TapouT XT2 Hurl XT Workout DVD Review

It wasn’t too long ago the the original TapouT XT workout came out.  Maybe two years ago at the most. I remember seeing the infomercials and thinking it looked like a solid workout program.  I’m not a fan of buying a complete program however and that one bypassed me.

Then last year the TapouT XT2 program came out and promised to be even more extreme than the first program.  I glanced through the workouts and saw that one was named Hurl – well that sounded like a challenge that I wanted to partake in.  Nevertheless, I didn’t want to buy the complete program.  One of the best things I have done was buy a subscription to Kineticflix.  It’s sort of like Netflix but completely geared towards fitness/dance DVDs.  They are really good about getting the latest DVDs and programs (including beachbody programs) and you can try them one at a time without committing to purchasing an entire program.  I wanted to try the TapouT XT2 Hurl XT workout for a while now but just kept putting it off.  Then I saw it was available and I decided I was going to put that at the top of my queue.

To view the TapouT XT2 system click this link:  http://www.tapoutxt.com/xt2-index.html

You will notice that the system primarily uses a weighted/handled ball, strength bands, a jump rope, and weighted gloves.  Some of these are optional and are to intensify the workouts (the gloves).

For Hurl XT you need the ball, a jump rope and weighted gloves.  I used my own light ball and used my weighted gloves.  My 10 lb ball would have been WAY too much weight. Their ball is 4 lbs.  I also used my simulated cardio jump rope instead of a real jump rope.  You could just jump in place during those segments.  You could bypass the gloves completely.  I had to take them off about halfway through as after getting up and down off the floor they started cutting into my hands and I knew I could go harder if I took them off.

This workout was roughly 56 minutes long.  There was a very thorough 7 minute warm up.  The circuits are done in 10 minute blocks (except the final one is a little shorter).  The cardio movements are dynamic mostly being plyometric in nature. You will do a lot of jumping, a lot of pushups, a lot of squats, squat jumps, squat jacks, burpees, sprawls, etc.  There is a short water break between blocks.  Just enough time to grab a sip and towel off.  After the final block you do a minute long Killer Move which was a combination of a burpee and lateral knee tuck jump.  There was a 2 minute cooldown/stretch. I do not think this was enough for this type of intense workout and even the trainer tells you that you should do more stretching on your own.

This workout was right up there with the intensity of the DailyBurn Inferno workouts except this one was longer (the longest Inferno workout is 40 minutes but most of them are 30 minutes).

I loved the sense of accomplishment I got from completing the workout.  I felt invigorated and I felt the endorphins kick in.  My body felt like it had been on a bar-b-que grill.  Did I “hurl?”  No but like I said, had I used my 10 pound ball I think I would have for sure.

I like the trainer/creator Mike Karpenko.  He was pretty much get in, get out, get the job done type of guy and he wasn’t bad to look at either.

I am seriously considering buying this whole program.  I love intense workouts.

 

Ballet Body: Core Ultimate Tummy Tightener w/ Leah Sarago DVD Review

About a month ago I won this workout DVD from Brooklyn FitChick’s blog.  I was really excited to try it.

This DVD is roughly 45 minutes long and doesn’t require any equipment except a mat for the floor segment.  It doesn’t really have a formal warm up it just goes straight into the 9 minute standing toning segment.  I found some of this very challenging.  A lot of the standing moves focus on balance and balance is not one of my strong points.  I did like this segment and I also wish it had been a bit longer.  It started to pick up and almost had a mild cardio effect from moving faster. Then it ended just as it was picking up.

The floor toning segment is 30 minutes long.  Leah does some tucking movements and movements to work not only your front abs but also your obliques.  Some of the techniques she uses like these little circle movements in the holds are really effective and you will feel the burn.  Sometimes the burn was so intense that I had to come out of it for a moment and then go back into it.

The workout ends with a 6 minute stretch.

The set was calming and serene.  The music was sort of funky.  Leah is knowledgeable and serious.   If you can only do workouts that have a fun factor or an instructor with a cheerleader-type personality then this will not be a workout for you.  If you are looking for a serious ab toning workout with a few new techniques then this may just be up your alley.

I would give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Thanks to Brooklyn FitChick for offering this on your blog.  Find Brooklyn FitChick’s blog here: http://brooklynfitchick.com/

Since I liked the core workout so much and I enjoy lower body barre workouts, I thought I would try this one in the series. I like to do barre workouts because although I’m old school squats, lunges and deadlifts, I feel that barre workouts just get into those nooks and crannies of your butt/legs that those movements just don’t hit.  I have to be honest and say that I didn’t like it as much as the core workout.  It did burn and I’m sure it was effective but I’m used to doing barre workouts which have a bit of a cardio effect in the standing portions.

