H.I.T.S. with resistance belt

Lori Dean
Year Released: 1999

Categories: Boxing/Kickboxing/Martial Arts



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Fun-fun-fun! The quality of the tape is cheap, the editing is awful, and the set is a bit pathetic--but the workout is outstanding. It's not the toughest boxing video, the form demonstrated may not always be the best, but it is definetely the most fun of all. Call me crazy, but I have more fun doing HITS than Tae Bo. Lori is very motivating, she actually makes you want to work out and give it your all, by the end of the tape I'm sweating almost as much as she is. She smiles and teases throughout the whole workout, reminds me of Gin Miller. I love the ab work, it is tough!

The tape was only $20 and came with a resistance belt, the best deal I've gotten in a long time. I wish that Lori comes out with another video that uses the belt, I'd like to use it more even if it doesn't give much resistance, it's good for my cardio days.

If anyone is debating on whether to get this workout, trust me, GET IT! Forget the cheap production and terrible editing, you won't notice any of that when you're into the workout. I didn't find Lori's da-da-da-da-da and tongue rolling annoying at all, it just made it all the more fun for me.

Instructor Comments:
Lori's a very good instructor, she cues well and on time. I found her to be very motivating and she made the workout fun. I eagerly await any new videos she might come out with.

Isabelle

06/17/1999

I really didn't care for this too much. I've been spoiled by Power Kicks and Tae Bo. If I had never done those, I think I would have liked HITS better.

Lori does kickboxing punches and kicks, and also some strength work with a resistance belt (which is included with the video). It's at an intermediate level. I just couldn't get into it as much as I do Power Kicks and Tae Bo. But that's not to say someone else couldn't.

The video production quality is a little bizarre. Kind of funny, actually. Many times you will see Lori's mouth move, but she's not saying the words you're actually hearing. Other times, you'll hear words but she won't be talking. The picture quality is a little on the low end, but okay.

One thing extremely annoyed me when I previewed the tape, and that was that she has a habit of saying "ba-da-da-da-da-da" a lot. I usually am not bothered by things like that, but this got on my nerves. However, when I actually did the video, I didn't notice it much at all.

Grade B.

Instructor Comments:
Lori is a pretty good instructor. I don't know what that "ba-da-da-da-da-da" is all about, but I guess it's tolerable.

Annie S.

03/27/1999

Kathryn and Stephanie have done a very good job of describing the actual workout, so I will not do that. Just wanted to give everyone my impression.

I can't seemed to make up my mind about this tape. On the one hand, it is a fun workout. On the other hand, it has some very annoying flaws. I have a feeling I am going to do this about five times total and then I will not be able to face it again for 5 or 6 months!

This is one of the few tapes where, in my opinion, it previewed much better then the actual workout. When I watched the tape I was thinking "Wow, if this is even half as good as it looks, 90% of it belongs in the Hall of Fame. The other 10% belongs in the Hall of Shame" As Kathryn has said, it has some very terrible "film glitches". I can't decide if these were a mistake, or some cameraman trying to get "arty". The points where the soundtrack and film don't match up just seemed to get worse and worse as the tape goes along. The "smeared jelly" out of focus sequences are not as annoying, but just compounds everything. Finally, there are two live drummers performing and during most of the first half of the tape their sound seems to overwhelm Lori's voice. I had a hard time hearing her. It was better in the second half, but that was when the soundtrack and film mis-match seemed to get worse. I keep wondering if the drummers overwhelmed the sound and that is why they had to use sections of the other soundtrack? I also know that it is going to start to drive me nuts that the same drum beat is used over and over through out the workout. I actually started to enjoy Lori's "ba da da da da da da da da da" cueing because it made it sound like there was some different music for awhile!

When I watched the tape, I thought that the workout was going to be very intense. You can tell that Lori is getting soaked with sweat and you can see it flying off her hair. But, when I actually did the workout, I found that it was sort of in the middle. I did manage to get my heartrate into the low, low section of my target zone for most of the workout, but it seemed like everytime we did any moves or combos that started to really bring my heartrate up, then we would be stopping to "bob and weave". My heartrate would plumment down again and I would actually have to jog in place rather then "bob and weave" to get it back up. Some of the punching combos were too slow as well and again I started adding on my own kicks to go with them, just to nudge my heart up again.

