Core Cardio 2 is the workout I like best in the new FIRM Blast series. It's just the right mix of high impact and low impact. It kept me in my cardio training zone for the entire workout! I didn't find it to be as tough as CC1.

The workout is structure similarly to Core Cardio 1. There is about a three minute warm-up/stretch followed by abs. I found the warm-up to be adequate. I did not use weights for the stretching part. I didn't really care for the ab work. I've been fast forwarding through it and doing abs from a different tape at the end of the workout.

The workout had a great mix of hi-lo, plyos, and step. Plus there were quite a few segments of cardio-intensive strength work. For example, there was a tough section of hover squats and another solid section of lunges. The instructors used light weights for these parts, but I did not. I felt much more comfortable without the extra weights.

The hi-lo segments include a lot of familiar moves (i.e. grapevines, sambas, step-touch, etc) I've learned the choregraphy in Core Cardio 2 quite quickly. Carissa's segments in this workout were my favorite. I also liked Tamela's tall box climb near the beginning of the workout. This workout had plyometrics, but not nearly as many as Core Cardio 1.

The music was motivating. I liked the 45 minute length. I consider myself an advanced exerciser, and this workout fits the bill for a solid "moderate" cardio day. Overall, I give Core Cardio 2 an B+ (almost A-)!

Instructor Comments:
I liked all three instructors just fine. Tamela Hastie was by far my favorite. She seems so friendly, natural, and down-to-earth. Carissa Foster was a very typical FIRM instructor -- very polished, straight forward and professional. Dale is the most muscular of the three instructors. She was O.K., but wasn't my favorite. Something about her demeanor made her seem very abrupt. Although, I do like her better now than I did when I first got the Blast tapes.

Christine L.