30 Minutes to Fitness: Kickboxing

The reviews so far have described the breakdowns, so i'll just provide my brief thoughts.

I've always wanted a kickboxing workout that included lots of kicking in it. When i first started using KCM, the cardio workouts i tried focused on boxing (punching), such as TLC, Step Boxing, etc. I received this workout from a generous VFer and am delighted to see more kicking in this one. The combos are interesting and there's little to no TIFTing.

i followed the beginner modifier on the right whenever i didn't feel like jumping, which makes up a small percentage of the workout.

The abs workout is also really good - unique moves. the first 4 minutes of this routine are done standing. from there she goes to the floor.

Just to complement the wonderfully thorough reviews that are already on here, I did like this workout much better than the first KCM I tried. There is an exerciser modifying to low impact and you can follow her and still get a sufficient workout. As someone else mentions, her punching terminology is a little different than what I am used to and that's a bit confusing. I must be in the minority because I did like the preview screens and I wouldn't mind seeing more videos with that.

I did think some of the punch combinations were a little awkwardly setup with regard to which arm was punching (like left, when right made more sense.) And the speed it ups were a little too fast for me to do and retain anything resembling good form. I'd like there to be more of the left/right variety of cuing too-doesn't anyone want to mirror anymore? Otherwise, I'm a fan of this workout.

I'm reviewing this workout after doing it two or three times, although I may have only done the abs portion once.

General workout breakdown: Joane and Beth have already described this workout well, so I'll just add a few more comments in case anyone possibly wants more information about this.

You'll do the four basic punches - jab, cross (Kelly often refers to this one as just a "punch," which is confusing), hook, and upper cut - plus a high palm strike, low punches, ice breakers, an elbow, and speed bag. For kicks you'll do front push, back, crescent (and don't be ashamed if you can't do this - the chamber knee works just as well and is probably a better option for a lot of folks), and a side kick (although I'm not quite sure if Kelly is always doing a side kick or sometimes doing a roundhouse; I tend to do roundhouse when the body is turned from the TV and in the drill portion and side kicks in the other segments); Kelly also does a hitch kick (jumping front kick) and a push kick (jumping side kick). You'll also do some knee ups / knee strikes, side chambers, duck, boxer's shuffle, lunge, jumping jack, and tap outs.

Kelly keeps things moving along so there's little down time. The pace of the combos themselves seems pretty reasonable to me. Once I got past that initial, "Wait, what are we doing now?" moment, I never felt like I was rushing to catch up - or that I had to slow down to get back on track with Kelly and crew.

The final stretches are quick (each workout has a slightly different stretch), with Kelly just touching on hamstrings (in the second workout only), upper back and shoulders, inner thighs, low back, and neck (second workout only).

Level: I'd recommend this to intermediate to intermediate / advanced exercisers comfortable with the kickboxing basics; int. / adv. through low, maybe mid-adv., exercisers can wear weighted gloves to make this work for them. I'd recommend some willingness to work with a choreographed routine that's not really broken down during the workout, although you don't need to be into complex choreography. The workout isn't that complex, but the way it's taught (well, not taught) means that it's best if you're able to pick moves up on the fly and keep short combos in your head.

I consider myself an int./adv. exerciser, although I'm probably more of an int. + when it comes to kickboxing because I have no martial arts training, I've done kickboxing almost exclusively at home with videos, and I don't do kickboxing regularly (I tend to revisit this style for a month or two a few times a year). I get a good workout when I do this without my weighted gloves, and I get a great workout when I do it with them. I prefer kickboxing routines that offer intensity through focus on technique (e.g. Powerstrikes) over those that throw punches and kicks while jumping all over the place (e.g. Amy Bento's Kickbox Xtreme); while this one isn't exactly technique-focused as shown, the pace and the thought put into the combos and sequences allow you to get your intensity through the kickboxing moves themselves rather than having to add in filler, which works for me. I am a choreography lover who reaches for more complex hi/lo and step workouts, so I don't have trouble with the routine once I've figured out what the moves are, although I'd still like Kelly to announce clearly at the beginning of each combo exactly which punches and kicks she's doing.

Music: upbeat mix of instrumentals and vocals. Some I've heard in other workouts, but they're not overplayed in my collection.

Set: the 2008 CIA set with purple-ish walls lined with orange and black plus a seating area off to the side; a banner with Kelly's Coffey Fit logo hangs in a big "window" in the back.

Production: clear picture and sound, the usual mostly helpful and not really distracting CIA camerawork.

I agree with Beth that the inset preview of upcoming moves isn't as helpful as it means to be. I don't mind it now when I'm not super familiar with the routine, but once I know it well this will be something I'll try to tune out.

Equipment: maybe just a pair of sneakers. Those used to working with weighted gloves (Kelly suggests 1 lb.) can use them.

