New CIA tapes

AnatW

Active Member
Anybody tried the new videos from the CIA ?

They seem fun, but I wanted to get some reviews.

Thanks, Anat.
 
I haven't bought any CIA vid's in a while.I don't know how new these ones are that you are talking about but the ones that I do have aren't that old.
I don't enjoy the CIA videos.I don't know if it is because I am so use to Cathe tapes now.But i found that their tapes were very poor quality and it was like working out in a gym cause it seemed as if the girls that were there did not know what their instructor was doing half the time.
And another one that my sister sent me were of these guys.I think they have their own vid's out now and they are called the G Force(HMMMMM, dont know about that).But in that video you needed ALOT of room.It was on real how much they were moving around.
But I guess if you already have some CIA videos and you enjoy them, then I guess you could go for it.As for me I won;t be ordering any new ones.
Take Care,
Lori
 
I enjoy CIA videos in general. I think they offer a lot in terms of variety in advanced workouts. The background exercisers are sometime less rehearsed because often they are picked by Greg ( the producer ) and see the workout for the 1st time shortly before filming. Other instructors bring their own background people in to work with them,and have a more polished look. usually a few mess ups in the back don't bother me. I feel less like a loser when *I* end up on the wrong foot. There aren't enough good, advanced workouts out there for those kinds of things to bother me. I also have a decent sized workout space, so I don't have to modify as much as some people do with some of these.

This last set was somewhat disappointing to me, however. I LOVE Strength Express with Mindy Mylrea and the medicine ball work. It's innovative and fun. It's not a Cathe style "beat every muscle into submission" workout. It's more endurance style with a heavy focus on core work and endurance for the legs. The core work is amazing! My abs hurt for 3 days after this workout, and I thought nothing could make my abs sore anymore!

The rest of them though just didn't grab me the way many CIAs have in the past. It's not that they're BAD by any means. But they all used the same sound track, which got pretty old for me. I'm spoiled rotten by Cathe and Christi's cueing, so I had less patience for those who didn't cue quite as well. There's also one section in 2204 with Mark Hendricks, Laura Downing and Melissa Catillo where Mark is making some extremely suggestive comments and gestures. It didn't bother many people. For me it went over the line from "spicy" to "crude." It's just my opinion though. A lot of people at VF liked these all of these videos a lot.

In older CIAs, I really love Step This Way with Kristin Kagen, Gay Gasper's Greatest Step Workout ( not super intense but very fun -- good for days when you want to take it easier ), and Becky Chamberlain's Kicked Up Step ( very different, but a bit of a space hog ), among others,
 
CIA videos are not as high in quality as Cathe's but really not that bad. By quality I mean production quality and like mentioned above some exercisers are not as well rehearsed. I think the news one are really good except I was not impressed with the music but it is still decent. The G-Force guys, mentioned above, are great and their newest video, Super Step, is really good. I don't have a lot of room and I was able to do this one. They have a good relationship with one another and it is just a fun workout. If you like somewhat dancy step then you will like this one. I second the great opinion on Step This Way. Very intense, in my opinion, and has some dancy in it also. CIA videos are really a mixed bag and you just kind of have to read reviews and take a stab. It's a good way to get exposed to different instructors, some of which are very good!!!!

Kelly http://www.sgtfuzzbubble99.homestead.com/files/Smilies/De_Niro/eeyore.gif
 
My two cent

I pre-ordered the latest CIAs but I think I'm just going to reserve that honor for Cathe & Christy from now on. I'm actually a little torn over some of these.

Yes, Mark was definitely a bit "much" at times. I think he could've been a lot classier with his ad-lib stuff. He didn't seem to understand that he wasn't presenting at a Broadway dance class and that some people will be doing the workout with their children home, you know. Otherwise I did like Step till you Drop, even though the second and third (Mark) instructors did seem to be all about dance class and less about effective exercise and good cuing. I liked the first section best, could do that one over & over! It's athletic and fun, really makes you sweat but you do have to think about what you're doing too. Both the girls on this tape have very likable personalities, and I guess Mark does too if you like the sauce a little thick.

The last couple of G-Force step tapes are okay (getting better actually) but still not really my thing. They seem to go back and forth from athletic one moment to overly dancy the next. I like Rob & Darren the best and, to be honest, Patrick really gets on my nerves. Maybe he & Mark ought to do a video together, they both seem more interested in teaching dance than working out. Oh, by the way, The ‘G' in G-Force is because all their last names begin with the letter ‘G'. Well, take it or leave it.

