Kristi Yamaguchi Power Workout

This workout has Kristi and Erin working out together. It's half cardio and half toning with easy to follow moves. Eric gives good form pointers and recommends no higher than 8 pound weights. It is a solid intermediate workout with a few intermediate-advanced moves lasting 53 minutes There is a 5 minute warm up, 3 10 minute circuits (5 minutes cardio and 5 minutes toning), a 4 minute cardio segment, 9 minutes pecs and core, and a 5 minute cool down.

The warm up is dynamic with large range of movements - plies, lunges, kick backs side reaches and taps. It goes quickly and I could see using this for other workouts that didn't have a warm up. The first circuit has grape vines, side step touches and squats that can be jumped and rotated 90 degrees for the higher impact version. The toning is side lunges and bicept curl to overhead press eventually with an opposite knee raise. The second circuit is skip forward and hamstring curls on the way back. Knee raises are added in with high knees for the plyo move. The toning is overhead tricept press, pushups to downdog and tricept kickbacks and raised pulses. The third circuit is jog forward, 2 jacks, jog back, 2 jacks, front lunge to toes or 3 skis to lunge for the plyo move. This is followed by deadlift to upright row to lat raise. Planks with 4 small steps forward and back are next followed by shoulder press with arms lateral and forward. A knee raise is added again for balance work. A cardio segment is next with all the moves from the three circuits. The pec and core portion is chest presses with double leg drop, side plank raises, supermans and swimmers. A short but effective stretch ends the workout.

The dynamic between Kristi and Erin was great. You can tell Kristi is an athlete and concerned with her form as she tires so Erin spots her and offers encouragement. I would have preferred to go heavier for the deadlifts but couldn't because of the moves it was paired with. I liked that balance work and plyometric work was sprinkled throughout the workout but not done for every move. This is definitely an endurance workout and you feel it at the end of the weighted sets. It's a solid intermediate workout with a few intermediate-advanced moves. I enjoyed this workout and time went quickly but I'm not sure it has a place among my current workouts. I will be keeping it in mind though for the future and look forward to doing more workouts with Erin.