Product Details

• Actors: Kathy Smith (III)
• Format: Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony
• VHS Release Date: November 3, 1998
• Run Time: 40 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (154 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1573309982
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,879 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Kathy Smith is so upbeat, sensible, and easy to follow that if you abide by her instructions, you can't help but get a good workout. Functionally Fit: Peak Fat Burning should definitely be one of your keepers. Smith's tried-and-true workout method here combines six two-minute intense bursts of aerobic activity, spliced between recovery exercises, which include loads of lunges and squats. The pace is just right for intermediate to advanced students--the high-energy segments really fly by. The presentation is clear and very easy to follow (it helps that the moves are very simple, even when done at the maximum-intensity level). The session includes 6 minutes of warm-up (some of which is vigorous enough that total beginners should plan to take it very easy), 25 minutes of the interval-and-active-recovery workout, and 7 minutes of cool-down and stretch. True beginners, while given options of following some low-impact moves, may find the overall intensity level too high. The upper body doesn't get much attention here, but this video is topnotch for lower-body toning and overall cardio fitness. --Anne Hurley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Efficient and Invigorating, July 14, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Baldwin, NY) - See all my reviews

I bought this video after reading positive reviews of it here, and I have to say that the video's praise is well-deserved. The hi-intensity intervals really do get your heart pumping as Kathy encourages you to get breathless. With 2 minute intervals, you are getting as much calorie-burning power you can out of the workout. I think the best thing about the workout is that the moves are very simple and easy to follow, unlike most other aerobic workout videos I've seen. I am pretty uncoordinated, yet even on my first try with the video I was able to keep up. Also, Kathy and her crew are not overly perky and annoying in their enthusiasm for fitness. I'd recommend this tape to anyone looking to burn fat and get their body moving!

90 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Burn Fat and Tone Your Lower Body with Intervals, August 9, 2004

By	blueyed puella (CT, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kathy Smith - Functionally Fit - Peak Fat Burning (DVD)

Workout Description: 25 minutes of anaerobic / aerobic intervals w/ light toning (using body weight only) with 7 minutes warm-up & stretch, 3 minute cool-down, and 5 minute stretch for a total of 40 minutes
Workout Level: high beginner to mid-/high-intermediate; can be modified to be low, mid-, or high impact; relatively uncomplicated choreography
Instructor: Kathy Smith (Has taught fitness for about 20 years and starred in 25+ exercise videos; received IDEA's Lifetime Achievement award for 2003). Kathy's cueing is good. She's very enthusiastic, which sometimes causes her to trip up her cues. She works both sides evenly and means for you to mirror her moves.
Class: 3 women and 1 man; 2 show low impact modifications and 2 show high impact modifications while Kathy demonstrates the mid-level impact moves
Music / Set: The beat-driven instrumental music speeds up during interval segments and slows down during toning; it's not very exciting. The bright interior set is meant to look like a living room facing onto the backyard. There is a clock counting down how much time is left in the interval at the 1 minute and 30 second marks.
Equipment Needed: sneakers
Caveats: Although 2 exercisers are on carpet, be careful with your foot placement during the slight pivots and shuffles.
Additional Comments: This workout doesn't require too much space. (You need to be able to take one big step front and back and two fairly big steps to each side.) It is a great workout to grow with, as you can increase the intensity when you need more; you can also decrease the intensity when you need a lighter workout. Although this workout is primarily aerobic, less advanced exercisers may want to avoid doing strength training for your lower body the day after doing this workout if that toning involves a lot of squats and lunges. (Do not follow Kathy's recommendation of alternating this with her Functionally Fit Lower Body Firming, as your muscles will not have enough time to recover.)
This workout is labeled "functional fitness," which indicates that the moves are meant to mimic those used in everyday activities or in popular sports (like tennis or basketball). As a result, the routines are not dancy, and the only complicated part is the fact that you have 2-4 moves strung together. This is also an interval workout, which is an effective way of increasing your cardiovascular endurance since you push yourself for the 2 minute interval and allow yourself 3 minutes to recover while still staying active.
This workout focuses predominantly on the lower body, although there is some movement of the torso in the latter part. I sometimes use this alone, although I usually combine it with one arms segment from Tamilee Webb's I Want Those . . . series, some push-ups, and some ab work for a total body workout in just over an hour.
The DVD allows you to choose your chapter, which I use to skip the introduction. There are no extras.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great workout that you can stick with..., May 31, 1999

By	Amanda "[e-mail]" (Missouri) - See all my reviews

I love Kathy Smith, and this is my favorite video so far. With the 2 minute intervals between intense workout & active recovery, it goes fast, and you can't get discouraged and quit. In the intense interval, you push yourself, and then you get to slow down for 2 minutes while you tone your lower body. The moves are fun and easy to do for beginners, and if you're more advanced, they are easily modified (she shows you how). If you're also wanting to tone your upper body, a great complement to this is the "Secrets of a Great Body: Upper Body Workout" by Kathy Smith. It's made to do only twice a week, and can be done on the same day as this video. (There's also a lower body workout, but you probably won't want to do it along with the Functionally Fit video.)