Power Cut

This is a 52 minute BodyPump knockoff. Here are my thoughts.

What I liked: 1) the fact that it was led by 2 men, one of whom is easily in his 50s. I think this tape might hold some appeal for some of the VFer husbands out there who will only work out if a man is leading the workout; 2) That they joke around a bit. I liked when one of them said "Gee, I'm not feeling this a bit!" and everyone else booed and hissed; 3) That it COOKED my shoulders!; 4) That it had a lot more legwork than BodyPump (but not as much as PowerHour, if I recall, correctly.)

What I didn't like: 1) The music wasn't loud enough to let me get into it, and the moves weren't really with the music; 2) The very long-seeming breaks between sets, ALTHOUGH I think they could be good for someone new to these kinds of workouts or anyone who doesn't like super speedy weight changes; 3) That there's practically no guidance for what weights to use. In one or two cases they suggest going lighter (than what?), and for the rotator cuffs they suggest you unload your bar completely, but for all the other exercises you're on your own. They say "You might want to add or remove weights now." OK, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU SUGGEST??? I have a pretty good sense of what I can handle for this type of workout, but I think it would be verrry frustrating for a newbie.

Anyway, I'm not in love, but I think it's a solid workout. I'm definitely feeling it two days later.

Renee Drellishak

Setting / Production
Plain gym with hardwood floors, a black wall with steps and risers in the background. There are four female exercisers. The instrumental music is by MusicFlex with some recognizable tunes. Overall quality is slightly better than SaraCity. The instructor’s voices are muffled when they turn away from the camera to pick up the barbell. Before the workout starts there is a lengthy introduction of the participants and the sponsors, followed by instructions on loading and unloading the bar.

Equipment Needed: Barbell; optional dumbbells and step bench

The Workout
Warm-up/Stretch: 6 minutes
Squats (20 single count; 3 two count; 10 single)
Unload/Reload/Rest about 40 seconds
Side Squats (10)
Unload/Reload/Rest about 40 seconds
Static lunges on floor (8 reps each leg no weights)
Static lunges on step (8 reps each leg no weights)
Reload
Static lunges on floor (2-count and singles) – uneven reps on each leg
Static lunges on step (2-count and singles)
Unload/Reload/Rest
Calf Raises with one leg on step (16 right leg; 12 left)
Unload/Reload/Rest
Standing Chest Press (4 single; 2 double; 16 single; rest; 4 single; 4 (1-up-3-down), 4 single)
One background person was still changing their weights during most of this sequence. During the 4 single count reps, he counts to 8 which was confusing.
Lying Chest Press (4-two count; 8-single; 4-two count)
Unload/Reload/Rest
Barbell Row – overhand grip (12-single; 8-2 count)
Unload
Push-ups ( 12-single; 4-2 count; 8-single)
Reload
Barbell Row – underhand grip (12-single; 4-2 count; 8-single)
Seated Military Press (6-2-count; 16 single)
Unload
Front Raise (6-2-count; 8-2-count; 8 single)
Unload
Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise (4-2-count; 8-single; 4-2-count; 8-single;)
During this section we hear one of the background exercisers comment that this exercise was working the mid deltoids (who asked HER)
Seated Reverse Flye (8-2-count; 8 single)
Clean and Press with two Military Press/Squat combos (10 reps)
They show an alternate version of 1 Clean and Press, 1 Chest Press, 1 Military/Squat)
Hammer Curl with Barbell (8-2-count each arm)
Using the barbell caused me shoulder strain so I switched to dumbbells
Biceps Curl (10-2-count; 16-singles)
Kickbacks (8-2-count each arm)
Rotator Cuff with unweighted bar
Abs on Bench – (crunches, oblique twists) 2.5 minutes
Stretch – 3.5 minutes

What I liked
I got a total body workout in less than one hour with music that was pretty decent. The exercises are slow enough to use fairly heavy weights. I used weights close to what I would use on MIS and could go heavier.

What I didn’t like
The cueing of the proper form for loading and unloading the barbell with almost every exercise seemed excessive, especially since they instructed it in the intro section. There were no stretches between exercises, but there was plenty of time (almost too much) to adjust the weights or take a water break. You could stretch during these breaks.

There was a lot of uneven counting on the legwork. There was too much chest and shoulder work and not enough triceps or abs. THe first time I did the tape, I was a little bothered the whooping, but I hardly noticed it the second time). There were frequent moans and yeahs from the class, though not as bad as some earlier Cathe’s or Crunch tapes.

Summary
I might have a slight bias towards keeping this tape because its one of the few that my husband actually purchased for me as a gift. While the music isn’t as pumping as BodyPump and the moves are not timed to the music, I got a more balanced workout that included legs, calves, and rotator cuff.

Other
A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the tape goes towards the fight against breast cancer through the American Cancer Society

Instructor Comments:
Both are motivating, giving good form pointers. One counts while the other gives instructions. They often ask class participants how they are doing (they pointed out that one student was recovering from an injury and should adapt the workout accordingly).

Felicia