I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this tape! The first time I did it, I had so much fun I rewound it and did the tape again immediately. I've never had this experience in 5 years and 50+ videos.

First of all, Ed Monaghan, the expert instructor, is an athlete who is beautiful to watch. His form, demonstrations, and pointers are top-notch. There is real chemistry between Ed and Rachel that I found very motivating. They gently tease each other in a way that makes them seem warm and human without detracting from the steps. After being completely annoyed with the anti-charisma of Aaron Lankford in Powerkicks and the cult of personality in Tae Bo, I found Ed and Rachel to fall somewhere in the middle. They are both motivating and reassuring.

The tape is done in a welcoming beach setting similar to that used by Gilad. The two person "personal trainer" combo avoided all the pitfalls of distracting background exercisers.

I also really appreciated the pacing of this video. I am an intermediate exerciser. The tape is geared toward people who are new to kickboxing and in the advanced beginner to intermediate range for cardio work. I didn't have any trouble keeping my heart rate up, and the moves are done at a speed that you can use correct form. I felt stronger and more confident doing the punches and kicks in this video because I wasn't desperate to do them double-time in order to keep up. In terms of intensity, I think this video is comparable to Tae Bo Basic.

Just so you don't think I'm totally biased, I do have a few criticisms of the video. It is too brief (25 minutes of cardio?) and there is a lower body stretching segment thrown in between the upper body cardio and the lower body/combinations cardio. It was distracting to get my heart rate up, slow down for stretching, and then pump the heart rate back up.

If you are wanting to try out kickboxing, I would definitely recommend this tape! For some reason Collage doesn't have a description of this tape in the main part of the catalog, but it is listed on the last page for $12.95. Worth every penny and a much better deal than the Tae Bo instructional + Basic for $36 (at Target and other stores).

Instructor Comments:
Ed Monaghan is wonderful. If he came out with his own kickboxing video, I'd be the first one in line.

Michelle Clark