Aerobox is a tough boxing working combined with jump rope drills to up the intensity even further. Although it is designated as a Kathy Smith workout, the workout is actually led by Michael Olajide, a boxer, with Kathy offering only occasional form pointers and encouragement. Prior to the start of the workout, Kathy and Micheal review the moves which will be used during the routine and discuss proper form. In addition to Michael and Kathy, there are 3 other background exercisers.

The workout begins with a warmup lasting just over 7 minutes. In this section, you will perform simple punches combined with side steps and plenty of twists to begin raising the heart rate; the warmup ends with some basic upper and lower body stretches. The next section, standing boxing, is the longest segment at 11 minutes. You will begin concentrating more intensly on the punches here, as Michael introduces some double-time moves. Following this comes "Stick and Move 1," a 4-minute segment which adds some simple footwork--most via boxer's shuffles--to the boxing movements. Although this increases the impact, you could easily modify to keep the workout low-impact (but certainly not low intensity!).

Next comes the first jumprope segment, which lasts 4 minutes. One of the background exercisers does not use the jump rope, and I found it difficult to even imagine being able to keep up with the footwork while using an actual jump rope. Furthermore, even without the jump rope, I felt like I was working pretty hard during these segments. A second "Stick and Move" section follows, this one only 2 minutes but with some quicker footwork. The next jumprope segment last 5 minutes, with the moves becoming a bit more complex. The final "Stick and Move" section is also only 2 minutes and again involves quick footwork. The final jumprope section is performed by only Michael and two of the background exercisers--it seemed like the others were having trouble keeping up! This 4-minute segment ups the intensity and impact even further by adding some jogging a knee raises.

At this point, the workout begins to wind down. First there is an "Aerobic Cool-Down" during which you are still doing punches and some footwork, but at a much slower pace. Next comes 4 minutes of simple stretches, repeating some of the same exercises from the warmup. The total workout time is 50 minutes, but if you watch the video beyond this point, you will see Kathy and the other exercisers goofing around with Michael, as they are all wearing eye patches to match him. Overall, this was an intense aerobic workout which would be perfect for experienced exercisers looking for something new to add to their routine.

Instructor Comments:
I thought Michael instructed very well; he seemed to have some experience in this area, as he offered flawless mirrored cueing and usually did a good job of cueing any movement changes. Kathy herself was a bit annoying at times, but this was tolerable given that she did not lead the workout.

Beth C (aka toaster)