I've been doing this tape for several months now and I'm an active beginner.

This tape fit the bill for me for a 45 minute total-body work out that uses slow reps and heavy weights to build muscle.

Gay starts with a thorough warm-up on a step. One instructor demonstrates the warm-up without a step. After the warm-up, Gay progresses through all of the body parts, starting with the legs. A very muscle-bound man provides form instruction and Gay demonstrates each move prior to beginning the reps.

The instructors do several moves using a weight bench, but untill recently, I have been just lying flat on the floor for moves such as incline flies. I use my Firm tall box (Rubbermaid toolbox/stool) for bent-over rows, tricep kick-backs and wrist curls. A pillow on top makes it much more comfortable.

It's taken me a while to realize I should have been modifying this tape down to my level. The only move they do twice is the lunges and thats just too much for me. Today, for the first time, I skipped over the second set, and I feel much better (less sore).

The other thing I did today for the first time is using my new full-sized step as a bench for flies and lat work. I found the moves much more intense this way...I'll see how sore I am tomorrow and if I need to reduce my poundage.

Things I don't like: The muscle-bound man is a little annoying in this tape. There's one time when Gay says that wrist-curls are good for holding Christmas Shopping Bags. The man then says "fill me some of those bags". There's another time when he is instructing on form and says not to raise the weights above sholder level. Gay demonstrates the move with her weights well above sholder level. Gay and the man keep asking the other instructor how she's doing, but she's not miked, so we see her lips move, but can't hear her response. The set is also very ugly -- industrial looking with painted metal barrells in the background. I don't care for the music either, but as the other reviewer here indicates, at least it has a good, hard beat.

Overall, this tape does not have a lot of "fun-factor", but I feel good that I have been thoroughly building muscle mass all over my body using this tape.

Almost forgot: I have never even taken the Stretch Routine tape out of the box, so I can't review it.

This is the only video I've done with Gay, and I find her just a little annoying. It seems to me like she's reading from cue cards or something. For the most part she is a good instructor.

Jennine