A 41-minute blend of cardio and sculpting that includes three different routines, ranging from 10–12 minutes apiece. Chris Freytag instructs.

Intermediate exercisers. Advanced beginners can go for it, but definitely with lighter weights. You will need 2 to 3-pound dumbbells and a mat.

While I thought this DVD delivered a great workout, I have one big complaint: the ordering. First you do a cardio sculpt routine with the light dumbbells and after you're all revved up, you're expected to sit down, remove your workout shoes and do the 12-minute Pilates standing-and-mat combo. Then you're supposed to put your shoes back on for a high energy, core-engaging kickbox sculpt segment. I really don't like having to interrupt my workout to take off and put on shoes. And unfortunately the workout can't be programmed. I solved this problem by skipping the Pilates segment and then tacking it on at the end, but I would have liked it better if the people at Prevention had done this for me. Another thing they could have done would have been to make the cardio and kickboxing segments 15 minutes and saved the Pilates routine for a bonus workout, adding a couple minutes for warm-up and stretch. All that said, the routines on this DVD are good enough to overcome this flaw and bring me back to this workout. I used measly 3-pound weights for the cardio sculpt segment and my arms were actually crying for mercy by the end — and for normal strength-training I use between 5 and 10-pound weights (more for some back exercises). I'm not a kickboxing fan, but I still enjoyed this routine, and the exercises were designed especially to keep your abs working. The Pilates segment was excellent, too. It incorporated weights into the mat work for an extra push. This is a great, under-45-minute workout, especially if you skip the Pilates segment until last... or you can save it for later, if you like, for a quickie workout when you've got a few minutes to spare.

 

To Order Prevention: Shortcuts to Big Weight Loss

 

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