Customer Reviews

CIA 2303: Step It Strong Featuring Keli Roberts

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is my 4th Keli Robert's Step Fitness Video that I have purchased and it has quickly become my favorite. I've been waiting for so long for Keli to come out with another Cardio/Step - Strength Training - as I've been doing the others for at least 5 years now.

As always, her tone and voice is encouraging and her workout is "quite challenging" to quote her over the years. I would probably not recommend this workout for the very beginning stepper as the step routines and moves are definetly intermediate to advanced, but for me, who started "stepping" with her very first video with Cher, it was a most refreshing routine. Her step routines are quick and punchy and you don't have time to dread another move when it's time to pick up the weights. I LOVE her weight routines as some of them I've never seen or done before (I also do Kathy Smith Step/Cardio as well as The Firm w/Fanny Lifter). The Abs as always, are challenging and you'll improve with practice. I know that this video will keep me motivated to work out and I'm sure I'll get the results I'm needing. On a final note - the music is terrific! Way to go Keli!

Keli Roberts is quickly surpassing Kathy Smith for me as my favorite video aerobics instructor. I do her 10 Minute Solution Kickbox regularly; and now this one is also going to be a steady routine in my workouts.

This is a great mix of cardio and weights. It is similar to Kathy Smith's Fat Burning Breakthrough, except that there is more emphasis on strength training than step cardio. Since I am working on building up muscle and metabolism, that makes this video more suited for my needs. My back, arms and thighs were very sore after this, which was a good thing because I am not as challenged these days as I would like to be.

The step combinations are probably challenging. I've taken my share of step/dance classes, so these weren't a big deal for me, but I could see how someone less experienced would be thrown for a loop. My advice is keep at it and you'll get it. I suspect the overall combo of cardio and weights will pay off in the end.

I first discovered Keli Roberts through the DVD Kickbox Bootcamp, which is one of the 10-Minute Solution series. I LOVE that workout, but this one I was more ambivalent about.

Despite the fact that I am fit, work out regularly, and take a challenging step aerobics class every week, the step portions of Step It Strong were just too much for me--too high impact and too "dancey foo foo" (too many directional changes up and over the step). About halfway through, I completely gave up on following her increasingly complicated choreography and did my own thing just so I could get some exercise. Her cueing is not good enough for as complicated as the choreography is and there is no teaching a step slowly before you do it...nor any instructional section on the DVD to help with this. I kept having to rewind the DVD to the step I didn't catch, pause the DVD, and then step through the move second-by-second to break the steps down so I could figure out how to do them. Perhaps these are common steps for some people--definitely not in my aerobics class--but then the class I go to is happily NOT "dancey foo foo."

In contrast, I quite enjoyed the weight training segments of this DVD and was able to keep up with them. I loved that her weight training segments aren't the same series of exercises that everyone does. Sure she does the typical bicep curl and tricep kickback, but she does a lot of more unusual things for the back and shoulders too, and that was fantastic.

Just as a side note for those who are older or have knee trouble, the whole workout is fairly punishing on the knees between the step cardio and the many and varied types of lunges done on and off the step.

I am glad that I rented this DVD vs. buying it sight unseen. On the other hand, I'm actually considering buying the DVD just for the weight training portions. Because of the "pick and choose" menu system, you can just do the weight training workouts or just do the step workouts or you can do them as filmed (an integrated series of step sessions followed by weight training sessions).

If you are looking for an advanced workout and you love the "dancey foo foo" style of aerobics, you will no doubt love this. I would definitely not recommend it to a beginner who is just starting out with exercise.

In the instructor catagory, Keli is in my top 3. I have done many of her workouts and when I needed to lose weight, I did via her dvds. Even now, I still do this workout every now and then to boost my metabolism again, because it's tough but so effective and fun.

