30 Minutes to Fitness, Split Sessions

Kelly Coffey-Meyer
Year Released: 2011

Categories: Lower Body Strength , Upper Body Strength



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This workout has been very nicely broken down by Dr. Beth, so I won't repeat that. I wanted to mention that the band work in the Lower Body is great—it's similar to the band work in the High and Tight workout from Brazil Butt Lift, but much more time-efficient! The bonus band work is great too (I like how Kelly jokes around, saying, "What kind of bonus is this?!"

I like the Upper Body workout as well—especially the focus on the back muscles. I do a lot of computer work, and I really need back work to correct the rounding/hunching of my shoulders. The only move I didn't like was the standing crunches that move from left-center-right. I can't seem to perform it as quickly as Kelly without getting kind of motion sick (I'm very prone to motion sickness).

Overall

oogy99

01/14/2018

The leg work with the band is fantastic and really worked some neglected areas. But both upper and lower body are great!

PeakFitness

12/05/2012

Split Sessions is part of Kelly Coffey-Meyer's 30 Minutes to Fitness series. It is the first DVD in the series since 30 Minutes To Fitness: Weights to offer split workouts for the upper and lower body. In Split Sessions, Kelly adds use of additional equipment, including an incline bench for the upper body workout and a band for the lower body workout. Sam and Lauren again join Kelly, with Lauren showing modifications for doing the exercises without the band or step.

The Main Menu of Split Sessions offers the following options:

Introduction
Warm-Up
Workout #1 (Upper Body)
Workout #2 (Lower Body)
Bonus Floorwork
Premixes
Credits
Music ON/OFF

Unlike with some of the other DVDs in the 30 Minutes to Fitness series, the warm-up does NOT need to be selected separately--i.e., it plays automatically when you select Workout #1, #2, or most of the premixes. I have broken down each of the workout segments below.

WARM-UP (3.5 minutes)
Kelly begins the warm-up with some neck and shoulder rolls, then does a brief series of squats with a lunge back. She adds in more traditional aerobic moves with a sequence of knee ups, front kicks, hamstring curls, and side-to-side steps. She concludes with side-to-side lunges and a few deep breaths.

UPPER BODY (33.5 minutes)
Kelly performs this workout in rounds, and she is impressively using 15# dumbbells for most of the workout. In each round, she completes two exercises, then returns and performs a second set of both. The first round works the back/shoulders with rows and lying chest press: for both, Kelly begins with single arm and then moves into double arm. The next round continues to work the back/chest by alternating reverse flys (seated, leaning forward) and regular flys. Continuing to work the back/chest, Kelly moves on to good mornings (holding a weight at the chest) and decline push-ups. She then begins bicep tricep/work, first with a round of angled hammer curls/triceps kickbacks, then slow biceps curls/double arm overhead presses, and finally a seated side bicep curl/tricep dips. The last section of the body worked is shoulders/waist. Kelly starts with lateral raises and then performs standing side crunches. Next she does one-armed shoulder presses followed by alternating standing crunches. Finally, she finishes with upright rows and standing knee lift crunches. The workout concludes with a quick 1-minute cool-down/stretch.

LOWER BODY (24 minutes)
Kelly opens this workout by performing standing moves with the band tied around the ankles. Exercises include side-to-side steps, kicks to various angles, and knee lifts. Kelly then takes off the band for weight work. She beings with a tough one-legged leg press move. Next comes a squat which adds a "knee invert," or a twisting knee in, dropping toward the floor. Another unique move follows, a side-to-side lunge which also involves moving the weights from side-to-side. The final move in this series is a dead lift, adding a rock back on the heels. Kelly then repeats the entire series, staring with the band work. After the second round of deadlifts, she adds a few additional dynamic moves, including squats, lunge backs, plie squats, knee lifts, and back kicks. A 1.5-minute cool-down/stretch concludes this workout.

BONUS FLOORWORK (16.5 minutes)
Kelly starts this segment on all 4s with the band around the ankles. She continues with some seated band work designed to target the inner thighs, but these exercises felt awkward to me. This section concludes with some crunches and a 1.5-minute cool-down/stretch.

This DVD also includes a number of premixes as listed below (I've included actual times in parentheses along with the times listed on the Premix menu).

Push (Triceps & Chest) Time 10:00 (9.5m)
Pull (Biceps & Back) Time 12:00 (11.5m)
Shoulders/Legs Time 16.00 (16m)
Upper Blitz (one set of all upper body) Time 22:00 (21m)
Lower Blast (one set of all lower body & floor bonus) Time 29:00 (29m)
Full Body Mix-In (alternating upper & lower body exercises) Time 50:00 (50m)
Full Body Time Saver (one set of alternating upper & lower body exercises) Time 35:00 (34m)

I purchased this DVD because I really enjoy Kelly's 30 Minutes to Fitness series in general and wanted to acquire another of her strength workouts in particular. However, I have somewhat mixed feelings about this DVD. As with all of Kelly's workouts, I think she does a great job overall, and I loved the addition of the band. On the other hand, I didn't like how the lower body was split off into two separate workouts (e.g., Workout #2 and the bonus) rather than a single 30-minute lower body workout. I was also disappointed that none of the band work was included in the Time Saver premix. And finally, I would have preferred Kelly to skip use of the incline step, as she moves quite quickly between the upper body exercises, and having to use the step (or play around with an alternate) is a pain. Still, there IS plenty to like about this DVD, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Instructor Comments:
Although I might not love all of her workouts, I love Kelly! She is definitely my favorite instructor for strength and cardio work. I do like how she puts creative spins on traditional strength work; my conflict lies more with the overall structure of this DVD than with the individual exercises themselves.

Beth C (aka toaster)

04/03/2012