Body Blast: Kick, Punch and Crunch

Length: 66 minutes

Format:

~ Warm Up (7 minutes)

~ Drills (~26 min)

~ Combos (~20 min)

~ Abs (7 minutes)

~ Stretch (6 minutes)

Equipment: Ball (for abs only)

I'm not a huge kickboxing fan. Possibly, the only reason I've kept this workout was because it is on the same dvd as Legs & Glutes, which I love. I don't do this more than once every year or two.

However, when the mood for some kickboxing comes, this is a good one for me. It isn't super intense, but can be a good enough workout when I'm looking for something with less impact. (This is not entirely low impact - there are some jumping jacks and a few other jumping moves in here.)

The first time with the workout it can be disconcerting when she stops to stretch after you think you are already into the workout. But, you can think of the 2nd section as just an extended warm-up. The workout is pretty long, so it doesn't bother me. The first section of drills is a lot of fun, and probably more intense overall than the combos. It can be a nice workout on its own.

The 2nd section is 3 combos, each done on the right and then the left. They are pretty straightforward and enjoyable.

The abs are short, but pretty good when you need an efficient ab workout. They use the stability ball and finish with some pikes. This section is more accessable than the Pyramid ab pikes, though, because you alternate the pikes with knee roll-ins, and it is a shorter plank section overall.

I like the final stretch also, so I have used both the abs/stretch sections in the past after other workouts. I guess that is another reason I won't get rid of this one.

I consider myself very advanced but my asthma keeps me from exercising as hard as I'd like to and I know I can. I've done A LOT of Billy Blanks & Turbo Jam & Cathe's three other kicboxing videos so that's what I'm comparing this to. This workout, in a nutshell doesn't kill you, but it works you hard. I happen to love, and strive for workouts that let you up or down the intensity to your own level rather than workouts that push you to your death (IMAX 3) without much room for alternate easier moves. What I loved about this workout was that it is very well rounded - works everything, from arms to waist to abs to legs to Cardio, gets the heart rate uo with moves are interesting and fun to do and the Ab workout at the end is exactly what I described above - hard and you can make it harder but doesn't kill and sometimes I think that the intensity level of this workout is really all one needs - workouts like IMAX3, Bodymax 2, Billy's Bootcamp, in my opinion, even though I'm quite advanced, go over the top to an unnecessary level. I actually felt my abs burning which for me is a miracle b/c I find so many of these ab routines work everything BUT the abs, i.e., the hip flexors, the back, etc. I actually burned right in my abs on top of that ball and the planks and pikes were awesome. I will do this one again and again. I really liked it. I won't say loved, but almost!!!

On cardio work, I am an intermediate to advanced exerciser, depending on my mood and energy level for the day. I enjoy complex choreography and my favorite instructors are Christi Taylor, Kari Anderson, and Marcus Irwin. I do kickboxing workouts as a “break” from these types of workouts and as a way to cross train. My favorite kickboxing workouts are the Powerstrike Millennium workouts, #1 and 2. I had heard so much about Kick, Punch, and Crunch that I wanted to see it. A generous VFer loaned it to me.

I wouldn’t classify this workout as a pure kickboxing workout, but a kickboxing-like workout with some pure kickboxing moves and some cardio moves with a kickboxing flavor. It is a fun workout and the time just seems to fly with it. On the other hand, it has a lot of high-impact moves and the low-impact variations I came up with to substitute didn’t seem to flow as well as the high-impact moves being done on the screen. It doesn’t seem to occur to Cathe to give lower-impact modifications.

It is the same set Cathe has used for awhile and there are two background exercisers with her. The music is good and helps drive the workout. Cathe gives full and complete explanations. She also seems more interactive with the home exerciser than I’m used to and I was drawn into keeping up with because she was so motivational.

