CIA 9001: The Complete Workout

Patrick Goudeau
Year Released: 1996

Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance , Step Aerobics



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While I fully appreciate the charm of this video, which is full of interesting choreography, a dynamic instructor and GREAT music -- I never really fell in love with the workout.

Initially, the hi/lo was far too complex for me and I got very frustrated with it: I was always on the wrong foot and never really got into a rhythm where I felt ANY kind of cardio intensity. (When reading this, please bear in mind that Cathe Friedrich or Intense Moves are pretty much the only tapes that give me the kind of cardio challenge that I enjoy.)

But I set my teeth and my mind to mastering this routine. After about 5 or 6 times of adding on a section at a time after a regular workout, I was able to do the entire hi/lo section with only a few mis-steps here and there. But you know what? I still didn't really enjoy it, I never got into my "euphoric zone," I guess it just didn't flow for me. After I got the hi/lo down, I started on the step. After about 10 minutes? Forget about it. This tape has now been passed on to a good home and hopefully someone who will appreciate it more.

This tape is best-suited for someone who thrives on complex choreography and has a fair amount of room to move around. It is very "dancy." I think it is probably intermediate level in intensity, but can't say for sure since I am hopelessly addicted to killer cardio and thus don't consider myself an objective judge of these things. It's the boring old CIA set, but the music is really great if you're like me and prefer vocals.

Instructor Comments:
Patrick Goudeau has a winning personality, an engaging smile and I love to watch him move. His cueing is not that great: this is one of those tapes where the instructor spends a lot of time teaching a simple move and then throws a really complicated move right at you.

Daphne M

02/17/1999

This is one of the best CIA's in my opinion. It is high in complexity and high in intensity. As an advanced exerciser, I have to do the step on a 4 inch size. The hi/lo is loads of fun but don't expect to get in on the first time. Like my first Physics class, it took a while to get it. With this video, it's the same. Just be patient and keep at it! The stepping is the most complex I have ever done. I LOVE it! I was frustrated at first but this made me determined to get it and now that I have gotten it, look out! The Wizard of Oz is a blast! I just sing,"Were off the see the Wizard", like Patrick. I love all the moves put together at the end. I love his laugh! I feel like I really conquered a goal after finishing the step section. But as I said before, keep at it and be patient with yourself! Patrick is sweating away with you and it's like a bonding. I just love him! He is so charming! DId I say I think he is cute? Well, he is!

Anyway, the toning section uses light weights and the step. I am more used to using heavy weights like Cathe Friedrich's Pure Strength so this wasn't my type of weight training. But I still love watching him and I like how Patrick swivels his hips around on the stretch after the leg work. I like doing that with him. Did I say that I love him? Yeoww!

The abs were different. You do everything on the step but he said if you don't like that, just do it on the floor. That is what I do. The only thing I didn't like was that he goes and checks the background exercisers during the ab work and not ME! He changes clothes for each section. He wears this bright yellow shirt and tight black bike shorts on the hi/lo. For the step, he wears all black. Then he changes again for the toning section and wears this hat on backwards. This workout is easy to stick with because Patrick is such a wonderful and encouraging instructor! His cool down is very nice and thorough. He says to give yourself a big hug! Oh how I wish he would(smile!). All in fun, I do have a crush on him:)))

The music is mostly vocal and club type music. This video is worth every penny to get for the advanced exerciser who loves complex. choreography. I hope WWWendy will interview him one day for VideoFitness!

Instructor Comments:
This man is HOT and he is having just as much fun as you (singing and pumping you to keep going!). He also has this incredibly attractive charisma that magnets you to want to workout with him. Patrick's choreography is fresh and new and wonderfully complex! He is the inventor of complexicity in the aerobics world. I hope CIA will come out with another video by Patrick! This one is a GEM! He is my favorite male instructor on video and I will buy anything that he comes out with. And yes, he does have sexy legs!

