Hi/Lo Dynamics

I've had this workout for a while but haven't gotten around to doing it; that was a mistake! Hi/Lo Dynamics was so much fun! I think I've read some negative reviews somewhere, which is why I delayed for so long. Honestly, I don't think those negative reviews were warranted, because time just flew by with this workout.

Amy leads you through an easy 6-minute warmup, and then there are 4 combinations. After each combination is a cardio blast of athletic movements that you do twice, with a short catch-your-breath break between the two.

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It's hard to break down the combos since they're choreographed, so I'll just give a general overview:

The first combo has small step-kicks, hurdle jumps, sashays, scoop-and-claps, and jumping jacks. This is followed by a burpee interval.

The second combo has grapevines, ski-steps with an arabesque, and a 'windmill' move. This is followed by a cardio interval of 3 air-jumps with a split jump.

Combo 3 was one of my favorites. It has grapevine with pendulums while turning in a circle, single-knee repeaters, 'Tina Turners' (loved these!), heel-toe and heel-jack moves (loved these as well). The cardio interval involves jump squats.

Combo 4 was my favorite because it has a more kickbox-y flavor to it. You'll do jump kicks, jumping jacks, front kicks, sashays, and knee repeaters. The cardio interval has squats and burpees.

The abs section lasts about 5 minutes; Amy et al. use an 8-lb dumbbell for only one move. This section was a little short to be very effective, but it was a good cool-down. I probably wouldn't have done the whole thing if it were longer.

Lastly, Amy leads you through a calming 5-min. stretch.

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The choreography *might* be hard to pick up at first if you have trouble with footwork, but it's definitely not dance-y. (That's probably why I had an easier time with it; fancy dance moves give me a much harder time than Amy's athletic-flavored footwork). In terms of cardio intensity, I'd say this is intermediate or possibly bordering on high-intermediate; it's not as difficult as her Kickbox Surge & Core Training or her Kickbox Xtreme workouts, but my heart rate definitely remained elevated the whole time, and I got a good sweat going throughout.

Amy is known for picking great music for her videos, and this one is no exception. There were some points where the music was so great that I chose to forgo her choreography and just break out a little solo for myself. (Thankfully I work out where no one else can see me!)

I absolutely love this workout. It consists of 4 combos and each has an intensity interval after. The combos are more dancey and Amy doesn't do a whole lot of breaking down but you will appreciate that once you learn the routine. She introduces a step, adds on, repeats, repeats some more, then adds on again. Then you do it all on the other side. There is definitely a learning curve with this but once you learn it it is SO MUCH FUN. What I do to learn is just repeat the combo over and over til I learn it. Then I do the combo I know, plus the next one. Once you are familiar with Amy's style the combos get easier to learn. The intervals are straight-forward athletic drills.

The workout concludes with an ab segment I have never done.

The set is pink which bothered some people or so I heard. But I love pink so I like it. Amy is joined by Angela and Uchenna (sp?). No real modifications are shown.

I would call this one advanced; it is a whole lot of jumping around and my heart rate really gets up there. Recommend!