This workout consists of four main sections: cardio (27 mins), weights (23 mins), and floorwork (17 mins). Cardio is mixed impact, and the weight section only uses a set of dumbbells and a chair. The floorwork includes abs and back as well as a good stretch.

The cardio section is 23 minutes plus 4 minutes of warm-up. I'm an intermediate exerciser and I found it to be a comfortable yet challenging pace for me. She moves quickly from section to section so it doesn't get too repetitive. Low impact moves are shown first, building up to higher impact moves, so you can stay at low impact if you want to. I did find that she seemed to be in a bit of a rush to teach some sections and get everything into that 23 minutes. The cueing tends to be a little bit off in places. I also found myself wishing that this section was a little longer. That said, I think this will be a really versatile piece of cardio - easy to combine with other parts of the tape or add on to other workouts.

In the introductory lecture Karen said that she would be using 8 pound weights. I used 10 plus 2 pound ankle weights for the leg section and still didn't find it to be that tough. Advanced exercisers would probably find this to be too easy. The only other equipment used here is a chair for balance. There are some interesting leg lifts that I found to be a nice break from the usual endless rounds of squats and lunges. The upper body part is similar in style. Karen uses the same weight for all exercises and moves very quickly in between exercises. This means that you get a lot done in a short amount of time. However, if you wanted to switch weights there isn't much time to do it.

Then there's a 17 minute floor work section. The abs and back portions are short (5-6 minutes each) but tough! Again, some interesting and different moves here that are quite refreshing. Some pilates influence in the abs section. I really enjoyed the stretch at the end too.

A few more things: the music is dance club type stuff - Brittney Spears sort of thing (not that I know much about popular music).... with some more alternative type stuff mixed in. The set looks like an aerobics studio with some equipment in the background. It seemed kind of dark and shadowy at first but I didn't notice much while doing the workout. There were two background exercisers, one of whom was doing low impact modifications during the cardio section (pretty sure abut that - I didn't pay much attention to them).

The DVD is fully chaptered, but for some reason there is no option to do the entire workout. So after each section you have to go back out to the menu and choose the next one.

In summary:

This workout might be for you if: you don’t have a lot of time to work out, you need a short abs/back/stretch section to add on to other workouts, you don’t like a lot of equipment changes, you like Karen Voight’s style, you’re looking for a flexible workout that you can use in many different ways.

This workout might not be fore you if: you’re a choreography clutz, you like to customize your weight for each exercise, you usually work out with advanced videos such as Cathe.

I did like this workout and I think I'll find myself doing it, or parts of it, quite often. The way the different sections are broken up will make it really easy to add parts on to other workouts. It would also be a great addition for anyone who doesn't have a lot of time to work out.

Instructor Comments:
This is my first time I've seen worked out with the new, long-haired Karen. It's kind of strange, because she looks so much different but moves and sounds the same as always! As usual, Karen uses a straightforward instructional style with lots of form pointers.

Megan