Customer Reviews

Kathy Smith - The Rules of Fat Burning

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In this video, instructor Kathy Smith has taken portions of her previously released workouts, chaptered them, and organized them on one nice, programmable DVD. The excellent chapter menu allows you to choose amongst each of the six workouts offered, and you can program them to play in any order you would like, doing just one workout or all six; you can even select the same workout more than once. The six workouts are comprised of two "long slow" cardio segments, two interval cardio segments, and two weight training workouts. Full descriptions are provided below.

1) Long Slow 1, Low Impact (20 minutes). This workout comes from the Timesaver Cardio Fat Burner video. Kathy uses mostly basic steps--eg, v-step, knee lift, hamstring curls, grapevines, etc.--but the choreography becomes a bit more complicated as the segment continues, and Kathy frequently takes it from the top. However, the moves are fun, and it's a high-energy workout.

2) Long Slow 2, Kickboxing (15 minutes). This segment is taken from the first half of Kathy's Kickboxing Workout. She leads simple drills using the jab and cross punches plus front and side kicks. Some jump kicks are included, and there's also an easy combination towards the end.

3) Interval 1, Functional Fitness (20 minutes). This workout comes from Functionally Fit Peak Fat Burning, and it alternates two minute high intensity intervals with lower intensity recovery periods. During the latter, you get in a bit of lower body strengthening with moves such as squats and lunges. Overall, this program is more athletic-like, less fun.

4) Interval 2, Jump Rope (17 minutes). This segment comes from Aerobox, a video Kathy did with boxer Michael Olijade, who leads the workout. Michael takes you through progressively more difficult jump rope variations; one of the background exercisers follows along without the jump rope. Simple boxing punches/footwork segments come in-between the jumping segments.

5) Weights, Upper Body (20 minutes). This segment comes from Timersaver Lift Weights to Lose Weight. Here Kathy uses a dual track system which allows you to lift lighter with more repetitions or lift heavier with breaks between sets. Kathy begins with back work, moves on to chest, biceps, tricpes, and finally shoulders.

6) Weights, Lower Body (20 minutes). This segment is also from Timesaver Lift Weights to Lose Weight. Most of the exercises are performed in a standing position (squats, lunges, side/front extensions, etc.) to work your legs, but it also includes some lying hamstring/glute work using a chair.

Overall, this is a very versatile DVD providing a variety of workout options. However, there are a few minor flaws: 1) there are no warm-ups or cool-downs, so you'll have do some light cardio before as well as some stretching after, and 2) there is no abs work--the 7-minute abs segment from Lift Weights to Lose Weights is excellent, and it's a shame it wasn't included here. Otherwise, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this DVD for advanced beginner to intermediate exercisers.

A programmable DVD that lets you create your own custom workout. Just choose the segments you want and they'll play in the exact order you selected. Includes six 15-20 minute sections: low-impact aerobics, higher-impact kickboxing, cardio intervals, jump-rope intervals, upper-body toning and lower-body toning. To make designing your workout easy, Kathy starts with an easy-to-understand explanation of how to choose and sequence your personal workout (to match your fitness goals). This DVD is carefully re-edited using segments from Kathy's "Aerobox," "Peak Fat Burning," "Lift Weights to Lose Weight," "Kickboxing" and "Cardio Fat Burner" videos. A great addition to my exercise video collection.

If I were to recommend any DVD to someone just starting out exercising, it would be this one. Kathy Smith doesn't just give you cardio workouts, high intensity workouts, or weight lifting. She gives you two sessions of each, allowing you to build your week. I have used this DVD five days a week for six months, and still find it effective. I like that I have the choice to pick and choose, and yet I also have the structure of something I am familiar with. I will agree with the other reviewers that the cardio workout is hard to learn at first, that the warm-ups are missing, and that there is no section that works out your abs. But you can easily overcome these flaws (take a little time to learn the routine, warm up yourself, and substitute your own ab workout). Rarely do you find such a good mix of workouts on one DVD. It's worth every cent.

As much as I love Kathy Smith and her workouts, I have to say that the lack of warm-up and cool-down on this DVD makes me think they put this one together in a real hurry!

