When I first started using kettlebells several years ago, I had Sarah Lurie's Iron Core 1 & 2 for awhile. Eventually, I found kettlebell workouts that I liked better, so I got rid of those DVDs. However, I've been interested in trying this one for awhile, mainly because of its shorter length (not to mention the fact that reviewer Kath said it really worked her glutes!).

This is a very basic intermediate kettlebell workout. There are four rounds--each of which is EXACTLY the same--consisting of five exercises each. Each exercise is performed for about a minute, and Lurie moves quickly from one exercise to the next. There is a one minute rest between rounds.

Lurie exercises alone here, teaching live in a large brick studio. She uses a single 25# kettlebell for all of the exercises--impressive, especially given that she was several months pregnant when this DVD was filmed! The list of exercises appear on-screen before each round as follows:

*single leg deadlift/single arm row combo
*alternating clean
*squat/snatch combo
*alternating tactical lunge
*alternating swings

The Main Menu allows you to Play All or to choose each round individually. There is also an Abs Circuit listed. I wound up selecting this as a warm-up since there is no warm-up or cool-down on the DVD. It turns out that the "abs circuit" is a 3 1/2 minute section of all swings, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest. Lurie does singles left, singles right, doubles, alternating, alternating. This concludes the workout, clocking in at just under 30 minutes.

I wound up doing two rounds (plus abs) of this routine; that was enough for me. This is certainly a decent kettlebell workout, but personally, I don't enjoy repeating the exact same exercises over and over again. Given this, I don't think that this one will be a keeper for me.

Instructor Comments:
Sarah does not mirror cue here, but most of the time, she does not actually say right-left, so this is rarely an issue. I liked her better in this workout than in the first two Iron Cores, I think because she was on her own.

Beth C (aka toaster)