Breakthrough Upper Body and Core (“BUBC”) is a half-hour workout focusing on upper body and core strengthening. The moves have a functional fitness slant (in other words, not the same-old, same-old).

The set is the same one as Keli’s earlier stability ball and foam roller workouts (it appears they were all filmed at the same time, but for some reason the releases have been staggered). It’s a bit dark but that didn’t bother me. Music is generic but upbeat and does the job. There are two “back up babes” (as they are credited).

Keli does the entire routine with one set of dumbbells (looks like maybe 5 lbs.) and one medicine ball. She doesn’t suggest any poundage. For the dumbbells I started with 5 lbs., but quickly pulled out my 3 lb. and 8 lb. sets because 5 lbs. often felt too light or too heavy depending on the individual exercise. For the medicine ball I used my old 2 lb. Firm Ooof ball. I could have gone heavier, but a couple of the exercises require a med ball big enough rest both feet or both hands on, and my heavier balls are too small for this.

BUBC is very well chaptered as follows:

Warm-up (which I disliked but it is easily skipped).
Set One: bilateral bent-over row, push-up with ball under hand, med ball hand to foot pass.
Set Two: unilateral row sequences, push-up with med ball row hand to hand, med ball under feet plank/hip extension balance.
Set Three: clean and press, push-up both hands on med ball, V-sit med ball rotations with touch down.
Set Four: biceps curl with one leg balance, lateral raise, back extension with med ball.
Set Five: push-up and row, prone rhomboid lift, hands on ball plank.
Stretch (brief, but uses the ball nicely).

Besides the main workout, there is a “bonus block” with a segment from Keli’s upcoming lower body workout, plus behind the scenes and outtake footage (which looks like the same material from the two earlier Breakthroughs).

I am always looking for light weight, non-traditional, functional fitness upper body routines, and this one fills the bill. Keli designed the routine herself and her knowledge and experience really show. I especially appreciate the variety, and the emphasis on back strengthening and shoulder stabilization. Keli instructed well, with excellent form tips, and I enjoy her upbeat, informal personality (“I‘ll buy you a beer!” she crows when one of her background exercisers manages a difficult plank).

However, I already know BUBC won’t be a favorite. I hated the warm-up, mainly because it featured squats and impact moves which are problematic for my knees. There are way too many sets of push-ups IMHO (although at least the sets are short). A couple moves involving the med ball looked potentially unsafe, and no modifications for those was presented (Keli nearly slips during one of the push-up sets, and one background exerciser kept falling out of the second plank series). A couple of the dumbbell exercises were done too fast for me (the clean and press). As already noted, I found using only one set of weights didn’t properly challenge me through the routine. Mainly, though, the routine has a chaotic, thrown-together feel to it. We were constantly up and down, and sometimes Keli’s set-up took longer than I thought it should (especially when she took time out to joke with her background exercisers).

That being said, I would overall recommend BUBC since good functional fitness upper body workouts are fairly rare, and this one is widely available at a discounted price.

Instructor Comments:
If I ever had to vote for a single, all-time favorite video instructor, it would be Keli. Going all the way back to Cher’s 1992 tape, Keli has consistently demonstrated effective routines in a wide variety of formats and difficulty levels with intelligence and humor.

JustSandra