Speaking of Kickboxing-DVD Advice

I love KCM's 30 Min. to Kickboxing. At first I found it intermediate but once you learn the workout, add the weighted gloves, and really work it, it becomes more "advanced."

Tracey's Sweat Fest is boring and I didn't find it that intense even when I really worked it...not nearly enough lower body work or kicks. It DOES work the upper body nicely but I want more of a cardio factor in a cardio workout.

Strike Zone is on my trade list at VF. I did it once and haven't felt inspired to do it again. Read ALL the reviews b/c it's not nearly as good as her friends and fans make it out to be but it's not nearly as bad as others make it out to be, in my opinion.

I love In the Ring but I traded Rumble away after two go throughs (the first Amy workout I didn't like). I found that I had to work too hard to get my heart rate up or to get it to stay up and it just moved way to slow for me.

I do enjoy Kimberly Spreen's Absolute Kickboxing and I especially enjoy the premix that alternates the weighted bar segments with the kickboxing segments.

I've tried several Tae Bo's and I'm just not a Tae Bo fan.

I can't speak to the others on your list as I do now own those.
 
I like Ilaria's Powerstrike 4 better than 5, but only because I like the music better in 4, they are both very solid KB workouts. Ilaria's workouts do not have the intensity of KPC, but I enjoy the variety they provide, her form is impeccable, and I enjoy the combinations.

I hated Tracey Staehle's Strikezone, just did not jive with me at all.

Amy Bento's Rumble is also not so intense, but I like doing this one if I do an early morning workout, I do break a sweat, and it wakes me up. I can't think too hard about anything in the morning, so these simpler combinations and slightly slower pace work well for me in the AM.

I have Amy's In the Ring, but honestly can't remember if I liked it, I guess I didn't love it, because I only did it once.

Amy's other KB, I think the xtreme, I couldn't keep up in the first 5 minutes, I get too frustrated from complicated routines, it's part of why I really don't like Step workouts.

Kimberly Spreen's Absolute kickboxing is a fun workout with great combos, and it gets my heart rate up there. I like the weighted bar routines in that one too. Great music too.

I bought a Janice Saffel (sp?) dvd that I also just didn't like the style or flavor of at all.

But other than KPC my favorite kickboxing is my live CKO kickbox class with heavy bags, that's a tough class, but a good one.
 
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kathryn said:
I have a Wavemaster.
I don't use it often, but if I did, I'm sure it would get my arms and legs in shape faster.
I filled mine with water (and a bit of bleach), which I thought would be easier to empty if ever need be.
It's not too hard to move around: you just tilt it on its side and roll.
It doesn't stay in one place, but I remedy that by either working around it so I hit/kick it back into place, or by setting it up on a yoga mat, with my heaviest dumbbells behind it.
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Thanks Kathryn! Do you recall how much it was? Did you add the bleach to avoid odor/bacteria? I'm thinking this might be my next investment. Of course then I have to find dvd's to go along with it. It's only money, right?

Bam
 
Kickbox Express

I don't think anyone mentioned Kickbox Express (if they did, sorry for the duplicate.) I just did this one this morning and I have to say that it is quite good if you're looking for a shorter workout. It has 31 minutes of kickboxing with approximately 6 minutes of aerobics mixed in it. Then it goes into bicep work and some nice ab work with planks. There are very nice upper body drills and some nice kicks in it as well. The warm up uses a bit of space but I easily modified it to fit my living room. I really did enjoy this workout and I like that it is shorter in time and gets the job done!

Bam
 
clothesminded said:
Bam- who is the instructor of Kickbox Express?


Thanks again for all of the responses to my request for advice. :)
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It's one of Cathe's. It's one of her earlier ones and I'm guessing it came out somewhere around the time of Cardio Kicks. If you're even shorter on time, you can fast forward through the aerobic segment but it goes by fast and is a nice sequence.

Bam
 
BAM said:
Thanks Kathryn! Do you recall how much it was? Did you add the bleach to avoid odor/bacteria? I'm thinking this might be my next investment. Of course then I have to find dvd's to go along with it. It's only money, right?
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I can't remember what it cost, but it was on sale (less that $100, I''m pretty sure.)

I added the bleach in case of bacteria (don't know if it's necessary, since the water container area is capped, and I didn't add much, because I didn't want it to break down the material).

A good set of DVD's (that I should use more often---too many workouts, too little time!) is "Real Kickboxing," a 4-DVD set. I find that even the tutorial workout is good (and I was thinking maybe the whole 1st DVD, with the tutorial and basic workout, might be worthless. KB with a bag IS different from shadowboxing--more intense. So even though I consider myself pretty advanced KB-wise, I didn't feel like it when doing the bag work! Back to intermediate, it seems!)
 
Great thread, I've been looking for additional kickbox workouts as well. I also have a Wavemaster and haven't used it lately but I really like it. It does not stay in place when you're kicking it hard, but it's a great workout for sure.

I have p90x and really love the Kenpo X workout. I've added 1 lb wrist weights to all the punching segements and that really kicks it up a notch. In fact I did it yesterday and I'm feeling it today! When I have a lot of energy some parts seem a bit slow but I just go at my own pace until Tony gets there.

Tried to like Billy Blanks but can't stand that even the warm up as well as the workouts are uneven--he does not do equal counts on each side and sometimes even does one side and then moves to something else...um...what about my left leg!!?? Not worth the money at all to me.

