This is a 50-minute beginner-intermed level step circuit workout with Rob Glick that alternates cardio with non-weighted lower-body strength exercises using the step. The step choreography is extremely basic (about 1/3 of the complexity of Rob's Amazing Step Styles). It reminded me a little bit of Keli Robert's CIA 2303 Step it Strong.

The Gliding Discs are only used for 15 min of during the workout, mostly for standing leg exercises & core work. You can tell that Rob is focusing on functional fitness, exercises that help you in day-to-day living.

But I have to say I have no idea how I would put this workout into my rotation. It's not enough cardio (14 minutes total) and it's not enough strength (23 min) and the lower body exercises weren't intense enough to get my heart rate up. It's simply not an intermed-advanced workout that will challenge me enough. Also I am not a full functional-fitness convert yet, I still believe in developing muscle mass to increase my metabolism as well as strength, to slow osteoporosis and prevent injuries.

I think the format of this workout is pure genius; my ideal lower body-cardio fusion tape would be exactly like this. But I think I would need to add more complex step combos, more resistance (weights) and more full body-weight moves to make it challenging. Perhaps my dream circuit workout would be to break up Rob's Amazing Step Styles with segments from Cathe's Muscle Endurance lower body work or Tamilee's I Want Those Buns. But back to this workout...

Like all of the Gliding workouts, this workout is designed to be used by fitness professionals to develop group instruction classes using the Gliding discs developed by Mindy Mylrea.

The gliding discs are a new entry, and I am interested to see this will be developed further. The exercises in this workout were very closely related to those shown in Mindy Mylrea's Strength Express and Awesome Strength workouts, its predecessors.

The exercises using the gliding discs seemed inconsistent to me - some were very tough, others were too easy. I think in future workouts there will be better delineation - combine the tough exercises to make an advanced workout, use the easier ones to introduce beginners.

I think there is another challenge ahead for the gliding discs - these instructor workouts all show the discs used on carpeting and most group instruction classes are done on hardwood floors. I've heard that the hardwood floor version of these discs do not glide as well, so this may require further design.

Is gliding the next 'step aerobics'? It's too soon to tell. Part of what made step so popular is its versatility - you can raise the step or add power moves for more advanced exercisers. And I think gliding discs too have the ability to be scaled up or down for different fitness levels. I wonder about injury potential as it can be hard to control the discs if you have a great deal of body weight to balance while sliding out to do a plie squat, for example.

Back to Rob's workout: It is filmed in a studio with khaki walls, bright lighted panels at the center back, short grey carpeting and several colorful framed pictures on the walls. It's a calm setting.

Production quality is better than a Sara City workout, almost as good as a CIA video. The camera work includes two cameras, one for front-on views & close-ups, one on the upper right so you can see all of the moves in context. There are no close-ups of body parts like you would see in a CIA workout.

The workout is led by Rob and he has two female background exercisers. There was no designated modifier, however I did see several modifications during the cool-down stretch.

Rob introduces his crew and seems relaxed and good-humored. He cues the moves very well. One thing that disturbed me is that he says "beautiful" a lot in this workout. Whenever they combined step segments or introduced a strength move he would comment "beautiful" to conclude it. The comment is repeated frequently & noticeably and may bother some viewers. Also Rob does not mirror cue in this workout, which may be a standard for instructor workouts, I don't know.

The music is soft Dynamix music with a good beat. I thought the music wasn't motivating enough. Perhaps that's because this workout is designed for instructors, not the viewing public. I recognized one tune from Cathe's Intensity series. I especially liked the warm-up tune, a Jimmy Buffet-style calypso tune. One thing I noticed about my DVD is that the sound level was VERY low. I had to turn up the volume on my TV all the way UP to it's highest setting to hear the workout.

The workout requires a step-bench and two gliding discs. I successfully substituted two paper plates.

Here's the breakdown:
WARM-UP 6 min
This includes 4min of dynamic moves and 2min of stretching. The warm-up includes very simle moves such as knee-ups, side steps, hamstring curls, taps on the step, and repeaters. The stretching includes static stretches for the shins, hamstrings and hip flexors.