Step 2BFit is pretty fun but it's more choreography oriented and less intense. Phillip's cuing isn't always up to snuff but if you're already advanced in choreography, you'll get it pretty quick. I definitely recommend it if you're a choreo junkie.

On the tape with boxing and step, both of the instructors are very likable. The boxing is not really my thing but I tried it once just for fun and I do like the instructor, she seems very professional and motivating. I like that she's really tough but not intimidating. The step portion of that tape is fun but once in a while something the instructor does just feels funny. I dunno. She also doesn't seem to teach very efficiently but then again, I too have been completely spoiled by Cathe & Christy!

I can't stand the all kickbox one by Terri. She really got on my nerves, especially since she keeps making this sound like she's getting ready to throw up! I couldn't even finish previewing it.

Franny's was good. A couple of times during step she does something that doesn't feel completely natural to me but for the most part, it's pretty fun and keeps you breathing.

And Mindy's tape, well, what can I say, still waiting for one from her I can use. I really love Mindy but she just never does anything that's my style. I agree with the poster who said that it's a good video but definitely not grueling strength work like most of Cathe's which is really what I want. Besides, that paper plate under one foot thing just does not work on my carpet. I do, however, get a kick out of the fact that she brought it from her son's birthday party, ha! She's such a hoot, sure hope she does something I can use one of these days.

Hmmmm, sorry I've gotten so long winded here but I hope this helps.
 
RE: My two cent

Hi
Thank you to all for taking the time to discuss the CIA videos.I myself have also been contemplating purchasing the 2 dvd (6 vids)from CK Sales.They are rather expensive for the set & I think I am really only interested in Mindy & Debbie Burns maybe Franny.It's difficylt being a video addict.I should just wait for the new Cathe's and not waste any more $ on videos that end up on the shelf.
cheers
Ki
 
RE: My two cent

Some kind person sent me a "defective" DVD with 3 workouts on it, one of them was the Mark Hendricks one. I would never be able to use it, those remarks he keeps making are so crude, but the tone of voice is even worse, IMO. Ew! I remember reading about it on VF and thinking How could anybody actually tolerate this dude.

Cathe has spoiled me with her professionalism and class. She is focusing on fitness and the workout and it shows. Haven't found anyone who comes close.

Just my opinion but I'm sticking to it.
 
RE: My two cent

Hi

I just wanted to jump in I have CIA 2201, 02, 03 on DVD I also love Mindy's workout it is fun tough and I love her interaction with her workout partners.

Franny's looks good but I don't like the fact that on the Step workout its just Franny I would have like others there so that someone could do modifications otherwise hers looks okay.

I like Terri she actually makes me laugh and I don't mind the noises I actually find myself joining in.

The production is not too bad in my opinion and the instruction is better than on one of the step and hi/low workouts I bought a while back.

Having read some of the opinions I don't think I will get the rest of the set but I will wait until the new vids have been reviewed before I get them. I don't have enough confidence in CIA to preorder.

Babs
 
RE: My two cent

Just had to step in and say I think Mindy's Strength Express is one of the best functional fitness workouts out there. Kisuzu (hi!!), I know you're a Mindy fan...if you don't have this one, definitely get it, even if you just get the VHS. I do have the DVD with this and the Franny (never done it) and Terri workout on it; the Terri workout is actually okay, some good core work. But Mindy's Strength Express is a must-have, IMHO,

Christine
 
Some of the older CIAs are not that great in terms of production and cueing. I did one with Helen van der Berg the other day and the cueing was awful! Everyone was on the wrong foot.

Try to preview the videos at collagevideo.com. Some of them are better than others. Some people dislike Mindy Mylrea, but I like her. Her tapes give a good workout. It's nice because the moves seem functional.

I got Strength Express- I've only done it once so far, but I had a hard time doing some of the moves she did. I'm in good shape, so it wasn't that- they were just not what I'm used to. Plus, she uses paper plates in some moves that look cool, but didn't work on my carpeting.

Interval Express is another new one. This is good, however, she took more of a rest period between intervals than she usually does. I like short rests so my HR doesn't go down too far.

Overall, CIA tapes can be hit or miss. I'd check reviews and go from there. I know Mindy's site has a 3 for $55 deal.
 
interval express

I take back what I said about Interval Express (mindy mylrea) having too long of rest periods. I did it for the 2nd time and discovered it's tough!! You really work your legs too. I'm still not *loving* the medicine ball moves, but it's no big deal.

I think I was just used to her simple moves in her old videos. So I wasn't constantly moving since I had to watch her do the moves first. This isn't high choreography at all, some moves just take a few tries to get so it seems like you're not working hard.
 

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