Bootcamp Boogie

Petra Kolber
Year Released: 2009

Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance


I’m reviewing this workout after doing it once in its entirety.

General workout breakdown: Nyx has already described this floor aerobics workout well, but I’ll just add some more details.

- Warm-up: Petra introduces a combo of Tai Chi-like, athletic (including punching and elbow strikes), and dance (including high reaches and hip rocks) that will be repeated throughout the workout as the recovery portion, following each cardio blast. The warm-up also contains some dynamic stretches for the upper and lower body.

- Workout: This is an interval-style or “athletic training” workout, alternating longer periods of moderate-level “bootcamp” or athletic moves, moderate-level “boogie” or dance-inspired moves, 45-second cardio blasts, and the same recovery combo (about 40-45 seconds). I found 6 total circuits. (Note that while circuits are chaptered separately, there are no chapters within them, so you can’t skip over the boogie parts to get right to the cardio blasts, for example.)
Petra often builds the bootcamp and boogie segments off of the same or similar base moves. She does focus on the build up of each combo, so I see why Nyx felt there was too much emphasis on much break down, especially since Petra usually only ends with two run throughs of the full product. There’s no TIFTing; each combo stands alone, never added together (not even the bootcamp and boogie parts). Two different circuits are done first on one side, then a few combos later on the other. This includes a killer ascending repeater series, where you work up from 1 repeater knee, then 2, then 3, and so on all the way up to 12. Yowza!
Base moves for both the combos and the cardio blasts include repeaters, hamstring curls, marches, side steps, and lunges; athletic sequences see added jogs, shuffles, fast feet, and kickboxing moves (front kick, upper cut, jab, cross, bob & weave, speedbag arms); and boogie moves see hip action, mambos, pivot turns, cha chas, box steps, v steps, and the snake.
If you want to keep this low impact, you can follow Petra, although even she picks up her feet for jogs (she does offer staying on the toes as a modification). You could also keep this more of a steady state workout by following her for the cardio blasts rather than taking it up a notch. There are a few pivots, but as Petra points out they are optional.
The final run through of the recovery sequence is all you get for a cool-down. I wouldn’t have minded another minute or two of basic moves to bring the heartrate down a little more. (While I appreciate the trend towards longer warm-ups, what is it with the disappearing cardio-based cool-downs these days?)

- Stretch: The yoga-inspired stretch (it’s so weird to do yoga in sneakers!) runs through half sun salutes, lizard lunge, revolved lunge, seated forward bend, seated twist w/ knee to chest, cross-legged seated forward bend, table top, downward dog, and some ending breaths standing in mountain.

Level: I’d recommend this to intermediates through intermediate / advanced exercisers, although I think experienced beginner / intermediates could tackle it without too much trouble by sticking with the lower level options and maybe doing only a part or two at a time. Some low advanced exercisers may find ways to make this work for them, too. I’d recommend familiarity with basic aerobics, dance, and kickboxing moves, although you don’t need to be a real choreography hound or martial artist (in fact, if you are one you may not like this workout all that much for those reasons).
I consider myself an intermediate / advanced in cardio. I pick choreography up pretty quickly if it’s broken down and cued well, which is true here, although this is on the simple side for me, which didn’t hurt. Although this one started out slow – my heart rate didn’t really start to rise until that first cardio blast – I found this one appropriately challenging for me in the end. The levels were distinct enough that I felt an interval effect, and I was able to put some oomph into the advanced moves and get to a challenging edge. No, I wouldn’t rank this up there with 30/30 or Double Wave Pyramid off of Cathe’s Hight Intensity Interval Training, for example, but Bootcamp Boogie packs a decent little punch.

Class: 2 other women join Petra, who instructs live. During the cardio blasts, each shows a different variation, with Petra demonstrating the lowest level or base move.

Music: upbeat mostly instrumental, often kind of tribal in feel, but sometimes a little jazzier or sassier. It’s by Yes Fitness Music, and Petra is listed as their spokesperson. I wouldn’t listen to it on its own, but it seemed to suit the workout well, was better than average, and added a little extra pizzazz to the workout. Oh, there is an odd moment when a breathy voice comes on and says “Rhythm” during a quiet moment during the stretch.

Set: bright interior set with neutral-colored walls hung with abstract art, a doorway with windows covered in gauzy fabric behind Petra plus few items of furniture off to her side.

Production: clear picture and sound, mostly helpful rather than distracting camera angles (although I could have done without some close-ups during the first few moments of new moves).

Equipment: sneakers.

Space Requirements: This isn’t a space hog, but you should be able to move comfortably around a decent-sized area. You’ll need to be able to take four good-sized steps across your space and maybe the same forward and backward.

Comments: I originally wasn’t interested in this because I thought it was going to be bootcamp-style cardio/strength training (e.g. push-ups, burpees or squat thrusts, mountain climbers, that sort of thing) alternated with dance segments. Now, that would be a great workout, and I hope Petra does it before someone else steals that idea. Personally I’m happy with this version, even if I think the name’s a little silly and not entirely accurate. After all, I definitely prefer kickboxing and athletic-style moves over true bootcamp moves, and I don’t mind a somewhat basic floor cardio video if it’s interesting.

A few odds and ends: Petra seems to assume you’re doing this in the morning, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t do it at any other time. I did it at lunchtime, for example; it worked great. Also, she talks about setting an intention and drawing up energy at the beginning, but it’s not really presented in a mystic manner. It’s part of her motivational strategy, telling you to make an effort to be a better you type of thing.
I could see how this could feel repetitive over time, with the same recovery combo the whole workout and two combos repeated (even if on the other side). And some of Petra’s comments may lose their charm the hundredth time through. But I don’t intend to use this one so regularly that this becomes a problem. I highly doubt this one will be a dust collector on my shelf, however, as it is effective and fun. Maybe not as fun as Christi Taylor’s Still Jumpin’, which I did earlier this week, but definitely something I enjoy doing. I even smiled a few times, even without Petra’s prompting.

I can’t think of anything exactly like this. Yes, there are a lot of interval cardio workouts out there, but I don’t have any that others that purposefully go back and forth between athletic and dance moves. I wouldn’t say this is a rolling interval workout, like Chris Freytag’s Prevention Fight Cellulite Fast! or Shape Bikini Body Camp Transforming’s cardio segment, however. The choreography, as in type of steps used, reminds me of Michelle Dozois’ style of choreography on Your Body Breakthru Rockin’ Body Cardio Jam, and the “Hit your level” comment reminded me of her Prevention Walk Your Way Thin. The first combo, with the balance challenge, reminded me of Tamilee Webb’s Tighter Assets Cardio Blast. And I did recognize some moves from Petra’s 10 Minute Solution Blast off Belly Fat!, the only one of her dance workouts I’ve done so far.

Instructor Comments:
Petra is positive, upbeat, and encouraging. Petra’s within my realm of tolerance for enthusiasm, however, mainly because she’s so sincere and earnest. Actually, I’ve somewhat recently found a rather soft spot for her and have been accumulating her step and now floor aerobics / dance DVDs. It’s hard not to like her, I feel.
Her cuing is on the whole good, although I agree one could nitpick timing, amount of detail, that sort of thing, but at least she names the punches correctly. She mirror cues very well. And I appreciate that she gives you a heads up on move changes, often not just telling you what’s changing but even what it’s changing to so you’re not taken by surprise. One thing to note is that Petra often says “last set” during the recovery combo when in fact you’ve only done that move once that run through and you’re going to do the whole combo four more times.

KathAL79

01/13/2010