cardio effect on its own, so I see no need to "thrown in" other exercises.
*I also did not like how the same exercises were repeated in the main workout; I found this boring. If ALL the rounds had been performed and THEN the entire set was performed again, this may have been better (most other kettlebell DVDs I have do it this way, such as Sarah Lurie's Iron Core DVDs).
*During the rest periods, some of the on-screen messages are little "plugs" about Lauren's achievements. This time could have been used to give form pointers, which is what is done in the Iron Core workouts.
*Finally, I do not like the there is no real cool-down/stretch to finish the workout. It seems like many kettlebell instructors skip the inclusion of a stretch at the end; obviously I can add this on myself, but I'd love to see just a few minutes of targeting stretching devoted to some of the areas which might become vulnerable during kettlebell use, such as the lower back.

I know that not everyone will agree with me, and certainly many users love this DVD. However, if you are closer to my age and are an experienced exerciser (just new to kettlebells), you might consider purchasing Anthony DiLuglio's and Beth Chamberlain's The Kettlebell Way To Your Perfect Body (aka "A New Providence") instead of this DVD.

Instructor Comments:
See comments above.

Beth C (aka toaster)