Michelle Dozois- Peak 10: Cardio Strength
Equipment needed: one light and one heavy pair of dumbbells- I used 5 and 10 lbs
Level: Advanced
Bottom line: This workout is tough and has a unique structure that keeps things moving, but ultimately I felt like it was a waste of a strength training day.
Ok, I wanted to like this one, and yeah, my rating doesn't really reflect the quality of this workout. It is well-designed, Michelle is a good instructor, and I liked the format. But see, you're holding dumbbells throughout most of the workout, and while that adds significantly to the intensity and works your muscles to some extent, this workout is definitely not strength training. This reflects only my preference, but if I'm doing a cardio day, I don't want to be holding weights- I want to give my joints a break and enjoy myself. If I'm doing a strength day, I want to be working my muscles to fatigue. Unfortunately, this workout accomplished neither.
The workout consists of 5 circuits, each of which is repeated twice and consists of three sections, each one progressively more intense than the last. The strength moves are almost entirely compound, functional (rather than conventional) exercises, which do not isolate muscle groups. While functional movements have a place in my workouts, this meant that no muscle was ever truly fatigued, so although I was exhausted at the end of the workout (it is very tough cardiovascular-wise), I felt cheated.
Another aspect of the workout that I didn't like is that it seemed to drag on forever. I choose circuit and interval workouts because I get bored easily, and this one seemed endless. How is that possible in a workout that contains so many circuits? I don't know, but I was watching the countdown timer on the screen through tears of boredom. I wouldn't quite say that I would never do this workout again, but I certainly wouldn't pay for it- it went straight back to the seller after I had tried it twice.
Overall: this workout gets a thumbs down from me for the genre, but it provides an exhausting cardiovascular workout for advanced exercisers who like to mix weights- not strength- with their cardio.