Although I've always liked Jennifer Galardi as an instructor (e.g., her 10 Minute Solution: Fat Blasting Dance Mix), she tends to produce mainly cardio and/or ballet videos neither of which are a main focus of my fitness regimen. I thought I might click with Jen more in this DVD, which offers a series of strength-focused workouts, each about 15 minutes in length.

Jen works out alone in this DVD in a pretty purplish room with open windows in the background. She is teaching live to upbeat music. In her brief introduction, she explains that that each of the four routines on the DVD features ten exercises that are performed for just one minute. Jen uses several pieces of equipment, including a medicine ball, a Pilates or other small squishy ball, a resistance band, and a mat. The Main Menu lists each of the segments that I have broken down below. NOTE: for each workout, the moves get progressively more difficult.

ABS (15:42)
Jen uses both the medicine ball (about 4#) and the Pilates ball for this workout. Here is the list of exercises: 1) standing crunch, 2) standing lower pelvic crunch, 3) standing oblique crunch, 4) standing roll downs, 5) half side plank oblique twist (on floor), 6) inclined rows with ball, 7) inclined drop backs with Pilates ball, 8) bicycles on elbows, 9) knees in/out and crosses, and 10) bridges. Jen concludes with quick stretches both on the back and on the belly to finish.

UPPER BODY (17:08)
This workout uses the band for the first half, and the moves are as follows: 1) alternating pull back (band), 2) front and side biceps curls (band), 3) side and front shoulder raises (band), 4) double arm back row (band), 5) tricep kickbacks (band), 6) plank with high/low holds on mat, 7) airplane, 8) alternating arm/leg raises to swimming, 9) cobra, and 10) push-ups. Jen finishes here with a brief kneeling stretch.

LOWER BODY (16:04)
For this routine, Jen is barefoot; she states that she is incorporating her favorite moves from ballet and Pilates. She also uses the Pilates ball here. The exercises include the following: 1) plie squat, 2) semicircle squat, 3) mini arabesque to rear, 4) quad kick to front with squat, 5) releve in first position, 6) squat side-to-side, 7) on mat, wide clams, 8) inner thigh lifts, 9) prone hip lifts, and 10) isometric ball squeeze with hip lift. Jen concludes with lower body stretches on the floor, including thread-the-needle and a hamstring stretch.

TOTAL BODY (15:55)
This final segment again uses both the medicine ball and the Pilates ball. Here is the sequence of moves: 1) squat jumps (holding med ball), 2) seated torso twists (holding med ball), 3) karate kicks, 4) mountain climbers to side plank, 5) wood choppers (holding med ball), 6) push-ups, shifting med all from hand to hand, 7) ab crunch (with Pilates ball under back), 8) pulsing side plank, 9) elevated bridge, and 10) elbow plank with rear knee lift. To conclude, Jen stretches the arms, performs cat/cow, and finishes with some additional seated stretches (about 2 minutes total).

For the most part, I enjoyed these workouts. I liked that Jen used strength equipment other than the usual dumbbells (e.g., the resistance band and the medicine ball), and I appreciated the short length of the workouts. I was less enamoured with all of the plank work--I know it's good for me, but I wish Jen had been a bit more creative (as she was in the ABS routine). Overall, however, I think I will use this DVD regularly, and I would recommend it.

Instructor Comments:
I like Jen, as I find her to be fun, motivating, and encouraging in a down-to-earth way. She does have a few minor verbal quirks (e.g., saying "yeah?" as if to confirm that you have heard her), but these are pretty mild and easy for me to overlook. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention that she looks GREAT in this DVD, very buff (I want her arms!).

Beth C (aka toaster)