NSTRUCTOR: Tracey Staehle
DURATION: 50 Minutes
EQUIPMENT: Sneakers, med ball, optional weighted gloves
LEVEL: Solid Intermediate
TYPE: Cardio
MUSIC: Top 40 instrumental, some goodies from the 70's and 80's ("Super Freak" "My First, My Last, My Everything")
IMPACT: Mixed
CHOREOGRAPHY: Moderate

This is a hi/lo workout with some medicine ball training sprinkled in twice from fitness. She is accompanied by two background exercisers, one who does higher impact moves and one that does lower impact. This workout can best be described as aerobic kickboxing with a little dance thrown in.

There are about 9 combos (including the two med ball combos) in this workout. Each combo is built slowly at first and then picks up. The combos are not strung together. This is good for those that like to keep it interesting and don't like a lot of TIFTing. She will do a combo slow, then fast, then you don't see it again. There are a wide variety of movements: kick ball changes, hip twists, hip sways,fast feet,, and lots of kickboxing thrown in. In fact, it reminded me more of a choreographed kickbox workout and less of a hi lo/med ball type workout. Lots of fun! Also, with a little modification, you can adapt for a small space.

The real fun part of this workout was the music! It was very, very good :) Lots of stuff from the 70's and 80's, along with some new stuff mixed in. Tracey and crew are very relaxed and seem to be having a great time during the workout.

The set is the same as Circuit Zone and Strike Zone: a little dark, with dark wood floors and dark walls with a big window. Like they worked out in a loft. I liked it :) Production quality wasn't the greatest. Not as slick as a CIA or Cathe workout, but not as low as Katina Hunter's. Probably on par with Amy Bento's first batch, or a notch above. Oh, and there was a section where the lead instructor's mic went out and they just put the words at the bottom of the screen on what you were supposed to do. I thought that part was very tacky (why didn't they just reshoot?), but it didn't take away from the workout.

As for the med ball sections, it's mostly light toning and ab work. Around 10 minutes worth. I wish she have put that together at the end, as it tended to disrupt the flow a little bit (at least for me).

PROS: music, moves, and obvious comraderie on the set made for a good workout

CONS: a little less than steller production, a little boring start but it picks up. Some folks have complained about the cueing and strange camera angles, but the moves are easy to pick up. I wish that the stretch at the end had more floor stretches and wasn't all upper body. And I wish there were one more med ball portion.

Instructor Comments:
Tracey is very relaxed and seems to be enjoying herself. I like that in an instructor. She also seems to have fun with her crew, which is nice.

bubbles76