Weight Loss Cardio Sculpt
Weight Loss Cardio Sculpt
Weight Loss Cardio Sculpt Review
Violet Zaki is one of my favorite video instructors and she really hit this one out of the park. The workouts are fun and innovative. I love that she switches up the cardio and doesn’t repeat the same intervals over and over. It keeps the workout exciting and doesn’t allow you to drift off.
In addition to the great workouts, the chaptering is fantastic. You have the choice of doing everything (warm up, both routines and cool down), or you can pick just one workout, or you can pick either workout with warm up and cool down. The options are already broken out for you so there’s no fiddling around to program your set.
Each routine includes strength with cardio intervals and she uses combination moves for double duty effect. Some of these moves are more on the intermediate/advanced side and require good balance, but there is a background exerciser who uses modifications throughout so even someone relatively new to exercise should be able to follow along. I love the yoga-influenced cool down; it’s 9 wonderful minutes of stretching and letting go. (Note: The cardio sculpt workouts are about 20 minutes long so adding the warm up and cool down make for a longer, approx. 30 minute, workout.)
There’s also a bonus abs routine. Again, she doesn’t disappoint. It’s around 8 minutes and includes some (optional) weighted work as well as toe dips (a personal favorite) and ends with a nice little stretch. Included with the bonus features is a 5-minute preview of the Weight Loss Pilates workout. It’s probably one of the most useful previews I’ve come across as it makes a nice little add-on to the abs.
Zaki manages to be tough but encouraging. Her warmth and personality really shine through and, IMO, she is unmatched at creating challenging, yet doable, workouts.
Love it…will enjoy a long shelf life in my streamlined DVD workout collection, making for high returns on the price and my efforts to exercise.
First, I’m a big fan of Violet Zaki, following her innovative workouts on Exercise TV and in her Self DVD’s, though this may be her best to date. She’s personable while still economical with her commentary and helpful in her instruction…so encouraging but “gets down to business” without the annoying fluff talk other instructors too often overuse. I’m actually inspired to work hard and not let her down, as if I’m in her class, which proves more motivational when I travel and workout in my hotel room (the chaptering is very functional in this regard too, when short on time).
Second, as advertised, it’s an efficient, dynamic workout, full of multi-tasking exercises that challenge more than one muscle group at a time, along with balance and coordination, intensifying calorie burn. Yet, I think it’s still accessible to all fitness levels given the modifications. I plan on working my way up the intensity curve by increasing poundage on the hand weights (probably substituting straps when I travel), range of movement, and pacing. IMO, good DVD workouts are challenging but structured so that the user can build on them, extending their usefulness, which Violet inherently seems aware of in how she designed this workout.
Violet’s website suggests “Cardio Kick,” also from Acacia, will soon be out too…can’t wait!
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