Search - Solid Gold Cardio on DVD

Cardio and more

Biology teacher | Chicago, IL | 06/11/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In addition to the hi/lo workout, the disk includes many bonuses: ten minute sessions focusing on abs, squats & push-ups, back & behind, pilates, a core ball workout, and an extended stretch. You can do the main workout, or one of the combination platters: shortened versions of the main workout, with warm-up and cool down, aerobics only, or a strength and stretch routine from the combined ten minute segments, or everything strung together. So this is quite a versatile workout. You need a bit of floor space, but no special equipment unless you want to do the core ball workout.
The aerobic segment is quite complicated, and I found the cueing confusing (too early). Christi has three people demonstrating the more complex movements and four in the back doing a less difficult variation, but these people are hard to see on a small screen. To help you learn the moves, there is "Movemaster", which goes through each move separately, slowly, and showing you what the person does from behind. This is very helpful, but the moves don't get strung together as in the main workout. Also, the DVD is NOT chaptered such that you can easily jump back to the beginning of a combination to repeat it, sadly.
Finally, there is Choreography 101 - which takes you through all the most basic aerobics moves, naming them and demonstrating them (e.g. grapevine, side lift, knee up, etc) . This would be helpful to an absolute beginner, however, such a person has a long, long way to go before they can handle the main workout's combos and flips.
The music in the main workout is okay, forgettable pop, but not just synthesized beat as in the other parts. You cannot turn off the voice or the music as in some workout DVDs.
Overall, this is a good workout for an intermediate to advanced aerobics exerciser who likes to learn complex combos. It would get 5 stars if the moves were easier!"

A Fun Workout

Terri L | St Louis, MO | 08/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The choreography will seem too hard to do if you're a novice video exerciser or if you're not familiar with Christi's workouts. The trick is to LISTEN to her instructions rather than just trying to follow the moves. She is an excellent instructor and I was amazed at how quickly I learned the moves. Uses the best music of any videos I've done and her workouts are always fun to do."

No dancing, just aerobics

Lena, LMT | Nassau, NY | 02/14/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this up at the library, but the moves seem complicated & too step/kick aerobicized for me, very uninspiring.
I agree the best thing about this dvd is that is there about 10 or more "extras" such as abs, back, ball, weights, etc. in 10 min length workouts.
There's a preview at collagevideo.com

Another reviewer who reviewed this DVD on the sports area of amazon said:
Reviewer: TCasiello (New England)
Too Complicated, October 11, 2005
Reviewer: TCasiello (New England) - See all my reviews
The good points about this DVD is that it has a lot of features. There is the main workout, a cool down, a bunch of extra excercises, and even a "combination platters" section that combines different parts of the main workout with the other excercises. There is also the "choreography 101" and "movemaster" sections that are supposed to help you learn the steps. However, the moves Christi does are simply too complicated. I spent most of my time tripping over myself trying to get the moves instead of breaking a sweat. The "Choreography 101" section shows the basic foot patterns, but after Christi is done modifying them in the main workout, they are unrecognizable. The "Movemaster" section is basically the core of the workout done a little more slowly, with no real further explaination of what she's doing. I spent a long time with the "movemaster" on 3/4 speed, trying to learn the combinations, just for the modifications in the main workout to trip me up. After about a week of trying, I finally gave up. So, unless you are a dancer, you might want to try a different video. There are others out that get your heart rate up as much, without the intricate spins and footwork."