Mandy Lee

02/17/1999

You know, every comment posted about this review could've been written by me. CIA 9001 is a bundle of contradictions -- it's incredibly fun, probably unsafe, repetitive at times, and uneven in intensity and instruction. But you know what, I LOVE THIS VIDEO BECAUSE I LOVE PATRICK! Granted, he's not all fitness things to all fitness people, but he has this warmth and charisma that blows up the screen. I know this is corny and I'm no video groupie, but he has "IT" -- that thing that movie stars, presidents, and Oprah and have. Star power. You laugh with him, try to imitate him, and a moments after seeing him on video, you feel like you know and trust him. And no, it's not just because he's cute and has nice legs. (*wink*).

Besides that, though, he's a gifted choreographer. His moves are creatively put together and a tad fancier than you're used to seeing in a group exercise. I love it, love it. He hasn't thought of really good effective ways of using "filler" moves to round out the video. Like Maryann once said, he'll have a few flashy moves punctuated by marcheing in place, and then on to the next flashy move, march in place. If the man gets some transitions working, he'd be untouchable. Patrick's not for everyone, but no other move feels as fun and refreshing and funky as "CONFUSION," "Little Latino," etc.

I think the floor is better put together than the step. As much as the step section is applauded, I sometimes felt it was a little disjointed. And for all the time I put into learning "Wizard of OZ," it's really not that fun. Also the weight section is a big bust, in my eyes. Too fast, too long, and uncomfortable positioning, But hey, even Patrick can stumble sometimes. But he's so awesome, I just look beyond his faults. Great, great video.

Eulonda Skyles

10/03/1998

How can I describe this workout? Million times FUN and that is not enough. Although now I can do only half of the Hi/Lo section, it requires more strength and balance than I have. This is something to work up to and I set it as my fitness goal. (I just don’t accept to myself that I have two left feet:~))

The first time I watched the step section, I was almost on the verge of desperation. I decided to try anyway and it is a blast! To my surprise, I find that the step section is easier to learn than Hi/Lo. I still have difficult time to keep up with his fast pace (I am an intermediate exerciser). When the heart rate check comes, I am always a little over 85% of my max HR. But it does not intimidate me, rather it makes me feel exhilarating. This workout is so much fun that you don’t realize how much you exert yourself.

The third section is body sculpting. It fits into my rotation because I always set aside one day for light weight. I like when he does lunges off the step like a curtsy. It has many lunges on and off the step.

Instructor Comments:
There are mixed opinions about this tape. But every reviewer agrees that Patrick is a great instructor. That says much in itself. He is natural, warm, never lack words of encouragement, and above all, creative! I like him so much that I ordered all three G-force (except Funk) and I will buy every tape he delivers. By the way, Patrick is the instructor who can do grapevines most gracefully I’ve ever seen. I wish I can imitate, but I don’t have those calves (or rather, those entire legs!)

pakavadi

09/08/1998

This starts out with hi/low, very fun but some of the moves you have to do a few times to catch on. I had a hard time doing the arm movements with the feet so I concentrated on just the feet for most of the hi/low section. A lot of very fast paced but fun moves in the hi/low section. My favorite is the step, I have never see so many unique moves in a step routine before. It starts with quick feet patterns, like kick ball change, twice and then you do quick lunges from side to side, then you turn around backwards and get back up on the step. The moves in this tape just keep getting faster. Every one of the moves flow great together in the end, it's getting there that's the hard part. I found myself very confused the first time doing this tape but by the end I was having a blast. My favorite is the L-step, quick feet changes, tap down twice and into the Wizard of oz with quick feet changes again. Total Blast, the whole tape is great. I really liked every move in it. I can't wait til tomorrow to do the step workout all over again. I plan on doing it til I can master it. The toning section was pretty good but doens't compare to the firm. You start out doing moves stepping onto the step and using hand weights for upperbody. You do slow controlled moves. Lunges onto the step with arm patterns. Dips off the step with bicep curls. There is one move where you go side to side lunging back to the side, hard to explain, but very intense when you add upperbody moves in with it. The most intense part of the toning is the ab routine using the step. You sit on the step and hold on to the back and bring your legs in and out, very tough. There are about 4 or 5 different ab exercises then you do a very long stretch. If you don't like hi/low I would highly recommend this just for the step section alone. Just don't give up, it's very frustrating learning the moves but once you do, it's a great workout.

