Step Appeal

I'm giving this one a qualified thumbs up. It was fun, and the choreography was Patricks usual level of complexity. He cues well, and I was able to get most of it the 1st time through. It didn't instantly grab me the way most of his other step workouts have however. Part of it is that my knees were feeling pretty twingy by the end. Patrick did a good job building and layering the combos, so it is easy to stay with a less complex or reduced impact version in most places. Most of the high impact is in quick feet types of moves, so it's difficult to soften the impact, which may also explain some of my knee twinges. It would be better to stick with an earlier version of the move, but choreo junkie that I am, that wouldn't be as fun. Because I'm on carpet, I'm not sure I can do some of those turns in ways that won't strain my knees. Don't get me wrong. I loved some of the turns enough that even though I knew my knees were complaining I kept doing them.

You start right into the warm up with a moderately complex mini combo which was fun. The stretching was short, but adequate. There are 3 combos in the main workout, but the last one was much longer and more complex than the other 2, so it may have been the equivalent of having 4 combos. There was a bit of the funky angle/flashy light aspect to this workout. There's one bright spotlight off to the right, and every now and then the funky angle catches that spot head on, which I found distracting. You never miss seeing the feet while learning a new move however. I also found the fact that Patrick's shoes look like there is electrical tape holding the front of the shoe together very distracting. It's a minor detail, but I spent a lot of time looking at the man's shoes. Maybe that's not so bad since I was trying to learn what his feet were doing anyway.

The same set is used for all 3 workouts in this series. I found the set to be very tasteful and relaxing took at. There is a TV screen in the middle rear with Patrick's name on it. Curtains hang ceiling to floor in the back which are lit from behind in a soothing blue. Then there are a couple of large columns, lit in a soft white light. A couple of screen with white panels and cutouts that let the blue curtains show through arc around the sides. It has a geometric feel.

This workout was not super intense. For most of the learning curve I was in the lower part of my target aerobic zone. When working my hardest it was still only around the middle. The music was fine, but forgettable. I didn't dislike it during the workout, but it won't be with me all day either. TIFT was very reasonable. It was enough that you were glad to go back and revisit the choreography and keep it fresh in your mind, but not so much that you were getting sick of it. At the end you go through all of the combos twice. YEAH!! The cooldown was very quick and not complex, basically just some step taps on the step. Then you went right into some stretches. The DVD case said this was 65 minutes, my DVD player clocked it as 67.

The bottom line for me is that I enjoyed the workout while I was doing it. It wasn't love at 1st sight with this one though. Do I like it enough that I'll reach for it with ALL the other possibilites I have on my shelf, clamoring for my attention? I don't really know. I'm going to have to give it a few more tries before I decide whether or not it is a keeper.

Instructor Comments:
Patrick is the best! He's fun and upbeat, and yes, even a little goofy sometimes. Working out with him always feels like you're working out with a buddy, who is having a great time and wants you to come along for the ride.

ErinF