The standing portion of this workout is 34 minutes.  You will need either a sturdy chair or a workout barre for this segment of the workout.  There are portions facing the barre and portions where you are sideways to the barre.  The relevés and pliés with the circle movements really get your quads burning.  The standing segment will also get your calves burning as well.  The lunge-like movements with leg lifts while facing the barre will make the buttock of your standing leg really feel an intense burn.

There is a 7 minute floor toning segment for which you will need a mat.  These movements are mostly one-legged bridge lifts with some interesting techniques thrown in.  After this portion your butt will be fried!

Thankfully this workout has a very thorough 13 minute stretch.

Again, like the core workout, this does not have a fun factor (unless you are a masochist).  So you may not like it if you only go for workouts like that.

I would give this workout a 3 out of 5 stars because the techniques really are effective.  I just prefer other barre type workouts to this one.

 

Staying Active Away From Home – GUEST POST – Mike Manning

Today I have a great guest post from a gentleman who contacted me through my blog.  He wanted to share an article with my readers.

I feel that this article is especially of relevance now as we all begin our vacation/travel season for the summer.  I always try to stay active when I go on vacation.  When I travel I pack my strength band and plan on bodyweight workouts.  You may remember last summer I even got to practice yoga on the beach.  I also rent a bike if that is offered anywhere and pack some really good sneakers for long walks.

Staying Active Away From Home – Mike Manning

Staying active while traveling can be difficult, but the benefits of exercise while traveling are numerous.  Exercise can lower anxiety and stress that are brought on by travel, it helps you sleep better, and last but certainly not least it will enable you to go back home without worrying about your clothes fitting too tightly! With a little bit of effort before leaving on your trip, you’ll be reaping the benefits of exercise while bypassing the frustrations of working out in an unfamiliar place.

When booking a hotel, it is easy to glance at list of amenities offered, note that a gym is present and plan to use this for fitness.  However, many times upon arrival the gym turns out to be nothing more than a treadmill and stationary bicycle thrown into a room with a television to accompany you while you sweat.  This is why some due diligence is extremely important for the fitness aficionado going on a trip. On a recent trip to San Francisco I was able to book a great hotel for my fitness and personal needs because I used a travel reviews site beforehand. I was given a list of the best hotels in San Francisco and was able to parse through that list by seeing what amenities were offered and reviews on those amenities. This truly made my experience so much better. Due to increased demand, many hotels are willing and able to assist in finding suitable workout options for their guests should the hotel not provide any. A phone call to the front desk before booking a hotel room should help you determine all of your fitness options while away from home.

Another great option for staying fit while traveling is preplanning workouts that can be done anywhere.  Crossfit, a current fitness phenomenon, has gyms all over the US and if you’re already a member of a Crossfit gym it’s possible to find one ahead of time where you’ll be traveling so that you can stay up to day with the Workout of the Day (WOD).  Find a Crossfit gym here and call ahead of time to ask about drop ins.

In order to make sure that you’ve got all your bases covered, don’t forget your workout equipment. Yoga mat, headphones, iPod or music device, tennis shoes, jump rope, resistance bands, exercise friendly clothing, a plan of action and whatever else you might need to keep the fitness going.  Knowing what you plan to do before you get to your hotel makes it less likely that you’ll make excuses to not exercise while you are away from home.

Michael Manning is a Fitness and healthy living enthusiast who tries to see the best in all situations. He loves to hike, run, weight lift, travel, camp, cook, and be outside. Traveling the world and seeing nature’s beauty is his hobby and staying healthy through that is essential to him.

Mike has his own blog, Manning’s Musings:  Read his blog here:  http://mikemanningmusings.blogspot.com/

 

SWEAT: More with Jen Edwards Workout DVD Review

SWEAT: More with Jen Edwards is an aero/tone interval workout that utilizes high intensity cardio movements and compound strength movements to give you a killer workout.  This workout has 5 segments and within each segment are 3 movements. The first is the cardio high intensity move which is usually a higher impact movement.  The other two are the compound strength movements that utilize a dumbbell.  There are three circuits.  The first round is 60 seconds, the second round is 45 seconds and the third “speed” round is 30 seconds (Jen usually bumps up the intensity in this round).  You will need at least one dumbbell for this workout.  I used a variety of weights depending on what I could handle.  I used 15#, 10#, 8# and 5# (for the tricep move – hey that burned).  Jen uses a 5 pound weight throughout while the background people used 3 pounds.  If you are advanced level five or three pounds will be too easy for you and you are really going to have to bump up the weight (like me).  There is a modifier for someone who cannot do higher impact moves.

