Kickbox-Bootcamp is my first Hollywood Trainer video; it's an intense workout which combines kickboxing moves with weighted toning intervals. It is filmed in an outdoor, patio-type setting to a high energy soundtrack, and Jeanette leads a female fitness competitor and a male personal trainer.

The workout begins with a 7-minute warm-up in which you do plies, basic stretches, and then end with a set of 25 push-ups. The first kickboxing interval is 8 minutes long, and it focuses on the front kick, the jab, and cross. Jeanette puts the moves together in simple, easy to learn combinations, although some of them felt a little awkward to me in this initial segment. There are also plenty of 1-legged moves to work on balance, and the segement ends with a squat and kick combination. The first toning segment was quite challenging, even with light weights (I used 5-lbs plus had on my 1-lb boxing gloves). In this section, Jeanette performs a variety of lunges, adding upper body work to each movement (eg, lunge with bicep curl). Although this section was only 7 minutes long, by the end, I was more out of breath than during the kickboxing!

At the start of the next segment, Jeanette introduces the side kick, and she moves on to hook and uppercut punches. This segment also includes lots of repeater knee lifts, both to the front and to the back, plus a heel touch to work the inner thighs. Again, simple kick-punch combinations are included for a total of 11 minutes. The next toning segment is a wuick but intense 3 minutes. Jeanette again combines lower body work with upper body weights, this time using plies. There is also a rear leg kick to target the glutes as well as work on balance.

The final kickboxing segment is 8 mintues long. This time, Jeanette introduces the roundhouse kick, and the combinations include all four punches. There are also more knee repeaters in this section. To begin to cool down, Jeanette does about a minute of slow plies before moving to the floor. She then leads you through a few basic crunches, but at 1-2 minutes, this is a very short segment. Finally, the workout ends with about 3 minutes of stretching, bringing it in at just under 50 minutes.

I work rate this workout as a pretty solid intermediate level; I would not recommend it to beginners, as Jeanette provides little instruction on kickboxing form. Although I don't have a HRM, it seemed like the toning segments really kept my HR up, as I was breathing hard during the entire workout. Also, Jeanette and crew are wearing HRMs, and they frequently call out their percentages, which stay in the recommended zone the entire time. In some ways, this workout had a bit of a Tae Bo feel to me, as the combinations are pretty basic, so the video might particularly appeal to those who like the style of Tae Bo but don't like Billy Blanks.

Instructor Comments:
I found Jeanette to be pretty likeable, although her slightly raspy voice might bother others. She cued well; you can tell she is used to leading large classes, as she sometimes claps her hands to get attention when introducing a move change. I also liked that she frequently encouraged you to have fun during the workout.

Beth C (aka toaster)