Supermodel Series Butt & Thighs

Good lower body workout. The band segment is especially challenging and provides a new way to work the muscles of the lower body. My entire lower body, but especially my outer thighs, is well worked by the band segment, which I love! This segment would be especially good those with saddlebags, are apple-shaped or looking for a more stream-lined shape in the hips. Yes, Andrea talks about how you will look, and she makes references to the runway - but given the name -- "Supermodel Series" -- this is not too surprising. Those with an aversion to references to looks may wish to avoid this one.

GOOD lower body workout for a day when you don't want to kill yourself with heavy dumbbell squats and lunges. The format of this workout is similar to Brazil Butt Lift High & Tight, in that there is standing leg work with a cardio component followed by intense floorwork with a band ( a moderate-tension band is included with the DVD). Andrea leads with two backgrounders in a brightly lit, modern studio.

After a brief dynamic warmup, the standing work consists of two "Minute Moves" sections, in which you do several lower-impact cardio moves for 60 seconds each. The moves are simple, like fast plie squats and side touches. The final 30 seconds of each minute has a higher-intensity move, so the side touches turn into speed-skater leaps and the plie squats add a calf raise. Between the two "Minute Moves" sections is one section of standing legwork with light dumbbells. Again the moves are simple, like deadlifts, rear leg extensions and curtsy lunges. Andrea suggests 3-5# dumbbells but you could definitely go heavier and slow down the tempo a little bit.

Following is a tough, tough floorwork section with the band, done lying on your side, then moving to hands and knees. The moves are all familiar and straightforward, like clamshells/mermaids, donkey kicks and leg circles, but the pace is nonstop. You can do the entire floor section without a band and still get a serious burn.

There is a brief abs section - crunches, lowering and lifting bent legs to work lower abs, rolldowns, oblique work, NO planks - then a short stretch.

The music is generic synthesizer background mush and Andrea strays from the beat quite a bit. It's OK when her counting tempo is consistent, but when it's not you'll have to go at your own pace. I found some of the standing leg work and much of the prone work with band to be too fast, so I slowed it down.

I'd rate the cardio and standing leg section as intermediate, the floor work as advanced.

This is a 51 minute workout that includes lower body focused cardio, standing lower body work, a tough lower body floor routine and an ab section. It comes packaged with a loop band and you will also need dumbbells. Andrea works out w/ 2 background exercises in an open studio. She provides options for modifications.

You start with lower body focused cardio: cardio paced squats, side toe taps adding a side leg raise, squatting step touches, and 1st to 2nd position hops to jacks. Then you move into the strength work using dumbbells: deadlifts, single leg balancing deadlifts, rows, rotator cuff, arabasque, standing donkey kicks, & dips. Then repeat the cardio segment and move to the floor work using the loop: side lying leg lift variations (circles, rear kicks, wipers), bridge variations, a tough table top donkey kick series and finish with ab work (heel drops, crunches, V drops to sit ups, oblique knee pulls) and a stretch.

I rate this a high intermediate workout because the floor work is super tough! The cardio is pretty low impact/ intensity but easy to modify up and using heavy weights I was well worked. I LOVE the unique combo she has going on, though the exercises are totally different, it reminds me of the classic Firms in that it combines cardio, standing strength work, and a tough floor routine. I REALLY hope Andrea puts out more dvds in this format. I love combining cardio + splits and this is a totally unique spin on that format. My buns were BURNING by the end! Andrea is a superb instructor with fantastic cuing & form pointers. I received this dvd to review.

This workout is about an hour long. Following the warm up, it features cardio in one-minute increments (bob & weave, skaters, jumping jacks etc.) Andrea starts out with the lower impact version then ramps it up a bit. Lower body standing toning follows (squats, lunges, deadlifts etc.) along with an unlikely set of bent-over rows and a rotator cuff exercise. Not sure why those two exercises are in there because no other upper body exercises are featured. The same exact cardio series is repeated again. Next comes the floorwork with the hipster band, which is where this workout shines. Andrea begins with a side-lying sequence, then bridge, then on all fours. Each exercise is done for 30 seconds to a minute with no down time. The exercises are not original (leg lift variations, circles, donkey kick variations, hydrants etc.) but they BURN! This segment is about 20 minutes and it is definitely my favorite segment from the workout. The workout concludes with a short ab segment, followed by the cooldown.

I would rate the bulk of the workout as high beginner/low intermediate. The hipster band work is a bit tougher. I have a high threshold for floorwork and have no problem completing all the reps but I definitely feel it.

I can't give you a detailed breakdown of this workout because I did the band segment as an add-on to another workout. I hated it so much, I can't bear the thought of ever putting it in my DVD player again. I wanted to like it, and the band work was ok, but the instructor is so annoying I can't stand it. If I had to guess, she said 'tushie' at least 20 times during that segment alone. Plus, with all the references to our 'bikini bodies' and 'working the catwalk', I'd had enough. Also, she totally reminds me of Sandra Lee from Semi Homemade on the Food Network. That's not a good thing.