I’m reviewing this workout after doing it 2-3 times.

General workout breakdown: As has already been mentioned, this 30-min. interval workout combines kickboxing, athletic, and some dancy moves.
The Warm-up (just over 6 min.) is the standard TJ warm-up, with double bob & weave + punches (jab, cross, hook, then upper cut), knee lifts / strikes, dynamic stretches, mostly for the lower body, plus some opportunities to “shake it.”
The Turbos are around 2 min. each; since each is repeated twice and, as Terri and Talie have noted, there are 4 total Turbos, this section is about 15-16 min. long. The first time through you do the Turbo with lower intensity and impact, then you pick up both (although you can choose to stay with the low impact version). I recognize at least three of the Turbos from other TJs; even if the Turbos weren’t exactly the same, they used so many of the same moves and combos they felt familiar. Moves include several versions of jumping rope, squat w/ hand pops down, squat & lift, runs, ski hops, high & low punches, cross punch feet (also called scissors or cross countery ski), bounce w/ punch / block, squat hops, jabs, jumping jack, knee w/ punch across body, several variations of run, quick feet (also called basketball or football quick feet), hop w/ punch overhead, forward & back (a kind of Charleston move), knee lift / strike, side leap, speed bag, feet out & in, and punch down.
Cardio Cooldown & Stretch (just over 5 min.) repeats several of the moves from the warm-up, ending with held stretches for the inner thighs, hip flexors, hamstrings, (back of the) shoulders, lower back, triceps, upper back, and chest / front of the shoulders; these are actually held for a decent amont of time, and this is one of the better, most thorough TJ stretches, in my opinion. The workout ends with a Tai Chi stretch (just over 2.5 min.), with Tai Chi-type movements like mountain pose, sinking chi, and supporting heaven like a pillar, plus standing forward bend w/ flat back, standing side bend w/ legs wide (a sort of side angle pose), and standing forward bend w/ legs wide.

Level: I’d recommend this to intermediate exercisers with prior kickboxing (and preferably some TJ) experience. Beginner / intermediate exercisers can follow the low impact modifier, while intermediate / advanced exercisers can add intensity by following the more energetic members of the class who add extra.
I consider myself an intermediate + to intermediate / advanced in cardio; I don’t go for puke in the bucket or fall into a puddle of goo afterwards type of intensity, nor am I a huge high impact fan. I find this an acceptable level of challenge, especially since it can be modified up or down, depending upon my mood or needs for a particular day.

Class: 2 men and 7 women join Chalene, who instructs live. 1 woman shows lower impact modifications.

Music: an upbeat mix of instrumental and vocal music with a definite beat. Even the stuff that’s not remakes of popular songs is better than what usually passes for exercise video music. There are frequent music changes, with each combo getting its own song to which its moves are coordinated.

Set: bright brick loft setting (which I’ve seen before in videos produced by Andrea Ambandos, like Kathy Smith’s TimeSaver series and some of the Quick Fixes).

Production: crisp image and sound, camera angles that are more helpful than distracting, although there are a few too many sweeping views and close-ups for my personal tastes. If you choose the normal mix, Chalene’s voice is just loud enough to be heard over the music; in the music pumped up version, it’s a few notches quieter than the music.

Equipment: sneakers (make sure you can pivot your foot for punches and other moves).
Some of the crew members use weighted gloves (1-2 lbs. each), but I wouldn’t recommend that you use them unless you really know what you’re doing. Besides, there’s not a whole lot of kickboxing here, so it doesn’t make much sense to use them. I think you’d be better off exaggerating the lower body moves, such as bringing your knees higher during the jog or going a little deeper in your squats, to boost the intensity.

Space Requirements: You should be able to take a few steps in each direction. This is fairly compact, and if you take what out the little traveling there is, it’s even more so.

DVD Notes: After the standard Beachbody intro, the main menu offers these choices: start workout, with music pumped up, and special features (In Da House, Chalene’s take on Cribs – as an aside, what I’ve seen of this made me hope against hope that Chalene doesn’t regret putting that much out there about her private life; Behind the Sweat, Chalene’s take on Behind the Music; Get to Know the Cast; P90X; and Beachbody supplements). The DVD has chapters so you can skip the WOWY bit and intro; the workout is chaptered by segments, so if you want to skip a Turbo or do it twice, you can.

Comments: Like any good interval workout, this is NOT meant to be used daily. You should have at least a day of rest in between to give your body a chance to recover. Start with this once a week, then work up to two; three times would be the limit and probably not something you’d want or need to do all the time. It’s also supposed to be short and sweet; if this were much longer you wouldn’t properly be able to give your all during the higher intensity segments. If you want to boost the challenge, do this after your weights; that always works for me!

I usually take out many of the pivots (other than the ones needed to execute the punches and kicks properly), as there’s really no need for Chalene to do some of the half and quarter turns that she does, especially since she usually just moves or even quickly hops right back to where she started for the next move. This helps eliminate some of the torque that has aggravated some knees.

I like the TJs in spite of myself. Yeah, there’s some infomercial-type cheesiness, with promises of amazing weight loss, etc., and the attempts at infectious enthusiasm can be over the top. But the great music and party atmosphere makes them worthwhile for me to have in my collection when I need something different.
I have to admit that this workout doesn’t have a huge fun factor for me, but you should know I say that after any good interval session. :)

Instructor Comments:
Chalene is energetic, that’s for sure! Her cuing is more consistent here than in some of the other TJs; in fact, it’s much more extensive than usual during the Turbos. She mirror cues. Chalene spends a lot of time motivating the viewer, getting into the music, and just generally being a little goofy (“make a face like you’ve just won the lottery!”); encouraging people to exercise is probably her biggest goal. There are some “you’re burning so many calories” comments and Beachbody plugs, but within my realm of tolerance.

KathAL79