Slim Series: Tear it Up

Leela did a great job breaking down the workout, so I'll just give my impressions of the workout.

I've done it twice now and I'm amazed that I can do a 78-minute workout without going crazy. (I used to have this internal mechanism that told me I had to quit if I went passed an hour). The time does fly faster for me in Shape It Up, but I think this one flows well too.

First of all, it really helps me to have the time ticking backwards down at the bottom of the screen. On all of the Slim Series workouts, there is a countdown of the total minutes and seconds in the workout and the minutes and seconds of whatever set or segment you are doing. It helps when I am thinking I can't do any more reps and I see that I just have 24 seconds left. I think "Oh, I can handle 24 seconds, and I keep going." Otherwise I might give up earlier.

There are also some words that show up at the bottom of the screen to show form pointers and to even tell you when you're 1/3 or ½ way through the workout. I enjoy reading those while working out.

When I first previewed this workout (my first preview of the Slim Series), I was a little concerned about the music. It is very monotonous, light, and mostly follows a drumbeat. But it's never bothered me while working out. I found when I did it today that I was actually recognizing some of the melodies and was enjoying it.

This workout differs from the other Slim Series workouts because it has more cardio segments interspersed in the first 2/3 of the workout. Most are simple moves (jogging, jacks, knee pulls, kickboxing), but you can make them as intense as you'd like. I do mine on the rebounder and really enjoy it that way. Debbie also does some "burpies" which get the heartrate up there and are a lot of fun in a playful sort of way.

There seems to be more upper body work than lower in this workout and because of that, I felt like my heartrate wasn't always staying up. So I often add step-touches while doing the upper body exercises - especially with all the light dumbbell work in the first ½ of the workout.

I don't have a resistance band, but I use my dumbbells for the band segments and feel like I'm not missing out at all.

I really liked the ab section at the end. It wasn't that lengthy, but it seemed to solidly hit my both my upper and lower abs, with a little on the obliques too.

And I appreciated the long stretch at the end. Some of the Slim Series workouts have just 4 or 5 minutes of stretching and this one is in the 6 minute realm (see, when they give you the time ticker, you get to know all this stuff J).

Debbie Siebers is very pleasant and friendly, yet professional. She rarely stops in between exercises - just goes from one to the next. But she tells you that you can stop and take a break or get water if you ever need to, which sometimes I do. I like that she works me, but allows me to listen to my body. I've been doing a rotation with the Slim Series for 2 weeks now and really enjoy working out with her. I'm also getting great results - my clothes are getting looser and I do indeed feel slimmer already.

The workout is 78 minutes long.

There is a 5 minute warmup, with some fun moves. Squats, Half-squats, front kicks. Jogging in place, half-jacks, medium impact side-to-side lunges. You really feel nicely warmed by the end.

She starts with the 5s and does:
(many many reps, at 1 rep per sec)
(Usually she changes cadence during the exercise to pulses and back)
(No rest breaks in the upper body blast)
Upright rows
Bent over rows
Standing chest press
Standing rotators
Standing w's (shoulder work)
Bent over raises (delt raises)
Bicep work
French press

Then you do ab and leg work (standing)
knee pulls on one side
Front punches
knee pulls on the other side
Lunges (elbow to the knee)
low lunges/knee raise (burns those quads)
lunges (elbow to the knee)
low lunges/knee raise (other side)

Cardio break :

For 60 secs, you do jogging in place, jacks (7), jogging, marching in place at the end for 15 seconds.

Back to weights.

Squats
Squats knee lift
Squats
Lunges (all on one foot). Then static lunges. Then switch legs.

Dead lifts
Plie squats - then at the low end of the movement.

Calf raises

Front/back kicks
Side kicks (looked roundhousey to me)

squat jumps
jog in place
jacks
jog in place
10 seconds marching in place

Back to weights

Front raise-pullbacks (shoulder)
Chest exercise - called chest pullups (palms facing up, arms nearly fully extended, raise up both arms together. Brutal)

lateral raises
bicep curls
hammer curls
angled out bicep curls
delt raises (rear)
kickbacks
Squats
squats, knees pressed together
alternating wide leg squat with knees together
deadlifts
deadlifts standing on one toe
deadlifts both feet on ground
plie squat work
calf work
burpees (squat thrusts)
fast run
jogging in place
jacks
jogging in place
fast run

Cable work:

(on one side)
one armed row
bicep curls
shoulder raises
shoulder work on the other side (late raise)
tricep work on original side
then you switch sides

Alternating side kicks
squats
rear lunges
deadlifts
plie squats, lifting heels

run in place.

5 mins Abs (pretty traditional, crunches, oblique work, reverse, bicycles, full crunches)

Then 5 minutes of stretch

The set is attractive and well-lit, and the background exercisers did a fine job. The music is instrumental, but enjoyable and motivational.