Who are your bests for each category?

[Vee]

I like:

Strength-Training - Ms Friedrich
Cathe's style of weight training is perfect for me. She sticks mainly to classic moves, throws in a bit of innovation and has no fluff in her workouts. Her approach to working a muscle group thoroughly appeals to me. Just the right balance between repeated sets and a mix of exercises. I like split routines best, but I also enjoy her full body routines. I trust Cathe more than anyone for results I get from doing her stuff and for being a safe instructor. I credit Cathe for turning me from Intermediate to more Advanced than I ever imagined I would be.

Cardio - Sean O' Malley
Running with Cardio Coach gives me better fat burn results than any other kind of cardio. I am so enthralled with getting my cardio on machines now that videos have become a second choice, mainly to cross train.

Standing Core Work, Tight-on-time - Kelly C M
I like Kelly for many reasons but the topmost thing is standing Core work. Her standing core work is more fun than any other way to work core in my book. I also think she is the best go-to-girl when you are tight on time. She knows how to squeeze value from every minute. I also like that her intensity never gets over-the-top. I like intense workouts too, but sometimes I want to be challenged but not pushed to my limits.

Fun and the unexpected - Tracey Staehle
Walking Strong did have a predecessor with the Tread Moves, but that was a long time ago. WS has zero-impact, yet is a very challenging cardio workout that makes time fly. HLMB and Strike Zone are very unique too. Both have moves I have never seen before and keep my mind fully engaged without complex choreo. I love the lower body premix on Circuit Zone. It has a combination of weighted and unweighted work that makes for a fun lower body workout. In all her workouts, the idea to me seems to have as much fun as possible while working out.

Yoga - No clear winner
I like classic yoga with no fusion. I also like to mix Vinyasa/Power with more static hold of asana styles. There are so many great instructors in this category including some I still have to try. I dont think I could even pick a top 5.

I dont do anything that is choreo-intensive and am not a barre / pilates fan so I cant choose any winners there.

Honorable mentions: I love the personalities of Tony Horton, Mindy M and Patrick G and think they are very good at what they do. Tony's weight training is a bit much for me though and not enough emphasis at what I am best at - lower body. Amy Bento is very impressive, but a lot of her work is outside my preference-zone - highly choreographed. Jari is effective, but I find her workouts are too similar to each other for me to feel tempted to get more (I have R&C and S&L).

 

[LauraMax]

Ooh, what a fun thread!

Strength training: the master trainer at my gym. He rocks! So many trainers are full of crap but this guy really knows what he's doing. I'm trying to convince him to submit a proposal to NYSC to start their own home workout division.

Cardio: Amy Bento. Fun & super intense.

Core: Ms. Friedrich. Core Max is still my staple for abs.

Fun factor: I have to agree w/you about Tracey. And I love that she's smart enough & not too spotlight-obsessed to use other other trainers in her workouts that might be more knowledgeable than her. She really is so unique & creative.

And I'll add some categories of my own:

Kickbox: I think Cathe is the best, but Kimberly Spreen's KB Extreme is one of my favorites.

Kettlebells: far from an expert, but so far I like Steve Cotter's the most. It's so extensive & versatile.

Honorable mentions: yep, love me some Tony. I also really like Michael Olajide, his stuff is fun & tough.

 

[Jess_jugs]

Strength-Training:
Tony Horton (P90X and X+) , his training has worked best for my body. I do love Cathe for her lower body work though.

Cardio:
Cathe (Kickboxing & step), she just knows how to make cardio FUN! I do love Coach Sean too, he's the only reason I suffered through the elliptical w/ an achilles injury!

Core:
Tony Horton (Ab RipperX and Abs/ Core+) and Cathe's CoreMax

Fun and the unexpected:
ChaLene Johnson, her Turbo Jam's are always fun!

Yoga:
Baron Baptiste Live and I do like Bryan Kest Power Yoga

Pilates:
Winsor Pilates, the Advanced sculpting circle and Maximum Burn workouts are my favorite

Honorable mentions:
Debbie Siebers, I love her and think she's great in the Slim Series

 

[Miss Lee]

Ooh, fun thread!

Strength training - Cathe, hands down.
I say this coming to home exercise from working out in a gym with a PT for years! I like her for all of the reasons Vrinda stated. She's simply the best when it comes to gym style workouts at home.

Cardio - Sean O'Malley
If it weren't for Sean and the Cardio Coach workouts I wouldn't be doing cardio at all. I'm choreographically challenged which completely rules out step, kickboxing, and hi/lo. Sean opened up the world of machine cardio for me. I've always HATED cardio. With Sean, I not only LOVE my time on the elliptical, I actually look forward to it. That's HUGE! I'm actually thinking about joining another gym just so I can try other machines.

Stretching and flexibility - Miranda Esmonde-White
Miranda is the first instructor I've come across who really made a difference in my flexibility and just how I feel in general. I've had chronic issues with neck and back pain that have GREATLY improved since I began doing her workouts. My balance and core strength have also improved a lot, as well as the flexibility in my hips! I would describe her workouts as a fusion of ballet, tai chi, and yoga.

Miscellaneous - Anthony Diluglio, Beth Chamberlain, Lauren Brooks
I LOVE kettlebells!! I'm not sure how to classify kettlebell training -- it incorporates strength, flexibility, and cardio all in one workout that gets me good every.single.time!! This was probably my greatest fitness discovery of 2008!