Instructor Comments:
Patrick is very likable, very upbeat and a fun instructor. I liked him from the start of the warm up to the end of this killer workout tape.

Dawn Henson

10/25/1997

I totally agree with MaryAnn Parker's review of this video. I give MaryAnn credit for doing the whole video; I didn't even try it. I was so anxious to get it, but what a disappointment! As with all other CIA's I've tried (except 8003), the floor section consists of movements you do over and over and over, and then finally put them into a pattern. After 30 minutes, you're still doing the same moves over and over. I like to learn a combination, do it a few times, and then move on to something different. I'm sure I would break, sprain or tear something if I tried the step section. I think this section sometimes crosses the line between fun, complex choreography and possibly unsafe steps. I didn't even watch the toning section. I have more videos now than I have a chance to do as often as I'd like, so this one has to go.

Instructor Comments:
I really like him as an instructor; I wish I had a good video with him teaching. He has a great personality.

Joni O

10/23/1997

I loved Patrick's choreography on the G force videos and was very anxious to get 9001. But I am sorry to say I am disappointed. The first hi/lo section is okay but nothing compared to the intensity of Jennifer Mills or Christi Taylor. He has too much instruction with marching in place or step touches. I like continuous high impact moves, so my heartrate kept going up and down. Some of the moves were hard to grasp but much easier to learn than the step section which follows. I found this section to be very frustrating - I am a big Cathe Friedrich fan and can do PowerMax with my eyes closed. Patrick's routine is so complicated - the step is turned toward the TV - I totally lost him so many times I just kept jumping over the step doing my own routine. I usually have a feel for step choreography and usually after 2-3 times I master the routine, but this looks impossible. His feet move so fast on certain moves like the Wizard of Oz, making it difficult to see the exact way it's done. He does a shuffle repeater type of move on the end of the step and even a reverse turn step. I don't have a desire to even try to do it again. When the toning section came and I saw the step again, I was even more disappointed. I don't like doing leg work with arm work - I can't concentrate on the muscle and lose my balance. I used six pound weights and it was tough enough but not long enough to work the arms. He did some balance moves on the step. The ab work was totally done on the step, and my tailbone was hurting more than my abs were being worked. I never feel I work my abs unless I am doing a long tape like Abs of Steel 2000 on the floor. Those moves were too awkward for me. He did some back exercises, stretching and that was the end of it. After I do all my new CIA's maybe I will try this tape again, but right now I am not too excited about it. One thing I have to admit: if you can, and I repeat "if you can" master the moves on the step section, you will have a lot of fun.

Instructor Comments:
Great personality, very likeable.

maryann parker

10/21/1997

Now that I'm finally able to do this workout, I really enjoy it. In addition to the warmup and cooldown, there are three sections...hi/lo, step, and body sculpting. The first time I did the tape (after watching it once), I felt like throwing something at the TV. However, I decided to start with the step section first, because I feel a little more comfortable with step. I had to rewind MANY TIMES, but after that session of many rewinds, I pretty much had it down.

During the step section, Patrick uses the insertion method to put the combos together. He sandwiches the second whole combo between the halves of the first combo, then that's followed by both halves of the third combo. (By halves, I mean doing the combo with the right leg leading is one half and the left leg leading is the second half.) I agree with the other reviewer that Patrick's choreography is more athletic than dancy, but don't let that fool you. It's very complex!

This is especially apparent (for me) in the hi/lo section. To be honest, at one time I considered putting this video on the exchange because I was so frustrated that I couldn't get the floor section down. The only reason I didn't give it away was because the final routine looked like so much fun, I was determined to get through it! I'm so glad I kept it. I finally have pretty much gotten this section down. OK, I don't do all the arms and all the turns yet (I do most of the turns, though), but this is so much fun!! More fun even then the step section, and usually I prefer step. At the end of this section, I even rewound and went back to where he puts the combos all together and did them again. He runs through the final combo 3 times. They all seem like they're having a really good time.

The body sculpting section I've only done a couple of times. He does it on the step, using light weights, and he's very good about giving form pointers, and showing (using the background exercisers) how to make sure you doing the exercises correctly. After a while, those light weights don't seem so light anymore, but I still prefer the Firm for weight training. The ab section is very tough. You do it sitting on the step.

