Amy Bento Kickbox Surge

I’ve had this workout for several months, and it still reigns as my favorite kickboxing workout. It’s probably considered kickboxing/hi-lo, but there really are a lot of great kickboxing moves. The music rocks (if you like rock music, which I do!). The combos are really fun; the surges are intense; the workout is pretty consistently advanced!

KBS has five rounds, in each round Amy builds up to a combo and then concludes with an intensity surge. Unlike others of Amy’s workouts, KBS does not combine combos – you do a combo and you leave it behind. The combos are somewhat complicated, but not as complex as Amy’s KB Extreme. It is well worth it to preview the workout and practice the more complex moves ahead of time. It took me a few times to really get all the moves down so that I could focus on intensity.

The warm up is pretty straight forward, and the workout starts off right away with motivating music. I won’t go through every move in each combo, but here are some pointers and high lights.

Combo 1: This combo has punches, elbows, and a fun kick sequence. The kick sequence starts with a side jump kick, then switches legs for a low/high roundhouse and finishes with a back kick. It’s confusing at first to remember which side to start the jump on. Hint: you always start off with same leg as the arm you started the punch sequence with!

 SURGE: front kick to lunge to push up, great move to get your heart rate up. Tough, but fun: you really feel the core working on this one.

Combo 2: This combo has a triangle shuffle pattern with straight up elbow strikes and hooks that make you feel very tough!

 SURGE: rotating jump side-kicks with a tuck jump. Not my favorite, but it keeps the heart rate up.

Combo 3: This combo has fun crescent and axe kicks; the crescent kick moves fast, so it’s important to keep the crescent kick in a fairly narrow arch. The combo also contains a self-defense move that makes you feel very tough!

 SURGE: a fast-moving, butt-kicking sequence: front jump kick, 3 alternate side-kicks, plyo with touch done. VERY FUN!

Combo 4: This combo has a rope-rope-double rope (=tuck jump). Although I usually do this version, Uchenna does plyo jumps that are a little less impact and actually work the legs very well.

 SURGE: a move Amy calls “going Ninja” – power side kicks side to side


Combo 5: Lots of punches in this one, including moving hooks and elbows. The combo ends with switch kicks. I often substitute jump kicks, which actually allows me to get a little more power in the kicks. I keep the same time as Amy’s switch kicks.

 a series of fast punches with hook, crescent and back kick; this is the most complex but least intense of the surges.

I use 1 lb. weighted gloves when I do KBS, and I think this adds to the workout.

The workout ends with a “refining core” section done with a med ball. I didn’t like this section the first time I did it (so I substituted Amy’s second ab workout from Abs and Stretch, also a good core workout) --- but I gave it another chance and now I love this section! It is inspired by kettlebell moves and functional fitness. The first move is a squat, roll back, roll up – Amy keeps saying “use the ball to get up.” It took a few tries for me to get the motion – it’s important to keep the feed spread wide so that your knees don’t go past your toes. This is a great move, but it can be hard on the knees if not done carefully. There are curtsey lunges with core twist, planks with ball rolls, and a really fun moves where you place your toes on the ball and “swizzle” just a little to engage the obliques.

Bottom line: I love this workout, and I do it often! I also frequently do Cathe's Kick, Punch and Crunch; Tony's Kenpo X+; Powerstrike 1 and 2; and Tae Bo Ripped Advanced. I love all of these workouts as well, but I think Kickbox Surge keeps the heart rate up the highest of all of these and is the most intense.

Instructor Comments:
Amy’s presence and energy is great in this workout. She is joined by Angie and Uchenna, and Uchenna does some low impact modifications.

Acescholar