I’m reviewing this workout after doing it once through.

General workout breakdown: This 80-min. step workout, after an almost 6 min. warm-up, is divided into three stages: horizontal step for almost 25 min., vertical step for 25.5 min., and “intervals” on the horizontal step for 19 min. It finishes with 6 min. of cool down and stretching.
Each section has its own personality, which others have described so well. I agree that there’s a lot less breakdown here, and there seems to be less TIFTing and other repetition, too. I’m with those who found the pendulum swung a hair too far the other way and am glad Christi went back to a little more breakdown and repetition in later releases (although in her last few, like Ultimate Core Cardio, the pendulum swung way too far in that direction, IMHO).
I’ll talk a little bit about the so-called intervals portion, but I don’t want to belabor the point since this is the portion of the routine I like least and will use least in the future (and I suspect I’m not alone in that). I stuck with the aerobics option but can’t say I found much of an interval cardio-training effect here; “interval” as it is used here is in the vein of CIA, Collage, etc., where it refers to alternating types of exercises, including weights and cardio. Anyway, Christi alternates short, not as complex combos with either combination (or, in VF parlance, “compound”) strength moves (that is, a lower body movement, like a squat, with an upper body movement, like biceps curls) or cardio holding patterns (usually something like a knee or repeater done corner to corner). She switches up the strength moves and holding patterns each time, and the combos are never added together.

Level: I’d recommend this to experienced steppers at the solidly intermediate through (low, maybe up to mid-) advanced level who are comfortable with complex choreography. Christi’s choreography is not mind-numbingly complex - well, except for maybe parts of Stage 2! -, but you do have to enjoy choreography.
I consider myself an intermediate / advanced in cardio, although sometimes I still feel like an intermediate + in step since I haven’t been stepping as long as I’ve been doing complex hi/lo. I pick choreography up pretty quickly if it’s broken down and cued well, which is very true here, although the amount of time with my back to the TV has made this one of the more challenging Christis for me to learn. After one run through I felt reasonably confident in the full set of moves, although I could stand to clean a few things up and add back in the accompanying arm movements, some of which are a little fussy for my tastes. (Again, keep in mind I consider myself better than average at picking up – although not necessarily executing – complex choreography, so my experience may not be typical.) According to my heart rate monitor I got a solid steady state workout that had me solidly within that “cardio training zone,” or what I consider moderately high.

Class: 5 women join Christi. 2 of them in all black, in the third of four rows, stick with the lower impact / less pivot-intensive versions of the workout in Stage 1, and 3 of them in the back two rows offer an alternative set of moves in the Interval portion. The modifiers are not clearly distinguished from the others, and one struggles with the routine a little in Stage 1, so they aren’t as helpful as the modifiers in later Christi workouts.

Music: a mix of upbeat instrumentals and (remade) vocals, mostly contemporary pop songs, like the Backstreet Boys’ “Larger than Life,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” one from Enrique Iglesias (the “ole ole ole” song), and others I recognize but don’t know well enough to name.

Set: interior set with a kind of 3-D abstract cityscape feel and sort of pastel colored lights projecting on the walls.

Production: clear picture and sound (especially considering this is a VHS transfer). There are some of the usual wacky CIA camera angles (someone there has just about always loved off to the side and/or overhead shots that are just a bit too far off to the side and/or overhead to be actually useful), but nothing too distracting.

Equipment: Christi and crew use a step platform with one set of risers (6”), which is what I used, too. They use a pair of light dumbbells (around 5 lbs. or so, give or take a few pounds?) for the interval portion.

Space Requirements: I found this worked best if I just left my step more or less in the middle of my space, oriented horizontally with the long edge parallel to the longer walls, turning my body to face my TV (which is in the corner, so I have that option) as needed. For the horizontal portions you’ll need to be able to have a decent amount of space to work behind your step plus room off to the sides and enough room to kick off of the front of your step as well as step in front of it. For the vertical portion you’ll be working alongside your step on both sides, so you’ll need enough room for both feet to move freely, as well as spending a good deal of time around the back plus a few quick moves off of the front. I don’t have a huge space (maybe 5-6’ x 8’), and this definitely covered a lot of ground within my area, although I didn’t have to shorten anything up too much.

DVD Notes: This comes on a DVD with Still Steppin’; it is packaged together with a DVD of Hi-Los Heaven and Still Jumpin’. By the way, this Fantastic 4 DVD is a must have for any Christi fan and is a great bargain, with 4 great workouts of an hour or more for the price of one, really.
The chapter menu pops right up – love this! Your options are Beginning (a dedication to one of Christi’s back-up exercisers and friends, a collection of Christi family photos, and a shot of VFers watching the filming), Introduction, Warm-Up, Stage I – Combo #1 / Combo #2 / Combo #3 / Combo #4 / Combo #5, Stage II - Combo #6 / Combo #7, Stage III Intervals, Cooldown & Strech, Bloopers, and Credits.

Instructor Comments:
I can’t add much about Christi as an instructor that hasn’t been said already. Christi is definitely having a good time here, but she never loses sight of the fact that she’s instructing a workout, and it’s a credit to her preparation beforehand that she’s able to lead so well while having fun.
I’ll just add here that as always she cues ahead of the movement and mirror cues; although she doesn’t include tons of directional cues, she does provide some helpful ones here and there, such as during turns. While I can usually manage to make out what she’s doing during the “watch me” segments, during which she doesn’t describe what she’s doing, in this particular workout I really wanted her to do a “watch & listen” because it often seemed like I was spinning away from her just as the move change appeared.

KathAL79