I really love this tape, and I highly recommend it for exercisers who love to be challenged by a very complex routine.

Instructor Comments:
Patrick is a very motivating instructor. He seems to have a lot of fun doing the workout, and he interacts with the other two exercisers in the video quite a bit. He tends to give some of the moves names, like "Wizard of Oz" and "Confusion," so once you've learned them, he just says the name of the move as you're going through the combo. At first, I thought that it would be really hard to follow, but you go through the combo enough times, that you know just what to do when the move comes up.

Melissa F

10/11/1997

This video is absolutely awesome. Patrick is a master of choreagraphy with both hi/lo and step routines. I can't decide which segment I like better. Hi/lo is fast and fun. If you don't like twists or turns, stop reading now. He's all over the dance floor with this. Funky jacks, kicks and lots of hopping. But it continues to the step. Kick ball changes on the step, *the wizard of Oz*, shuffles from floor to step. More turns, mambas over the step. I've never seen the step in sooooo many different ways. This is not for the weak at heart, or mind for that matter. This video definitely gets an A++. I'll let you know now, if this is on your wishlist - go buy your own copy; I seriously doubt that anyone would put this on the exchange. I know mine is staying with me.

Instructor Comments:
Patrick is simply awesome. The only other tape I have that he is in, is The G-Force Ultimate Step. I liked his segment the best on the tape, which prompted me to purchase 9001. High energy, good cueing, nice personality. He seemed to have a good relationship with his other exercisers-joking and laughing.

germaine

10/09/1997

This workouts definitely rank as killer --killer choreography, killer intensity, and killer FUN! There are 3 workouts, each lasting about 35 minutes, plus a warm-up
The first workout is high impact. I'm not even going to call it high/low, because there's not much low. This is my absolute favorite floor aerobics workout of all time. The choreography is challenging, but not frustrating. You'll learn steps like Weeble Wobble and Confusion (both are a blast). The steps, although complex, are not "dancy." They're all built on more athletic-type moves. By the time you get to the end of this, you're dripping. But then he surprises you by saying "let's do it one more time," and you're screaming "YEAH!"
The second workout is step. I have NEVER seen anything like it. I started out with my regular 2 risers, went down to 1, then tried 0, and finally removed the step altogether and decided I'd better learn it on the floor. There is a lot of fast, unusual footwork -- but again, not dancy. Again, we have unique steps like the Wizard of Oz and the Ballet Move. I cannot even begin to describe Wizard of Oz, because I still haven't gotten the hang of it. But the Ballet Move is a repeater -- front, side, front -- but the catch is you don't touch the floor in between. It's harder than it looks (and I can really feel those abs working to hold me in place). I usually don't like step classes that are very complicated, but I adore this. I'll continue to do it on the floor until I get better at it, then I'll work my way back up.
The final workout is Total Body Conditioning. Another unique approach -- does this guy ever run out of creativity? You use the step for this as well as hand weights. Basically, you are (slowly) stepping up and down while doing things with the weights. But that sounds so boring -- and it's not at all. It's fun and *tough*. I use 5-pound weights and I just about die. I find myself cheating a lot. And the abs section -- wow! You do the abs SITTING UP on the step. You gotta try it! It's great. I really like this workout, but I don't think it would build definition as well as the FIRM. I don't know, I've only done it a few times, but I think my body responds better to heavier weights. Plus, this covers both upper and lower body in 35 minutes, so each "half" doesn't get a truly thorough workout. However, since it stresses my muscles to the max (and beyond), it must have something going for it!
In all the workouts, the music is upbeat and fun. I'm really delighted with this video.
I hope Patrick makes tons more. Although I liked the original G-Force (Ultimate Cardio), I'm glad to see Patrick doing something without the other two G's. I thought his workout in the G-Force Ultimate Cardio was by far the best of the 3. So, to sum up this book I've written here -- highly recommended!

Patrick is wonderful. He could win awards for his charm and personality, but if they don't give awards for that, he definitely deserves one for "Best Fitness Video of the Year." Well, I don't think they have that award either, but I'm sure you get the picture.

Annie S.

06/12/1997