10 Minute Solution: Knockout Body!(Anchor Bay)
2009
What is it?
Five 10-minute kickboxing-type workouts, some focused on cardio, others on toning. Jessica Smith instructs.
Who is it for?
Advanced beginners through intermediates. This is a moderately intense exercise DVD. You will need a mat for one segment. The kit comes with weighted gloves that will bump up these workouts a notch (they’re about 12 ounces each), but you can do these workouts without them too.
What to expect:
Although I reluctantly admit that they make for solid workouts, I’m not a fan of kickboxing DVDs. Call me corny, but working out makes me feel happy, so combining it with aggression and wanting to punch someone makes no sense. That said, Smith got me through these five routines without feeling like I had to be hating on someone to get in a good workout. Each segment combines cardio with toning to different degrees: “Knockout Body Blast” and “Kickbox Cross Train” use punches and kicks for an aerobic-toning blend; “Ultimate Upper Body” tones your shoulders, arms and upper back; “Fierce & Fabulous Abs” has the least cardio since half of it is spent doing exercises on a mat; and “Fat Attack” is a mostly-cardio blast, meant to burn calories and make you sweat (and it does the job quite well!). The cute pink gloves that come with this DVD are less than a pound apiece, so they intensify the routines just a bit. The first time you give these workouts a try you may want to do them bare-fisted so you get used to the moves. While the punches and kicks are generally pretty basic (“Kickbox Cross Train” gives you a nice, slow go through if you are new to kickboxing), the combinations do get a little complicated at times. Smith is a likeable instructor who cues well 90% of the time and thankfully, she did not ask me to imagine punching her. Frankly, after giving me such a fab workout for 50 minutes, I’d prefer hugging her instead!
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