First, a little background about me, which will hopefully help you put my review into perspective: I'm 24 years old and regularly work out to videos featuring such fitness queens as Cathe Friedrich, Kelly Coffey Meyer, Michelle Dozois, and Jillian Michaels. I've also done Insanity and really enjoyed the interval training and plyometrics. In other words, I gravitate toward workout videos that are more athletic and intense.

Given these fitness predilections, I expected to love Amy's Kickbox Xtreme, and I wasn't disappointed. At first the sheer duration of the workout intimidated me a little, as I had done Amy's Kickbox Surge & Core Training already and knew that the workout would be 60+ minutes of *nonstop* work, unlike some workouts that purport to push you hard but actually fill up 1/4 of the time with chatter while you stare at the screen. However, once I got started, the duration was the last thing on my mind; Amy sets up this workout in such a way that the time simply flies by.

You start with about 10 minutes of a high-energy warm-up, and then Amy takes you through 5 combos. Each combo is followed by an interval (higher intensity "surge" of cardio, though I wouldn't call this plyometrics - it's not quite explosive enough to qualify). You'll do combo 1, then combo 2, then 1 and 2 together (including the surges). Then combo 3 followed by combo 4, and then string 3 and 4 together. Lastly, Amy takes you through combo 5.

There is a 5-min. core section at the end that uses resistance bands (I subbed dumbbells) and a step (not necessary - you only use it to increase your range of movement for Supermans). This section alone isn't great for core work, but it's a good 5-min section to cap off the intense workout. I don't think I could have handled anything longer or more difficult after the 60 minutes of pure cardio.

The one drawback of this workout - for me at least - is the amount of space it requires. I'm only able to do this workout without modifications when I'm visiting my parents, who have a sprawling basement; otherwise, I have to modify the side-to-side and front-to-back movements in my studio apartment.

amandarinorange