Ultimate Stomach and Thighs Workout

TYPE: Non-weighted Strength

LENGTH: I think it was a half hour to 45 minutes

CHOREOGRAPHY: little to none

DIFFICULTY: Low intermediate

FORMAT: sets of 20 reps

This workout uses all the classic floor moves seen in older tapes- leg lifts, butt kicks, etc. The floor work comes before the standing leg work, which is unusual in my experience. The standing leg work is, again, the standard fare: squats, etc. The ab work is at the end and is traditional ab work. Glad I didn't pay more than 50 cents of this.

PROS: Non-dancy straightforeward leg work for those who don't like to use weights.

CONS: Very dated, as it was produced in the 80s. Kathy keeps using annoying acromyns like "CP!"

(Contract and press, I think.)

This is an excellent video that outlines how to more effectively work each area - stomach and thighs. The first half of the video focuses on the abdominals. After several minutes of instructions, there are 3 sections: The Set-Up, The Workout and The Challenge. The Set-Up is fairly short, probably no more than 5 minutes with a great emphasis placed on the "starting point", contracting and form. If you were able to answer "yes" to a checklist of questions at the end of this section, Kathy encourages you to move to the second section, "The Workout". This section is probably about 12 minutes with the last 3 minutes being a few ab stretches as well as back strengthening exercises (i.e. lying on your stomach and lifting your right arm and left leg concurrently). Again, if you were able to answer "yes" to a checklist of questions at the end of this section, you may move to the third section. The final section, "The Challenge", is probably about 6 minutes long with more challenging versions of exercises seen in "The Workout" and others. There is a short but good abdominal stretch at the end of this section. I'm sure this length of time seems extensive to be working your abs without feeling too tired, but somehow the intensity is at a level that you are able to endure. I usually do this video on its own, not in combination with another so maybe that's why I have the energy to complete all 3 sections.

As for the second half of this video, I must say that I have only done the thigh segment once or twice since I found that using weights is a much more efficient way to tone and strengthen my lower body versus calisthenics. However, I will outline as much as I can about the second half. There are also 3 sections that focus on thighs - inner, outer - and buttocks. I was able to get a complete the 1st section and get a few minutes into the 2nd section, but I found myself feeling frustrated with the large number of repetitions for each exercise (leg lifts in MANY different forms) and my muscles feeling fatigued.

I recommend this video for the 1st half only. I think if you can find it for a good price, it's worth having another ab routine on hand. I also recommend it if you are a beginner because Kathy teaches you how to most effectively work your abdominals which is a great foundation for future ab work.

Since the tape has already been excellently broken down in the above review, I will just give my opinions. I have had this tape for a long time and the Ab portion is still one of my favorites. It IS a long abdominal workout, but I agree that it is at an intensity that doesn't wear one out. When you are done, you certainly feel that you have done a thorough ab workout. I use my memory counter to skip all the instruction at the beginning. The actual ab workout is really only 27 minutes long. I also agree that the thigh workout is outdated. I get plenty of lower body with my Firms and Cathes. The thigh portion of the tape is almost an hour long and pretty boring. I use this portion of the tape only when I am traveling without my weights and don't want to feel guilty about not getting any workout at all.