Customer Reviews

Weight Loss Cardio Kick

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

NOTE: I received a free review copy of this DVD from the web site Metapsychology Online.

This DVD is led by Violet Zaki, who holds a black belt in karate. She works out with two background exercises, one of whom shows lower impact modifications for some of the moves. The cover of this DVD states that it provides "2 20-Minute Fat-Blasting Workouts" although there are actually several different options for customizing your workout experience. The Main Menu includes an Introduction, Workout Options (described below), Bonus Features (including kickboxing tutorial for those unfamiliar with the punches and kicks used), Also from Acacia, and Credits. If you select Workout Options, you are taken to a submenu screen which provides the various workout choices. First, there is a "Play All" option (51m), allowing you to play both 20-minute workouts back-to-back along with the separate Warm-Up (5m) and Cool-Down (6m) chapters. Next, you can select each of the two workouts, Power Sculpt (20m) and Drills & Combos (20m), individually, with the option of playing them either with or without Zaki's brief introductions (<2m). As mentioned above, the Warm-Up and Cool-Down are chaptered separately, so these can be selected from the submenu screen as well.

In the Warm-Up, Zaki basically just introduces the various punches and kicks used throughout the workout one by one. The standard punches include jab, cross, hook, and uppercut, while there are three basic kicks, front, back, and roundhouse. If you have chosen the Play All option, the Power Sculpt workout comes first. The general pattern for the Power Sculpt workout is that Zaki begins with a "heavy" weights exercise, usually a dynamic movement that keeps the heart rate up. She follows this by a series of either punches or kicking movements using lighter weights. Finally, there is a "cardio blast" segment--for example, one combination included jumping jacks, jump rope, side-to-side shuffles, and front-to-back shuffles. This sequence of heavy weights--light weights--cardio blast is repeated several times throughout the Power Sculpt session, which ends with a "pure cardio" segment.

The Drills & Combos portion is all cardio; Zaki instructs simple punch-kick sequences here. She begins with an all-punch combination: jab-cross-hook-upper-double jab-cross-shuffle. Next, she moves on to an all-kick routine, first beginning with a basic front kick-back kick, but then upping both the difficulty and the complexity level by adding in jumping jacks, a side squat, and a roundhouse kick facing the side. From this point on, Zaki blends the punches and kicks to form mixed combinations, but for the most part, she keeps the choreography relatively straightforward. Some of the moves are even a bit fun and different, such as a side-to-side punch (which actually appears in both workouts) and a double block with a squat. The Cool-Down features Asian-inspired music as Zaki leads you through stretches for all of the major muscle groups that were worked, including the quads, hamstrings, and shoulders. She concludes the Cool-Down with a move borrowed from yoga, side angle pose, for a complete full body stretch.

These workouts are appropriate for beginning to intermediate exercisers: beginners can take it easy by following the modifier and and sticking with only one 20-minute workout to start, whereas intermediate exercises can up the challenge by performing the entire 51-minute routine, using heavier dumbbells, and even adding weighted gloves for the cardio segment. This is a solid workout with a good amount of versatility, and I would definitely recommend it.

Violet Zaki does an awesome job in Weight Loss Cardio Kick! Cueing is perfect, the production of this seems flawless. The DVD constists of:

5 minute warm up includes side jabs, front punches, hooks & upper cuts, lunge stretch, squats, front kicks & rear kicks, chambers & round house kicks.

Power Sculpting (20 min.)
You will need two sets of weights; 3-5 lbs for the heavy weights, 1-2 lbs for the light weights. Violet progressively builds on the movements. She alternates sculpting and cardio. Violet begins with sculpting; arm scoops w/ weights & shoulder presses, then adds squats. Cardio Blast with jacks, jump rope, shuffle squats and forward/back shuffles. Next, leg sculpting - lunges, squats, & kicks with jacks. CB with upper cuts and football run. Arm sculpting - tricept work, hooks & uppercuts. CB - Front kicks, calf pumps.... You get the idea =) There are two remaining sculpting/cardio sets. Violet finishes with 5 minutes of pure cardio.

Drills & Combos (20 min.)
No hand weights for this! Violet start out using jabs, hooks, uppercuts and builds from there. Next she works on kicks; front, back, & roundhouse. She adds some jacks upping the intensity. The rest of the cardio is comprised of different combos incorporating all the kick boxing moves.

6 minute Cool Down
I really enjoyed this cool down. It's better than most I've seen, which was refreshing! Violet stretches out the legs while incorporating some balance too. I enjoy her breathing techniques, which may come from her Karate background? She does the usual stretching for arms. The music is nice and relaxing =)

Bonus Material includes a segment that explains proper form for the kickboxing moves, I highly recommend reviewing this. I learned my form for the hook was incorrect. There is also a 5 min. segment from her Weight Loss Cardio Scuplt DVD.

If you do this workout in its entirety, you will be extremely sweaty!!!! There are modifications for beginners, so I recommend this for all levels. This is great cardio work. If you are an advanced exerciser, the sculpting is not near enough at an advanced level, but I highly recommend for cardio! I love this DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is an excellent fitness dvd. I own many kickboxing dvds and I really like this one. Violet Zaki gives great instruction and cueing and she is very personable. It has good production values and has some pre-mixed workouts. It consists of 2 20 minute workouts: a kickboxing cardio and a cardio sculpt. You can do them together or separately. I really like the option of doing a shorter workout. Violet also has one person showing the beginner or low-impact options. I liked this instructor so much that I am going to order her "weight loss cardio sculpt".

