I have only done the cardio, not the strength yet, but the cardio was a full hour. I had wrongly assumed that this would be geared to beginners and thus not that intense. I was wrong. I'm advanced, but this workout left me hurtin'.

It's three sets of various drills, and after the first half hour, you repeat the drills to make it a full hour. I used my 4-lb med ball from the Firm. Drills include jacks with the ball (perhaps the easiest of the lot!), lunges while swinging the ball over your head and to your torso, and side-to-side shuffles, ski hops or full tuck jumps over the ball.

There is the "iron cross" where you stand erect with your arms outspread. You hold the ball in one palm, then, keeping your arm straight, lift it over your head and shift the ball to the other hand. That 4-lb ball began to feel like solid rock!!!

There are tons of pushups using the ball, enough to make me want to cry. There are plyo jumps and squats like in P90X Plyometrics. There are "toy soldiers" where you lift one leg straight out in front, and touch the ball to the shin. These were deceptively easy at first and got tough real fast.

Lots of standing abwork. Torso twists and side to side crunches in a plie stance. You also end with a tough ab floor segment including two minute-long planks.

Set is a small gym room with hardwood floors. Can't remember much about the music -- it was there, with a beat, that's about it. I'm impressed so far, this is not just a former gymnast putting out a gimmick workout video. Although it's grueling more than "fun", it's a bona fide tough workout.

Instructor Comments:
I have to admit, there is a big drool factor. He is CUTE and fit in that slim, sinewy way, not bulky. He has a straightforward, brisk, no-nonsense manner. Keeps talking, but mostly to give constant pointers and tips and advice. It frankly kept me going. Good camaraderie with his background exercisers.

He categorizes exercise difficulty levels as Gold, Silver and Bronze and of course keeps urging you to go for the gold (within your limits, of course). His voice is always calm and professional, no-nonsense, but he does share some humor with the guy and gal backing him up. You can see the sweat begin to soak the guy's sweatshirt.

acey