Search - Kathy Smith: Cardio Knockout on DVD

Two previously released workouts together for one great deal

Beth Cholette | Upstate NY USA | 11/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is a compilation of two previous Kathy Smith releases, Kickboxing Workout and Aerobox, and buying them together is a great deal! The Kickboxing workout is appropriate for beginners but will challenge intermediates as well, and the Aerobox workout will leave intermediate to advanced exercisers sweating. I have broken down the two programs in detail below.

The Kickboxing Workout was my first-ever experience with kickboxing, and I've loved it ever since. The program begins with Ketih Cooke, a well-known kickboxer, providing simple explanations of each of the punches and kicks that will be used in the workout. Kathy then takes over, leading you through a 10-minute warm-up. Next comes the 25-minute kickboxing work. During this section, you will practice punches and kicks, starting slowly and then building up to a faster pace. Kathy gradually works up to basic punch-kick combinations which are simple to learn yet to fun to do. At the end of this section, two short combinations are presented by Keith Cooke and another well-known instructor, Keli Roberts. Following the main workout, there is a 5-minute segment of kicking drills, a nice stretch using a chair, and finally a 5-minute bonus abs/back segment (not sure why the stretch came before this).

Aerobox is a tough boxing working combined with jump rope drills to up the intensity even further. Although Kathy is present in a leading role, the main instructor is actually Michael Olajide, a boxer. Prior to the start of the workout, Kathy and Micheal review the moves which will be used during the routine and discuss proper form. The workout begins with a warmup lasting just over 7 minutes. In this section, you will perform simple punches combined with side steps and plenty of twists to begin raising the heart rate; the warmup ends with some basic upper and lower body stretches. The next section, standing boxing, is the longest segment at 11 minutes. Here you will concentrate more intensly on the punches, and Michael introduces some double-time moves. Following this comes "Stick and Move 1," a 4-minute segment which adds some simple footwork--mostly via boxer's shuffles--to the boxing movements. Next comes the first jumprope segment (4 minutes)--it's very challenging even without the rope! A second "Stick and Move" section follows, this one only 2 minutes but with some quicker footwork. The next jumprope segment lasts 5 minutes, with the moves becoming a bit more complex. The final "Stick and Move" section is also only 2 minutes and again involves quick footwork; the final 4-minute jumprope segment ups the intensity and impact even further by adding some jogging and knee raises. During the "Aerobic Cool-Down," you are still doing punches and some footwork, but at a much slower pace. The 4-minute stretch segment brings the total workout time to 50 minutes.

Again, this DVD is really a great deal--as always, you get excellent instruction by Kathy Smith, fine guest performances by Michael, Keli, and Keith, and two all-around great workouts. Highly recommended!"

Just buy it!

Red Panda | Australia | 06/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I want to give an unbiased review, so I'll just say that this is the best boxing/kickboxing DVD known to humankind!

Working with seasoned pros Michael Olajide and Keith Cooke, Kathy Smith takes you through the basics of boxing and kickboxing, then provides two solid, sweaty workouts. This makes the DVD perfect for beginner and experienced exercisers alike. With a bonus tai chi-inspired stretch routine by popular instructor Keli Roberts, and a quick energising tai chi workout by Keith Cooke, "Cardio Knockout" is not only excellent value for money, but the kind of workout DVD you can use in different ways for years to come.

As I'm pretty uncoordinated, I always thought that kickboxing would be too difficult for me to learn. But this DVD makes it easy - you can start with the four basic punches demonstrated by Michael Olajide, then add the kicks, which are expertly broken down and demonstrated by Keith Cooke. The kickboxing workout employs simple punch/kick combinations; there are no lengthy choreographed routines to learn here. During the kickboxing workout, Keith sometimes appears in a split screen with form tips.

The boxing workout is filmed in an industrial setting - you can see flashes of arc welding in the background. This, plus the driving music and occasional black-and-white shots, gives the workout a tough, gritty feeling.

If you're looking for a tough cardio workout without dancey moves or complicated choreography and which can be performed using a minimum of space, you can't go past either of the routines on "Cardio Knockout". The only caveat I would offer is that you shouldn't do the workouts on carpet; as there is a lot of pivoting, you run the risk of torquing your knees. I put down rubber puzzle mats on top of the carpet so I can really go to town!"

Good Solid Cardio - It's Fun, Too!

K. Beardsley | Ottawa, Ontario Canada | 08/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The two main workouts on this DVD, kickboxing and aerobox, are perfect for days when you want to sweat. They really get my heart racing! The Tai Chi at the end is good, too, but it's much shorter than the others - it consists of a 6 minute energizing sequence and a 6 minute stretch. I do the Tai Chi after a boxing workout, but I don't tend to do it by itself.

