Lord of the Abs: Hard Core

I did this video over the course of several days, almost using the circuits as add-ons. The AWESOME news is that this dvd (FINALLY) has separate chapters (ranging from 9-14 minutes and accessible from the main menu).

WARM-UP:

squats, arm lifts with hands clasped in front, waist twists (a la TaeBo), twists with pistol grip (a la Charlie's Angels), golf swing, discus throw, shoulder rolls

**no worries, this is the only section that has that darn pivoting that Gilad is so fond of**

CIRCUIT 1 (9:30)

Prisoner squats with knee lift, alternating jabs, burpees ("drop and extend"), plank (bring knee to same elbow), side plank (Gilad calls this "bridge") with an overhead reach and hip drop, crunch with sole's together/knees open, knee drop stretch

CIRCUIT 2 (11:30)

prisoner squats with knee lift, alternating jabs with knee lift, twist with knee lift, side steps with arm circles, shoulder rolls, burpees, plank with opposite elbow to knee, side reach move (similar to modified side plank with reach), V-sit (lean back and extend legs, hug knees), the V-sit from prone position, knee to chest stretch

CIRCUIT 3 (13:30)

alternating jabs with knee lift, twist with knee lift, arc arms with knee lift (move arms in arc across front of body), football tire run/walk (out out in in), side steps with arm circles, shoulder rolls, burpees, switch backs (jump alternating legs up), child's pose, side plank with reach through, child's pose

half get-ups, knees to chest stretch, drop knees to side stretch

CIRCUIT 4 (14:00)

alternating jab with knee, twist with knee, arc with knee, step tap, tire run (in and out), step tap with arm circles, burpees, plank with hop in and out, plank with small hop side-to-side, plank with big hop side-to-side, child's pose, side plank with side crunch, jackknife move with 1 and 2 legs, side stretch

**definitely the most difficult circuit, IMO**

STRETCH:

knee drops, knees to chest, hamstring and glute stretches, cat/cow, shoulder rolls/stretch, triceps, breathing breast stroke with chair pose

THOUGHTS:

This is the most FUN, most CLASSIC Gilad in the LOTA series! I loved the interaction with the random beach girl that Gilad has join in the workout:

"Nice work there, girl! Keep it up. You're all...full of sand. Amazing! Nice."

LOL! Those interactions made me chuckle every time! And that girl is FIT! She even gets her name in the credits... I also loved that at some point in the last circuit, Trella lost a shoe!?

All in all, this one. This is one I can see using again and again. It does have some challenging moves, like burpees, but Gilad moves at such a deliberate speed that they don't feel rushed or frantic...in fact, the pace is fine to just step back and forward instead of full burpees (plus Gilad shows a couple of modifiers that use a step for their hands for all burpee/plank work).