Push

Kari Anderson
Year Released: 2005

Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance , Step Aerobics


I really like this workout and would recommend it to all Kari fans. If you’re new to Kari, I would probably recommend Body Tech (for step) and Danceworks (for hi/lo) before this one, because the choreography in those is a *bit* simpler, and the production values (set and sound quality) are better.


Format: The DVD allows you to choose Step Workout, which includes warm-up and cool-down for 30 minutes total (23 minutes cardio time), Hi/Lo Workout, with warm-up and cool-down for 30 minutes total (20 minutes cardio), and Final Stretch. The chaptering does NOT allow you to skip the warm-ups, so you can’t seamlessly go from the step workout straight to the body of the hi/lo workout. This is the most serious problem with this workout. You can fast forward your DVD player to the beginning of the hi/lo combos, though, by keeping an eye out for the calf stretches and squats that end the hi/lo warmup.

The Workouts: The step and hi/lo workouts are both quite fun. The step section has a quick warm-up – only 5 minutes – which is nice; sometimes Kari’s warm-ups seem too long to me. There are 3 combinations. The first one is a bit simpler, and the second and third have more twists and turns in Kari’s usual dance-inspired style. The choreography is about the same level of complexity as Hot Steps and Body Tech. If you usually feel like Kari breaks things down too much and teaches too slowly, you’ll feel that way here, too. (Though she teaches a bit faster than in Hot Steps, I think.) While I sometimes feel that way about other instructors (for instance, Gay Gasper in some CIA videos), with Kari I feel like she breaks it down so nicely and the movements themselves are so fun and flow so well that I enjoy the teaching phase as well as the put-it-all-together section.

The hi/lo section has only 2 combos; both are pretty involved, though, so it feels like enough material to span 20 minutes. They are both *very* dance-inspired. This section is similar to Danceworks, but I think the choreography is a bit more complex – it took me two times to get it down, and I’m still working on a couple of the turns. With Danceworks, I felt pretty comfortable with the choreography by the end of my first try with the video. I felt a bit frustrated the first time I did this section, but after the second time I found it completely delightful! (The same way I feel about Danceworks.) Kari is her usual graceful self in this part, and she and her crew seem to be having great fun.

Overall, this is a great video. I’m still getting over feeling miffed about the lack of chaptering, but if you like Kari, you really shouldn’t let that keep you from getting this DVD.

Instructor Comments:
Kari is friendly and encouraging, as usual. She and her background exercisers seem to be having a lot of fun, which is very infectious. She picks good music and uses it really nicely with the choreography in this and all her videos.

KathyW

07/28/2005