Maybe I'll try Kelly's 30 min workout after reading through this thread, thanks!

Sandra
 
I have stopped doing kickboxing, but right before I stopped I did try the Kelly Coffey-Meyers 30 min. to Fitness- Kickboxing, and thought it was great.

Monica
 
I love all things Michael Olajide. The guy has amazing form and taught me how to breathe during high intensity workouts.
 
I recently purchased a kickboxing dvd called "Thrive", which is lots of fun and very high energy. I got it at Borders.
 
Amy Bento, with a warning...

I finally enjoy Amy Bento's Kickbox Xtreme ....

However, it has taken forever to learn the choreography! She doesn't cue well and her moves are (for me) counter-intuitive. However, I have hung in there and learned it anyway and I finally enjoy it -- so much that I did it twice this week.

I am left/right challenged and not especially coordinated but I've heard from others that Amy is tough to learn.

I like the Kimberly Spreen video "Absolute Kickboxing" because I like the combat drills with the bar. I learned that one a little quicker. It's not so complicated and her cuing is better.

I can't say about Ilaria...I have her Powerstrike video but I've never done it (shame on me!)...

I like kickboxing a lot, so I'm always looking for other videos. I wish Cathe would put out a few more.... maybe after she finishes getting in shape with STS!
 
delfinn said:
I recently purchased a kickboxing dvd called "Thrive", which is lots of fun and very high energy. I got it at Borders.
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It looks good!
Here's a clip to check out.
http://www.fitnessorganica.com/products/Thrive.html
Not counting Cathe's kickboxing, all of my KB workouts seem intermediate and mostly steady state. Is it just me? I add intensity by punching harder etc.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I like it because I don't always need body pounding, heart racing cardio. I have Cathe's workouts and Coach Sean for that:) Just making an observation.
 
Tony Horton's Kenpo X+ has become a favorite of mine. It's short (about 45 mins), so I do the last double round twice, which brings it closer to an hour. Plus, the last round has the best combos! I also add CoreX+ for a great overall workout.

I also love Cathe's K,P,C, Powerstrike 1 and 2 (I have #5 and like it a lot, but don't love it), Tae Bo Ripped Advanced #1, and Tae Bo Original Advanced.
 
Thanks for the reviews...

I just got KCM's 30 min to fitness: Kickboxing and I love it, exactly what I was looking for!

Sandra
 
You guys are awesome (and enablers - lol). I'd forgotten just how much I enjoyed Michael Olajide's workouts. All of the talk about Cathe's new heavy back workout coming made me consider my workout dvd's that actually are bag-based. I am always looking for more to add. Based on your comments, I just ordered Savage & Serene, as well as Aerobox. They are currently on sale at http://www.advancedworkouts.com/aerospace-nyc.html, and you get free shipping on any DVD over $19!

Just FYI: here are a few other bag-based DVDs that I LOVE. You can find all of these on Amazon.com. If you love bag workouts, you might want to give some of these a try; they are gems!
1) Danny Sullivan's "Real Kickboxing Bag Workout" (amazon.com or ebay)
2) John Hackleman's "The Pit Workout" (amazon or www.thepitworkout.com)
3) John Hackleman's "The Pit: Crosspit" (amazon or www.thepitworkout.com)
 
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This has been a great thread! I was enabled by it too :) Picked up Aerobox on sale from Advanced Workouts, and had earlier gotten the AeroJump, based on comments here.

Thanks for the suggestions for bag workouts. I've never done one, and am looking forward to Cathe's. One thing I've wondered. I was "shown how" to use a bag by a martial arts instructor once, and I suspect I was shown incorrectly, because my hand ended up covered with hematomas afterwards and was black and blue for a month (and this did not happen when I learned to split boards, which left no marks or soreness). Have you had any hand injuries from using the bag, and did you need help with your form beyond what you could get from the dvds?
 
Hi Shadowpup,

I'm sorry to hear about your hand! ouch!! Were your hands properly wrapped? If they were too tight or non-existant, that could have contributed to your bruising. I worked out at a boxing gym for about 2 years, so I already knew how to hit the bag when I started doing in-home boxing workouts. However, Danny Sullivan's Real Kickboxing is a 5-volume set. The first volume is the introductory workout and has a large instructional component. I thought it was a good refresher. I would assume that Michael Olajide's Everlast beginner workouts may have an instructional component as well. I had that DVD a long time ago and had to sell it when I was short on cash. I do know that the Everlast Beginner & Advanced workouts are pretty cheap and can be found at local sporting goods stores such as Academy & Dick's.

Hope this helps,
Fitgirl-ATX
 
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FitGirl, it does help! I'm pretty sure that the 'sensei' didn't know what he was doing, in hindsight. I'd worked with a real sensei before, who had taught me to break without difficulties and we never had to wrap, whether hand edge/fist/elbow, kick .... But we never worked with a bag, just multiple boards of various thickness. Silly me, trusting a new person to show me how to hit any solid object, but somehow it seemed 'safer' to work with a bag than wood! It had seemed like a great way to start with a new person. But what a lesson.

Thanks for the pointer for what was likely wrong, and I'll be sure to find someone trustworthy to show me how to do a hand wrap. I like the idea of getting a five volume set, too, for home reference. Great timing on this conversation! Christmas and birthday, both right around the corner :)
 
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