Tonique

This workout is no joke!

The workout starts out with drills, which is very high impact. It is suggested you can insert these drills between segments to increase your calorie burn. Um, no thanks. Anyway, I modify down the first few minutes to warm up (low-jacks instead of full-on jacks etc.) I don't remember the exact times on these but it's roughly 15-20 minutes of squat variations followed by 15-20 minutes of lunge variations. This is definitely an endurance workout that luckily is chaptered so you can do as little or as much as you want. She does some upper body moves holding light weights but I wouldn't call it a total body workout as everything doesn't get worked (e.g. triceps). It has a very high cardio effect and is a big calorie burner for me. This workout is definitely one you can grow with. The last segment is mat work. It starts out with some cardio moves (I am dripping sweat onto my mat by now) then more butt and abs.

When I started out I could not complete all the reps holding weights (would inevitably drop my 2 #ers) and by the lunges end had nothing left for mat work. With repeated use (and this is one of the more frequently used workouts in my 200+ dvd collection) I could complete ALL reps holding weight and ALL exercises. I definitely experienced fitness gains through repeated use.

I like the set and don't mind the voice over (no, it's not Sylwia) though sometimes a few select silly comments will annoy me when I'm really struggling.

Tonique - Bum Bum Live meets Insanity!

With a little High and Tight thrown in for good measure!

The instructor is Sylwia Weisenberg, and Toniquefitness is her debut workout. [She has three more due out.]

Those who like both Brazilian Butt Lift and Insanity will like enjoy Tonique. Like Bum Bum Live, it's set in an urban studio and it includes squats and lunges from every angle! Like Insanity, it is fast paced and slightly grueling. It's not quite as intense as Insanity, but it is advanced if done as recommended.

Unlike either BBL or Insanity, however, Tonique has a voice-over so you don't really get the instructor's personality as part of the mix. This is a draw-back. Especially since the person who does the voice over makes a lot of frivolous comments about appearance (which at one point she says will be "delicious").

The workout has 5 parts: Opening Drills, Squats, Lunges, Mat and Cool Down. These parts can be accessed separately from the menu.

The Opening Drills consist of jumping jacks, high knee job, and plyo jumps. It is suggested that you use these in between the workout sections to increase intensity. There are water breaks between the main chapters, but otherwise the workout maintains a very fast pace.

SQUATS:

The Squat portions are chaptered and can be fast-forwarded from one section to the next (although you can't choose the individual squat segments from the menu).

Sylwia has light dumbbells during most of these exercises; sometimes she does shoulder raises, bicep curls or lateral raises - often she just holds the weights. I used 3 lb. dumbbells, and by the end of the lunges my arms were talking to me!

 Basic Squat

 Basic squat with dumbbell shoulder raises

 Squat with front kick

 Squat with side to side leg extension

 Double squat jump in and out

 Squat with side kick

 Double kick with no squat

 Squat jump (basket ball move)

 One leg squat

 Butterfly squat (a back leg raise with lateral arm raises)

LUNGES:

 Basic back lunge

 Basic back lunge with front kick

 Back lunge/cross (=curtsy) lunge combo

 Cross lunge with side leg lift

 Cross front lunge

 Back lunge and squat combo

 Brazilian style lunge (looks like a cross between a ginga and a curtsy lunge)

 Skater lunge with bounce

 Lunge with leg raise and shoulder raise

 Side lunge

MAT: (this section is not chaptered)

Starts off with mountain climbers and high knee jog to get the heart-rate up. Then down on mat:

 bent leg raises

 donkey kicks

 cross over raises

 hip lifts

 basic ab work

o v-sit to lying extension

o tricep leg extension front

o tricep leg extension oblique

COOL DOWN: This section includes basic stretches, but it moves pretty quickly.

This is an intense, though quite doable, workout. I wouldn't recommend it for those with knee issues, and I don't think it can be modified to be more knee friendly. I like the workout, and I'm interested in seeing what else she puts out.