Boxout
Reviews from VideoFitness
This workout has already been broken down, so I'll spend most of the review comparing it to Kathy Smith's/Micheal Olajide's Aerobox. For background, I'd consider myself low advanced aerobically.
I would rate this workout as beginner to low intermediate. The warmup is slow and thorough, with lots of stretching. There is no demo of boxing moves; they just start right in punching and uppercutting. No real form tips on punching are given, unlike Aerobox, but all the moves are executed MUCH more slowly. There's no real snapping of the arm during the jabs or crosses, so maybe form tips aren't necessary. The workout emphasized lateral footwork more than Aerobox - cha-chas, shoe-shines, grapevines, L-slides. And there was less emphasis on punching than in Aerobox. There was a VERY short jump rope section, with Sugar Ray being the only one using a rope. I didn't think the workout rated very high on the fun factor (I'm one of the weirdos that finds Aerobox fun). During the aerobic portion, you were always on the right lead, which isn't to say that your left leg didn't get worked out, it just didn't get worked out in the same way as the right leg. Aerobox was very balanced in that respect.
There was only one heart-rate check in the workout. Sugar Ray advises you to work harder if you're below your target rate zone, but the next section is the cooldown (Oops). A total of 40 minutes is spent on the aerobics portion of the workout.
The remaining 20 minutes is spent on floorwork for abs, hips, inner and outer thighs, and glutes. The ab work was standard crunches, with oblique work, and some bicycles. Leg lifts and donkey kicks were executed with correct form. The form tips for the floor work were excellent - hips stacked, abs in, and the donkey kicks were executed on the elbows (I believe that's better for your back than being on hands and knees).
The floor work finished up with some stretches - cobra stretch, spinal twist, and a nice one for the hip flexors that I hadn't seen before (maybe on one of Kari's tapes).
I found this tape too easy to be challenging, but would recommend it to beginners or low intermediates who want to incorporate some boxing into their workouts.
Sugar Ray seemed a little nervous, but hid it well most of the time. But he did smile and give us form reminders (unfortunately, it was mostly limited to one: keep your abs in). Jill Goodacre was a little wooden, and, IMHO, didn't have the most inspiring physique (I didn't really see much muscle). They didn't go over any moves, just jumped on in and did the routines. But the workout is slower paced than Aerobox. Cuing was fair, but becasue of the slow pace, it doesn't take too long to catch on.
I will not go into a lengthy description of this video since another reviewer has already provided one above. I credit this video with getting me started on the track to regular use of aerobic videos. After using videos for approximately a year and a half I consider myself a solid intermediate level yet I still reach for this video once in awhile. I often use the ab workout at the end to supplement other videos ie. if they are limited to cardio work, don't include an ab workout or just to provide variety.
I really enjoyed this video when I was a beginner because the moves were easy to follow, there was a good warm up, cool down, heart rate check, and solid toning section. I
find it makes a great gift choice for friends or family members who want a solid non intimidating beginners workout and don't know where to start. I would highly recommend this video to any beginner!
he makes adequates reminders about form, some cheesy comments here and there....
Great video. I have been using it for a long time, and since I am an advanced exerciser, I use 2 pound weights in my hands while boxing. This increases the strength of my workout. I would rate this a beginner/intermediate tape. The ab workout at the end is very good.
Instructors are very positive, calm and remind you to keep good form.
I was very dissapointed in this video. It was the first time I had ever seen a boxing workout informercial, and I thought it was a great idea. Who better to help us get in shape than those who are always in the best shape, boxers and kickboxers! Unfortunately, Leonard spends zero time teaching us boxing technique. He just jumps right in and you have to struggle to keep up. He gives you no warning that he is about to move on to another step, he just switches gear suddenly, and sometimes the camera is not focused on his upper body so you can't see what the new moves are. And, by the time I felt like I had the move down, he would quickly move on to another one, as the workout got harder. Pretty soon, the workout got so complicated, I was just standing there staring in frustration. Billy Blanks dedicates an entire tape of his Tae Bo series to technique and form before getting into the workout. Leonard expects us to already know how to box.
Leonard is not an aerobics instructor and it shows. He is very nervous and unsure. During the exercises he says things like "Remember to breath," and "If you need to, remember to drink water." Not exactly the wise old man on the hill.
This boxing video is approximately an hour long, with a warm-up aerobic section, toning section and a cool-down. I would rank this video as an intermediate or beginner / intermediate video - depending on your experience aerobic boxing and whether or not you add weights to the toning section. The warm-up and cool-down are pretty good - basic but good.
The aerobics section consists of a 40 minute aerobic boxing section, which features basic boxing routines of punch combinations, jump roping (they do not use ropes)and shuffling (bob and weave). The patterns are fairly basic and easy to learn. The group of exercisers occasionally group into a circle to move in a circular motion together while using their arms to do speed bag work with their arms. The same type of action can be accomplished at home by moving laterally back and forth across the room and moving your arms as if there were an imaginary speed bag in front of you. Going in a circle isn't necessary. Sugar Ray keeps the group constantly moving (always on those toes!) to keep the heart rate up and does have a heart-rate check shortly after the main aerobics section and re-emphasizes going at your own pace. Throughout the video Sugar Ray and Jill frequently remind participants to use good form and keep tight abs.
After the aerobics section, there is a 20 minute tonning section which consists mostly of ab and lower body work. Not all of the toning is on the floor (they do lunges and squat combinations with some arm movements like bicep curls) and you can easily add some light hand (or leg) weights to the toning section to increase the intensity. The ab exercises and table work are classics with some variations.
Having never done Aerobox by Kathy Smith, I cannot compare it to this video; however it is an enjoyable alternative on a light to intermediate day when you're not quite up to kickboxing but want a boxing-style workout. I think you will be able to see some upperbody toning if you concentrate on the moves. Again, you can add to the toning by adding hand and/or leg weights where they can be included.
The background exercisers (4) are male and female and generally exhibit good form. Music is o.k. - kind of hidden in the background. The set is a boxing ring in a gym (but is not tacky or dark like Kick Butt).
Sugar Ray Leonard is the "star" of the video and leads you through a 40 minute aerobic boxing workout, assisted by Jill Goodacre. He is confident but sometimes seems intimidated by Jill. She is sometimes harsh sounding and seems to occasionally try to assert her dominance over Sugar Ray in the video. Maybe it's just me, but she just seems that way sometimes. (Kind of like the female instructor in the B-Fit Cardio Kick Box video.)