Kardio Kick Aerobics is the fourth volume in Cory Everson's "Gotta Sweat" series. It is a unique video consisting of a series of six total kickboxing segments, each 5 minutes in length. Although Cory, a six-time former Ms. Olympia champ, receives top billing, the workout is actually led by Gus Gate, a black belt in Kung Fu. In addition to Cory and Gus, there are three background exercisers--Michelle, Cami, and a Fabio look-alike--but only one of them works out with Cory and Gus at any given time.Prior to the start of the workout, Gus briefly reviews technique for 3 punches--jab, hook, and uppercut--and 3 kicks--front, side, and back.

Gus begins the workout with a 4-minute warm-up which consists of simple punches with a side step and then lower and upper body stretches. The first kickboxing segment doesn't contain any punches: Gus introduces a rock step (used frequently throughout the workout in place of the boxer shuffle) with knee lifts and then a knee-front kick combo. You do seemingly endless repetitions on one side before moving on to the other--I was already feeling pretty worked out by the end of this segment! Segment 2 uses the rock step for rock and punch, then rock and kick, and then a jump turn with the kick. The third segment introduces a skip to the side: you'll do a skip with a punch, then a knee lift, then a back kick. At the halfway point, the kickboxing combinations begin to get slightly more complex. In the fourth segment, you do a march with a jab-cross punch combo, then add a front kick and finally a jumping side switch. Segment 5 starts with a walk forward and front kick, adds a side kick and then a front punch; the entire series is then repeated on your toes (more of a shuffle forward then a walk forward). The sixth and final kickboxing segment consists of a front kick-front punch combination which is again repeated on the toes to increase the intensity. The 4-minute cool down repeats most of the stretches from the warm-up plus adds some Tai Chi type moves at the end; the latter were performed much slower than in Tae Bo and seemed more relaxing as a result. With the warm-up and cool-down, this workout clocked in at 38 minutes.

This may very well be my new favorite kickboxing video--I enjoyed it for so many reasons! First of all, I LOVED how the rock step was substituted for the boxer shuffle throughout; not only did this keep the workout more low impact, but also it made it easier to concentrate on the form of the punches and kicks. Plus, the rock step is FUN, as it's done to the beat of the music and adds sort of a funky dance element to the workout. I also enjoyed the heavy emphasis on both knee lifts and kicks: the knee lifts really worked may abs much more than most kickboxing vidoes, and all of those front kicks meant that I could feel it in my hips and buttocks the next day! Finally, I loved that the combinations were simple yet still fun--combined with the breaking down of the workout into 5-minute segments, the time just flew by! I can only think of two minor downsides to this video. First of all, in the final three kickboxing segments, the two background exercisers who are not participating are just sort of hanging around the set, which seems a little odd; at times, the ersatz-Fabio is working out with a punching bag, and the shift in camera to focus on him is a bit annoying. Secondly, I would have liked to see a greater variety of punches and kicks used during the workout: side and back kicks are only featured in one segment each, and the only punches used are jabs and cross (hooks are used during the warm-up only). Still, I felt I got a great workout from this video, and given how much fun it was, I know I'll reach for it frequently in the future.

Instructor Comments:
Cory does not lead the workout, but she adds form pointers during the warm-up and cool-down and makes little jokes throughout; she's down-to-earth but may come across as too ditzy to some. In addition, her form for the punches and kicks is sometimes a bit lacking. Gus, on the other hand, displays excellent form, and he leads the workout with a level of intensity and seriousness.

Beth C (aka toaster)