This video has three workouts. The first two you would use on alternate days, the third is a quickie workout for when you're pressed for time. The difference between the first two workouts is the first includes chest & back, the second shoulders and arms. Both include leg work and abs.

I enjoyed the first workout because it included chest and back work, and because of the leg work and the fast pace of the exercises, my heartrate remained elevated for much of the workout.

What I found questionable about it was the speed of the repetitions. I managed to keep the pace with workout number one, but I would not recommend it for a beginner because of the speed and the lack of form pointers. I think a beginner could handle the pace of the workout in terms of endurance, but surely it would compromise proper form. I felt the form pointers that were given were perfunctory and not very helpful.

The second workout also moved very quickly, but did not elevate my heart rate. The leg work is similar to the first workout. There are some unusual moves that are performed very quickly and definitely warranted better form pointers and camera angles. Cindy does some front to back kicks, some sideways leg swishing and some side lunges where you press on the leg that's lunging and as you get up from the lunge you twist in the opposite direction. Repetitions for these three moves were very quick, and I wasn't quite sure if I had the hang of them, but I kept up with them.

Next you work your arms and shoulders. I would have liked to have started with heavier weights for the biceps, forearms and triceps, but these exercises are interspersed with shoulder exercises for which I would go lighter. There was no time to switch weights, so I chose lighter weights from the get go. And again, I felt the repetitions were too fast, particularly for the shoulder exercises. I needed to stretch longer than Cindy did, so I had to pause the DVD. Cindy's stretches were perfunctory and not at all effective.

You finish with ab work, and this is where I finally bailed on the workout. It's a series of crunches that are performed at lightning speed that I found impossible to keep up with. Radu was counting out the reps, and at this point I thought he was NUTS! I went quickly, but at my own pace. There were some oblique crunches where your ankle is crossed over the opposite knee, and as you crunch, one hand is behind your head and your elbow meets the knee on the same side of the body. I've done these oblique crunches with Gilad and I have no problem with them. But Cindy has her torso bent into the crunch the whole time she's performing them. It's difficult for me to describe it effectively, but I did not approve of her form for this exercise. The next series of crunches involved bending your knees and bringing them to one side of your body, kind of like a torso twist. I did three crunches in this position and then began my own cool down and stretch. Cindy continued with two more sets of the whole ab shabang, but I bailed.

I think Cindy should get herself a new personal trainer if this is how he's training her. I thought Radu was useless to me as an exerciser.

Instructor Comments:
Cindy looks stunning and she looks like she's working hard, but she does not give the impression taht she knows a whole lot about proper form.

Helen K