This workout is part of the 10-DVD Supreme 90 set developed and led by Tom Holland. This workout is completely unweighted and uses the stability ball for every exercise. It clocks in at about 40 minutes, including a 5 minute warm up and cool down (the same as all the rest in the set I believe). The workout is structured in a 30 second work / 30 second rest for the duration, and each exercises is repeated once. The DVD menu allows you to play the warm up and the workout, but the workout is not chaptered. Tom leads one woman and two men in a darkish gym setting. The music was very quiet in this one (too quiet IMO) or else it was a louder rock type music like P90X, which I thought was an odd combination, but it’s just a minor complaint.

Ironically this was the workout that made me most want to rush out and get the set, being that stability ball workouts are fairly hard to come by (especially more challenging ones), but I actually don’t like it as well as the others I have tried so far in the set. It moved quickly enough and I got a good sweat going, but like Lisa said, many of the exercises seemed too easy while others were too hard, particularly a straight leg pike move with feet on the ball, which I was unable to do without bending my knees.

The work was mostly core focused and included a variety of plank variations with legs (shins) on ball: knees in, twisting, static plank, and a tough one leg plank move (tough but doable!). There were two sets of squats with one leg on the ball (ball to the side, then to the back), but it was mostly core work. Some of the other work included side crunches, laying prone with ball held by knees and rolling side to side, ball bridge, etc. The shoulders were worked significantly to stabilize you in plank pose for many of the exercises. Nearly all of the exercises felt pilates inspired to me, and many of these exercises can also be found in 10 Minute Solution Pilates on the Ball, for reference. If you like that workout, you might like this one as well, although I like the aesthetics better in the 10MS (brighter set and better music).

Despite the workout being mostly plank variations, I really just didn’t feel that challenged (not much DOMS the days after confirmed my suspicion). I feel my time was much better spent with S90 Core Dynamics, at only 20 minutes instead of 30 (for the actual workout), than on this workout. I struggled on a couple of poses but was otherwise too far inside my comfort level. For future uses, I will just work through some of the rest time, to increase the intensity.

Final thoughts: This is a solid standalone core workout, with or without use of the rest of the S90 set. I would say it is intermediate level but those experienced can find ways to make it tougher. I don’t know if it is beginner friendly because you really need some shoulder endurance to be able to hold plank poses for so long. I will continue to do this as part of the S90 rotation, maybe it will grow on me and become more challenging with use. Overall grade B+.

Instructor Comments:
This is the fourth S90 workout I have tried, and continue to appreciate Tom as an instructor. Although I agree with Lisa that Tom was a little disorganized in this one, wanting his backgrounders to stop what they were doing during the rests, but then get into position so they could start the next circuit. Also, two of the backgrounders seemed to gang up on the third, who had to demonstrate all of the moves, which I thought was strange. I don’t know if it was an inside joke or if he was really being bullied? It was distracting but not overly so.

Emily B.