Kelly Coffey-Meyer- 30 Minutes to Fitness: Cardio Blast
Equipment needed: step for the first 30 minutes, then no equipment needed
Level: Intermediate/advanced
Bottom line: This cardio workout contains a very wide variety of exercises, helping it move along quickly. The moves are straightforward and no-nonsense, making it a solid workout that gets the job done for a range of levels.
This is my workout of choice when I'm short on time, motivation or energy., and I turn to it at least once a month. It consists of two parts- the first 30 minutes uses the step, and the second 30 minutes consists of 10 intervals of plyometric exercises, each of which is repeated 2-4 times. To be honest, the second interval is so much more my style (and I usually don't need more than the 30 minute routine) that I usually skip right to it and don't bother with the first half, so this review is going to reflect that.
As my attention-deficit workout style is a common theme here, you can probably imagine that I really enjoy this routine Thirty minutes with 10 different intervals? YEAH! The intervals consist of athletic, straightforward plyometric moves like jump tucks, jump squats, plyo lunges and hurdle jumps. These are exercises that I use often and aren't the most interesting or creative, but the way this routine is broken up, they don't feel repetitive or boring at all. Kelly gives breaks between each interval, further reducing any dread factor that this workout would have. She is at her best here as an instructor, by the way. She's no-nonsense, but encouraging and upbeat without being overly perky. I don't always look to an instructor to motivate me through a workout, but in this one, I really feel that Kelly is speaking to me personally with her comments, and that helps me get through it- particularly important since I only do this workout on days when I'm not feeling like working out.
That's the caveat, though: I only use this workout on light days when I'm not feeling up to one of my normal workouts. It used to be more challenging for me, but now that I incorporate so much plyometric work in my other workouts, I don't really feel the burn anymore from this one. I think this is largely due to the pacing; the breaks allow my heart rate to recover. It keeps me in my aerobic zone and sometimes pushes me a little higher during some of the more challenging intervals, but I never make it up into my anaerobic zone. I consider it to be a worthy workout that "counts" for a cardio day, but it's not a workout I do regularly and feel that I could grow with.
Overall: This cardio interval workout is best suited for intermediate to advanced-level exercisers. There are no complex moves to follow and Kelly is highly motivating. Advanced exercisers will find that this workout is best suited for a lighter day, particularly if they're only doing the second half.