Cuts & Curves

NAME: Gilad

DURATION: 55 minutes (9 minute warm up, 41 minutes toning, 5 minute cool down and stretch)

EQUIPMENT: resistance tubing, dumbbells

TYPE: Total body strength

MUSIC: Good. It was a driving beat, but not techie or something

IMPACT: low

CHOREOGRAPHY: none

LEVEL: Intermediate

This is a total body strength training workout featuring fitness veteran hottie, Gilad. He is accompanied by four other background exercisers, three females and one male. All are in great shape, but not too skinny.

The workout begins with a simple warm up of side steps, knee ups, and pulses. He also uses some weights to warm up the muscles, like Jari Love has done (or maybe Jari is copying from him, as he's been doing this awhile). The first half of the workout uses the tubing/resistance cord. The second half uses dumbbells. The pace was really easy to follow. Most of the moves are isolation moves, although Gilad does throw in a few compound moves. This would probably be a great workout for travel or to use with some Bodylastics. I think even the weights only section can be modified for use with those. Additionally, this workout doesn't have too many reps, so there is little dread factor.

You really need to heavy up in this workout to feel anything. I think it was a little overdone for lower body, but that's just me. It seemed like endless lunges. One point: if you are going to use tubing, have various resistances available, just like you would have various weights. And have them handy.

PROS: The scenery is gorgeous and I'm not one for beach workouts. Very clear skies. The workout does not require a lot of space. The playful banter between Gilad and cast members is genuine, which is very good. Great cueing and form pointers throughout.

CONS: No ab work. That might not bother some people, but I won't do ab work unless it's included in the workout. I won't pop in an extra ab tape.

OVERALL: B+

This is a one-hour solid intermediate strength video. You'll need a long resistance band and some dumbbells. You could go without the band, but I think you'll want to spring for one eventually. Mine was too short for the shoulder work but worked well when I sat down and looped it under the chair seat.

The warm up is long, in keeping with Gilad's style. The setting is a beach with kind of weird elevated mats for the exercisers.

Chaptering leaves a LOT to be desired. There are three: the warm-up, the workout, and the cool down. That's it.

The day after this one I feel it mostly in my lower body. I think that's because there are quite a few squats while holding the bands in your arms (you anchor them by stepping on them). This is not to say Gilad neglects the arms and shoulders. Some of that work is quite challenging. You may lower your weights, especially for the shoulder and rotator cuff work.

Gilad sneaks just a few compound exercises in, like working one calf muscle while doing shoulder presses or bicep curls.

There is no abs section. I think you are meant to get one of the other tapes in this series (like Core & More) for that focus.

This is a good quiet video if you have downstairs neighbors. Sometimes Gilad does very fast kind of noisy lunges that might sound like stomping downstairs, but he does not do that here.

I'm reviewing this workout after having done it a few times.

First the scenery is breathtaking. It is taped in Hawaii at Kaena Point an exotic beach on Oahu's west shore.

Gilad as well as the cast all look and act as if they are having fun and getting a good workout. There are no annoying voices or cast members. The music is enjoyable and appropriate both in the workout section and the cooldown.

This is an easy to follow 60 minute total body sculpting workout. You do not need to use tubing/resistance cord. You can use dumbbells instead. You will need a mat for the push ups and some cooldown stretches. This workout does not require alot of room.

The first half of the workout uses the tubing/resistance cord. The second half uses dumbbells. I used both since I have both types of equipment. I used several dumbbells for the different body parts. I liked the variety of using the tubing/resistance cord and the dumbbells. Since most of my other workouts like Cathe's mainly use dumbbells and barbells.

Gilad targets all the major muscle groups in a variety of ways. Some were quite challenging. And upping the weight means there is room to grow with this workout. The whole workout was paced really well. I would rate this a solid intermediate to low advanced. I say this because again this workout doesn't use heavy barbells as in a Cathe workout. But you will get a solid toning workout if you use appropriate weights for you. As with any toning workout if you don't use enough weight you won't feel anything.

Gilad focuses on the core throughout the workout. But there are no floorwork specific abs/core exercises in this workout. I would have liked for him to have included some in this workout but he included them in his other two new workouts.

I found this to be a fun and challenging workout with no dread factor. The time goes by fast and the workout gets right to business from the beginning. No time wasted. Gilad is great and very motivating. And the scenery is excellent. Great workout to lift your mood and shape you up without the drugery.

This workout is about an hour long, but that includes a 15 minute warm up. Waaaay too long for me, so I just do my own thing.

This is a strength workout using tubing and weights. I go lighter on the weights than I do for most other workouts-- heck, for one exercise I am using three pound weights. I never use three pound weights!

Gilad starts with squats using tubing. For this exercise I se green tubing which is medium light resistance. These are done with feet at a 45 degree angle. Different counts are used and he has you do some dreaded low ends. He then works the shoulders with the tubing. Lunges use resistance tubing also. For this I use more resistance-- my red spri tubing. The interesting twist he adds is that he has you adduct your rear leg in for the last bunch of reps. Again, different counts are used. He then does some bicep work, including crazy eights, using the tubing. The last lower body exercise with tubing is one legged squats. For me, it is back to my lighter resistance tubing (green). Triceps are worked with tubing. He varies the count and has you do some halfway reps.

Now, done with the tubing it is time to pick up your weights. He works shoulders quite a bit, including rotator cuffs. He does some more tricep work-- kickbacks and an overhead press. The back is not worked as much-- just some rows on each side, but it is tough. Usually I use 16-24 pounds, but in this case 11 pounds is plenty for me. Gilad makes a big point of being done with shoulders when you are through with the main set, but shoulder and bicep work does appear again when working the calves. I don't feel like the calf work is especially effective. Finally, it is on to the floor for push ups, a push up variation that I cannot quite explain, pullovers and some flys.

All in all it moves pretty fast, and I feel thoroughly worked out. Gilad is his usual self-- goofy and charming. It is a nice outdoor setting, by the ocean. The music is nondescritpt. The actual strength workout is between 35-40 minutes. I would say this workout would be a little less modifiable to make easier than, say, A Cathe workout as weights used for me were already fairly low-- I used 3-11 pounds. Most exercises I used 5-8 pounds. Like I said, that is lower than I usually use.

No abs. This is OK for me. I usually tack on abs after a cardio workout.