Well I think the Firm owners listened to the Firm believers. One thing we asked for was more pure cardio and this tape definitely has it! Blast is an appropriate name.

The music in the warmup was very lively and got me going (I tend to "relate" to music; if it is like molassas, then so am I) and really put me in the mood to work out. I recognized Patty in the back, in a blue leotard. She met us Firm trippers in October, and is also in a couple of other videos.

The 3 leads are Carissa Foster, Dale B., and Tamela Hastie. And of course our own Lisa Jackson (aka FitBabe) is in the cast!! She did a wonderful job!!!

The warmup was about 4-4 1/2 minutes long, then a short ab section, different abs then what we see with the Firm - "swivel left then right" very slowly done to really engage the muscle. I did notice a blooper! Right when abs was ending she said "preparing for stablization" then the next instructor (now I forget which ones!!) said "get your tall box for tall box climb". So it felt familiar right away! For some reason the Firm's bloopers are very endearing to me!

Then came a few aerobic segments, LOTS of plyo jumps! On the short box there was a segment of knee, low kick, knee then kick, low kick, kick (alternating legs) which is reminicient of kickbox moves. I really enjoyed this. Another segment which really stands out is the lung-glute-lunge on the short box with light weights.

This tape seemed to have several floor aerobic segments together sometimes with the same instructor, then several box segments, then several floor aerobic segments again, similiar to Fat Blaster, but Fat Blaster does more alternating of floor vs. box and also alternates instructors more so it is more "choppy"; Core Cardio 1 flows more smoothly. There is no "introduction" of the next instructor like in FB which takes time and allows your heartrate to go down.

The choreography is not complex by most standards, but it is probably more complex than most Firms. I had absolutely no problems following along. Frankly I do find most Firm choroegraphy to be boring especially in the classics, getting progressively more fun with each tape. Tamela said "This is fun" alot, and she was right. There are alot of calf pumps, and the dreaded bunny hops are back!! (I like bunny hops.)

Near the end, the aerobics slows down and does some four-limbed and plyo moves. There is a lunge onto the low step with upright row, switch to glute lift with bicep - I loved that section!

I really liked all the instructors; they were all great, different personality types. Carissa is more bubbly, Tamela is into it! did I read that she has 2 kids? Wow. Dale is very buff and very no-nonsense.

The music is upbeat and lively. A few songs I would call "funky new age" not funk, not new age, but funky new age-y. I liked it. The stretch had music from (I think) Swan Lake. Even the closing credits music I really liked!!!

And Tracie's sister, Julie, is also in the cast but I didn't know that till I read the credits so I'm not sure whose segments she is in. I met her in October (she looks just like tracie) and think she might have had a black leotard on...not sure if that is her.

All-in-all, as Apryl says, "2 biceps up"!!! I can't wait to do the other tapes!!

Barbara Paola