All I have to say is F-U-N!

This was my "debut" with Gay and these were the things I loved:

1. The music was fantastic! Especially in the Step N Strike workout, I found myself singing to it!

2. Gay's cueing, instruction, choregraphy & performance were outstanding! With this my very first time, I knew what direction to go, what move was next; I was clearly motivated, challenged, yet not over-strained, and Gay has clearly been blessed with great genes! She's in such great shape! Her confidence radiated throughout the whole workout. She is definetly a role model for a novice group fitness instructor like me!

3. In some CIA's the cast usually gets so terribly lost....not here, a few slip ups (very few) but they also weren't cheesy or irratating as some cast members can be...(like I would be if I were casted in a video!) This is a big plus for me as I watch it over and over again. (Remember that guy in Method's Boot Camp Cardio? He kept staring at Tracy Mallet's butt the whole entire time, I was like, "What a GEEK!!!!" and worse, he got lost so many times...it was sad, he stuck out like a sore thumb!) She had a wide variety of cast members, down to gender, nationality and even one gal was 6 months pregnant! They all were great, like Cathe's cast members...

That said, The only thing I didn't care for were some of the specific moves (a roundhouse kick then a cross punch?) in the kickbox combos in the Step N Strike portion. They felt a little unnatural but of course, it could be that I've not done kickbox in over a month! They were decent moves, I just didn't believe it was smooth...I guess I'm a Tae Bo-PowerKicks kind of person...the transitions (combo to combo) flowed together well, except for the last combo that started with half-time step-cross-back and then side kick, you really need to rewind that at least once!

Overall, the workout was over 100 minutes (I split it up); intermediate-advanced level (2 cast members modify for advanced and beginners); and a great choice for a tough cardio day! Grade: A-

Myra Marangi