Timesaver contains 5 workouts by Cathe Friedrich, ranging in length from 38 to 48 minutes. Four of the workouts contain a warmup, cardio segment(s), strength training for 1 or 2 bodyparts, and a stretch; 2 of those also contain core work. The fifth workout is all leg work plus abs, and includes a warmup and stretch. Each workout also includes bonus footage which is not available in any other Cathe workout. None of the workouts contains a cooldown; instead, there is a screen instructing you to pause the DVD to cool down before moving on to strength work.

Timesaver #1:
38 minutes. Includes warmup, step aerobics, and chest/triceps from Step, Jump & Pump; bonus timesaver footage for chest and triceps; stretch from Step, Jump & Pump.

Timesaver #2:
40 minutes. Includes warmup, combo #3 and stretch from Step Blast; hi-lo combos #1 and #2 from Step, Jump & Pump; back and core work from SJP, bonus footage, and Supersets.

Timesaver #3:
45 minutes. Includes warmup and combos #1 and #2 from Step Blast; biceps and core work from Step, Jump & Pump, bonus footage, and Kick, Punch & Crunch; stretch from Kick, Punch & Crunch.

Timesaver #4:
43 minutes. Includes warmup, moderate intensity drills, high intensity drills, and stretch from Kick, Punch & Crunch; shoulder work from Step, Jump & Pump and bonus footage.

Timesaver #5:
48 minutes. Includes warmup from Legs & Glutes; leg strength work from Step, Jump & Pump, Legs & Glutes, and bonus footage; ab work and stretch from Step, Jump & Pump.

My favorite of all these workouts is #3, because I prefer step and I enjoy working biceps. #4 runs a close second – I love the kickbox drills, but shoulder work is far from my favorite thing to do. In #3, the bicep work bonus footage includes concentration curls using the stability ball as a preacher curl bench. Feels very effective, and you can really see the biceps working in that position! Timesaver #1 is an easy way for me to do Step, Jump & Pump, since Cathe’s hi-lo is not my favorite (although I can tolerate it a little better in this series). The bonus footage in #1 includes some pushup variations – 6 counts down/2 counts up, 2 counts down/6 counts up, and alternating pushups and one-arm pull-backs (calls on the core a bit, like plank work). Timesaver #5’s bonus footage includes something called “kick butt lunges” – you step forward into a lunge, then immediately pull the front foot back into a hamstring curl, nearly kicking your butt with your heel. These are very interesting, although I’m not sure I’m doing them quite right yet – I don’t seem to be putting nearly enough weight on my front leg when I lunge forward. These may take some getting used to, and I imagine they might cause trouble for people with knee problems. As far as the bonus footage goes, those are the things that stand out the most for me.

I don’t mind that the cooldown is left out; I just pause the DVD and use that time to walk around and drink some water for a minute or two.

If you’re trying to decide whether it’s worth it to get this DVD just for the bonus footage, here’s my take on it: If you really don’t want to bother with programming your DVD player, or if you don’t have a multi-disc DVD player, it may be worth your while to get the Timesaver DVD, especially if you’re looking for shorter workouts with the Body Blast series. Also, if you’d like a ready-made one-week rotation that works each bodypart once a week, this might fit the bill. However, if you’re looking for a very strength- focused workout, this probably will disappoint you. I’d say this DVD is best if you’re short on time and want workouts that cram in cardio, strength and core work in a maintenance program. Also, if you do the workouts in order, there are repeats of warmup and stretch segments (Step Blast warmup two days in a row, KPC stretch two days in a row, and SJP stretch in #1 and #5); it doesn’t bother me, since it’s not the main part of the workout, but it may bother some people.

I see this one having its place in my collection, but I probably won’t stick with it for more than one week at a time, probably just a week every month or two.

Instructor Comments:
Cathe is her usual professional but friendly self in these workouts. Her cueing is right on most of the time (for me), but in #4 the cueing is sometimes a little late during the kickbox drills. If you're used to Christi's cueing, Cathe's cueing may seem a bit late, though.

Lynne Lounsbury