I LOVED these workouts! These are the intensity and energy that I expect from Cathe. After being quite disappointed in the Athletic Step, Step Moves and MMA: Kickboxing workouts in the Shock Cardio series, I'm happy to say that this workout is a keeper.

KATHAL has done a great job at explaining the details, so I'm just going to give my impressions.

I enjoyed all 3 workouts: the 40/20, the 30/30 and the Double Wave Pyramid. I think the Double Wave Pyramid is my favorite, since it doesn't use any equipment.

I'm an advanced exerciser, but I can no longer do a lot of high impact. Even with my low impact modifications, my heart rate was at the high end of my aerobic range for all workouts. Cathe doesn't give many modifications, but I was completely okay with that, I made up my own. For example, if she was doing a tuck jump, I would rise up on my toes and reach my hands towards the ceiling.

More specifics on what I loved:

--Cathe is her energetic and encouraging self.
--music was upbeat and peppy and this really helped me get through the workouts.
--cast members (Cedie, Brenda, Deazie and Lorraine) had good chemistry. I loved watching them high-five each other throughout the workout.
--workouts flew by! I was disappointed to have them end.
--30 minutes for each workout was perfect. I could really give it my all for the entire time.
--the timer at the bottom of the screen, showing length of interval and then length of rest.
--quick warm-up and adequate cooldown. Unlike some of the other Shock Cardios, which seemed to me to have an endless warm-up (over 10 minutes) and no cool down, the timing of these was just right for me.

A minor thing (and it IS minor), the workout order on the DVD is: 40/20, 30/30 and Double Wave Pyramid. However, on the back of the DVD, the order is: 30/30, 40/20 and Double Wave Pyramid. The English major in me likes to have the descriptions consistent with the actual order. As I said, this is no big deal and certainly doesn't detract from the workouts.

So far, this is my favorite DVD of the Shock Cardio series. This is definitely for the advanced exerciser. An intermediate exerciser should be very familiar with lower impact modifications before attempting this workout.

Instructor Comments:
Cathe is energetic, encouraging and having fun in this workout.

Nancy Loderick