Space Requirements: You should be able to take a big step and kick in the four directions (front, both sides, and back).

DVD Notes: After the usual warnings and a quick intro comes your main menu, with these options: Introduction, Warm-up, Workout One, Workout Two, Bonus Core/Abs, Pre-Mixes, and Tutorial (13.5 min.).

Comments: After I did this one again earlier this week I asked myself repeatedly why I am not using this DVD all the time. I enjoy it a lot, I always like working out with Kelly, and this DVD offers great flexibility with its premixes. I guess I didn't want to burn myself out on it, which explains why I set it aside after trying it when it first came out, and I also have too many videos which I'd feel guilty allowing to collect dust while I focused on this one. I will be making an effort to ensure this one comes out to play more often.

Anyway, I've yet to find The Perfect Kickboxing video (although to be fair I can't say I've found any workout video that's truly 100% perfect, which is fine because I don't need a video to be more than solid and good). But this one, despite issues like Kelly's minimalist cuing and repeated use of "punch" for "cross" and ambiguous side kick, ranks among the kickboxing DVDs I have that I think are pretty darn good.

NOTE: I received a free review copy of this video from Kelly Coffey-Meyer.

This is another new workout from fitness instructor Kelly Coffey-Meyer's 30 Minutes to Fitness series. Like the other DVDs in this series, 30 Minutes to Fitness Kickboxing offers two separate workouts; when combined with the warm-up, each of these workouts is around 30 minutes long, perfect if you are short on time. However, Kelly also offers plenty of additional options, including a Bonus Core/Abs segment and premixes which allow you to create a longer workout by performing both workouts together, adding on the abs, etc.

Kelly works out with four background exercises, one of whom shows modifications for the higher impact moves. Although with a few exceptions (see my notes below), Kelly mostly keeps the choreography relatively basic, she also includes a 13.5 minute Tutorial that breaks down all of the combinations included in both workouts (be advised, though--even the tutorial moves fairly quickly!). The Main Menu of the DVD lists the Warm-Up and each workout as separate options as well as the Bonus Core/Abs segment and the Tutorial.

Kelly begins the 3 1/2 minute Warm-up with shoulder circles, shrugs, and shuffles. She adds in knees, kicks, and squats and then introduces the four punches used in the workout (jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts). The short warm-up finishes with a quick hip flexor stretch. Without the warm-up, Workout #1 is 27 minutes long, and #2 is 24 1/2 minutes long. Both follow the format of repeating a combination for 2 minutes and then moving on (although sometimes Kelly changes it up and does a short drill-like sequence at the end of a combo). I loved that both workouts really worked the legs with A LOT of kicking; a few of the combos were virtually ALL kicks! In the first workout, I had trouble with the choreography for one combination only, which involved a hitch (jump) kick; I just couldn't seem to get to the correct side on that one. For the second workout, I thought that there was some trickier choreography during the first half, but it seemed to get more basic as the workout continued. There is a little preview of the upcoming sequence which appears for a few seconds in the bottom right-half of the screen, but to be honest, this is more of a distraction than a help. Also, I wish that Kelly had cued the combos a bit more--she's very encouraging and obviously having a great time, but there are times when a little reminder from her to "now hook" or "kick left" would've been extremely helpful. Still, I never got too frustrated with any combination given that none of them lasted longer than two minutes, and for both workouts, the time absolutely FLEW by. Each of the workouts concludes with just a minute or so of brief stretching.

The Bonus Core/Abs segment (14 minutes) is a great little addition to this workout. Since the first 4 1/2 minutes of this segment are performed standing, I found that when I added the segment on after the workout, it kept my heart rate up too! The standing portion includes side bends, punches with twists/knees, uppercuts with front crunch, and kicks with twists. Then it's on to the floor for some very different takes on the usual crunches: Kelly starts with a punching sit-up and also performs punches on a decline, twists, leg raises, crunches with leg raises, and explosive scissor sit-ups.

The Pre-Mixes on this DVD include the Knockout Mix (both workouts), 53 minutes; Punch Mix, 22 minutes; Kick Mix, 21 minutes; and Punch & Kick Mix, 22 Minutes; the Abs/Core submenu offers additional options. In conclusion, I'm thrilled to have this workout--I already loved kickboxing, but Kelly has made it even more fun, new, and different here. Highly recommended!

I think Kelly did a great job on this workout. The combos are short, only 2 mintues and then she moves on to the next combo. I am amazed how fun each combo is. I previewed the workout while I walked on my treadmill and was glad I did. She only cues the first time around on most combos but they are pretty easy so this wasn't a problem. I did not like Cardio Kick Step Boxing for this very reason, the lack of cueing. I found myself just staring at the tv in frustation yhough much of the workout. This dvd is great though, if you are a kickboxing fan I think you will really enjoy it.