I’m reviewing this workout after previewing once and doing it twice.

General workout breakdown: Pat, Kickdancer, and the other reviewers have already given great descriptions; I can only add that this runs about just over 30 min. total.

Level: I’d recommend this to experienced beginners (e.g. someone who has been working out for a bit or who has previous exercise experience but isn’t up for an advanced workout yet) through mid-intermediates. This series is great for someone who doesn’t have a lot of time and wants to get it all in, for someone who’s stuck or bored and wants something different to refind their spark, for someone returning to exercise after a break (baby, illness, etc.), etc. I enjoyed using this after an illness, when I wanted something fun to get me back into exercising. I usually work out at the intermediate / advanced level, but after illnesses I appreciate workouts that are more at the beginner / intermediate level, and this one left me sweating! It’s definitely one of those “you get out of it what you put into it” workouts.

Class: 7 women and 1 man, introduced as real students from their studio, join Teigh and Gillian, who instruct live.

Music: Ravi drums live, with some instrumental accompaniment playing in the background.

Set: bright interior studio with a wood floor, brick wall, and various exercise equipment (mats, barre, Swiss balls, etc.) scattered around.

Production: clear picture and sound. The camera angles are usually helpful, with nothing too funny or distracting.

Equipment: nothing, really. I did this once with shoes and once barefoot on my puzzle mats.

Space Requirements: You should be able to take a couple of steps to each side as well as forwards and backwards. Make sure you have room for flailing arms!

DVD Notes: Fortunately you can skip through the couple of intro chapters. The workout is divided into chapters, with the opening in two chapters and the ending abs segment in its own chapter, leaving a couple for the cardio. Several Beachbody commercials run immediately after the program.
My copy came with YBB Live: Hip Hop Abs on a separate DVD in the same case; this program is also available by itself.

Comments: Warning: you may find your fear of dancing and inhibitions about looking silly while working out fly out the window (even if the blinds are down and curtains drawn lest anyone see you strike the Coquettish Kitty pose)! This workout is definitely about having fun and just happening to get a good workout in at the same time. That said, above I noted that this was good for someone who wanted to do a little bit of everything. If, like me, you prefer to focus on one thing at a time, you may not find yourself reaching for this often.
This is primarily a low impact workout (i.e. your feet aren’t usually both leaving the floor at the same time), although there are a few little jumps and twisty moves. If you have sensitive knees, make sure you unload your knee before turning or twisting it, and feel free to take out the pivots to stay front while the others turn to the side or around in a circle.

Instructor Comments:
The two instructors switch off. Both are about equally strong with cueing, so this works well. Teigh and Gillian are definitely having a good time. Yeah, they’re kind of goofy, perhaps even a little over the top in some spots, but for someone like me who’s not exactly prime material for So You Think You Can Dance that helps me feel more comfortable about making a fool of myself. Gillian and Teigh could spend more time explaining what moves are, but if you’re primarily a visual learner (i.e. you learn best by watching someone else) you’ll be just fine. Also, because they don’t stop to break down moves down the pace – and thus your heartrate – never slows down. A couple of times they trip up on mirror cueing, but otherwise they’re fairly easy to follow.

KathAL79