Zero to 60

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this workout.

I have tried a Sharon Twombly workout before and found it really advanced for me. Yet, I enjoyed it enough to keep it and just majorly modify the impact and intensity down and I still am a sweaty mess at the end of it. So, when I heard she was coming out with a more intermediate workout and the format of the workout was to be cardio with weights, I was thrilled. I knew I would love this workout. A check-in buddy loaned it to me and I was shocked to find I was ambivalent about the workout. There were parts and aspects of it I really, really liked and there were parts I didn't like all that much. So, when I had the chance to receive this workout from Collage as a reviewer, I snapped it up.

This workout follows a pattern. You do a combination which is a mixture of cardio and conditioning moves with light weights. Then, you do an interval, or blast, that gets your heartrate up. Then, you do a combination which is a mixture of cardio and conditioning moves with heavier weights - followed by an interval, or blast, that gets your heartrate up. I use 3 pounds for the lighter weights and could easily go to 2 pounds some days. I start with 5 pound weights for the heavier sections and then eventually drop to 4 pounders because the 5 pounders get too heavy for me.

Some of the things I wanted to report about this workout are:

1. This workout truly is low impact. Sharon gives higher impact options, but presents them as moves that go beyond the low-impact mandate of the workout. There is a background exerciser that always sticks to the low-impact move. Many of the moves, however, may not be joint friendly for some, even though they are low impact. For example, there are lunges and squats (which I do less deeply than I used to) and one section has push ups (I just walk through them getting down on the floor, doing a few push ups, and then getting back up).

2. The music is really good. The music has vocals and it's upbeat and motivating. "Good music" to me is any music that has vocals and fits the workout. It doesn't have to be the style of music I normally listen to in order to be deemed "good".

3. There are some combinations that are just plain fun. She can put together moves that flow and I find myself grinning while doing them.

4. On the other hand, there are some parts of the workout that just drag. She spends a long time putting together combinations and then repeats them several times. The moves are athletic in nature, so there isn't much complexity to keep my attention and sometimes that would be nice. This is what turned me off the most when I first tried it.

The workout is almost 50 minutes long. I would rarely do the entire workout because I usually do 30-40 minute workouts. And that's where the saving grace of this DVD comes in - the premixes! There are four premixes:

> Zero to 40 - Light Weight Day

> Zero to 40 - Heavy Weight Day

> Zero to 30 - All Intervals

> Zero to 26 - All Combos (with no breakdown)

I have done the two Zero to 40 premixes and really enjoyed them, the light weight day most of all. And these are where I will probably spend most of my time with this DVD.

There is also a main menu option that takes you the different chapters in the workout and you can choose them manually.