Not a big Keli Roberts fan, I was pleasantly surprised with this workout. After a 12 minute warm-up consisting of numerous arm punches and different types of stretches, Keli goes into an exciting 40-minute kickboxing workout which includes two short jump rope segments (about three minutes each), followed by a lot of punches, high kicks, roundhouse kicks, side and back kicks. She shows the movements slow at first, then speeds it up, similar to Aaron in Power Kicks.

In my opinion, CIA 9809 is less intense (except for the jump rope - it's much longer) because Janis pauses too much between teaching a move. Keli and her crew put on real boxing gloves for the final ten minutes, and I used 2 lb. handweights. I felt a little awkward with those moves, but I'll catch on eventually.

The toning section was 30 minutes (the box noted 20 minutes) and consisted of different kinds of tubing. Luckily, I have them all, but never knew how to use them. Keli used the green ulta-toner (looks like "figure eight"), the regular green tubing with the two handles and the round tubing. My tubings are red, which are more advanced, so I really felt the arm work (lat rows, bicep curls, lateral raises).

Since I like doing arm work every day, this is great for me to do in between Cathe's strength tapes. The standing leg work holding the step (in a standing position) is similar to Aaron's leg work in Power Kicks, but Keli does a lot less repetitions. She follows with the tubing around the ankles doing dips and side squats. There is no ab work on the tape and the stretch, using a stretch strap, is about ten minutes.

This workout can be intense if you "give it your all" as in all kickboxing tapes. I realize that watching a kickboxing tape is no indication of its intensity. You get what you put into it. It looks easy, but those fast arm moves really get the heartrate up, even if your legs are not moving. It's a great new way to cross-train, and Keli makes it easy with her great cueing.

Instructor Comments:
I didn't recognize Keli in this tape. She has a very short haircut and seemed much larger than in her other videos. She did an excellent job with her cueing and made the workout fun.

maryann parker