Search - Kathy Smith - Functionally Fit - Peak Fat Burning on DVD

Rosemarie Q. from GIBSONTON, FL
Reviewed on 7/20/2010...

This is a low-impact aerobic video with high-intense intervals. It takes a couple of run-throughs to get the hang of all the moves, but it's easy, even for someone poorly-coordinated like me.

Burn Fat and Tone Your Lower Body with Intervals

blueyed puella | CT, USA | 08/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Workout Description: 25 minutes of anaerobic / aerobic intervals w/ light toning (using body weight only) with 7 minutes warm-up & stretch, 3 minute cool-down, and 5 minute stretch for a total of 40 minutes

Workout Level: high beginner to mid-/high-intermediate; can be modified to be low, mid-, or high impact; relatively uncomplicated choreography

Instructor: Kathy Smith (Has taught fitness for about 20 years and starred in 25+ exercise videos; received IDEA's Lifetime Achievement award for 2003). Kathy's cueing is good. She's very enthusiastic, which sometimes causes her to trip up her cues. She works both sides evenly and means for you to mirror her moves.

Class: 3 women and 1 man; 2 show low impact modifications and 2 show high impact modifications while Kathy demonstrates the mid-level impact moves

Music / Set: The beat-driven instrumental music speeds up during interval segments and slows down during toning; it's not very exciting. The bright interior set is meant to look like a living room facing onto the backyard. There is a clock counting down how much time is left in the interval at the 1 minute and 30 second marks.

Equipment Needed: sneakers

Caveats: Although 2 exercisers are on carpet, be careful with your foot placement during the slight pivots and shuffles.

Additional Comments: This workout doesn't require too much space. (You need to be able to take one big step front and back and two fairly big steps to each side.) It is a great workout to grow with, as you can increase the intensity when you need more; you can also decrease the intensity when you need a lighter workout. Although this workout is primarily aerobic, less advanced exercisers may want to avoid doing strength training for your lower body the day after doing this workout if that toning involves a lot of squats and lunges. (Do not follow Kathy's recommendation of alternating this with her Functionally Fit Lower Body Firming, as your muscles will not have enough time to recover.)

This workout is labeled "functional fitness," which indicates that the moves are meant to mimic those used in everyday activities or in popular sports (like tennis or basketball). As a result, the routines are not dancy, and the only complicated part is the fact that you have 2-4 moves strung together. This is also an interval workout, which is an effective way of increasing your cardiovascular endurance since you push yourself for the 2 minute interval and allow yourself 3 minutes to recover while still staying active.

This workout focuses predominantly on the lower body, although there is some movement of the torso in the latter part. I sometimes use this alone, although I usually combine it with one arms segment from Tamilee Webb's I Want Those . . . series, some push-ups, and some ab work for a total body workout in just over an hour.

The DVD allows you to choose your chapter, which I use to skip the introduction. There are no extras."

This is a great workout that you can stick with...

Amanda | Missouri | 05/31/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love Kathy Smith, and this is my favorite video so far. With the 2 minute intervals between intense workout & active recovery, it goes fast, and you can't get discouraged and quit. In the intense interval, you push yourself, and then you get to slow down for 2 minutes while you tone your lower body. The moves are fun and easy to do for beginners, and if you're more advanced, they are easily modified (she shows you how). If you're also wanting to tone your upper body, a great complement to this is the "Secrets of a Great Body: Upper Body Workout" by Kathy Smith. It's made to do only twice a week, and can be done on the same day as this video. (There's also a lower body workout, but you probably won't want to do it along with the Functionally Fit video.)"

I lost ten pounds in 2 months, works for me!

tafkaj@peabody.jhu.edu | Baltimore | 01/27/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kathy Smith is the right amount of perky. She leads her troupe of excerise groupies with authority and is fun to watch. This is a great workout which alternates 2 minute sections of cardio/aerobic work with lesser impact moves designed to tone the lower body. She has done a good job of choosing excerises which use large muscle groups, so more calories are burned. Kathy and her crew have the required amount of enthusiasm, and are well coordinated, but you should buy this video just to see the guy in the back. I know he means well but it looks like he's having some sort of an attack. Do not try his unique style of aerobics at home, you might hurt yourself :)No equipment is neccesary for this workout. You'll burn lots of calories but don't expect to get a very good upper body workout."