Super Chizel-It

Charles Harris
Year Released: 2003

Categories: Circuit Training (cardio and weights)


I had Chizel-It and got rid of it but kept this one because Super Chizel-It is on DVD. They seem very similar to me. I think Chizel It had you stepping up and down more. There seems to be a bit more variety in Super Chizel-It, but it still seems sort of haphazard. I almost get the feeling that Charles is coming up with each move while he’s doing the previous one. I’d compare this to the newer, better-structured Jump Force or maybe Tae Bo Extreme (which I’ve only seen in the Collage preview).

I used a step and 3 and 5 lb. weights for this workout. Charles wants you to use “light” and “heavy” weights from 3 anywhere up to 10 lbs. I treat this as more of a cardio workout with a little upper body work or sort of a high-rep, light weight workout. I sweat buckets during this workout, but my upper body never really feels worked. I think there’s only one exercise for triceps and maybe one each for chest and back. Most of the upper body work is for biceps and shoulders.

The workout is very athletic, no dancy moves at all. It includes kickboxing moves on and off the step (few kicks, few punches, nothing fancy), basic steps, lunges off the step (slow and fast), a little cardio on the floor (jumprope, squats, and jumping jacks, mostly) and some weight work. There are some segments where you’re basically stepping side to side while working your arms with weights. Towards the end, you turn the step towards the TV, do quick lunges side to side, then turn it back to finish the workout. This is unnecessary; just leave it in place!

The cardio lasts about 40 minutes. Then you hit the floor for ab work. You start out with a side-to-side movement holding a dumbbell in your hands where you sit with your feet on the floor, knees bent, and then lean back slightly to pick your bent legs up off the floor. It’s similar to what Cathe Friedrich does with a stability ball, or Mindy Mylrea with a medicine ball. There are also some basic upper and lower crunches and oblique twists.

The music is pretty repetitive, but high-energy instrumental stuff. The background exercisers are all very fit women, and while I didn’t notice a whole lot of whooping, he does exhort them to count, and of course tell everyone “You can do it!”

So why have I kept this workout? It’s mindless, which I sometimes need. I like Charles’s energy, and I LOVE standing ab work, which he includes a bit of (my favorites, standing side crunches!). I HATE choppy workouts, but somehow, this one isn’t choppy because he never has you go down to the ground in the middle (like David Kirsch’s UNYBP or Tom Holland’s first workout). Also, all you need for this is a step and dumbbells, though I think you’d be fine without a step and with just one set of light dumbbells.

This is one of those workouts where you get out what you put into it. For me, it’s a great cardio challenge that doesn’t work my mind.

Instructor Comments:
While his cuing does leave something to be desired, to me Charles seems like he’s really into his workout. He doesn’t show a whole lot of personality, other than saying “You can do it!” many times (albeit fewer times than in the original Chizel-It). I didn’t really love or hate him, but I found his enthusiasm encouraging.

Pratima

08/21/2005