Tuesday, April 13, 2010

PowerFit Harmony Reviews: Core Express, Cardio Speed Burn, & Lower Body Blast


PowerFit Harmony
Stephanie Hucakbee, 2010

Core Express: This is a 20 minute core workout led by Stephanie with 2 background exercisers. The set is awesome-open and inviting. There is a warmup & cooldown included in the 20 minutes and there is some stretching interspersed throughout. I would rate this a low intermediate core w/o. You will only need a band for this w/o.

She starts with some nice standing ab work using the band. You do a side squeeze move and then make it tougher by adding in a side knee raise, & standing crunches with the band. Then you move to the floor and go into some different crunch variations-shoot outs, oblique crunches, low ab hip lifts, and leg drops. You finish the ab exercises with side planks and move into your cooldown.

Cardio Speed Burn: This is a entirely low impact 20 minute cardio workout led by Stephanie with 2 background exercisers. The set is awesome-open and inviting. There is a warmup & cooldown included in the 20 minutes but besides that it is nonstop cardio! I would say a bit more challenging than yesterdays cardio. I would rate this a low intermediate cardio w/o. You will only need a band for this w/o.

Stephanie starts with an active warmup and moves right into marches, mock jump roping (low impact), squats, grapevines, knee ups, side steps, and double side steps. After that floor routine, Stephanie does a cardio with the band (I could feel the tension in my UB by holding onto the band!). During this routine she does side step with a triple step, a football run, grapevine, and hamstring curls. She finishes this w/o w/ a mock step routine (I used a step) and she does some basic step moves: knee ups, ham curls, repeaters, and sambas. Then finishes with a cooldown. I would rate this a low intermediate/ high beginner cardio w/o done as is.

Lower Body Blast
: This is a 20 minute lower body band workout led by Stephanie with 2 background exercisers. The set is awesome-open and inviting. There is a warmup & cooldown included in the 20 minutes but besides that it is nonstop lower body band work! I really upped the intensity here by adding a 20# weighted vest to the band work and I will definately feel it tomorrow-this impresses me because I would normally be using two 20# dumbbells for LB work, so w/ only 1/2 the poundage + the band and in ONLY 20 minutes-my LB was sufficiently worked!

Stephanie starts with some band squats and goes into a nice leg abduction-which you can make more challenging by using the band on the leg youre lifting, a close stance squat, some fast tempo squats, running dips, crab walk type squats w/ the band, pliets, and walking lunges. Before the cooldown she does some table floor work. I added ankle weights and really felt the burn here! Done as is: I would rate this a low intermediate/ high beginner w/o. BUT I got a high intermediate w/o w/ the above mod's.

4 comments:

  1. I love how it targets so many "trouble" areas and that its low impact! That makes it easier on your joints for sure.

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  2. Hi, Lindsey - I would love to win this set! Stephanie is one of my favorite instructors. Your reviews are awesome. What I like about these workouts is that they are only 20 minutes and that you can make them more intense if you want to.

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  3. This set is everything that I need at this moment..Cant wait!

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  4. 20 minutes of cardio is the perfect length for me. I walk 20 minutes twice a day then I do a workout or two. The length of this set would be great for getting in my hour of activity each day.

    Kia

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