This is Cathe Friedrich’s second kickboxing workout. It has 45 minutes of cardio followed by an ab routine using a stability ball. I much prefer this workout to Cardio Kicks for several reasons: there’s more kickboxing with less hi/lo; Cathe and her background exercisers show much better form on the kicks and punches; and it’s really intense throughout. Cathe seems more comfortable teaching kickboxing now, and there are fewer pauses for instruction and therefore fewer spots where your heartrate might drop. There is still a bit of a hi/lo feel, and I think fans of Cardio Kicks will still enjoy this one. Like Cardio Kicks, there is virtually no instruction on form, so this is not a good video for someone new to kickboxing.

The video starts with a warm-up (7 min) followed by intermediate-intensity kickboxing drills (7 min). These start to get your heartrate up, but they also serve as an extended warm-up, and are followed by a very brief stretch. Next is high-intensity kickboxing drills (17 min), which definitely get your heartrate up! The drills sections are more Tae Bo like - you repeat a single move or *very simple* combo on one side for a bit, then on the other side. There’s a fun hammer punch move that’s new, and some hi/lo-flavored bits like speed skaters and grapevines that turn into shuffles are thrown in. The drills are more intense and move more quickly from one exercise to the next than the drill section at the end of Cardio Kicks.

The drills are followed by 3 kickboxing combinations that total 21 minutes. These combos are similar to those in the Powerstrike videos or at the very end of Kathy Smith’s Kickboxing video. They have a few punches that are taught together followed by some kicks that are taught together, then you put the whole combination together and repeat it a few times. The first one is taught more slowly than the second two. There are some fun jump kicks and punches in this section.

The ab section is 7 minutes long and get a lot done in that time. A stability ball and an 8 pound dumbbell are used. There are crunches on the ball, some pilates-inspired roll-ups using the ball, a neat move where you pass the ball between your hands and your feet, which really gets the lower abs, and some plank work on the ball. This section doesn’t work your obliques as specifically as most of Cathe’s other ab routines do. I like this ab routine a lot and often use it as an add-on to other workouts. The music in this section is a faster, orchestral version of the Jurassic Park theme song - it is really unique from most exercise video music, and it’s a major reason I like this ab section so much.

The music throughout the workout is really good. It fits the moves and the kickbox style well. It is all (or almost all, maybe) instrumental, and it’s quite energetic.

The DVD version is combined with Legs & Glutes, a lower body weight workout. There are two premixes that create circuit workouts of kickboxing and lower body exercises, which really expands the uses of this DVD. (L&G is a great workout, too, so get the DVD!)

This is now my favorite kickboxing workout, displacing Powerstrike, GI Jabb, janis Saffel & Guillermo Gomez!

I can't believe how much fun this workout is, and how drenched with sweat I was at the end.

The abs at the end were easier than I expected, but I didn't do the full pikes.

You start with a warmup that uses punches and low kicks.

Then you get into hi impact drills that aren't killer like MIC, but get your heart rate up there. I don't like MIC level intensity - this was perfect. Nothing hurt, but my heart rate soared as I hoped it would.

She alternates high impact moves with kickboxing combos.

After this section, which ended just when I was getting weary, she does kickboxing combos.

These are mostly low impact, but LOTS of fun. There are some hop kicks in there.

The ab workout uses the ball, and isn't all that challenging in comparison to other ab work she does. She does do pikes on the ball, but you can do knee ins.

She concludes with a stretch.

A+

I've never found a kickboxing video I liked besides Tae Bo. Well, I've found one. Cathe created an awesome kickboxing video with great upbeat music. You don't need much room too. The warmup consists of alot of punches and I could get them easily since they are similiar to Tae Bo. The workout consists of alot of shuffling with punches and front and back kicks. She also does the flying Angle move from her Step works workout but you do it on the floor and don't turn. So I was familiar to the move. She also does jumping jacks, high knee up jogs and hamstrings"kick yourself in the butt" jogs. Cathe really is getting into the workout and so was I! It was really an intense workout. The second part of the workout consists of punch and kick combinations and Cathe cues really well. Its mostly low impact until she adds a front hop kick or a 2 round house kick,squat and then a hop round house kick. The high impact is more in the first section. The workout ends with ab work to Jurassic part music. Then there is a Asian type music cooldown.