This 48-minute workout was included with a 5# super cute purple kettlebell and was of course the only DVD issued by Gaiam that utilizes the kettlebell. The AWT kettlebell lite workout is led by Kelsie Daniels and filmed in the darkish background set that you might recognize from Firm Dangerous Curves Ahead. There were four background instructors including Alison Davis, who demonstrated beginner modifications. The workout infused traditional toning (lunges, overhead press, squats, pushups) with kettlebell moves (such as swings, snatches, Turkish getups) and incorporated cardio intervals for a very intense workout! The fast beat techno tunes that they chose for the music was a very good choice-kept me motivated.

Equipment: All you need is the kettlebell (i.e., no dumbbells required) and while you could substitute a dumbbell for these exercises, nobody demonstrates this alternative: they expect you to buy the bell. While I think the kettlebell was nicely made, I also have the Kettlenetics 4# bell which I think was better shaped as it has a much wider handle – I don’t have a problem with the Firm bell but from the forum it seems like a lot of people scrape their knuckles in the space between the handle and the bell which is very narrow. I find that using a 10# bell for most moves REALLY intensifies the workout, and I once tried a 15# bell for some moves, but that was really too much.

The workout consisted of a warm up, several strength sets balanced out by cardio sets throughout, and finished with a short ab segment and the final stretch. One of the things that made this workout so challenging was that the cardio was very strength-focused (lots of unweighted lunges and squats along with some high intensity cardio) so you didn’t really get a break from the strength, like you would expect from other Pink Firm workouts. Wow! The strength included two sets of swings, one at the very beginning and one towards the end of the workout. Also included were a variety of lunges and squats with upper body moves, like a low lunge with lat row, curtsey lunge with lateral raise (if you choose to use a heavier kbell, I would recommend still using the 5# for this), lunge with overhead press and triceps kickback, and dead lifts. Also include are several sets of pushups with kettlebell under one hand (then alternate) and later, a pushup and plank segment with a one arm reach to work the back. Challenging! She finishes with Turkish getups, starting with partial floor only versions which transition into the full floor-to-standing versions-hard! The final stretch is well needed, I am simply exhausted by the end.

Like Lindsey said, the workout provides more of a leg-intense workout (and subsequent DOMS) but don’t discount that the arms are still very well worked by the end. The core is worked throughout for balance and to aid in the swinging motions that work your body differently than with traditional strength training (which also requires that you use lighter weights than what you normally would for traditional strength training). Your heart rate will stay up the entire workout making this very cardio intense.

All in all I would rate this solid intermediate while using the 5# kettlebell, and low advanced when using the 10# kettlebell as I prefer. This AWT workout would be good to alternate with more traditional Firm workouts, to add some variety, and while it is AWT, if I had to choose it for a cardio or strength day exclusively, it would definitely be strength. I think this would be a good video to break through plateaus for those who are exclusively doing strength training, because your body really needs to adapt to these different moves. I’m confident that kettlebell purists would NOT like this workout, or even come near the DVD with a 10 foot pole, but that was expected. You definitely need an open mind and allow some fusion into your regime to appreciate this workout. This is one of the most challenging Pink Firm workouts to date and I think would be very well received by Firm lovers like myself (especially for Kelsie fans!) Grade A.

Instructor Comments:
Kelsie is by far my favorite of the Pink Firm workouts and I have all of her workouts (Pink Firm and classic Fitprime). I’ve always got my eye out for any new workouts of hers, because I will get them hands down. She’s just that good! She cues nicely, is enthusiastic and smiles the whole time, she is a natural instructor, and you can trust that she will deliver intensity into Pink Firm workouts, unlike some of the other instructors. As an aside, I read on the VF forum at some point that Kelsie did this workout using a 10# kettlebell at a fan’s request on the Firm forum (well after the DVD was distributed), and that Kelsie deemed it safe, but that’s just what I read secondhand.

Emily B.