Quick Fit: Shoulders and Arms

I like all of the tapes in this set, though I do some more than others. There are 3 aerobic tapes, each with a different focus. The 1st is classic cardio, the 2nd is cardio strike/kickboxing, and the 3rd is a combination of the two. Overall I like all of the tapes, but in the tapes with a lot of the striking, it gets to be too slow at times because the focus is on the upper body. But as a whole, the tapes are effective and give you the opportunity to switch from one focus to another.

There are 4 strength training videos--abs/ arms and shoulders/ legs, hips, and buttocks/ and chest and back. The tapes I do the most are the arms and shoulders, and the legs, hips, and buttocks. Both are very quick, effective, and to the point. I tend to have to use lighter than usual weights on the arms video, because he does a large amount of repetition, so you can really feel the burn. The legs video is quick and effective as well, but does not involve much activity with weights--it focuses more on lunges and squats.

Overall, these tapes have added more variety to my workouts, and I really enjoy them.

This is a review of the production quality of the strength tapes only-I traded/sold the cardio tapes without doing them since his cardio is not my style. I placed the strength tapes on the exchange after doing them once. The camera man moves around all over the place and at many times tilts the lens so the ocean horizon is at an angle. It made my stomach queasy. Once there is a shot of Gilad at floor level where he stretches his arm out toward the lens and his arm looks 3 feet long! These seems like small quirks even as I type them, but I have a lot of videos, including Cathe's on DVD where I can get short "parts" workouts without being distracted or dizzy by the camera zooming all over the place. LeslieM

Ouch. I didn't know a 20-minute workout could turn your arms to pulp, but this one can. It's a fast-moving series of shoulder and arm work. You start with shoulders and the exercises work your rotator cuffs, and front, side, and rear delts. The arm work is biceps and triceps, plus a little bit of forearm work (when you're doing hammer curls). It moves quickly, so you'll use lighter weights than you normally would. But it's certainly not as fast as Karen Voight's Great Weighted Workout. It sort of reminds me of Cory Everson's Get Hard Arms and Shoulders, except it doesn't include the slower work that Cory includes. I don't know yet if it's as effective as Cory's workout -- I haven't had it long enough to know yet. But it's definitely a keeper -- if not for the results, than for the gorgeous Hawaiian scenery! Grade A.

Shoulders and Arms

The warm up is very short on this tape but probably sufficient for most. The music in this tape is a little peppier than the Hips, Thighs & Buns. The setting is not as good as his earlier Sculpt and Tone tape. It seems to be shot in an inlet and I was distracted by the cars at the top of the ridge.

The excercises were standard fare. I am an advanced exerciser and thought I could start with 8 and 10 pound dumbells but quickly switched to 5 and 8's. There is an exercise done in the shoulder section where you double up your dumbells in front of you which is awkward feeling and I switched to standard raises holding one dumbell in each hand.

The stance that Gilad and the other participants take to execute the moves almost feel unsafe to me and I changed to a "Cathe" type stance. It was much more comfortable.

Cool down and stretch were also sufficient.

Overall, the series would be good for busy days.

Chest and Back

Again, the music in this tape was a little better than in the Hips,Thighs & Buns. The warm up was short but probably sufficient for the workout itself. I chose 5 & 8 pound dumbells and that was plenty heavy. The moves are executed quickly but with good form.

The exercises themselves were mostly standard with a few new angles which had me "feeling" the exercise in the body part worked.

Unfortunately, I had a defective tape that was a "flipper". It would not track on either of my VCR's and Collage will promptly replace it. However, I was able to do the entire tape and present a review.

I purchased the series and I will probably incorporate them by two's in rotations with 30 minutes of aerobics.