This is a Training Zone video. Dawn P. gave a very good breakdown of this video so I will just give you my comments on it. She had me do this since she usually lifts heavy weights. She is currently doing the H.I.T. program. I, on the other hand, go through different rotations. Sometimes I do lift on my own so that I can lift heavier weights. But sometimes I do use muscle sculpting videos like Cathe’s S & H series while other times, I use muscle endurance videos like Power Hour, PowerBar, etc. This video fits into the last category. It is a high rep workout. But it’s not as high rep as Margaret Richard’s Upper Body/Lower Body Sculpture videos or Karen’s Great Weighted Workout. Like videos of this type (BodyPump format), you can’t lift very heavy but you have to lift enough weight so that you feel the “burn” during the last reps of a set. At least, that’s the feeling I like to achieve. I use the same amount of weights that I use in PowerBar. That means I use lighter weights than when I do Power Hour. Unlike PowerBar, you don’t have enough time to adjust your barbell. Sam has a light and a heavy barbell. I use my 12 lb bodybar mostly for the warm-up, 18 lb bodybar, and a 25 lb barbell. You will also need an Xertube (the most popular kind of tubing) and dumbbells. I always have various sizes of dumbbells ready for different body parts. I learned from the Firm. Like PowerBar, exercises are grouped by body part. There is also more than one leg segment.

Even though this video has stepping interspersed, I think it was designed to be a 100% weights video. Like Dawn, I used an 8 inch step and my heart rate didn’t go up during the mini cardio sections. So it felt like it was suppose to be active rest periods. It was a chance to roll my shoulders while stepping, relax the upper body, and flush out the lower body. When I previewed the video, I knew that the step sections would not get my heart rate up. So I had my jump-rope handy. It did feel good to rest a little after some tough sets but I don’t need that much rest. So during each mini step routine, I did a few step moves and then I jump-roped really fast. I know this was not what Sam had in mind. But I always modify my videos to suit me. In this case, I turned the video from a 100% weights routine to a Firm category of 75% weights/25% aerobic. It felt good to get my heart rate up just like the Firm gets your heart rate up during the cardio sections and then you’re able to sustain it during the weightlifting portions. Also the step patterns during the warm-up and the mini cardio sections are not very interesting. They’re just basic steps, knee or hamstring curl on opposite corners of the step, etc. That’s another reason why I jump-roped.

What I liked best about this video is that Sam put some unique tubing exercises as well as the traditional weightlifting ones. I have seen most of them in other videos but not altogether in one video. I’ll list the exercises that Sam uses the tubing. The background exercisers do show other exercises using the tubing. But I followed Sam during this video which I’ve only done once so far. For the chest, we do alternating jabs, chest presses, and push-ups with the tubing. On preview, I liked the jabs. I remembered that Keli Roberts did that in CIA 9902 except she used an ultra toner. An ultra toner is tubing that looks like the figure 8. Therefore, I felt the jabs more in CIA 9902. But I didn’t feel them in this video even though I held the tubing tight. Next time, I’ll probably go further down the tubing to feel it more or use my ultra toner. I did feel the standing chest presses with the tubing. I really felt the push-ups when we used the Xertube. Those are tough especially since we already did 2 or 3 sets of regular toe push-ups when we first started chest exercises!! The push-ups with the tubing are done after the barbell bench press. You use your step and you have the tubing around your back so that each hand is holding the Xertube. You will feel it if you have the tubing tight enough for you. For me, that means that I don’t hold the tubing by the handles. I go further down the tubing.

The hamstring curl with front raise combo and standing leg raises to the back with front raise combo also use the tubing. This exercise is in Jazzercise Circuit Training. I always loved this exercise in that video so I’m glad it’s included here. If you have your tubing set correctly, hamstring curls are tougher with the tubing than with ankle weights.

The bicep curls with the tubing are killer!! Donna Read did this exercise using a bodybar with tubing in her CIA 2K06 video. But she stopped so that we could put the handles through the bodybar. In this video, you hold the handles as well as the barbell. I had to go down to my 12 lb bodybar when I had the tubing. I started with my 18 lb bodybar and my biceps were already fatigued because Sam had us do so many bicep curls. Like Dawn mentioned they were done in different tempos and there was a sequence that was similar to Cathe’s Crazy 8’s. The lateral raises with dumbbells plus tubing were also killer.

On preview, I didn’t like the sequencing of certain exercises. I thought that the shoulder section should have come after the chest exercises instead of triceps. It is the larger muscle out of the two. When I did the video and after the push-ups with the tubing, my triceps were screaming. So it felt appropriate to kill them more with tricep exercises. Another thing that I thought was off on preview was that Sam had us do side lateral raises before military presses in the shoulder section. Since military presses is a compound exercise and the muscle builder, I thought it should have been before the side lateral raises which is more of an isolation exercise. But when I did the video, it was so tough to do side lateral raises with the dumbbells and tubing that I was glad I didn’t have to do front raises right after them.

I’m still trying to find a BodyPump style video that’s tough like PowerBar and Power Hour but with great music. BodyPump isn’t very tough but the music jams. I love singing while I work out to it. In this video, I can barely hear the music. This bothered me during my preview. However when I was working out, it didn’t bother me since I was too busy doing the exercises. Also sometimes when lifting with weights, it’s best to go at your own speed instead of rushing while you’re trying to keep up with the music.

All the Training Zone videos use the same set. Dawn P. mentioned that there are T.V. screens that show other Training Zone videos. In some ways, this is a distraction because I’m trying to see what they’re like. After awhile you notice they show the same clips so it didn’t distract me too much.

I wish this video had abs. The workout timed close to 55 minutes. So it would have been easy to stick in 5 minutes of abs. I do have a few 5 day ab videos so I can easily add abs on my own. But it would have been nice if it was included in this video.

I’m wondering if Sam didn’t include abs because certain parts of the video were edited out. So maybe it was suppose to be a longer video. Sam demonstrates proper form for close grip bench presses for the triceps and deadlifts but we don’t use them. I guess we do use the deadlifts a little when we alternate between deadlifts and barbell bent rows for the back. My favorite leg exercise is deadlifts so I wished there was a separate deadlift section.

I would give this video a B. It’s not as tough as PowerBar but it gives a good workout. I’m also giving it a high grade because I like the mix of traditional barbell/dumbbell exercises with the tubing exercises. It has lots of variety. Because I used my jumprope during the cardio segments, I also made it into a tougher workout. I guess it would be a B- if I didn’t do that.

Instructor Comments:
Sam is the same as he is in Training Zone Fusion. He has a lot of energy. I can see how he’s a really good live instructor. But I work out at 5:30 a.m. so some of his grunts are a little too lively in the morning. This is just a minor annoyance and doesn’t ruin my opinion of this video. The video that I would like to see Sam in is his Hi/Lo one from Training Zone. Just from watching him in TZ Fusion, I can tell that he moves really well and has a lot of rhythm.

Helen Stephens