Quick Burn Cardio

This DVD contains two 20-minute workouts. The first workout is cardio. It feature several circuits, each consisting of two moves done one at a time, then with a short ‘power’ finish. So, for example, one of the circuits had a side step lunge thing, then a front and cross punch. You do the side step, then then punch, with the pace increasing. Then you close the round with the punch done at a ‘power burn’ (i.e. doublet-time) intensity. The workout moved briskly and was fun and interesting, but it was very high-impact and I did not notice the modifier until partway through. Denise is also not much for cueing ahead---she doesn’t tell you what the next move is until it’s practically already started. Nothing here is complicated or hard to pick up on, and certainly the next time I do it, it will feel much smoother. But a little bit of ‘we have an X coming up’ would have been good!

The second workout is similar structure but involves compound weight moves instead. This consists of mostly side or front lunge variations with arm movements at the same time. Some of the arm movements are traditional things like biceps curls, and others are ‘kettlebell swing’ style. Denise does not instruct much on form, but it is important to be careful as many of these moves do involve swinging weights around---I have had trouble before with any sort of punches involving weights, for instance, so I was cautious during these moves. It was a fun, heart-pumping routine, but as with the other one, I would not say it is for beginners.

I wouldn’t say this is the greatest workout dvd ever, but it isn’t bad, and now that I am used to its little quirks, I would definitely keep this in the rotation if I were doing a Denise week. Just watch your form, and do a preview so you can know the cues!

Joanna