I thought this was a great workout. The set was a beautiful natural outdoors set, perhaps filmed in Australia. The background varied, and the music did too. The music was vocal rock, like INXS.

The workout:

It's circuit training. Three aerobic segments and three weight-training segments. The aerobic segments get harder and higher impact each time. The first is very gentle, the middle one concentrates on your legs and butt. The last one is a mixture of various sports movements - skating, swimming, basketball, and boxing. It's the most strenuous, but it's also the most fun.

The strength-training workouts are very hard. I only had 5 pound weights, so I couldn't use light weights like Elle. She does a full leg workout, an abdominals and glutes workout, but the arm workout seemed to concentrate most on the triceps.

This video requires handweights, although I stopped using them and continued without when my arms got fatigued. Optimally, you would also have a weight bench, but an armless kitchen chair will do you just as well. A sturdy one - both my antique chair and my director's chair were unable to hold up to my weight during one of the butt toning segments.

My back muscles and hamstrings are probably the most sore after this workout, as the other workouts I've been doing have not emphasized these areas.

Instructor Comments:
Karen Voight is fantastic. She talks just the right amount and her cueing is amazing. The first time through I didn't miss a single step, because she clearly let you know what was coming up next. Elle is a nice person. Her motivational speech in the beginning was great. She also was very helpful during the video, talking about muscles and sympathising with the exerciser.

I really liked how Karen wasn't too silly or bouncy, and definitely not chatty. After previewing a Denise Austin tape, it was a relief to see that Karen keeps her mouth shut unless she has something important to say.

Shannon Davis