WORKOUT 29 min Total
The workout is made up of 4 step cardio circuits, and each cardio segment includes an intensity drill. Each one is followed by a strength training segment. The first three cardio segment are themed: squats (step & strength routine focuses on squats), lunges & hips.

The last cardio segment is followed by floorwork (core & hamstring work), then a cool-down stretch.

1st CIRCUIT, STEP (SQUATS) 2.5 min
The step routine ramps up slowly, beginning with repeaters and basic steps. Then Rob adds side squats and revolving door & combines them into one combo.

1st CIRCUIT, STRENGTH (SQUATS) 3 min
This segment does NOT use the discs. It includes squats off the side of the step and onto the step, across the step, and with side leg lifts. The intensity drill is 30 seconds of side-to-side squats off the step.

2nd CIRCUIT, STEP (LUNGES) 4.5 min
Rob builds a combo starting again with basic step & repeaters, adding back lunges, slow alternating lunges onto the step (I liked these!), lunge switches on the step (hard on my knees).

2nd CIRCUIT, STRENGTH (LUNGES) 3 min
Still no discs. Includes slow reverse lunges off the back of the step, static lunges, reverse lunge with leg lifts, adding a torso rotation and then a balance move. (This was a nice innovative combo). Rob even loses his balance and chuckles in this one. Then reverse lunges with jump switches, then 40 seconds of forward lunges with jump switches. (I modify the jump switches because they are too hard on my knees.)

3rd CIRCUIT, STEP (HIPS) 4.5 min
This step combo includes leg extensions, side leg lifts, leg lifts around the world with straddles, soccer kicks, rocking horse with a directional change (neato). These are condensed into a combo with power leg extensions for the intensity drill.

3rd CIRCUIT, STRENGTH (HIPS) 9 min
Finally the gliding discs are used in the workout. You stand with your forefoot on the discs and slide one foot to the side, then drag it back in. This was TOUGH on the inner thigh. Then you rotate the heel out so that as you slide the leg out you feel it in the outer thigh (yipes, this burns too). Then it's back lunges, then add a leg lift. Rob loses his grip on the disc in the back and giggles as he instructs you to keep your eyes on the disc if you need to.

There are static standing leg circles (didn't feel this much), dynamic curtsy dips (which felt like skating). Plie plyo squats (tough) and a jumping jack intensity drill which was intense on the inner thighs - the longest 32-count in history!.

4th CIRCUIT, STEP 2.5 min
This step segment reminded me of Amazing Step Styles. Rob builds with repeaters, adds a 6-count mambo, basic step, and lunges across the step.

COOL-DOWN 1 min
Here you cool down before you go to the floorwork. Step touches, marches, overhead arms, side-to-side toe taps.

FLOORWORK 8 min
This includes 6.5min of core & hamstring work and 1.5min of ab work, all using the gliding discs.

You do core work on your hands & knees with hands in the gliding discs. The core work reminded me of the floorwork in Mindy Mylrea's Strength Express & Awesome Strength. I didn't 'get' the arm circles but the part where you push your arms out and pull your body back in as you drag your arms back was intense. There's leg extensions dragging the alternate arm, planks, with arm drags, (really really HARD) and cobras pushing the hands out & in on the discs.

Rob then does 2min of extensions without the discs - upper body only, with a rotation, then supermans, finally a cat stretch.

On your back, butt on the ground, supported by your hands with your heels in the discs. You do hamstring drags (not enough resistance to be tough), then ab crunches & oblique crunches dragging the heels in & out.

STRETCH 6 min
Finally you stretch, lying down, then hugging the legs to the chest. This segment is done to piano instrumental music. It includes hamstring & outer thigh stretches, runner's stretches and roll ups. Then a seated hamstring stretch, leg & hip stretches and overhead stretch.

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If you are a beg-intermed who loves circuit workouts you may find this to be a fun addition to your collection, especially since you can see how the new gliding discs are being used as their launch begins.

I am not going to keep this workout as I didn't find it challenging enough to fit my needs.

Instructor Comments:
Rob is professional and good-humored in this workout and his cuing is impeccable.

Dawn P