Power 90

Tony Horton
Year Released: 2000

Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance , Total Body Workouts


I am reviewing these as a set, since they come that way :-) I have the dvd version which comes on two disks, disk one includes Sweat Level 1, Sculpt Level 1 and Ab Ripper Level 1, which immediately follows the Sweat workout and can be accessed separately. The disks came with a small diet leaflet and a short booklet that lets you track your progress. The booklet is not too exciting and contains a lengthy plug for the Beachbody company’s house blend of supplements and vitamins. Disk two contains the level 2 version of all the above programs, which differ from level 1 only in the length and number of “rounds” in each workout. I will be reviewing the level 1 version.

All of the tapes feature a countdown clock in the lower corner tells you how much time is left in both the workout and the round, and a graph tracks your progress through the workout. I found this very motivating. The tapes are meant to be alternated so that you do Sculpt one day and Sweat/Abs the next. This makes it very easy to follow a balanced rotation and get all the components in. Level 1 tapes are about 30 minute and level 2 are about 45.

Level 1 Sculpt is a circuit strength workout. In each round, you do one set of one exercise for each body part. You will get in 3 sets of everything by the end of the workout, but each set will be a different exercise. You can use very heavy weights here since you are only doing one set per body part at a time. Each round begins with a push-up variation, then follows with exercises for the back, shoulders, biceps, triceps and legs. There is a short stretch after each round. The final round amps it up a little with a 7/7/7 split for most exercises, for example, you do 7 narrow squats, 7 normal ones and 7 wide, of you do 7 biceps curls at only lower range of motion, 7 at upper range and 7 full.

The Sweat routine is a cardio circuit. You begin with a somewhat mediocre “Power Yoga” routine that is essentially a series of downward dog sequences repeated over and over again. It seemed endless the first time but actually only worked out to about four rounds through. You start with plank, do upward dog, lift the leg back, then swing it forward to warrior, then repeat on the other side. It was the weakest section of all of the workouts, but it is fairly short. Then you do a short stretch, before you do a series of cardio rounds. Each round has about 3 moves done for about 3 minutes, then you repeat the sequence and do a short stretch. The first sequence involved 3 knee-up variations. The second involved high-impact jogging and two kinds of jumping jacks, and the third involved boxing-type footwork centered around an x on the floor. Following this is a short break and stretch, then you do a kick series (front, knee-ups, side) and punches (cross/jab and hook/uppercut). Then a short stretch and you can either stop or do the ab work, which is a very nice routine. Ab haters will love it---you only have to do ten reps of each exercise, but there are ten of them, so the quantity is there.

This is definitely the wrong workout for certain types of people. If, in the past, you have enjoyed workouts that describe themselves as “gym-style” then this would be a good routine for you. If you prefer workouts that are “choreographed” or “flowing” you would probably find a better match elsewhere. If you prefer high-rep/low-weight strength work, this would not be a good option, but if you hate dancy choreography and have trouble following aerobics tapes, it WOULD be good. This would be a great total-body tape for people who don’t love weight work, because you only do one set per round. But some people might find the lower body work too brief and basic. As far as cardio goes, Tony doesn’t show impact modifications, but you could use a rebounder for the jumping, or modify the jogs to a fast march, the jacks to a sidestep or side plyo and the footwork to wide marches a la Leslie Sansone.

Overall---I am very happy with this, but I freely admit that my workout tastes tend to be on the simple uncomplicated side. This set won’t be for everyone, but as they say, I think you will really like it---if this is the sort of thing you like.

Instructor Comments:
Tony is friendly and personable, an enjoyable instructor.

Joanna

07/21/2003