Cardio Jam

This video is perfect for those who have been stepping for quite a while and need a change of pace. Tim Culwell is an upbeat instructor, and the music is high-energy. Lots of power moves and very interesting combinations. Once you learn all the moves, Tim goes through it all from the very top - keeping you mentally challenged too!.

It kinda looks like a low-budget production, but it is great fun. I've been stepping since the steps were introduced, but my club has fallen behind the power curve. Tim's video had lots of really interesting new combinations with a sort of "funky" flavor to them. The choreography is somewhat complex, but very well cued and easy to follow. The step portion is about 40 minutes long, but once you've built up the routine, it's fun to rewind it and do it "from the top" a couple more times.

I really enjoyed Tim Culwell's Cardio Jam. Its one of my favorite tapes, and I have just about all of the major video stars. The choreography is interesting, and not hard to follow. I am an experienced stepper, but I did not have a hard time following this video for the first time. It's a sufficient workout but I did not find it as intense as his Creative Stepps Videos. The stepping portion is long enough to get a good workout, though, and the queing is excellent. I recommend this video to all intermediate/experienced steppers who want to try some cool coreography. This video is very much like the workout you well get in a Health Club atmosphere.

Tim Culwell's Club Cardio Jam

I love this, I love this, I love this! This tape is so much fun, I have to make myself NOT do it every day. The music is superb -- real upbeat and motivating. The choreography is fun, too. Tim starts with basic to intermediate moves, and builds them into a challenging but do-able routine. Beginners would probably have a tough time with some of the steps, but they can be learned pretty easily with practice. The intensity is pretty high, which beginners would also find difficult.

I use 2 risers on my step with this one, and by the end of the workout, I feel like I've worked real hard but had a great time doing it. I don't get bored at all, despite the fact that you build on to one routine over and over, and by the end, you're still doing that one routine. There's enough "new stuff" so that you don't feel like you're doing the same thing over and over.

The music is a little funky, and Tim adds a little funky
attitude here and there, but it's not real dancy or complex. He also shows power moves that you can leave out if you'd rather not do them.

The cover of this tape says "Volume 1," so I hope that means we can look forward to more in this series. It's fantastic!

I ordered Cardio Club Jam for a change of pace, and because it received some good reviews here. All I have to say about this tape is ACK, PTOOEY. It plain stinks. The combos were dull, and he did one big one throughout the tape, just kept adding on. At what seemed like the hundredth time through I stopped the tape in disgust. He'd also show the basic move, then show an alternative "with attitude" way to do it. I hate that crap. What is this stupid "attitude" thing some instructors seem to think you need to have a fun workout? The cameramen filming each other as they ran around the set was pretty tacky as well. From now on I stick with Cathe Friedrich. No more experimenting for me. For sale: Club Cardio Jam, used once.

This video has been broken down before, so I'll just give you my opinion(s). I found this video to be intermediate in choreography, but high intermediate (maybe even low advanced) in intensity. There is a lot of TIFTing, and at the end, he leaves off the last couple of combos while TIFTing. Personally, I found it boring (give me Christi and Cathe anyday), but felt like I got a decent workout. Because I wasn't struggling with my feet, I was able to concentrate on coordinating my arms and I think I actually felt funky during some of the moves (I am funk-impaired). I think this would be a perfect video for an intermediate who's progressed past Kathy Smith and Keli Roberts, but doesn't feel quite up to Cathe.

I have Club Cardio Jam and Creative Stepps III, and I can say that although I like both videos, I prefer this one. I feel that the choreography is more interesting, thereby making it less repetitive when Tim "takes it from the top." The intensity level is intermediate/advanced, and the choreography is moderate. Tim's cuing is so good that those used to stepping shouldn't have a major problem learning the moves. They are interesting without being dancy (although you are encouraged to add a little "funk" if you want). You can add power easily to add intensity (the impact is mixed throughout). The pace is slower than many (such as Cathe Friedrich), but you can still get a good workout. The cardio section is slightly over 40 minutes. There is a short push-up section and a short ab section as well. The cooldown stretch is great--not rushed at all. I really enjoy this one! To me this one is a great choice--an effective, not killer, workout that I don't have to psyche myself up to do, great cueing, good music, and interesting footwork that keeps you challenged but not tripping over your feet. Please do more videos, Tim!

Tim is one of the best male step instructors on video. His videos are not talked about much, but they are excellent for the intermediate-advanced stepper. Step Cardio Jam is one of the three videos I have with him. The workout is 45 minutes and broken down into three sections. He makes it funky and fun (and I am far from "funky"). The moves are slow but intense, with large range of motion, giving a great workout. I took this tape out after a long while, and really enjoyed it. I noticed I never gave it a review, so here it is. If you can get this tape, I am sure you will enjoy it and wonder why Tim is not talked about more.

Tim Culwell’s Club Cardio Jam is a really fun step workout that I think is most appropriate for intermediate exercisers with some previous step experience, although beginners shouldn’t have too much trouble catching on. As an advanced exerciser, I was somewhat disappointed by the intensity level, but by adding my own additional propulsion moves I was able to get my heart rate pumping a little harder. For those of you used to Donna Richardson’s Donna-Mite, I found the intensity level to be similar. I think another contributing factor to the lower intensity level was that the music seemed slightly slower than the tapes that I am most accustomed to (Cathe Friedrich, Kari Anderson, Reebok tapes). Club Cardio Jam contains 40 minutes of step along with 5 minutes of pushups and ab work, plus the usual warmup/cooldown sequences. I thought that Tim held the stretches longer in the cooldown than many instructors, which I really liked. Some instructors rush the stretches so much that I sometimes wonder why they bother.

One thing that I noticed is that Tim showed lots of modifications, but they were not always more intense, just *different* variations on the moves. This took a little getting used to, because I am accustomed to having the variations add or reduce intensity.

The only thing that really bothered me about this tape was the combination of the tacky red, white and blue outfits/set and the too-cute “funky jam” references. The cameraman was the “funky jam cam,” the exercisers put on their “funky jam caps” for the step portion, etc. This element seemed a little babyish for me and kind of irked me.