I finally decided that she just does not have enough moves that incorporate a large range of motion with your lower body. With Power Kicks you have a lot more kicking sections. HITS seems to have too much just plain boxing.

I also didn't like the "leg work" with the "flamingo-style" stand (great name for it, Kathryn!) being put in between the combos and the final "aerobic" combo. I found the ones where you hop from one leg to another to be difficult to do and hard on my back, and the whole section caused my heartrate to plummet down to almost a resting beat! On the other hand the entire leg work section seemed to give you some good toning. I could really feel my legs!

I did not like the section using the belt. I am not sure that I am using it properly and again I don't like to stand on one leg for that amount of time! I just would prefer to use my weight tapes to work my legs and I think I will just not do this section in the future.

Even though I sound like I am complaining about this workout, I actually had a good time doing it. I was just a little disappointed that it was not more intense.

I think this would be a good intermediate workout, maybe lower advanced. I will do it again and probably continue to add on my own kicks and wider range of motion to her boxing sections.

Instructor Comments:
I hope Lori continues to make videos, only with better production and sound quality! I really liked her happy, almost joyful, approach. She seemed like she was having a great time and she made the work-out fun. When you could hear her, she gave fairly good oral cues, but her visual cues were good too. I could catch on to everything just by following her body. She reminded me alot of that actress who used to play Maggie on Northern Exposure. She has a really beautiful face and well-toned body.

Clare

02/15/1999

I bought this video at the recommendation of Kathryn Bulver. I must admit when I first saw it because of the resistance belt I thought it was "another informercial" deal. I also found it at the fitness section of Target and NOT the video section so it may be hard to find (although the Targets here seem to have an abundance of them).

Kathryn really describes the workout very well. The flamingo move is a toughie especially balance wise. I do think the music is really cool, a Spanish percussion thing that is supposedly live (ala Gin Miller I guess). Like she says there is no beginning stretch, but since you start off slow and really go into you don't need one. It's about 35 minutes of aerobics and I guess around 20 or so of toning with the resistance belt which honestly for the legs didn't seem too effective for me (but I've only done it twice).

The "body shot" is a fun punch! You punch straight out at hip level and return you hand back to face guarding position. I really love this punch!

Another tought part of the workout is when she does lunges, holding and squeezing on the same leg and then alternating for something like 12 speeding up the tempo until your practically lunging (forward lunges) left leg front, right leg front. This really burns my quads and calves. I also liked the standing ab work which seems neverending for some reason to me.

Some things people may not like are the blurry camera lens and Lori's constant "da da da da da da da" stuff, as well as the music is really loud so it can be hard to hear her cues; but, after you do the workout awhile I think the music being loud lets you get more into the workout JMO though.

Instructor Comments:
Lori is athletic looking and her cueing kind of reminds me of Cathe, giving just enough form pointers. The only thing that may bug people is her constant "da da da da da da da" and the rolling of her tongue.

Stephanie Bridges

01/22/1999

I discovered this video while strolling through the seasonal section of Target. It came as a "bonus" with a resistance belt (a buckled belt with resistance bands with loops on for the arms and the legs), and I was expecting that it might be a lapped-together, extended play video with a mediocre instructor. I was very pleasantly surprised! This definitely makes it into my "top 5" boxing/kickboxing videos (Power Kicks is still number 1, and 2-5 vary, depending on my mood!). Here is a breakdown of the workout:

*The warm-up consists of slow punching (she encourages you to put more energy and more body movement behind the punches once you start to warm up) and bobbing moves (again, going deeper as you warm up). There is no beginning stretch (but, unlike with some other kickboxing videos that go from minimal warm-ups to full-out workout, I didn't think the lack of stretching was bad). The punches are the usual jab, cross, hook and uppercut, with the addition of a "body shot"-similar to an uppercut, but with the punch aimed forward, into the abdominals of your "opponent". There is no pre-workout teaching of technique, but the instructor gives a lot of tips and demonstrates details of movement (turn your body with the punch, turn your feet, pay attention to your shoulders) thoughout.

