I just did "Kicked Up Step," for the first time. I usually don't post a review after just one workout, but since this is a new release (and there's a sale on at CIA!) I'll rush in and share first impressions.

The soundtrack is great and this workout is completely different from anything else I've tried -- mostly in a good way. There are some flaws -- more on those later.

The music plays a key role. You are doing a lot of kicking and stomping on the step and Becky has you hit it on the downbeat very consistently, which makes the workout fun and gives it a signature feeling. Becky punctuates the kicks and knees and stomps with lots of "heeyah" and "unh-huh" and "boom" remarks, which make you doubly conscious of the rhythm of the workout.

I don't know how Collage rates the intensity, but I'd rate the first half as intermediate level and the second half as inter/advanced. I'd probably rate the choreography about the same. The first half is easy choreography, the second half introduces a couple of sophisticated moves with quick foot changes.

The warm-up is fun and introduces a reverse crossover with a jump at the end that I enjoyed, once I learned it. There are L-steps with easy side and front kicks almost right away. Once you start into the body of the workout, there is a lot of kicking, punching and jabbing. The intensity level stays very steady. During the punches, your lower body doesn't move, so your heart rate remains low. I liked one combo very much where you stomp with a triple step 3 times (alternating corners) and then go into another move.

Right after the HR check, she ups the intensity noticeably. This part frustrated me. There are some fun moves, including one similar to Cathe F's pendulum, which Becky calls a "tick-tock." Becky returns to the reverse crossover step that she taught in the warm-up, with an added level of difficulty. The problem is that she has you come over to the front of your step and then do big space-eating moves like front and side kicks and a box step. Then you do a triple shuffle around the step to get back to "home." There is no way in the world that I have enough room between the front of my step and my TV to make this combo work. And I really wanted to do it, because it seemed like fun. Her cueing confused me a little bit through here as well -- she kept talking about using the "opposite" knee. Opposite to what?

The intensity was perfect for an intermediate exerciser. I'm a high-intensity endorphin addict, so I was a little disappointed, but I think I'll like using it on a day where I want to focus on strength instead of cardio -- yet I still want to get some cardio in. Plus, it's just plain ole fun to stomp on that step and go "UH-HUNH." Like putting an exclamation point at the end of a sentence, you know? (!)

My big complaint is with all the space that's used. You're going to have to experiment with positioning your step a little differently than usual to get the most out of this workout.

She uses bands in the toning section, which I skipped. I did her ab work, which was very short (5 minutes) but TOUGH. Mostly going back and forth in focus between upper and lower abs. The move that killed me involved lying on my back, knees bent in the air with shins/calves parallel to the ground, then you slowly lower one leg to almost touch the floor and HOLD IT POISED THERE FOR SEVEN LONG COUNTS. Then back up and repeat. Becky also had you slowly lower both bent legs together. Screaming abs. Her stretch section was short, but nice.

Instructor Comments:
I liked Becky a lot. Be warned -- your jaw will drop when you see her outfit. It reminds me of Becky dressed up in a TV dinner -- all shiny silver foil. However, it shouldn't faze anyone familiar with CIA videos: an eye-catching costume seems to come with the territory. The background exercisers (there are 4 girls and a guy) are wearing extremely cute outfits. The guy looks just like Oswald on Drew Carey, if you can picture Oswald doing hip swishes on a step. I liked all of her "unh-huh's and "hoo-ha's," but they might become annoying after a while. She cues all her moves as you're doing them (kind of FIRM-style), so I think it will take a couple of times to do this workout smoothly. She was really well-rehearsed and so was her cast. There were no mistakes, right lead and left lead were worked equally and they were all in perfect harmony with good form.

Daphne M