Focus: Break Through

This is a 30 minute workout that is chaptered into one 20 min cardio medball workout (Have a Ball) and a 10 minute core workout (Whittle Your Middle). Tracie works out alone on a raised platform in a gym style set w/ brick walls. You will need a 2.5 to 6 lb medball for this workout.

Tracie does a great job of blending medball cardio with functional fitness moves to create a smooth flowing sweat fest! She utlizes the med ball in fun & unique ways to enhance both the cardio and functional exercises. She includes some great balance work and focuses on stopping/ starting moves.

Exercises include: After a nice warmup you move into: hip shift hops, jacks, plyo lunges, cross county skiing, ball weaves while walking forward & skating back, jumping heel clicks, figure 8's, jump- side lunge, balance knee hops, crescent lunge w/ hops, squat- floor touch- overhead push, balance knee ball passes, shot puts, windmill, chops, knee pulls and ends with a quick stretch.

If you are a fan of Tracie and/or med ball workouts- this is a must have. I feel that she improved on (the much loved) TLT's by adding more intensity and more cardio in this workout. She does an excellent job of blending the two (cardio & function fitness) genre's into a well flowing cardio workout. Tracies cuing and form, as always, are impeccable. She does a fantastic job of creating fun, high energy workouts! I received this dvd to review. I rate this a solid intermediate workout.

lindseylu8

Break Through is a great short medicine ball workout. The choreography is fun, easy to follow and very effective in getting the heart rate elevated. Intensity can be modified up or down based on the weight of the ball used, and if you don't have a ball, a dumbbell can be substituted for most of the moves. I used a small, easy to grip four pound ball similar to those used in the TLT series.

I personally LOVED this workout! It is by far my favorite of Tracie's newer offerings. I found some of the music rather grating, but I was easily able to get past that. If you are looking for an enjoyable, time-efficient workout, Break Through fits the bill.

Instructor Comments:
Tracie's cueing is great, as usual.

Nuggie's Auntie

I did this for the first time last night. So far, it is my favorite "Focus" workout! I was a little surprised at the fast pace & intensity. It's been labeled as a "C" Cardio workout by old Firmies. However, I think this could be a solid C/S if you pick up a heavier 4-8 lb medicine ball. I chose to use a lighter ball (just 2 lbs) coming off a heavy day the day before with some DOMS set in - and it was a challenge even at that. This workout also has some nice functional core movements thrown in.

Instructor Comments:
Tracie is good at cueing.

Ann M