Kickbox aerobics is my new workout obsession. Well, I can't say new. I have been hooked on it since Janis Saffell's first one. Since I have become proficient in many types of kicking and punching, I found this video a nice addition to my collection due to it's fast pace. The punches are much faster than any other kickbox tape I have done. It took a bit of getting used to at first, but after 2 workouts I started to get familiar with the pace.

The workout is structured very much the same way as Janis' Kick It tape. Warm up, kickbox drills, kickbox choreography and muscle conditioning. The warm up is fast and fun. (approx 8-10 min). It includes a series of (it seems like a million) sets of varied pushups as well as some kickbox specific stretches which feel great. The kickbox drills start the cardio portion of the workout (21 min). Sherri teaches series' of fast punches, jabs, hooks, uppercuts and combines these together for combos. She moves on to some kicking drills and makes sure we are familiar with side kicks, back kicks and (tough) in and out crescent kicks. The intensity during these drills is moderate. She slows down a bit while explaining the moves, but most of the time she does SHUFFLES to keep the heart rate up. Once I got good at this tape I just remembered to shuffle on my own. The next cardio portion of the tape is about 30 minutes and is the most intense and fun part. She combines all of the drill moves together to form combos. She teaches a short combo than puts it all together and adds another short combo,etc. until there are 6 combos in all. The cueing is pretty good, Sherri really gets into the workout as you can tell by her expressions and yells. She lets you know that she is teaching us to be "lethal." When she says there are guys coming at us from all sides, it really motivates you to kick harder and scream a little bit. The combos are fun and along with one pound gloves and intense punching and kicking I am pretty wiped out. This workout seems to be in the intermediate/advanced range. I still find power step workouts the most intense and advanced. The final section is about 20 minutes of resistance work with tubing (you can use dumbells too). The exercises are basic and proven and work all muscle groups. Thats it for the breakdown.

I recommend this tape to anyone who really loves the previous CIA kickbox videos. A little different, but still challenging and most of all fun.

Instructor Comments:
I like Sherri. She gets into the workout, and really motivates you. She doesn't do a lot of laughing and whooping, which helps me focus. You can tell she is actually getting a great workout along with the viewers. She is compact and tiny and extremely toned. I think because of her lean physique, her moves are very balanced and she has great form and athleticism with all of them. Don't let her 'smallness' fool you though, she has a direct straightforward nature that comes through in her teaching with as confident aerobics instructor. I would definately purchase another one of her tapes. Can't wait.

Robyn A.