The Works - Cardio

Sharon Mann
Year Released: 2002

Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance


Type: Cardio
Format: blend different cardio routines
Set: Raised platforms
Background exercisers: 4 – two do advanced moves, two do beginner moves, Sharon shows intermediate
Music: instrumental boom chicka boom mostly.

Well, this is a first for me – reviewing a workout I have already reviewed! LOL! But, I am on a looooong train ride and I have time to do this in between looking at the beautiful Kanawha River. As has been mentioned, this workout uses a workout blender that allows you to pick from 4 different warm-ups, 8 different workouts for segment 1, and 8 different workouts for segment 2. There are 4 different cooldowns. There is also an option called “Sharon’s Picks” which will save you time in choosing your own. Her options are Bootcamp, Step, Hi-Lo and Boxing. Each segment is broken in the middle with a transitional screen and then it resumes. I assume this was where there was a commercial, as all of these are from her TV show. Each hass a trite comment on it like “Be creative” “keep Moving” “March it Out” or “Almost There”, which seems to appear quite often between the warmup and segment one. “Almost there”??? We just started!!

Warmups:
Hi-Lo: Traditional Hi-Lo, mostly all low impact, with familiar moves such as side-to-side, marching, etc.

Tai Chi: This would have made a better cool down than a warmup. It’s a bunch of slow motion arm movements that won’t raise your heart rate much. I never use this segment. Plus, its boring as all getout.

Step: Nice warmup, and modifications not using a step are shown. The step is not used much excapt toward the end. Includes tap on the step, side to side, ham curls, back lunges, calf stretch, knee up and hold, extend leg, some stretching, then on to the step for some basics and then kneeups.

Bootcamp: I woul consider this a traditional warmup. Not sure what’s “bootcamp” about it. It’s the regular stuff: side to sides, etc. She also includes some fast running in place, one legged squats, and what she calls an “active hamstring stretch” which is a knee lift and then you extend the leg and bend it several times. I think I like this warmup the best.

Segment One:
Hi-Lo: No surprises here! Traditional hi-lo with side to sides, grapevines, jacks and all you’d expect.

Kickboxing: Starts out with upper body with punching drills that really work the core. Then it goes into squats with front kicks, side kicks, speedbag, etc. The second half is more intense, as it has more kicking. It also includes plyo jacks with a double side kick, jab pivot, bob & weave, knee ups, pendulum, jab cross and jump rope. All in all, this workout is more punching than kicking, but still manages to keep the intensity up there.

Athletic Step: Very nice vanilla step routine. A couple of combos that are taken from the top (“TIFT”) Nothing dancy here. Basics, knee lifts, L-steps, knees corner to corner, rocking horse, ham curl/front kich, etc.

Bootcamp: Lots of jumping around on this one! Whew! These are somewhat like sprts drills done in an interval format. It starts out with shuffles, high knees and then drops to the floor for an interesting pushup variation: you do a pushup, and at the up part of the pushup (in plank position) you move your upper body one foot to the right, do a pushup and then move back. Tough! Then is on the fast running in place, squats, plyo squats, speed skaters, second set of pushups and then a KILLER cardio set where you are doing plyo scissors on and off the step (front foot on step). At this point Sharon points out that Sparky is “all fast twitch”. I thought that was the understatement of the year! LOL!! It ends with tricep dips off the step. Very nice workout.

Bootcamp
Step: Standard fare – lots of over the tops, mambos, shuffle turn, pivot tap, running around the step, hop step u-turn. The choreography is interesting but doable and the workout is very high energy and FUN!

Interval: This must be the hardest workout on the DVD. Even Sharon sounds like she’s DYIN’!!! This is an interval workout and its tough tough tough!! It starts out with plyo taps onto the step, followed by jump squat side to side, fast running in place, speed skaters, lunges and then PLYO lunges, jumprope, a speed drill on the step, jumprope with high knees, plyo lunges off the step longwise (“plunges”), jump side to side, jumping jacks, and then jumps with a knee tuck (like Gin does in Intense Moves). This is a killer workout!

Low Impact: Pretty much what you’d expect from a low impact workout, all the traditional stuff. Sharon’s intermediate version is not wat I’d call strictly low impact, tho, you need to follow the two ladies on the left for that. Sparky, of course, is going berserk.

Bootcamp Interval: Tough one, had me sweating buckets. It starts out with speed running, then goes into pushups, jump with rotation (180 degrees), squats, jumprope, pushups, side jumps, lunges, jabs/speedbag, jump rotation (as before), squats, plyo heel digs, upper cuts, speed skaters, front kicks and side planks. Wowza! What a workout!