I appreciated the fact that both of the boxing sessions had introductions in which the main moves were demonstrated slowly, and proper form was explained. After doing the workout a couple of times, it really isn't necessary to watch the intro each time, of course, but it's nice to have them there for future reference. The instructors offer good tips and reminders throughout the workout to help you keep proper form. In both cases, there is an expert working with Kathy for these intros.

The two boxing sessions are complementary in that the emphasis in the aerobox is more on the upper body, while kickboxing focuses more on the lower body. Both workouts also work the core effectively. These are both really excellent cardio routines. In both workouts, you learn combinations of moves from the introductions, and after doing them slowly, you repeat them up to tempo several times. (Don't let the word "slowly" there fool you, though - it's all relative. They are fast enough that my heart rate stays up while learning the combos, and then I really have to push myself to do them at full speed.) I like that the combos, while challenging, aren't complicated in terms of their choreography. I was able to pick up on them pretty quickly. If you don't like having to learn all sorts of complicated "dancey" choreography to get your heart rate up, I can definitely recommend this DVD.

Because of the jump rope, much of the aeroboxing is high impact, and no low impact alternative is offered. (I do this part of the workout without a rope - I just jump as if I had one. One of the boxers on the DVD is doing this, too.) The kickboxing actually has fewer high impact moves, and in this case, low impact alternatives are offered.

One thing that I really appreciate about this one is that each workout is broken up into chapters that can be selected from the DVD menu. I've used this to mix and match workouts. The last time I used this DVD, for example, I did the kickboxing warm-up and cardio workout, but I still felt like doing more cardio, so I just did a couple of the segments from aerobox without having to scan through the intro or the warm-up from that workout. Then I went back to the kickboxing to do the short leg and core strength segments and the cool-down before heading to the Tai Chi based (very relaxing!) stretch.

I should note that there is an error on the box: it says that the kickboxing workout is 120 minutes, but it is actually about 50 minutes. For me, that's a good thing - I rarely have 2 straight hours to devote to exercise - but I thought it was worth mentioning here."

Two fabulous, classic, TOUGH workouts; boxing & kickboxing

Alex Grayson | Los Angeles, CA | 03/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These combo DVD releases of Kathy's are such a great deal. I've been a fan of hers for a while, and though I'll admit I've not loved every workout she's released, these two are incredibly well done.

First, she has the wherewithal to get the best seasoned athletes possible to teach things like this, so you get the adorable and ultra-lean boxer, Michael Olajide, leading a very tough, fun and effective boxer's cardio workout session. Then you get the fabulously buff and focused kickboxing pro, Keith Cooke, to teach a really wonderful and SAFE kickboxing class. I point out the safety feature on the kickboxing workout because it's crucial. While the boxer workout uses jumping rope (either with a real one or imagining you have one if space doesn't permit), lots of fast punches (great for core stability training) and footwork (agility and leg training galore!), in kickboxing you have to be much more careful about things like back issues, knees, etc. This kickboxing workout is really well balanced and is presented with every safety feature possible explored.

Kathy is still front and center, offering the ultra specific and full spectrum safety guidelines and modifications, and then Michael and Keith do their thing and really keep you going.

Having seen and done a lot of kickboxing DVDs, this is by far the best in terms of a great, effective warmup (sadly lacking in most DVDs), great variety of moves and combos during the actual workout, a good cool down, and then follows it with some FANTASTIC stationary drills to perfect form and technique, great core training for added stability and a lovely cool down stretch, all led by Kathy.

In the boxing class, at times Michael is a bit too fast even for Kathy to keep up with in terms of sheer speed - boxers are just amazing to watch in terms of speed, grace and agility- but it's inspiring rather than daunting. With several people alongside Kathy all doing it too, it really does feel like being in a good live class.

I came on here to write this review because I was suddenly inspired to do Keith and Kathy's kickboxing class tonight and thought I should share just how great these two classes are.

Personally, I categorize these as more geared towards intermediate to advanced students. If you are an absolute beginner either of these could seem to be a bit intimidating because of the pace, tempo and length, although you could always modify and shorten. Anyone with back or knee issues needs to be careful when doing all workouts, but kickboxing is especially tricky for that. Still, these are the safest, most effective, fun and energizing boxing and kickboxing workouts I've seen out there. They are also cool enough (I think) and challenging enough for men to find them approachable as well, lest anyone think these are just for chicks. ;)"