Jump and Jab

I did this video once and traded it, only because I found it too easy. That said, I did feel it in my lower body the next day.

The production value is typical Sara City, the sound isn't great, the set is a bit dark. Mindy has two background exercisers, and all three of them make mistakes on occasion, but this doesn't detract from the workout.

This video made me think that Sherri Jackquelyn got some of her moves for Fit to Kick from Mindy, some of the good moves! The workout starts with a warmup consisting of an introduction to the punches and kicks. Mindy introduces one kick, but doesn't have you do it until later, not sure why! Next is about 15 minutes of jumproping, which is good, though not quite as killer as Kathy Smith's Aerobox. Then comes the kickboxing. You keep building on a pattern, TIFT-ing, until you're done. All in all, a decent workout with a great instructor, but I would probably classify it as intermediate level, not advanced. I know it's already been said, but if you like Mindy, and don't mind the low production quality, it's a good one to get in a trade or on sale.

Yes, the production quality is poor and Mindy's kickboxing form is not the best, but this is a great workout! The jumproping sections are tough - 5 sets of 45 seconds - and you can do them with or without a rope. I am a novice roper and this workout has inspired me to improve my roping skills. After the roping, you lay the rope on the ground in an upside down "U" and Mindy has you do various foot drills moving back and forth and side-to-side over the rope. Then there is a choreography section. This is a pretty high impact workout (especially when you are jumping rope) but the impact in the choreo section could be modified down. I like this workout because it's tough and because Mindy's great personality shines through regardless of the poor picture quality.

Jump and Jab is a Sara City Workouts video geared for instructors though this tape is actually good to do, and to use to pick up moves to exercise outside as well. The tape is almost 60 minutes long. The production quality is very basic, very typical of this company. I would describe it as a good home video production. Also at the end of the workout there is a lecture section.

This workout consists of a warm up with kickboxing moves and stretch, a jump-rope section, more kickboxing and what I consider to be football moves. (Football moves like running fast in a wide stance, and jumping in a wide stance and then quick jump turning to face a different direction. Also, stepping quickly back and forth over a rope lying on the floor.) You do another kickboxing section. Then there is a cool down and stretch. Mindy's form when it comes to punching and kicking is not accurate, it's general, and she does say that in the video. This I found to be sort of odd. Why not do it correctly, it's better on your joints.

Overall though I really liked the variety of the work out. I found it to be quite challenging aerobically with all the jumping and quick moves. Actually I found the sports-oriented moves to be very effective and it was amazing how fast Mindy could do them. It would be nice if someone else produced a video with her doing a whole workout based on sports moves.

I consider this workout to be intermediate to advanced though she does make a point of showing modifications that beginners could use. It's nice program that has a lot in it. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with this tape.

One of the best high intensity, interval videos I have ever done. Starts out with 11 minutes of warm-up which has high impact moves. The next 39 minutes is different than any other video I have ever done. You do not need a jump rope to do the first segment which is tons of jumping (I know my calves will be killing me tomorrow). She does karate kicks (coincidentally my friend mentioned that her trainer showed her those kicks and said they are great for the legs, and here they are on this video), upper arm moves with high impact jumping, fast speed foot steps - your heartrate will never go down the entire video. Her second segment, which she says is a cardio workout (heavens, what was the first segment?) has jumping jacks, double time sashays, high karate kicks - jumps and more jumps. She repeats the moves a few times and does double time moves to knock your pants off. Mindy is an excellent instructor, giving you options for the moves. The video production has a few gliches, especially toward the end where there was a repeat of a sentence, but so what? Even when she makes a mistake, or loses her balance, remember, this is not "brain surgery." It's for fun, and fun it is. I am looking forward to trying Killer Floorwork. Jump and Jab - highly recommended.

This video gets your heart rate going from the very first move in the warm up. Boxing moves during the warm up to get your legs and arms warmed up. After the stretch, you go through a series of kicks that require strength, balance and coordination. I consider myself advanced and was very wobbly during these. Then you do 5 jump rope intervals that are 45 seconds each. I didn't use the rope and my heart rate was still very high. Fun, easy moves that anyone can catch onto. Next is my favorite part, side lateral sprints. She starts you out at tempo and then you do them very fast, my heart rate soared during this section but she gives you a recovery period, not long but enough to catch your breath. Then if you can handle more, you do your boxing cardio section. Lots of fun moves put together for a fun routine. Jumping jacks with jabs and punches, kicks. Time really flies by quickly during this tape because you're having so much fun but getting a very intense workout. If you like the concept of boxing and kickboxing, I would highly recommend this tape. I can tell you that I won't be doing Aerobox anymore. This tape is a blast!!!!

This is everything Kathy Smith's Aerobox SHOULD HAVE been. Fun, challenging, invigorating, and different. If you found Aerobox monotonous but liked the concept (as I did), then this is for you.

In the warmup, you do practice boxing moves from the workout. This not only gets you ready to work, but also gives you some instruction on how to do the various moves. Then you go into some stretches.

The first part of the actual workout is kickboxing moves. Whoa, tough stuff. You won't believe the strength and balance you need to do these kicks. They're very controlled; it's not just wild aerobic-type kicking. Your heart rates gets way up there.

The next part is jump roping. The rope is optional (one person doesn't use one). This is a true calf-killer. It's also anaerobic interval work. You do 5 sets of 45 seconds each with brief rests in between. The 5 sets are all different jumping moves, so you don't get bored. There is one jump that is so hard, she doesn't go the whole 45 seconds. (You'll be glad!) This really does produce true intervals. Your heart rate REALLY gets up there.

The next part is for lateral strength. You do side-to-side movements VERY quickly. Don't be surprised if you can't go as fast as she does.

Finally, if you're still alive, you go into about 20 minutes of "standard" cardio (as opposed to interval cardio). This section incorporates boxing and kicking moves. If by some small chance your calves were not reduced to mush during the jump roping, they will be here.

I highly recommend this to anyone who can handle high-impact. If you liked Aerobox, this is 1,000 times better. This tape is not available from Collage -- it's put out by Sara's City Workout (1-800-545-CITY, $19.95). They also have other tapes, so you might want to get their catalog.