Re: The FIRM Cardio Core Fusion

[Guest guest]

Funny, I really like this especially the remixes. Ms Fake Smile is Terri Ann Krefting, she's in a lot of GAIAM videos, leads a few ExerciseTV vids and leads Crunch Belly, Butt & Thighs Boot Camp...I think that may just be her look, LOL.

I remember thinking the same thing about her when I first saw her but she's grown on me plus I like her Crunch workout but she is definitely an acquired taste, lol.Vennitta

 

This is an AWT workout with Rebekah Sturkie leading it, using the sculpting balls (each is 1 or 2 pounds). The only backgrounder I recognized was , who shows the low impact, non-weighted modifications. I bought this because I liked the idea of the balls and I do like them. They have adjustable straps that are comfortable to use and the balls are also soft enough to grab without the straps (though the straps come in handy for certain exercises). I've also used them with workouts where she uses her weighted balls and for a few other things. I did not like the workout at all though. It is 55 minutes and there are 2 premixes on the DVD that are each 30 minutes. I tried one of the premixes once but don't have any notes about it and don't remember it. This was my first time doing the full workout (and last). It was very confusing! I spent most of the workout not only going " Huh? " to Rebekah's instructions and then watching to figure it out but then couldn't even always catch on after watching it a little bit. I jumped in anyway and did my own version of what they were doing but felt like I was missing out when I did. As the title implies, this workout focuses on the core and I found the balls very effective in helping me to feel my core working in many of the exercises, so that was a plus. Most exercises are standing but there is a short floor segment, that includes pushups and even a short set of triceps pushups with both hands under the strap of one ball -- ouch. The floor segment was the toughest of the entire workout. I think, the rest, except for following the choreography, was not all that challenging but it does keep moving, which was also good. There were a lot of balance moves, which I complain about but I actually do like the challenge of them. I just don't like it when instructors do like she does, adding on so many layers that it becomes difficult to remember the sequence, keep a hold of the ball(s), focus on the abs and whatever other muscles you're supposed to be working and keep your balance.

I have two other complaints which might seem minor but they bugged me. One is that there are unnaturally long pauses after many sections of exercises that indicate to me they planned this workout to be broken into shorter ones and they didn't want to do much editing later. They broke up the flow too much and allowed the heart rate to drop too much. The other one, and this truly drove me nuts, is that there is a blonde backgrounder in the front row who the camera focuses on constantly. She GRINS with the most plastic, unnatural smile through the ENTIRE workout and often you can see her eyes looking over at Rebekah to make sure she's doing it right or something but still, with the GRIN as she faces the camera and her eyes shift towards Rebekah. There's another woman in the back row on the other side who is also smiling through the entire workout but she somehow manages to look more natural. Then there's a woman behind the blonde who smiles often but not constantly and is obviously focusing and working hard and who is just (which is good, in my opinion). Just the plastic grin alone was enough to make me want to throw (hard throw too) the DVD away! It wasn't even robotic grinning, it was more like a caricature of a smile. Awful, truly.

I might try the other two workouts before I trade this. I might not too.