Kick It 2000
Reviews from VideoFitness
Besides Franny's many other talents, she's also a great kickboxer!
I'm in the Aaron Lankford/Tae Bo camp as far as kickboxing goes -- I don't like my kickboxing to be choreographed (no combinations) -- I want to do the punches/kicks and move on. I find kickboxing combos to be extremely difficult to remember for some reason, and so trying to do a tape like Janis Saffell's, for example, is an exercise in frustration. Franny's kickboxing is a medium in between Aaron and Janis. She doesn't use long, elaborate combinations like Janis; but on the other hand, she does a lot more than Aaron or Billy Blanks. I've decided to stick with Aaron and Billy, but that is my own personal preference -- this is a great workout. Franny teaches and cues extremely well, and she keeps the intensity up. So even though it's not for me, I know a lot of people will love this. Perhaps if you like the idea behind Janis' tapes, but found her a little too complex, this might be just the thing for you. Grade A.
If you are not too crazy about kickboxing tapes by Janis Saffel or Keli Roberts, and do enjoy Power Kicks, you will love Franny's tape. The warm-up is a long 14 minutes (which I skip) and the workout itself, all in cardio pumping zone, is 44 minutes. Some of the moves are: rapid fire kicks, roundhouse, sparing with a partner (which you can do solo), grapevine with two side kicks followed by four squats with a bunny hop move that will kill your thighs (you will wonder why no one else ever thought of this move before). The bunny hop is a squat where you don't get up, but just hop a few times, then move back one leg at a time still in the squat - you won't believe it. That move comes up twice in the video. After 36 minutes, Franny does a 7 minute routine that will kill you - jump rope move in place, followed by jump squats, the infamous bunny hops and jumping jacks. By the end of this tape you will be sweating. The cool-down is very short, no more than 3 minutes. Then Franny talks for about 30 minutes about the tape (I didn't listen to this part). I highly recommend this tape. I was only familiar with the music from MIC hi/lo in the beginning of the workout. Remember, the Sara City tapes are not high quality. Franny uses a head microphone, so you hear her very clearly, and the music isn't super loud like on CIA tapes. I didn't notice any of the drawbacks while doing the tape, I was too busy breathing.
Franny outshines most other fitness stars. Her workouts never let you down if you are looking for challenging tapes.