Customer Reviews

South Beach Box: Core And Upper Body Boxing Workout

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

 

 

I was expecting a little more, however after I did the workout and referred back to the box, I realized I wasn't paying attention when I ordered it. It clearly states this is an upper body, ab workout. If you're just getting started working out you might enjoy this DVD for the simplicity, however if you've been working out a while and have done other kickboxing type DVD's you might be bored with this.

There is nothing technically wrong with the DVD. No audio or set issues. Guillermo is great. Unlike a lot of the other DVD's I have like the Tao Bo and Turbo Jam DVD's he's very pleasant to listen too. He's very calm, and you don't have to listen to someone counting to 8 over and over and over again.

He moves at a nice pace and is consistent and concise, although there were a few times it would have been helpful on the long combinations if he was queueing... it almost seemed like he was trying to concentrate himself. For such a beginner level DVD I felt like he should have went into some detail about form, like keeping your thumbs up. He was very consistent about mentioning to turn your hips for the cross punches. If you've never done anything like this, there is a really good Tae Bo (Billy Blanks - Tae Bo: Foundation / Energy) DVD that explains punching form in great detail which is important so that you don't causing injury to your shoulders.

Back to this DVD. You're basically repeating the same punches and then gradually adding on until you have a fairly lengthy combo. I think a person would quickly get bored with it, however if you do the workout and wear some type of weighted gloves you'll get a good workout for your arms and burn a few calories. He alternates the punching sets with some really basic jumping rope in place type cardio moves. As for the core work there's a small amount of standing abs which are side crunches and twists. I feel like the core section should have been longer and he could have easily incorporated some additional standing moves. The entire workout is 30 minutes.

Guillermo Gomez is a likeable instructor who always cues the moves well. This latest workout is probably best described as cardio boxing. The workout is mixed-impact and contains sequences of punches, boxers shuffle, jacks, and some strength moves such as push-ups. It is set outdoors on a patio, with club beats for the background music. Probably best for an intermediate level of fitness but easily adaptable for lower or higher levels. As with most workouts - what you get out of it is determined by how much effort you put into it. If you're of a higher level of fitness you could wear weighted gloves to amp up the intensity. I really enjoyed this workout and rate Guillermo Gomez highly as an instructor.

I actually bought this for my eleven year old son who received a punching bag for Christmas. He needed a simple routine to help him know how to use the bag and get some cardio excersize at the same time. He can use it with or without the bag and it gives him the right amount of workout that he is looking for.

While it isn't the most cardio-intensive workout, South Beach Boxing is definitely a good upper body workout. I did as many of the punches as possible using my heavy bag (and still did the rest without it) and although I wasn't all that out of breath at the end, I could certainly feel it in my arms and abs.

The audio on the DVD is not the greatest; at times, it is a bit difficult to hear Guillermo over the music. But the combinations are not difficult to pick up, so even if you can't hear his cues (which, aside from volume, are quite helpful) it shouldn't take more than one run-through to fall in sync. My only other complaint is that I wish it were a bit longer.

Overall, it definitely is a good alternative to Tae Bo (and quite different) when I need to mix things up on my workout schedule, and is something that is easy enough that I can do it in addition to a separate lower-body workout like spinning or running.