As Kathy introduces the concept behind the DVD, (and, by the way, she looks stunning, as usual), she talks about the benefits of each aspect of the DVD, but with no mention of a warm-up or cool-down!

This is particularly essential if you're doing the aeroboxing (jump rope segment) or kickboxing sections!! The Functionally Fit Peak Fat Burning intervals section was longer in the original video so they don't actually complete all sections here, which is a shame since it's such a great workout.

Kathy has been a professional fitness instructor for many, many years, so I feel the warm-up/cool-down elements should have been included - especially since all her other videos/workouts include them, or at least remind/mention to the viewer to do them! (I own all her videos, except "Starting Out", and the Pregnancy one!)

The original Lift Weights to Lose Weight video had 3 sections, 2 of which are on this DVD (Upper and Lower Body), but on the original tape, the second workout (Lower Body section) was 18 mins then 2 mins of stretching - they stopped it on this DVD after the 18 mins!! BUT WHY?! (I'm sure those 2 mins would save some people a few aches and pains the next day!!)

It would really have been even better value if they had also incorporated an abs section, too, as part of the toning segment/s.

If you prefer step aerobics + weights section and abs, I would recommend Kathy Smith's Fat Burning Breakthrough (52 mins workout) or KS's Step Workout (1hr 9 mins workout).

The Rules of Fat Burning is a newly formatted DVD that contains 6 workout segments. The segments are composed of:
- Two Long-Slow Cardio Routines
- Two Interval Workouts
- Upper and Lower Body Strength training
The total workout time is approximately two hours if you run all of the segments.

The DVD has a unique feature in that allows you to program your workout. You can choose which segment you want to do when. The segments are taken from older releases - Aerobox, Functionally Fit, Lift Weights to Lose Weight, Kickboxing, and Cardio Fat Burner. There are no new workouts on this disc.

Unfortunately, the disc does not include a warm-up or a cool down. For beginners, they may not warm up before getting started and jumping right in to the workouts. The disc also makes no mention of warming up or cooling down before your workout. Bear in mind that warming up and cooling down are essential to a safe workout, and be sure to do them when using this DVD.

The DVD includes a bonus feature of Kathy discussing the theory behind these workouts. She presents different methods of fat burning, and includes charts and graphs to further illustrate the presentation.

On the whole, I would recommend Kathy's Personal Trainer instead of this DVD. The Personal Trainer includes warm up and cool down segments, as well as a Yoga segment. This disc does not include any stretching exercises. I don't think this DVD is as well rounded as the Personal Trainer DVD was.

This DVD combines segments from 5 previous Kathy Smith videos; namely, Cardio Fat Burner, Aerobox, Kickboxing, Peak Fat Burning and Lift Weights To Lose Weight. The aerobics choreography is moderate with mixed impact. I would consider this to be for intermediate level exercisers. If you do all the segments, you'll be in for a major almost-2 hour workout! The one thing this DVD lacks is a warm up and cool down. Other than that, it's a great buy!

Yes, there is no warm up and cool down but this DVD deserves 5 stars simply because it is a very good cardio fat burner. It is fun to combine different segments so you can have different workouts everytime. If you want to warm up and cool down, then you can just easily do that on your own. I couldn't pass this up-a 2 hour workout DVD with different cardio/toning segments is a real find!

this workout does not flow well. there is a complete lack of warm up and no focus on the abdominals. some of the sections are targeting only one or two muscle groups. difficult to do some of the moves in a living room because of the lack of space.

I love this exercise DVD. I owned a few other exercise DVDs, but this one, The Rules of Fat Burning, is the one that I always come back to. I had this DVD for about over one year and I am still using it. Over the time, using the DVD shapes my body and also keep me interested.

Regarding this Kathy Smith video, I must agree with a number of the other reviewers in that there is not any structured warmup or cool down session, an important item for any workout. It does not seem like it would be that hard for them to have added these choices since this is an interactive dvd. In the beginning of the video there is a section that explains the logic of fatburning, and how to structure you workout, then the video itself is structured for you to be able to tailor what you are doing to get results based on their logic---the major part that is missing is the warmup and cooldown. As for each of the individual sections of workout, they were pretty helpful but leaving you feeling kind of breathless between segments, without a good transition stage, and a bit hyper when done unless you add your own cooldown. Hope this helps.......