Customer Reviews

Kathy Smith - Cardio Knockout

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This DVD is a compilation of two previous Kathy Smith releases, Kickboxing Workout and Aerobox, and buying them together is a great deal! The Kickboxing workout is appropriate for beginners but will challenge intermediates as well, and the Aerobox workout will leave intermediate to advanced exercisers sweating. I have broken down the two programs in detail below.

The Kickboxing Workout was my first-ever experience with kickboxing, and I've loved it ever since. The program begins with Ketih Cooke, a well-known kickboxer, providing simple explanations of each of the punches and kicks that will be used in the workout. Kathy then takes over, leading you through a 10-minute warm-up. Next comes the 25-minute kickboxing work. During this section, you will practice punches and kicks, starting slowly and then building up to a faster pace. Kathy gradually works up to basic punch-kick combinations which are simple to learn yet to fun to do. At the end of this section, two short combinations are presented by Keith Cooke and another well-known instructor, Keli Roberts. Following the main workout, there is a 5-minute segment of kicking drills, a nice stretch using a chair, and finally a 5-minute bonus abs/back segment (not sure why the stretch came before this).

Aerobox is a tough boxing working combined with jump rope drills to up the intensity even further. Although Kathy is present in a leading role, the main instructor is actually Michael Olajide, a boxer. Prior to the start of the workout, Kathy and Micheal review the moves which will be used during the routine and discuss proper form. The workout begins with a warmup lasting just over 7 minutes. In this section, you will perform simple punches combined with side steps and plenty of twists to begin raising the heart rate; the warmup ends with some basic upper and lower body stretches. The next section, standing boxing, is the longest segment at 11 minutes. Here you will concentrate more intensly on the punches, and Michael introduces some double-time moves. Following this comes "Stick and Move 1," a 4-minute segment which adds some simple footwork--mostly via boxer's shuffles--to the boxing movements. Next comes the first jumprope segment (4 minutes)--it's very challenging even without the rope! A second "Stick and Move" section follows, this one only 2 minutes but with some quicker footwork. The next jumprope segment lasts 5 minutes, with the moves becoming a bit more complex. The final "Stick and Move" section is also only 2 minutes and again involves quick footwork; the final 4-minute jumprope segment ups the intensity and impact even further by adding some jogging and knee raises. During the "Aerobic Cool-Down," you are still doing punches and some footwork, but at a much slower pace. The 4-minute stretch segment brings the total workout time to 50 minutes.

Again, this DVD is really a great deal--as always, you get excellent instruction by Kathy Smith, fine guest performances by Michael, Keli, and Keith, and two all-around great workouts. Highly recommended!

The two main workouts on this DVD, kickboxing and aerobox, are perfect for days when you want to sweat. They really get my heart racing! The Tai Chi at the end is good, too, but it's much shorter than the others - it consists of a 6 minute energizing sequence and a 6 minute stretch. I do the Tai Chi after a boxing workout, but I don't tend to do it by itself.

I appreciated the fact that both of the boxing sessions had introductions in which the main moves were demonstrated slowly, and proper form was explained. After doing the workout a couple of times, it really isn't necessary to watch the intro each time, of course, but it's nice to have them there for future reference. The instructors offer good tips and reminders throughout the workout to help you keep proper form. In both cases, there is an expert working with Kathy for these intros.

The two boxing sessions are complementary in that the emphasis in the aerobox is more on the upper body, while kickboxing focuses more on the lower body. Both workouts also work the core effectively. These are both really excellent cardio routines. In both workouts, you learn combinations of moves from the introductions, and after doing them slowly, you repeat them up to tempo several times. (Don't let the word "slowly" there fool you, though - it's all relative. They are fast enough that my heart rate stays up while learning the combos, and then I really have to push myself to do them at full speed.) I like that the combos, while challenging, aren't complicated in terms of their choreography. I was able to pick up on them pretty quickly. If you don't like having to learn all sorts of complicated "dancey" choreography to get your heart rate up, I can definitely recommend this DVD.

Because of the jump rope, much of the aeroboxing is high impact, and no low impact alternative is offered. (I do this part of the workout without a rope - I just jump as if I had one. One of the boxers on the DVD is doing this, too.) The kickboxing actually has fewer high impact moves, and in this case, low impact alternatives are offered.

One thing that I really appreciate about this one is that each workout is broken up into chapters that can be selected from the DVD menu. I've used this to mix and match workouts. The last time I used this DVD, for example, I did the kickboxing warm-up and cardio workout, but I still felt like doing more cardio, so I just did a couple of the segments from aerobox without having to scan through the intro or the warm-up from that workout. Then I went back to the kickboxing to do the short leg and core strength segments and the cool-down before heading to the Tai Chi based (very relaxing!) stretch.

I should note that there is an error on the box: it says that the kickboxing workout is 120 minutes, but it is actually about 50 minutes. For me, that's a good thing - I rarely have 2 straight hours to devote to exercise - but I thought it was worth mentioning here.

These combo DVD releases of Kathy's are such a great deal. I've been a fan of hers for a while, and though I'll admit I've not loved every workout she's released, these two are incredibly well done.

First, she has the wherewithal to get the best seasoned athletes possible to teach things like this, so you get the adorable and ultra-lean boxer, Michael Olajide, leading a very tough, fun and effective boxer's cardio workout session. Then you get the fabulously buff and focused kickboxing pro, Keith Cooke, to teach a really wonderful and SAFE kickboxing class. I point out the safety feature on the kickboxing workout because it's crucial. While the boxer workout uses jumping rope (either with a real one or imagining you have one if space doesn't permit), lots of fast punches (great for core stability training) and footwork (agility and leg training galore!), in kickboxing you have to be much more careful about things like back issues, knees, etc. This kickboxing workout is really well balanced and is presented with every safety feature possible explored.

