I am an int/adv exerciser. I don’t do videos with heavy weights, I prefer doing strength work with my own body weight.

The workout is a little less than 45 minutes long. It starts with a warm-up and ends with a quick cool-down and stretch. Otherwise the section are nicely chaptered and listed as the following:
Warm-up
Ab Challenge #1
Chest and Shoulders
Upper back, chest & shoulders
Arms
Side Flexors, Shoulders
Ab Challenge #2
Cool-down + Stretch
This video is tough, but it’s paced very well. I am never frantically trying to get in position, but I also don’t find myself waiting around. The video is excellent for functional fitness, stability, and overall strength. You will use the ball to be able to do increase the range of your movements. I liked this idea, because it increases the work down in the body to stabilize those larger movements. The is a strong emphasis on doing the exercises with correct form – and so there are a ton of form pointers throughout the video. Also, she will often point out exactly where the “match” is, or the other muscle that is activated to effect proper stability on the ball. This part was nice because I could tell whether I was using the correct form or not. While it is not a really advanced upper body workout, I always feel it the next day (I don’t own an really advanced upper body stuff like anything of Cathe’s so it’s hard to compare). You will also definitely feel it in your abs.

The style of this video is very no-nonsense. You are getting trainer points by a physical therapist, and it shows. She emphasizes strength and stability and not how your body will look. There are lots of cool ways that the ball is used. This video, along with Lower Body Challenge, have done wonders for my core strength and balance work.

Instructor Comments:
She is nice and no-nonsense. I like her style a lot because she makes the workout seem like serious PT training and not just another fitness video.

Alison (alikruegs)