Segment Two:
Hi-Lo Mixed: Not sure what she means by “mixed”, as this segment is almost entirely high impact (with Calabrina and another woman showing the low impact option). This is one of the toughest segments, its really non-stop heart pumping cardio. It includes jacks, rear kicks, knee ups, grapevine with kneeup, grapevine with back lunge, back lunges, side to side with pivot, step touch, alternating knee ups, lunges side to side, ham curls, step-touch turn and kick, kick forward and side, v-step and plyo squats. These are done in several combinations that are repeated a couple of times.

Boxing: No kicking at all in this segment, but a lot of shuffles, jabs, uppercuts, that really work the upper body and core HARD. She also includes several plyo moves such as a plyo jack with a jab. Squat/jab combinations also add variety.

Step Combos: What a blast!! I love this step routine. She does a couple of different combos and TIFTs them a couple of times. She is all over the step in this routine, much more interesting choreography than Athletic Step. Starts out with a mambo off the step, and goes into over-the-tops, v-steps, staddle knee power, turn straddle, knee up with hop, knee repeaters, jog up on the step, turn step over the top, l-step with kick, lunge side to side. This workout really flows, and will be a favorite choice of mine.

Military Training: This is so much fun – there is a little bit of everything in this workout.
Jumprope starts it off, and then its down to the floor for pushups off the step. Then on to the step where you hop side to side one leg off the step going lengthwise. Intense! Back to the floor for tricep dips and several variations are shown: one legged with leg extended, and Varhan does a really hard one armed one where he crosses his elbow over and touches his knee. Holey Moley – Go Varhan!!! Next you get your tubing for ham curls, then on to a plyo move where you jump side to side for squats. Then plain old squats (which seems like a break at this point). Next is a boxing drill, and then a move that reminds me of Cathe’s basketball move – jump and pretend your trying to make it in the hoop. Fun, high energy workout! Mary is in this one. She reminds me of a blonde Laura Bush!


Circuit: This is, as the title says, a circuit workout. The cardio is done on the step and is almost entirely high impact, including the “starburst” move that is on one of Cathe’s tapes (where she does 7 or 15 of them at a time, Sharon is a little easier on us than that). The first strength segment is a knee up on the step with an overhead press. Next is a squat with a leg raise to the rear. More cardio, then a really tricky move where she does a frenc press with one arm, a bicep curl with the other arm and adds a knee raise. I think I would topple over if I tried this. More cardio, then stationary lunges and a front raise with a body bar. This segment ends with more tough cardio.


Kickbox Drills: Pretty standard kickboxing stuff here: shuffles, punches, squat/front kick, jumprope, etc. Sharon mentions that she has had 3 children. Man, her abs look so strong I bet all she had to do was cough and they popped out!!

Hi-Lo Impact: Pretty standard hi-lo, but a very fun routine. Lots of impact with jacks, knee lifts, ham curls, step touch, kicks front and side and then she says she’s goin to work on the glutes. And she does! Lots of side leg lifts while doing a jack or a pendulum.

Circuit Training: I wasn’t thrilled with this one because of the repetition. It starts with skipping with heel digs, then its alternating squat/overhead press with a body bar. Next, lie on the floor with knees bent and entend legs, repeating several times and holding at the end. Back to skipping, then the squat/overhead press combo and next a double arm lat row. Cardio is jumping side to side. Next is a pushup using tubing for resistance followed by another set of double arm lat rows. Back to the jumping side to side and pushups with tubing.

Cool Down:
Yoga in a Chair: Very nice cooldown. Includes hip hinge forward while sitting in the chair, spinal twist, standing forward bend, hamstring stretch with foot on chair, down dog with hands on chair, upward facing dog with hands on chair, side bends.

Athletic Stretch: The first half of this is horse stance while doing martial arts arm drills, nothing to do with stretching. The second half is traditional stretching, including a runners stretch for legs, shoulder stretch, etc.

Flexible Strength
Pilates: This starts with Pilates pushups, then goes into shell stretch, superman/swimming, hipi flexor stretch into spinal rotation, shoulder stretch, side bends, hip hinges and ends with a neck stretch. This would have been better without the Pilates pushups. Who expects to be doing pushups in a cooldown?

Instructor Comments:
Sharon used to annoy me, but maybe I am just adjusting to her perkiness. She cues very well and shows the intermediate version of everythig, which is nice!

Peggy T

02/07/2005