Lifetiquing Reviews

Equipment needed: light 1-3 lb hand weights (optional)

Level: Advanced

Bottom line: I would have named this grueling workout "Tonique: A Squats and Lunges Odyssey." As can be imagined, it's somewhat repetitive, but in the long run would be very effective.

Your mama always told you to eat your broccoli and do your squats and lunges. Don't blame the happily smiling Sylwia Wiesenberg if you haven't been following that sage advice. You will do a lifetime's worth of lunges and squats in about 45 minutes of relentless, break-less, sweaty work. Oh, by the way- don't scoff at those 1-3 lb hand weights- you will feel like you're lifting bricks by the end of each sequence.

This workout consists almost exclusively of many, many repetitions of every possible variation of squats and lunges while adding arm movements for toning (and for added difficulty). The sequences are fast paced, and there are no breaks between them, which brings this workout to a feverishly high intensity at times. Although there were only a few sections that involved high impact, this structure gets the heart rate up and keeps it up for a thorough cardiovascular challenge. The last 15 minutes are challenging barre-inspired toning moves that will require a good deal of commitment to finish after having worked the legs for so long.

My impression of this workout is fairly positive. My knees give me issues that are sometimes aggravated by leg work, but I found that I had no trouble keeping proper form in this workout, and I enjoyed the intensity. I have read many accounts of excellent results from this workout, and having done it, I believe them. If done consistently, this workout would definitely reshape your lower body.

I had two major qualms with it, though. The first is the voice over. It is literally the most annoying and distracting thing I have ever heard in a workout, and that's saying a lot considering my extensive Tae Bo collection. This chick in the background keeps sensually purring useless remarks like, "Just a little longer until your dream body…" Oh man, I just wanted to throw a shoe at my speakers by the end. I would suggest doing the workout for the first time with the voice over, and then muting it and turning on your own music the second time. The second qualm was the "artsy" shooting, which constantly shows close ups of Sylwia's butt and legs, and due to the angles, messes up the count. Um, this is a workout, not a perfume commercial.

Overall: this strenuous workout would deliver results if done consistently, but even the many variations of squats and lunges in this workout do not mask the repetitiveness. Regardless, this workout is very well structured and deserves a high rating for being so effective, but it lost a whole point because of its incredibly irritating aesthetics.