I have been a fan of instructor Kelly Coffey-Meyer's workouts for a long time now. When this workout was released about a year ago, I was just getting into kettlebells, and I didn't think I really needed another more traditional weights DVD at that time. I am so happy to have acquired this DVD now, however, as it has quickly become a new favorite! Like all of the previous releases in her 30 Minutes to Fitness series (see also 30 Minutes To Fitness: Kickboxing, 30 Minutes To Fitness: Circuit Burn, 30-Minutes to Fitness Start Here, etc.), this DVD offers two main workouts, each about 30 minutes in length, plus plenty of Premix options--all in all, you get a huge bang for your buck with this series!

The Main Menu for Your Best Body is as follows:
*Introduction
*Warm Up
*Workout One
*Workout Two
*Yoga/Stretch
*Premixes
*Chapters
*Credits

Kelly works out on her usual set (windows in the background) and is joined by her usual background exercisers Sam, Lori, and Lauren showing modifications. For the two main workouts, the general format is that Kelly alternates supersets (between 3 and 5 sets) of two upper body exercises (for the same body part), then does a lower body move, the does a "rest" move, generally a standing move to work the core (although she also throws in just a couple of planks). Kelly recommends having three sets of dumbbells for these workouts (light, medium, and heavy). I have provided details for each segment below.

WARM UP (4 minutes)
This has got to be one of my favorite warm-ups of Kelly's, both because it is quick and because it has fun moves that are not repeated--i.e., she runs through the sequence only once. The exercises include side-to-side squat with circle knee, low jacks, pushing up and to the front, marches with kicks to the front, puddle jumps (fun!), side-to-side reaches alternating with heel taps front/wrap arms, jump rope, and step front with triple knee. Kelly concludes with a few very brief stretches for the upper body.

WORKOUT ONE (30.5)
I really enjoyed this workout! Here are the exercises:
*back: row with reverse grip/reverse pec deck, 5 sets
*legs: deadlift to Russian squat
*core: genie squat and twist
*shoulders: reverse grip lateral raise/alternating front raise, 3 sets
*legs: single leg squat with moving leg
*core: stationary lunge with reach and pull
*biceps: half curls/alternating hammer curls, 5 sets
*legs: pull through plie
*core: plank with knee pull
*triceps: triceps kickbacks/lift and click, 4 sets
*legs: moving side lunges, double then single
*core: twist with knee lift
*chest: alternating chest cross/elbow squeeze pec dec, 5 sets
*legs: wide plie with tempo changes
That's it! One thing that I found a little disappointing is that there is NO stretch included in this workout; Kelly usually does at least a quick stretch (as she does in Workout Two on this disc), but here she just notes that you can move on to the Yoga/Stretch portion.

WORKOUT TWO (33.5 minutes)
I didn't find this workout quite as fun as the first, but it was still enjoyable. Here's the breakdown:
*back: back v-row/high pull, 5 sets
*core: front lunge with static lunge
*core: rib shift, bobbing up and down
*shoulders: cheer press/lateral raise with palms up, 5 sets
*legs: single leg deadlift
*core: static lunge with crunch
*biceps: alternating long curl/side curl, 3 sets
*legs: squats
*core: plank with side leg extension
*triceps: overhead extension/alternating kickbakcs, 4 sets
*leg: curtsey with reverse lunge
*core: broomstick twist
(lying on floor)
*chest: alternating flys/chest press, 5 sets
*single leg bridge
*supermans
For this workout, Kelly does end with just a few minutes of quick seated stretches.

YOGA/STRETCH (7 minutes)
One (minor) beef that I've had with Kelly in the past is that when she has offered "yoga" segments on her DVDs, she has always done them in shoes--unfortunately, yoga in shoes is a pet peeve of mine! Therefore, I was glad to see that she actually addressed this issue here, stating that yoga usually IS done barefoot but admitting "I'm not a barefoot kind of girl." So, this time, she has Sam joining her, with Sam doing the stretch barefoot. I thought this was a nice little flowing segment. Kelly starts in chair pose, moving back through plank, down dog, one-legged down dog, knee-to-nose, lunge twist, and high lunge. She then comes back to chair and repeats the entire series on the other side.

Here are the Premixes as Kelly has them listed on the Premix menu; she notes that they all include a Warm-Up and a Cool-Down:
*Workout One with Cardio Rests (37:18)
*Workout Two with Cardio Rests (39:38)
*Workout One with No Rests (30:04)
*Workout Two with No Rests (32:49)
*Workout One - No Legs (27:09)
*Workout Two - No Legs (27:50)
*All Legs and Core (34:55)
*Cardio and Legs (37:13)
*Cardio and Upper Body (56:15)
*Core and Yoga (21:51)

Although most of the Premixes are variations on the main workouts (One & Two) cardio that is included in Premixes #1, 2, 8, and 9 is all new footage. Each cardio move is performed for about a minute or so; some of the exercises are high impact, but Lauren always shows a low-impact option. Here's the list of cardio sequences:
*jogs alternating with puddle jumps
*side jacks/side kicks
*straight jumps to straddle jumps/alternating squats
*triple to single knees with a jog in-between
*jump rope, adding heels and tempo variations
*alternating crescent kicks/frog jumps forward and back
*split jump forward and back/side-to-side skaters
*four jacks/four power quarter turns (a plyo-like move)

Again, I really loved this DVD overall! I especially loved the lower body work, as it seems like sometimes Kelly puts a greater emphasis on the upper body in her workouts, and I thought that the core movements were excellent (as opposed to the standing abs rests in her 30 Minutes To Fitness: Weights Workout, which put a little bit of a strain on my back). I had only a few very minor quibbles with this DVD as follows: 1) as noted above, I wish there had been at least some brief stretches at the end of Workout #1, 2) I wish Kelly would give you a heads up about the number of sets BEFORE so that you can appropriately choose your weights (but now I know!), and 3) since this IS the 30 Minutes to Fitness series, I wish that the actual total time of the main workouts (meaning the workout PLUS the warm-up and stretch) was closer to 30 minutes.

Regardless, I definitely LOVED this DVD, and it's already one of my new favorites. Highly recommended!

Instructor Comments:
As noted, Kelly is one of my favorite--if not my very favorite--instructor. I just really click with her down-to-earth style; I find her motivating and fun without being annoying or over-the-top. In addition, her DVDs work very well for my mid-to-advanced intermediate level. Kelly provides mirrored cuing, and I have never had any problems following her in any of her workouts.

Beth C (aka toaster)