I was actually searching for a Jillian Michaels kickboxing dvd when I came across this one. All the reviews were so positive I decided to give it a try. I had never heard of Violet Zaki, so I was a little hesitant, but her credentials looked outstanding. This is such a great workout. I like how I can choose to either do 1 20min workout or both depending on my day. Either way it certainly gets your heart pumping, and makes me feel stronger each time I do it! Violet has such a great disposition about her - a great trainer and motivator. This dvd certainly won't collect any dust in my home!

I purchased this workout based off of the great reviews it received and also because I was familiar with Violet Zaki from her Crunch: Cardio Sculpt dvd, which has always been one of my favorites. The way it started, I mistakenly thought that this was going to be a another pretty easy workout -- wow, was I wrong. This was really really challenging! By the end of the cardio segment, I was out of breath and really glad that it was over! (which is a good thing!) I feel like a got an incredible cardio workout in the 51 minutes that it took to complete. I am in great shape (I run, I bike and I swim) and many times, the workouts that I order are just too easy and I don't feel that I have gotten a good enough workout. That is not the case with this video. Violet provides really great encouragement and instruction in a non-threatening way -- some instructors are just too over the top and really annoying. She really makes you sweat but it's not overly fast-paced at all. All of a sudden, you just realize your body is working really hard! You will find yourself asking: Hey, how did that happen? This looked easy?! You will want to do this workout again and again. I would highly recommend purchasing. I can't wait to do it again! Also, another plus is the cooking light recipes that are included with the dvd -- that is really a nice extra.

Have to agree on the reviews. I viewed this on my computer before I actually attempted it and my feeling was that it was a middle of the road, medium workout, not what I was looking for. I've been working out for 31 years and went through the decade of high impact aerobics and the whole schpill, so am used to monster workouts, high heart rates and mega burns. Have done the Billy Blanks Amped and Full Throttle, and they're okay, but put my polar watch on just for comparisons on calorie burns, and this DVD went an extra 50 calories further than the TaeBo routines. I was astonished and knew halfway into this DVD that I was fixing to get my butt whipped, but for someone like me, I absolutely loved it and have been doing it six mornings a week for the last two weeks and have lost a couple of pounds through just this routine. Diet is the same, this took the weight off. I vary always with treadmills, ellipticals, other workout routines, and find myself more and more wanting to come back to this workout. She's very soothing and inspirational, no screaming, yelling or boot camp rhetoric. A definite must-have for anyone at any level.

I have been exercising for the past 9 months and have been very successful losing weight and improving my overall health.
I decided to try this DVD to 'change up' my routine. I absolutely love it! I watched the short video online to see if I would like it
and decided to order it. I feared that I wouldn't get a good workout, but I was surprised. I knew what moves were coming due
to Violet's teaching method. I am going to order more of her DVD's. I have tried many other trainer's video's and truly enjoy Violet's
teaching and training method. It's so easy to follow and I really enjoy her warm up and cool down sections. Many videos out on the
market don't include these effective segments. Thanks for the wonderful workout!! I look forward to continued success working
out at home.

First, I'll say that I'm at an upper-intermediate level. I'm very active and do a variety of workouts. To put it in perspective, I was not challenged by the majority of Jillian Michaels' "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism"; Bob Harper's "Bob Rev: Cardio Conditioning," in comparison, kicked my butt, though I was able to complete it. I'd probably actually give this workout a 3.5 stars because, though it was pretty easy for me, I did really like the instructor. The cardio portion kicked it up some, but the sculpting was at a very beginner level in my opinion. I do a lot of Firm dvds, and their strength training moves are typically much more challenging than those on this dvd. I'll use this as a lighter day workout because I do like Violet. Really can't stand the permanent fake smiles on the exercisers, though I did appreciate seeing women who weren't stick-thin Barbie dolls. I don't know why so many workout dvds think they have to have the exercisers smiling the whole time while acting as though they're working hard. When I'm working hard, I'm not smiling constantly. In comparison to Tae Bo, I prefer Billy Blanks' energy, but Violet doesn't drone on about herself and her accomplishments, so I prefer this dvd to any of the Tae Bo ones that I've done. Bottom Line: Good solid beginner kickboxing workout. Still on the lookout for one that challenges me, though.

I have a couple different workout DVDs but this one is by-far my favorite. This is a varied, high-energy workout that leaves me feeling really good by the end of it. And it's honestly really fun to do--after my first workout with this DVD I was actually looking forward to the next one.

For those who want to ease themselves into a workout, Violet has two back-ups working out behind her, one of whom does the same workout, just not as high-impact. I think that's really great that that option is included.

I would definitely recommend this DVD. Even if you've never done kick-boxing before, this is a great one to start with. Have fun!

Let me start by saying that Violt Zaki is an amazing instructor. This is the first workout DVD of hers that I have done but I am already looking for others. What I love about the DVD is that Violet is very encouraging with out being sappy or barking at you. Unlike some other instructors she does each segment right along with you and reminds you to breathe, keep correct form, and to see the workout through to the end. She also instructs you to say each move as you do it...jab, hook, right kick, etc. which definetely helps those who are less than coordinated. I've had to keep myself from doing this DVD everyday because I really do enjoy it. There are two other women working out, one for low impact/beginners and the other who keeps up with Violet doing higher impact/advanced. Either way you will be sweating within minutes! I think this is a great workout no matter what your fitness level and I highly recommend it.