Reebok: Power Blast

Lisa Gaylord
Year Released: 1997

Categories: Circuit Training (cardio and weights) , Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance


This workout is tragically flawed - it’s a tragedy because I like it so much otherwise! As other reviewers have mentioned, there is way too much time spent doing side-to-side steps while the instructor is explaining what’s coming up. The side-to-side steps lower the intensity of the workout, and the explanations don’t help me much. The moves she’s explaining are mostly simple enough to catch on to just from watching, and listing them ahead of time doesn’t make the combos any easier.

I solve this problem by replacing the side-to-side steps with more intense moves like running in place, jumping jacks, or if I can remember it, whatever aerobics combo we were doing last. This keeps my heartrate up enough to feel I’m getting a good solid intermediate/advanced workout. It would have been much more fun, though, if the workout had been designed without all the breaks.

Otherwise, I really like the movement style in this video. The moves are calisthentic- and sports-type movements put together in simple patterns. I’m not sure what purpose the tai chi warmup and cooldown serve, since they don’t really provide a stretch or get your heartrate up, but I enjoy doing them - the moves feel exotic and fun to me. You go through several circuits of aerobics, lower-body, plyometrics. The aerobics combos are simple but intense. They tend to have eight counts each of three or four moves, e.g. eight jump ropes (that’s the name of the step, you don’t use an actual jump rope,) eight side-to-side turns, eight ski jumps, eight little jumps. You’ll go through the combo a few times, then move to a lower-body toning move such as squats or lunges, then to a plyometric jumping move. There are no weights used, so I think of the squats and lunges as more aerobic moves than strength training.

The last few combos involve some kickboxing (nothing complicated) and some shadowboxing-style punches. You then go to several sets of wide-legged pushups alternating with an exercise where you simply hold your body in pushup position - then lift one arm off the floor. Interesting.

There’s no ab work (although the kickboxing moves would provide some ab strengthening) and no real stretching.

The set is a moodily lit boxer's gym. The cast consists of four female exercisers besides Lisa. One of them shows lower-intensity options, but she's in the back; she'd be hard to follow.

I’ll continue to use this workout in spite of its flaws. It’s hard to find a video that provides fun, non-dancy, intense floor aerobics in limited space, and with modification, this one does that for me.

Instructor Comments:
Lisa Gaylord strikes me as someone who, in junior high school, might have enjoyed beating up someone like me. She also seems like she’s gotten over it, so I get a kick out of working out with her. (Obviously I don’t mean she actually is this way, since I don’t know her - she might have been the meekest one in eighth grade. It’s just how she comes across to me.) Her cueing is clear (even excessive.)

Amy Kennett

09/30/1998