Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good ab workout, but sort of a dancey Tae-Bo Lite, February 5, 2006
Instructor Catherine Chiarelli takes you through a warm-up, a standing cardio workout and a mat ab workout that felt to me, in places, like Tae-bo Lite. Not that it was like Tae-bo in that it features kickboxing, but in the moves she uses to work the abs from a standing position, several of which Tae-bo fans will recognize. Following is a glimpse of each segment:
Warm-Up: A standard, relatively easy-to-follow cardio warm-up featuring marching in place, step-touch to the side, kickback, V-step, mambo and stretches. The only thing I found awkward was the mambo step. I've done a mambo step in several other workouts and always found it one of my favorites...until now.
Standing Ab Work: Cat focuses on abs at a moderate cardio pace with squats, oblique twists, plies, boxer twists, side lunges, standing side crunches, and upper body twists. If you've done Tae-bo, you will recognize several of these moves. Like Tae-bo, you need excellent balance for this. The intensity was enough to get my breathing elevated and I did sweat some, but not as much as I usually would during a cardio workout. I really didn't feel my abs being worked as much as I would expect in an ab-focused workout. I've only done this workout twice so far, but I am not sold on the benefits of this segment.
Mat Ab Work: Down on the floor, you'll do several variations of crunches, side planks, oblique work, Superman variations, and stretches. It's a silly thing, I suppose, but I really didn't like doing mat work after I'm sweaty from doing a cardio workout (even though I wasn't AS sweaty from this as I would be from, say, Tae-bo). The repetitions here are higher than other ab workouts I've done and, as a result, I found this section tough. I could do the various crunches for 8 or 10 reps but she does 15 reps and I couldn't "hang in there" for the last several reps of each crunch. This was especially true because she does a LOT of crunches with the legs in the air, one right after the other, so you're not getting any opportunity to rest.
All in all, certainly not a BAD workout, but not real high on my list of recommends either. It felt inconsistent because the standing section was easier than expected and the mat section was harder than expected...so it's hard to know who to recommend this workout to. The people who could handle the tough mat section would find the standing section too easy and the people who would find the standing section just right would find the mat section too hard.
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nice toned abs, September 21, 2005
This is quite a great dvd and it's intense. There are exercises done standing and on the floor and they all work your abs in every which way. Some of the standing workout also involves squating so therefore it's working your legs too. The floorwork is regular stuff like crunches and side planks, so you aren't bored with all this variety. I love doing this and it should probably be done about 4-5 times a week. The instructor makes this fun to do.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Effective Ab Workout!, October 4, 2005
When it comes to my abs, I'm used to doing exercises related to dance and pilates. Crunch Ab Attack takes a more aerobic approach, but as I absolutely love Crunch Fitness I gave it a try. This DVD is comprised of both standing and mat work toning, and also touts the benefits of a light cardio workout--so you're burning calories while you tone, all in about a half hour. The instructor's cuing and motivational attitude make the workout fun and over before you know it. I felt it was easy to keep good form during the exercises, and never felt my neck was strained. I actually felt the workout was a little on the easy side (but I'm an avid exerciser, so it will be different depending what level you're at). Whoow! I was sore for two days after the workout, however, and was very surprised to feel the effects across my ENTIRE abs. What really impressed me was how the exercises even got at my lower abs in a way I could feel. (This is one of the hardest areas for women to tone.) This workout really does hit your abs from all angles! Overall, an awesome mix of gentle cardio and a fresh, effective approach to strengthening your core!
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