After the warm-up section comes a punching section: jabs (slow, at tempo, then double time), crosses (slow and at tempo: watch the background exerciser for form!), jab/cross combo (slow, at tempo). You then add in a knee lift (do as Lori says, not as she does--she's demos a hamstring curl!), which becomes a block (a higher knee lift), then a knee strike (adding in a pull down with arms). The knee strike first alternates from side-to-side, then stays on one side for multiple counts. [Throughout the workout, a bob a weave move (shallow squats while ducking from side-t0-side) is used as a transition between learning new moves.]

Next, you learn combos, step-by-step: first, from boxer's stance (one leg back, in a sort of almost lunge), you jab, then slip (hop) to the right, then take two steps back to the left. After practicing this for a while, you add on, practicing each additional move before going on to the next: jab-slip to right-two hooks-two steps to the left; jab-slip right-two hooks-2 crosses. After you have the combo down, you then do it faster. The next combo is a cross/knee block (which can turn into a kick--she shows different options for leg moves), which then turns into 16 kicks (or blocks)in a row. You change leads, and this time do a hook/body shot/kick combo.

The next section works on both strength and balance in the legs: hold one knee up (flamingo-style!) then do 12 slow kicks, 16 kicks at tempo (same leg!), then 32 (!!) kicks with squats in between (thankfully, Lori doesn't tell us how many we are going to do, and only counts down the last 4! I think that helps me not give up too soon!). You then (all without putting your kicking leg down--unless you want to, that's always an option) change legs by hopping to the other leg, and do the whole kick sequence over. When you're done with leg 2, you alternate changing legs, holding for 8 counts, then 4 counts, then adding a kick to the 4 count hod.

You continue with leg work, standing in a lunge position, and bobbing up and down continuously through the following moves: jab/"wipe"(a broad sweeping movement for the rotator cuff) slow, then at tempo, change lead legs, then do a hook/wipe combo, switch legs, then alternate bobs legs, holding for 8 counts, then 4, then 2, then alternate single lunges.

Then comes a heart rate check, where you are told how you can take a heart rate or use perceived exertion, but are not given a timer, etc.

A final aerobic combo puts all the punches together. Start in boxer's stance, jab, then hop to square front. Add on: jab-square-two body shots; jab-square-2 body shots-2 upper cuts; jab-sqaure-body shots-upper cuts-two hooks, then take it up to tempo (the slower version is not "slow-motion" slow).

The next section is standing abs. Twist side-to-side with elbows in, then with punches. Work obliques by favoring one side, then punching down to your knee on that side, first slower, than to tempo.

The next section uses the resistance belt (I'm glad it does, as there are no other instructions with it!). Lori first shows you how to put the belt on and adjust it, then leads you through slow punches (these are "slow-mo") and kicks. With the kicks, you do moves like the "flamingo"kicks (my term!), this time with resistance. You do 8 front kicks, then 28 (!!) kicks with squats (again, she doesn't tell you how many are coming!) to each side. Then you do side kicks and back kicks. *The stretch section is also done while standing (if you're looking for balance work, this is it!). You do standing back and hamstring stretches (again, on one foot, lift your other leg in front of you, grab your ankle if you can, and stretch!). The stretch is a thourough upper and lower body one.

The entire workout lasts 53 minutes.

DANGER, DANGER: One thing to watch out for:my tape came without the tab to prevent overtaping removed. Remove it as soon as you get the tape!

Weird stuff: besides the "ba da da da da da da da da da" cuing for "fast and powerful", there are also some bizarre filming glitches (techniques?). The workout, like many, was obviously taped several times, and the soundtrack for one version used, with visual elements from the other version thrown in. When Lori speaks without her mouth moving (a ghostly "ba da da da da da da da da da" at times!), or says something while her lips mouth something else, I am taken back to Sundays as a child, when I used to watch badly-dubbed Godzilla movies. Does camera 1 have a cracked lens, or is it a "special effect"? Did someone smear their petroleum-jelly coated finger over the upper-right corner of camera 2, or is that another instance of FX? Guess I'll never know!

Instructor Comments:
Pleasant, athletic instructor. She has a tendancy to cue for "fast and strong" by going "ba da da da da da da da da da" really fast. Though her form is sometimes a bit sloppy (her hooks are sometimes really wide, and she demonstrates that you should "wind up" before doing a cross--both prime opportunities for an "adversary" to pop her in the kisser!), the background exercisers are good, especially a Chritine Elise look-alike with short black bangs who is behind her to our right.

Kathryn

01/09/1999