Gliding Fat Burning Cardio

Workout type: cardio and unweighted lower body strength

Workout Length: 40 minutes

Difficulty: low intermediate

Set: Brightly lit with 4 background exercisers

Choreography: Easy

This is an ok workout, not terrifically fun, not terrifically difficult. If it wasn't on the DVD with the lower body workout, I'd jettison it. It consists of 3 cycles of mostly low impact cardio followed by strength moves with the gliding disks, done at a faster pace to keep your heart rate up. Even with that, my HR briefly peaked at 131, staying mostly in the 115-120 range. I burned 257 calories (and my Timex is generous with the calories burned).

The choreography is easy, and Mindy cues impeccably, with only one goofup.

What I like about this workout is that she actually uses the background exercisers to show modifications - one easier and one harder. The easier also does not do directional changes, which I like.

Ok, now this is petty, but I think the 2 modifiers should stand out by using a distinctly different color than the lead. Here we have Mindy and the harder mod wearing black (with some pink accents) and the easier mod wearing pink. I'd have liked the 2 mods wearing pink, with Mindy's black in the middle. Then we have the 2 gals in the back, the only 2 women of color, wearing red tops. The red and the pink just don't go together in my humble and whiny opinion.

Overall grade: A- as it does the job as low intermediate. Minus for TIFTING, which I abhor.

Mindy leads this gliding workout which run approximately 38 minutes including the stretch. It has the same basic CIA music which was pleasant, and the same fake partly cloudy sky over blue ocean through a window background. The rest of the set is warm and inviting. Mindy is joined by four exercisers, one of whom shows less intense modifications and one of whom shows more intense ones. Mindy is more perky in this than the buns & legs one - you can tell she enjoys cardio!

The warm up is a rehearsal of the moves done in the workout itself, and the workout is three cardio sections which alternate with a gliding section after each one. The cardio sections get progressively more intense and there is some impact, but one exerciser always shows the more grounded version. I was able to do all the impact without a problem. The sections aren't very long and the impact alternates with step touches and other grounded moves.

The cardio includes step touch combos, lots and lots of TIFTing ... by the way ... step to the back then front again moves, mambos, and cute variations on these. There are some jump rope and squat/jack moves, as well as some jogging or running. There is mostly lateral movement but there is some front to back as well. Nothing is too tricky and it's all fun. I was really sweating about 15 minutes into this workout.

When we do the gliding sections they're shorter, and we use the discs on one or both feet, and the pace is often a bit faster keeping the cardio factor going. There are a couple of very tricky balance moves, such as keeping one disc next to the moving foot while you slide that foot around the other disc, so don't be afraid to use a chair or a dowel if you need to. This is mostly a cardio workout but your legs and glutes will feel it too. All you need are the discs - no other equipment.

I didn't think I'd like this one at first but about ten minutes into it I was having a blast!! I give this an A!!

Carol

:)