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CIA 2901: Amy Bento's Kickbox Surge & Core Training |
 Great addition to your collection |
| I have been doing kickboxing workouts 4 or 5 times a week for several months now. That said, it's difficult to find a DVD that offers something different and gives me an adequate challenge. This DVD did it.
I was nervous about buying an Amy Bento DVD because so many reviews complained about the complex choreography. However, I was really hungry for a new DVD, and it's hard to find one that is purely kickboxing, advanced, and over 45 minutes long. I am pleased to say this one fit the bill.
First of all, if you are nervous about the reviews about the complexity please do not be dissuaded. Yes some of the moves take a couple of attempts to get down, but that adds to the enjoyment of the workout. I watched the video twice before trying it. The first time I did the workout there were a couple of spots that tripped me up, but the second time through I had almost no problems. I agree with another reviewer who said that you don't want a workout that you can do perfectly right away. Once you get it down it's a lot of fun.
The format of the workout is good; there are 5 kickbox sequences; each is followed by a brief, kickboxing-inspired "surge" that is higher impact and intensity. You have an option of doing the whole workout without the surge, which I really like for a day when I want something easier on the joints. Each kickboxing segment is progressive. First Amy teaches you a move that you practice a few times, then she teaches you a new move, then you put the two together. You do that a few times to build up the sequence, then put it all together, then switch sides. After all that you repeat the whole thing on the right then left twice. By the time you get to the final pass through you might be a little bored with the first move you learned. I don't see this becoming a huge problem as long as you don't do the DVD more than once a week. The intensity level is good, and the impact is pretty low if you cut out the surges(compared to other advanced kickboxing DVDs). There are a lot of jumping jacks in between moves. You can also expect to see spinning kicks and jump kicks, but if you don't like the impact you can modify those.
There are some really good premixes as well. As I said, you can do the whole thing without surges, all of the surges without the kickboxing, sequences and surges 1-3, or sequences and surges 3-5. All premixes include the warmup (which is very good), a cool-down, abs segment, and stretch.
Based on my experience with this DVD I chose to order another Amy Bento video. This DVD does not include weight-training, so if you're looking for an interval workout this is not it. I will have this workout in my regular rotation, but I still like both of Susan Chung's DVDs best; if you are looking for the "crown jewel" of kickboxing DVDs I would recommend her RapidFire Results. - posted by Heidi on 4/14/2012 |
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 Really like this |
| I really like this .. I typically do Cathe and enjoy her... but I was looking for a change... I would give it 5 stars however I needed it to be a bit more intense. - posted by Kate on 2/16/2012 |
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| Weekly |
| This workout is on the favorite, go to weekly list. The music rocks and the workout is a total sweat-fest, if you put the effort in. LOVE IT! Right up there with Cathe's Kick,Punch and Crunch. - posted by Christina on 10/5/2011 |
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| Still Undecided |
| I have several of Amy's DVDs and love Amy's more intense cardio workouts, Kickbox Extreme and Hi Lo Cardio are my favs. I think I like the actual workout, it did have some more complex choreography which will take a few times for me to get straight. My big issue is the production quality. This is my first CIA video, but the cover of the DVD is just plain white with black writing - which is fine. The actual workout is terribly grainy and I had to turn the volume up so high to hear Amy's instruction. Even with a converting DVD player I found the quality awful and even distracting at times. - posted by Shannon on 8/18/2011 |
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| Disappointed |
| I was looking for a cardio/toning workout. The moves are complex as the description states, however after doing the workout three times I got the moves down but was bored with the routines. Also, did not feel I was getting tone in the process. Disappointed sent it back. - posted by Mary on 5/19/2011 |
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| Love those surges! |
| What a kick-arse workout! From the rockin' music to the flawless form to Amy's energy to the innovative moves, I just loved this workout! I find myself going back for premix after premix (the warm-up itself is awesome). Love that core refining routine, too. I sweat bullets to this workout, so even if I only have 30 minutes, I can opt for one of the 2 premixes and be soaking wet by the end! More, Amy, more! - posted by Amy on 5/18/2011 |
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| A Fun, Great Workout |
| I am a runner who was looking for some good cross-training. This worked great for me. It kept my heartrate in the 150s-160s. - posted by Bryanna on 4/7/2011 |
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| Wow! |
| I loved it, very intense workout. Any instructor who screams "Ninja!" in the middle of a kickbox routine gets my vote!! - posted by Zach on 2/17/2011 |
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| Fun and you will sweat |
| I love all of Amy's cardio workouts. This is one of my favorites. I am an advanced exerciser and this still kicks my butt. The choreography is fun and it does not get boring. - posted by Wendy on 1/30/2011 |
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| It was good for me... |
| This is my first Amy video, and I loved it. This was also my first "advanced" video. I agree with another reviewer who said that this is not for the the first time kickboxer, as Amy is more concerned with making you sweat than teaching you form. I've been doing kickboxing for a couple of years, so no big deal for me. I am not the most coordinated person and found the first combo after the warm up to be a bit tricky, but other than that I had a blast and definitely got a good sweat going. I highly recommend this video to anyone looking to get out of a cardio rut! - posted by Brittany on 1/24/2011 |
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