Questions about new tapes

[garance]

I am looking at my new Collagevideo catalogue and wondering whether to buy the following: CIA 2302: Amazing Step Styles with Rob Glick; Charlene Prickett's Crazy for Step; Gin Miller's Simply Endurance; and Kathy Smith's Lift Wts. to Lose Wt. 2.

Has anyone bought these and tried them? If so, what do you think?

I just sold 3 Mindy Mylrea tapes at Ebay. They languished forever in my tape collection. The only one I slightly liked was Interval Express, but I found Strength Express and Awesome Intervals unlikeable. The clincher for getting rid of them was the chatter--I didn't like it, and my husband groaned everytime I put her in. Her cueing is terrible.

 

[kathryn]

I have two of them: Kathy Smith's and the Charlene Prikett. I wasn't so hot about the Kathy Smith tape when I first previewed, because Kathy is off the beat of the music several times throughout the workout, but once I used it, I just followed the music and ignored her, and eventually we were in sync. It's a light to moderate weight workout that incorporates a lot of "functional fitness" techniques like balancing on one leg and twisting the upper body while doing lateral raises. The glute and leg work seems modest, but from DOMS, it seems like it works! I enjoyed it.

Charlene's tape is the first step tape of hers I have. The music is good, the choreography is interesting but not dancy: lots of a "weave" move where you step up with the right foot, then bring the left foot back and over to the other side, several over the tops from side to side. One thing some people might not like is there is a lot of TIFTing (taking it from the top). Also, Charlene and crew use a 10" step (which I think is rather risky and completely unnecessary: their form also suffers a bit from it as they sometimes step up "Groucho-style"). Charlene is chatty, but it's mostly about working out, though she does chat with her two background exercisers (who are also miked, and who chime in a bit too often for my tastes. One of the background exercisers started to irritate me, because she seems to want to be co-instructor.) If you hate chatter, I'd say there's more here than in a Mindy workout.

 

[garance]

Thanks Kathryn! I have Charlene Prickett crossed off now. When Cathe makes a joke, I don't mind, but constant chatter drives me nuts.

 

[AllisonT]

Someone posted a review of "Simply Endurance" on the General Discussion board at Video Fitness - check it out.

 

[hounddogs]

Rob Glick has great moves, but his cuing isn't always the best. I really like that tape: Cathe-like in athletic danciness, if that makes sense. I posted about Simply Endurance further down in Open Discussion. I just tried it last night, and can feel it in my shoulders and hams particularly today. It's non-stop and thorough, except for maybe biceps. I recommend both of these, but don't have the others. I know what you mean about Mindi; I'd probably do her workouts a lot more if it weren't for all the yacking. By the way, if you're someone who doesn't like chattiness, which Gin is prone to also, she's quite reserved on Simply Endurance. Have fun!

--Ann