30/60/90 Workout 1

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this workout.

Just to let you know a little about me, I'm a 48 year old intermediate and long term exerciser who has bad hands, wrists, and feet (psoriatic arthritis) and bad knees (osteoarthritis). Consequently, I look for low-impact workouts - or workouts that I can modify easily - that don't require body weight to be supported on my hands/wrists.

Then, I run into workouts like this one that intrigue me because, although it is advanced, it is billed as being modifiable, yet hard. Kristi Molinaro is new to the video workout world with this DVD and I wanted to try it.

Kristi is in a big, open room with five modifiers behind her. The set is open and airy and is the same set as in other recent workouts. One of the modifiers, Larry, is off to the side and does the workout without a bench, or step. He did an advanced version on the floor, so his only modification was the lack of a step. The rest of them have a step in front of them. As far as other modifications go, sometimes the instructor, Kristi, briefly demonstrates the option. Sometimes, one of the background exercisers on a step does a modified version of the move. Throughout the workout, Kristi is always talking about options and what you can do to fit the move to your body and fitness level. If she wanted to make her workout more accessible to the less than advanced level, she could have a low-impact modifier, but that may not be how she wants to market her workouts.

Kristi does most of the workout with the exercisers. Sometimes, she stops and points out what an exerciser is doing and what the reason or benefit of doing it that way is. She sometimes stops exercising and looks at her stopwatch, timing the duration that a move is done. The 30/60/90 refers to the duration of timed high intensity intervals of cardio and strength you go through to get your heart rate elevated or to build strength. She encourages you to push yourself to your limit in certain intervals and then backs off and lets you recover. Throughout the workout, she is encouraging and motivating.

I would rate this workout as advanced. It is meant to be an advanced HIIT workout and I think she delivers what she promises with this workout. The workout is too hard for my joints and it isn't where I want to be right now. But, for those that do more advanced workouts than I do, I think it's a great option.

I hope she makes more workout DVDs because she can give advanced exercisers a good option, something they are getting less of these days. If she does, I would suggest that she add chapter points to the workout. From the menu, you can choose the introduction, the workout in its entirety, and the cool down. Just adding chapter points in the workout itself would give added flexibility to skip moves that don't work for you.

Instructor Comments:
She is good at what she does. She gives lots of options throughout the workout. She is also encouraging and motivating.

Laura S.