In this, there are aerobic/toning intervals for a little under 40 minutes (the most effective way to burn fat and calories) and then there is body sculpting. It is tough, but so worth while. She is very motivating yet has a no-nonsense method. The choreography is great and makes it fun. It is an advanced workout, so don't jump right into this if you haven't worked out for a while. When I first got this about 3 years ago, I couldn't do much of it at all, but by doing it in parts over time, and other easier workouts, I got there and it's worth it to keep trying. You won't be disappointed.

When I first tried this workout I was a little intimidated because it looked confusing, but once I did it, it wasn't bad. Now, I don't even have to watch the video, I know it by heart. I love this step workout, it is fun, effective, and doesn't get boring like so many others. You can mix and match the workouts so you can do all cardio, cardio and weights, or only weights. I hope Keli has additional workouts or puts some out soon! If you like step, this is one to have!!

The routines are easy to follow but not boring over time. The workout is challenging even for a seasoned exercise fanatic. It has a nice focus on thighs but touches on all muscle groups. I am a fan of Keli Roberts who provides clear instuction without the needless chatter that can become annoying if heard over and over. This is a 5 star exercise video.

This video is tough, but fun. I like having room to "grow" with videos. I mean, really, how much of a workout would it be if you could do it all the first time through. Sometimes I can't believe she thinks me capable of the things she is asking me to do, but her sense of fun and adorable accent keep me smiling. The video shows very simplified steps to significant intensity variations. It is easy to make it a workout on whatever level you want to do that day.

Poor instructions and difficult moves seem to be the theme of the bad reviews here, but this workout is not made for the person who wants to "master" it on your first attempt. This workout will last you through many different fitness levels. Personally, I get very bored with the DVD's that "walk" you slowly through every move at baby-step momentum, because 2 months down the road, the workout is way too easy and too slow. Not so with this one!

This DVD is definitely tough, and it did take me a few times through it to learn the step routines (so what?), but I have had great results using it (and that's why we do it, right?). The step portions are difficult, and even after using this DVD for 3 straight months, they still leave me winded. The sculpting portions are tough as well, lots of squats & lunges. Great for shaping your legs.

I especially like that this is interval-training. It breaks the workout into segments of step and weight training, with a sculpting, abs, and back portion at the end. I have had better results with interval training than with any other type of workout, and I've tried them ALL!!

Any DVD that can help me take off 20 lbs of baby weight in 3 months is worth your money!! The routines are not difficult once you learn them, and the results are worth it.

As someone who has done step aerobics on and off for 15 years, this was a very solid, well thought out program. As in all of Keli's "classes", the instructions aren't oversimplified or repeated several times, nor does she spend much time going over the moves slowly. As this may frustrate beginners, you have to appreciate that after you've done the routine 20 times and know it better than she does, you are not bored by the repetition or slow intros. I reccommend doing the routine at first with your remote in hand, ready to put it into slow motion to get particular moves down, then back up and start that segment again to get your full workout!
Just when you think you are too tired from cardio, she puts you into strengthening. And if you want only cardio or only strengh training, you can set the menu up that way.
You cannot go wrong with any of her step routines. They're fun and she and her crew, while smiling, aren't too cutesy.

I tried this workout for the first time about two months ago. I do cardio, yoga, and weights fairly regularly, and was sore for two days after the first try! I've done Keli's previous step and kick boxing work outs, and was looking to increase the intenisty, in particular on the weight/strength side. This workout is perfect. The step segments are simple but intense, and very effective -- I found nothing dancey-foo foo here, except for a mambo cha-cha at the end, which is a fairly standard move. My favorite thing about Keli as an instructor is that she doesn't dumb down the workouts: she assumes you are capable, and challenges you from the get-go with advanced moves such as push-ups topped off by side plank, but as always provides modifications for beginners. I end this workout feeling great mentally and physically, knowing I have accomplished a great workout. After about a month, I noticed a huge difference in my ability to sustain tough yoga poses, particularly shoulder stand and full back bend, and I've been able to increase the weight during the freeweight segments of this workout. Highly recommended.