Getting two complete workouts on one tape makes many CIA videos a bargain. That's the case once again with this new tape led by Gay Gasper, with a crew of four "real people" in the background. I am new to this tape. So, without going into details about specific moves, I'll give you an opinion from the perspective of an experienced stepper and Gay Gasper fan.

The Step Segment (approx. 50 minutes)

First of all, it probably isn't "the greatest" step workout ever. It has the potential to become one of my favorites, however, because it allows for really energetic movement around and over the step without being too tricky. Note: it isn't a cinch to learn, but for some of us, that's part of the fun. I "got it" pretty well in three tries.

In complexity, I'd say it's between Christi's Step Heaven (hard for me to learn) and Anderson/Blahnik's Classic Step (easier but still dancy). Gay has her own unique style, and she cues very well.

In this routine, she performs four combos, taking it from the top after each one, and performing the entire routine three or four times at the end. She moves over and around the bench a lot, changing leads and directions. There's a potential for dizziness. Moves new to me were a reverse A-step and a kind of mambo around the end of the step.

You have to be able to follow cues by listening and concentrating, not just by watching. It's kind of like thinking your way into the routine, instead of just imitating the movements. Even with a lot of step experience, I find this quite challenging. You will turn your back to the screen frequently.

The warm-up and cooldown are extra-long, with a little tricky footwork. The workout is followed by a short stretch.

The set is Oriental--red walls, shoji screens, a fan. I find this a little distracting, but not annoying. Music is pop vocals with a strong beat--although I'm too busy listening for cues at this point to pay much attention to music, so I couldn't say whether it's inspiring or not.

The Conditioning Segment (approx. 45 minutes)

For this moderate strength training workout, Gay uses a quite a pile of equipment: step, exertube, dumbbells (at least two sizes), and a fitball (the large, inflatable ball). You can sub dumbbells or a dynaband for the exertube, but you might need a little experience with weight training to know how to do this effectively.

I'm glad to find a workout that uses the fitball I already have. It's great for lower abdominal crunches and for hamstring/glutes. I didn't use it for the tricep extensions, however, because when I lean over the ball, it's wider than my body and interferes with the correct position of my elbows and forearms through the movement. Again, it's helpful to have a little experience to know when and how to adapt this routine with substitute positions or equipment.

I would not recommend this tape just for the "conditioning" workout. It serves as a pleasant maintenance routine, but it isn't as challenging or interesting to me as, say, Tough Tape, or as convenient (no equipment!) as Christi's Strength, Balance, and Flexibility. If you already have a lot of fitness "toys," you'll get to use them. But if you don't have a convenient workout space, you won't like all the set-up required for this routine.

Gay alternates upper and lower body work. You will need a few run-throughs to figure out how much weight or resistance to use. In a couple of places, I wanted to change up the weights where she does not. Beginners might be a little confused by all the equipment changes.

If you have the time, you can do both segments back-to-back without killing yourself.

I'm glad I bought this tape, because Gay is an encouraging coach and a good teacher. Her personality has just the right balance of perky and serious. This workout is a good addition to my variety selection. Overall, I give it a B+

Instructor: Gay builds each combo with helpful instruction, and provides good cues throughout the workout. Verbal cueing is especially important in 2104, because you'll be turning around the step often.

Barbara Loots