After a nice thorough warm up:

First Segment Moves:  Hook Jack – Side Lunge – Back Row with Glute Squeeze

Second Segment Moves:  Basketball Drill – Quick Feet – Lunge and Twist

Third Segment Moves: Jack and Punch – Squat & Swing – Overhead Tricep Extension

Fourth Segment Moves:  Swimming Speed Skaters – Around the Clock Squat – Diagonal Knee Shoulder Press

Fifth Segment Moves:  Jump Rope – Side Shuffle with Weight (more dynamic – the shuffle is sort of a hop) -Diagonal Squat Press (bumped up with a kick)

This workout ends with a core cool down consisting of some rotations with the weight and side bends with weight. There is a short stretch that is sufficient but nothing like a Cathe stretch.

This workout is roughly 60 mins.  The set for this workout was nice and clean and pleasant to look at.  This was my first workout with Jen Edwards.  I liked her.  She was motivating enough but wasn’t a bully at all.  She was knowledgeable and offered tips throughout.  This workout is a high-intermediate level and is great for someone at that level wanting to advance their workout. It may be too challenging for a beginner but if they wanted to step out of their comfort zone they could try doing all the modified moves.  An advanced level wouldn’t be bored if they really pushed the cardio portions and used heavy weights for the strength segments.  If an advanced level used 5 pounds throughout I don’t think they would feel challenged at all and would think this workout was too easy.

Jen Edwards also has a SWEAT: Total Body Burn workout available but I have not tried that because it is labeled as an intermediate level only not intermediate/advanced like this one is.

I would give this workout video 3 1/2 stars. I would like to see Jen Edwards release something even MORE challenging than this!  I think she would be really great at it.

 

 

ACE HIIT Series with Chris Fretag (Disc 1) Workout DVD Review

Chris Freytag recently released a series of HIIT workouts.  HIIT workouts seem to be all the rage at the moment because if you workout at a higher intensity and give it your all you can get a good workout in in a shorter amount of time than if you were doing steady state cardio for a longer length workout.

I have reviewed Chris Freytag workouts before on my blog back in 2011 when she released the Slimdown Xtreme series.  I was a fan of those and I am a fan of these HIIT workouts.  On Disc 1 there are 4 separate workouts all containing their own warmup and cooldown.  Each 30 minute workout focuses in on a particular part of the body:  Upper, Lower, Core and Total Body.  Chris’ intervals are Tabata-style intervals of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest.  There are 4 moves mostly rotating from a strength movement to a dynamic/plyometric movement (Chris gives low impact options and strength modifiers as well).  You complete this series twice for one total Tabata and rest for 45 seconds then repeat those same four moves again twice for a second total Tabata.  After repeating those 4 moves you get a set of 4 new movements and complete them in the same fashion (repeat moves twice for one total Tabata and rest for 45 seconds then repeat those same four moves again twice for a second total Tabata).  Now to really finish yourself off Chris gives you 4 more new moves that you repeat twice for one total Tabata and then you are ready for the cooldown (you do not rest and do this Tabata again).  In all 4 workouts there are a total of 5 Tabatas.   You will need varying sizes of dumbbells for the movements and Chris encourages you to go as heavy as you can to really challenge yourself and get your heart rate up. You may also need a mat and a bottle of water.

HIIT workouts are not supposed to be easy.  You are supposed to be going all out in the working time periods and relishing the short rests when they come.  As Chris explains Tabatas build on intensity and you will feel more fatigued as the workout goes on.

I think this workout is about a high intermediate level with enough to keep advanced level people happy.  It’s not quite as high intensity as a Cathe HIIT workout or the Inferno Intervals but I feel that it’s because some of the strength moves sort of slow you down.  Some of you may like this aspect. If you are a beginner and have never tried a HIIT workout, while these workouts are not easy I think Chris gives enough modifications to get you through the workout. This may be a great introduction to HIIT.  I really think that Chris’ gentle and encouraging nature isn’t going to make you feel bullied into doing something you cannot do.  As Chris always says:  YES YOU CAN!   Before you know it the workout is over and you have enjoyed yourself.

The second disc of this workout contains 2 10 minute toning portions and a 20 minute yoga segment.  I did not do the second disc yet and my review is of the HIIT workouts on Disc 1 only.   For the money, I think Disc 1 is worth it so having a second disc thrown in only an added bonus!!!

Overall I would give this an A-.  Only adding the minus sign for the drop in intensity that I crave.

 

Magic Power

This isn’t going to have anything to do with reviewing a workout DVD or fitness discussion really at all.  This is just something I wanted to write about and since I couldn’t find my notes section on my facebook page I decided to write about it here.   So if you only come here for my fitness related posts – you don’t need to read any further, I won’t be offended.

