Five programmable, abdominal-focused workouts, ranging from 10 to 13 minutes long, with Kathy Smith instructing.

The segments run from advanced beginning to the tough end of intermediate. You will need a mat, and for one segment, a stability ball.

I really like Kathy Smith quite a bit, so it was a rare occurrence for me to curse her through the television screen during this workout. But curse loudly I did during the "Bootcamp Abs" segment of this DVD — my midsection was screaming for a break and she wasn't letting up! Although the other four routines weren't quite as challenging as this one (and I managed to hold my tongue throughout them), Smith doesn't often let you off easy. First up is a cardio warm-up includes standing abs. It's an easy-to-moderate workout, and a good starter for any of the other routines. Second is the core abs segment, which involves a lot of moves that strengthen your abdominals from deep inside-out. The third routine is that bootcamp workout that gives you crunches every which way until your abs are quivering and you are begging Smith for mercy (or, like me, cursing). The stability ball segment is next, and it includes some of the better ball exercises that are floating (or should I say rolling?) around. Last is the Pilates segment, which is best for those who are fairly new to Pilates. It's probably the easiest one of the bunch.

 

No, I did not do all five of the segments in one day (I tried and had to quit partway during the bootcamp workout). You probably won't either unless you have the strongest abs in your 'hood. Instead, you can program the DVD to do any of the segments you want, in any order. And they're all brand new routines (several Kathy Smith DVDs in the past couple of years have been re-releases of her old workouts). For variety and challenge, this is a great abs DVD. Plus you get to check out how great Kathy looks. Believe it or not, the woman turned 56 in December, 2007. Like Dorian Gray, she must have a painting in her attic.

 

 

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