Kathy is still front and center, offering the ultra specific and full spectrum safety guidelines and modifications, and then Michael and Keith do their thing and really keep you going.

Having seen and done a lot of kickboxing DVDs, this is by far the best in terms of a great, effective warmup (sadly lacking in most DVDs), great variety of moves and combos during the actual workout, a good cool down, and then follows it with some FANTASTIC stationary drills to perfect form and technique, great core training for added stability and a lovely cool down stretch, all led by Kathy.

In the boxing class, at times Michael is a bit too fast even for Kathy to keep up with in terms of sheer speed - boxers are just amazing to watch in terms of speed, grace and agility- but it's inspiring rather than daunting. With several people alongside Kathy all doing it too, it really does feel like being in a good live class.

I came on here to write this review because I was suddenly inspired to do Keith and Kathy's kickboxing class tonight and thought I should share just how great these two classes are.

Personally, I categorize these as more geared towards intermediate to advanced students. If you are an absolute beginner either of these could seem to be a bit intimidating because of the pace, tempo and length, although you could always modify and shorten. Anyone with back or knee issues needs to be careful when doing all workouts, but kickboxing is especially tricky for that. Still, these are the safest, most effective, fun and energizing boxing and kickboxing workouts I've seen out there. They are also cool enough (I think) and challenging enough for men to find them approachable as well, lest anyone think these are just for chicks. ;)

I'm not a DVD workout person, but I have to say that this one is easy to follow, and raises your heart rate to an intense level. It allows you to build up to a very strenuous workout. The label on the back of the DVD case is misleading however, it says that the Kickboxing Workout is approx. 120 minutes, when in reality it is only 50 minutes. I'm not sure if this was a misprint. The other two workouts are labeled properly.

This video has three seperate workouts, an aerobox workout, a kickboxing workout, and a Tai Chi workout. I bought this video because the kickboxing portion of the workout had good reviews and I will agree that the kickboxing session was fun and did a decent job of raising the heartrate.

The first workout is a 55 minute aerobox workout. This is a workout that I doubt I will ever do again because I did not really ever feel that I was getting a good cardio workout. The workout begins with a warm-up with punching and a twisting ab move that is probably great for slimming down the abs. This was followed by a section of more boxing moves along with basic footwork. There are then three jumprope sections (6 minutes, 5 minutes, and 4 minutes long). The jump rope sections are the only really cardio portion of the workout. This is followed by some more footwork and punching drills and then a stretch and a cool down. I admit to liking kickboxing more because the combination of kicking and punching really raises the heartrate. The jump rope sections would be hard on anyone with knee trouble. Also, some of the punching sections are performed pretty quickly and a beginner might injure themselves.

The kickboxing section is a not very difficult but extremely effective workout. I enjoyed this workout and I will being doing it again. This workout had an approximately 10 minute long warm-up and then 25 minutes of kickboxing. The moves are not very complex and there is enough instruction for a beginner to pick up the moves. Following this section, there was a 5 minute lower body workout where you practice the kicks by holding them out while holding on a chair for balance. These "slow and hold" kicks were something we always did in karate classes and are very effective for toning muscles.

There was a third bonus Tai Chi workout on the tape that I tried before bed. It was an enjoyable way to relax and it was relatively short.

This kickboxing workout is a good workout for an beginner to intermediate exerciser. I would skip the aerobox workout. The Tai Chi is a nice alternative to yoga for relaxing with at night.

I am fairly new to kickboxing. I found this video to be surprisingly easy to follow. Keith Cooke and Kathy Smith give great instructions on how to kick, punch etc. properly as not to increase the risk of potential injury. I found the workout to be fun and different. The Aerobox workout was actually pretty intense. When I first watched it, I laughed at how easy I "thought" it would be. Needless to say about 20minutes in I was on the couch with water. Overall, I think this is a great video with easy to follow cues. The music could be better.

If you love advanced workouts, this one is for you. This is a fabulous workout and well worth the money. It is a hard workout, there is a killer jump rope section, but your body will love you for it! If you like to sweat, try it!

The "Kickboxing Workout" is by far my favorite kickboxing video. I use it over and over and I never get bored with the routine. It is approx. 40 minutes (although it says 120 min on the back cover which is incorrect). I like the class setting and the students and upbeat music help to keep the workout interesting. I recognized Keli Roberts in the video (she has short hair and is tough, tough, tough), but I don't recognize the others. The time flies by with Kathy Smith's instructions and you'll definitely work up a sweat and burn calories with this workout. You will work on your punching and kicking and your skills will improve if you use this video.

You also get a longer kickbox routine with professional boxer Michael Olajide and a short Tai Chi stretch routine with Keli Robers and Tai Chi movement routine with Keith Cooke. I don't use these as often although the stretch routine is nice to add to the 40-min Kickboxing Workout I mentioned above.

If you can find a copy of this DVD it's well worth the money. I love it!

Really hard but enjoyable workout. This is the first Kathy Smith DVD I've ever bought as they're not widely sold in the UK, but she's a briliant instructor and this particular DVD is very highly recommended.

This was well worth it. Three well-planned workouts that are intense but simple enough to do. They lead you through the moves so that anyone can do it. And the variety keeps you from getting bored.