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to score tickets to see Rik Emmett play with our local Symphony Orchestra.  Right now some of you are probably like – Who is Rik Emmett?  Rik Emmett was the guitarist for the rock group Triumph – their heyday was the late 70s/early 80s – but they happen to have done my favorite song of all time Lay It On the Line.  One staple album I always keep in my Jeep is Triumph Classics – I’ve played the crap out of that one. I had been listening to them since I was a teenager but I never really knew what they looked like.  While they did have a few videos back in the 80s their heyday had been a bit before video killed the radio star.    One day just about a year or two ago I decided to look on YouTube for a video of Lay It On the Line. Much to my surprise I was like, “Wow, that guy is hot.” I had been listening to them for years and the guy had written my favorite song and didn’t really realize that.  Being that this man had written and performed my favorite song of all time, I jumped at the opportunity to see him in action.  I was too young to ever go to a Triumph show back in the day.

The show was magnificent.  It wasn’t a night of Triumph songs, it was the orchestra accompanying Rik who was doing renditions of his favorite “guitar heroes” songs – covers from people like, Clapton, Hendrix and Santana.  He also did a couple of songs of his own – including Magic Power originally done by Triumph and a song that got me through a lot of bad days as a teenager.  At one point at the end of While My Guitar Gently Weeps Rik and the Concert Master Violinist had a dueling guitar/violin segment and that was surely a highlight of the show. (Except when at one point in the show Rik even nodded and sang a few lines to me – I’m going to let myself believe that!)

Rik who mentioned that he just turned 60 recently still had it going on.  He’s still not a bad looking guy and he can STILL play.  I think he probably is even a better guitarist now.  I mean think about it.  If he was in his mid 20s to early 30s during the success of Triumph and has been playing all that time to the age of 60 – he certainly would have perfected his craft even more. He mentioned that he teaches guitar and music business classes at a college where he lives.  Imagine having him as your instructor.   You could totally see the rock star in him just wanting to bust out.  I mean when he plays the guitar, STILL at the age of 60 – he plays it with mofoing passion!  Funny guy too – he told some stories, explained a little about the guitar, talked about the funny faces you make when you play guitar, etc.

I was totally blown away by the show.   I hope to possibly have an opportunity in the future to see a show where he performs mostly Triumph songs.  That would be a real treat.  He’s still pretty active touring around, etc.

Since the show I’ve found a lot of videos of Rik playing his various gigs and he even has a few sit down segments where he talks about guitar solos and how to play things that I don’t even understand.

Below is a video of Lay It On the Line with Rik in his red jumpsuit that he even mentioned at the show.  The boy had it going on back in the day and even though the red jumpsuit is pretty cheesy even for the late 70s/early 80s he wore it well.

Rik Emmett back in the day when he was a little hottie:

Rik Emmett now – not too bad for a 60 year old man – he still set my heart aflutter:

Video of Rik giving guitar lessons on Lay It On the Line:

 

Cathe XTrain Burn Sets (Disc 3) Workout DVD Review

I originally had a taste of Burn Sets when Burn Sets Bi’s showed up as a Bonus onthe Cardio Legs Blast workout DVD. I really liked the concept.  In fact, I wish that Cathe would create a Burn Sets Legs workout or at least have it as a segment in a DVD.   You will need various sizes of dumbbells for this workout and Cathe also utilizes a strength band and the firewalker (for one of he moves).   As far as weight loads – think 20s, 25s, 30s, 10s and 8s (for the smaller muscle groups).

Burn sets is two separate workouts.  Chest, Back and Shoulders are grouped together (51 minutes) and Bi’s and Tri’s are grouped together (37 minutes).  Depending on your preference in working out muscle groups you can do them separately or do them altogether for a long and thorough workout.

I purchased this because I felt that I wasn’t being totally honest in my upper body workouts and while these moves are classic gym style movements the concept will work you to total failure to give you results.

In each muscle group their are 3 movements where Cathe does 10 reps of the movement for 2 of the sets and on the 3rd set this is to be your failure set and you are to train to failure.  After the three movements, Cathe adds in a burn set of one exercise for that muscle group to really fry and finish your muscle.   Each muscle group is trained before moving on to another muscle group.

After doing this workout DVD 5 times I could really notice a difference in my biceps – they definitely look more pumped up.  I do go heavy in this workout and go up in weight when I feel that I have gotten stronger in a movement.  I do not cheat myself so that I can see results.   For the smaller muscle groups where you can’t go up 5 lbs I do as Cathe suggests and use my weighted gloves to add resistance.

The Bonus workout is the Core #1 which is a great workout that will not only work your core but your hip flexors will be feeling it as well.

While this workout will not be exciting to some people (the music is pretty boring) – if you want to see results in your upper body – this workout will deliver (provided you go heavy).