This was the first workout in fitness instructor Kelly Coffey-Meyer's new 30 Minutes to Fitness series. Like the other DVDs in this series, 30 Minutes to Fitness Weights offers two separate splits-style workouts; when combined with the warm-up, each of these workouts is approximately 30 minutes long, perfect if you are short on time. However, additional options allow you to create a longer workout as well as to add in lots of variety (described below).

Kelly works out with two background exercises, one of whom shows modifications for some of the exercises. The Main Menu of the DVD lists the Warm-Up, Workout 1, Workout 2, Workout Sections, and Premixes; there are also audio options for working out with music or with Kelly's voice only. In her introduction, Kelly explains that the workouts are designed for heavier lifting. She recommends that beginners use 5 lbs., intermediate 7 lbs., and advanced 10 lbs. (note that these weight amounts are different than what is is listed on the DVD menu). I found these amounts to be about right, as I consider myself to be high intermediate, and I used 8 lbs. through the majority of both workouts, sometimes pyramiding up to 10 lbs.

The basic 3-minute warm-up includes marches, taps with reaches, side steps, and hamstring curls. Without the warm-up, Workout #1, which focuses on Back, Legs, & Chest, is 29.5 minutes long, and Workout #2, concentrating on Biceps, Triceps, & Shoulders, is 27 minutes long. Both workouts follow the same general format: a single exercise consisting of 8 repetitions is performed for each of the three targeted body parts. This round is then repeated once, and then you take an "active rest." The active rests are 1-minute periods of standing ab work; these are fast-paced and hardly feel like a "rest," but they're a fun break from the strength work. Two more strength rounds and two more rest periods follow, and then there's just a few very brief stretches to finish. Kelly moves quickly from exercise to exercise in both workouts--don't be surprised if your heart rate stays up the whole time. As always, she adds a lot of unique twists to to the exercises, such as hesitation holds, deadlifts with a twist, and some challenging push-up/plank moves. She also manages to sneak in additional strength work during the so-called rests (ie, one of the rests includes plies to work the legs).

The Premixes on this DVD provide a great amount of variety to the workouts. The first four premixes feature the workouts exactly as above, with the only changes being to the active rest portions. For the first two premixes, the active rest portions in both workouts are replaced by 2 minutes of floor abdominal work (exercises include leaning rows with lifts, knee tuck crunches, full sit-ups with arm reaches, frog-leg crunches, and side leg crunches). For the next two premixes, the active rest portions in both workouts are replaced by low-cardio segments, including simple moves such as v-steps, knee repeaters, side-steps, hamstring pulls, toe taps, and lunges. Each of these premixes remains about 30 minutes in length.

There are also three additional premixes as follows:
Full Body--1 rotation of each exercise (38m)
Mixed Full Body Blast--no active rests (41m)
Time-Saver Full Body Blast--2 exercises each body part w/no rests (31m)

As with the other DVDs in her 30 Minutes to Fitness series, Kelly did a great job in this video, which provides users with plenty of workout options; definitely recommended!

Instructor Comments:
I really like Kelly, and I have enjoyed most of her workouts. I think that she is straightforward yet encouraging--she says "great" a lot here. :) Sometimes I feel that her cueing is a bit lacking when the choreography is more advanced, but since the only choreo here (for the low-impact cardio in the premixes) is pretty basic, I think she does a fine job.

Beth C (aka toaster)