You Can ABSolutely Firm Up with Cardio Abs!

My birthday was last month, and I decided to treat myself to a few new exercises videos to celebrate my body’s aging.  I came across Jessica Smith while researching recently released DVDs, and noticed that she’s received a lot of good feedback.  I’d never done one of her workouts before, but I thought it might be nice to try something new, so I went ahead and added 10 Pounds Down: Cardio Abs to my Collage Video shopping cart.  If you don’t already know who Jessica Smith is, she’s a certified wellness coach and fitness expert with more than a decade of experience in the fitness industry.  You can visit her web site to learn more about her impressive résumé.

With this DVD, Jessica aims to give you a complete abs exercise plan that will boost your metabolism and burn calories while targeting your ab muscles.  It is comprised of three 28-minute workouts and one 4-minute bonus.

• Cardio Abs – 28 minutes.  Cardio kickbox your way to tighter abs.  I don’t typically care for kickboxing workouts as they tend to want me to contort my body in strange ways with crazy kicking action, and my back gets angry when I do that.  This, however, I liked.  It was upbeat and fun, got my heart going, and didn’t require special powers of coordination or acrobatics.  She gives you low and high versions of some of the moves, but since she’s alone and can only show one version at a time, I quickly forgot the low version and had to follow what I was seeing.  Still, I enjoyed it, and it brought out the kickboxing champion I always knew was deep inside me.
• Total Body Abs Transformer – 28 minutes.  Complete strength & cardio interval workout.  You’ll need your dumbbells for this one.  All your muscles will be put to work in this 28 minutes of toning and fast-paced cardio.  Jessica makes efficient use of time by incorporating moves that work the upper and lower body together.  She also throws in some moves that I haven’t seen done before and really liked, like swimming on land!  Push yourself with this one, and you can get a really great, total body workout in a short time.
• Concentrated Abs – 28 minutes.  A killer ab routine with both standing and floor work.  This workout begins with standing exercises and focuses a lot on balance.  If you’re a beginner you might want to have a chair or wall nearby for support or you might just fall over.  Seriously.  But don’t let that scare you; the stronger your core becomes, the better your balance will be.  Once you’ve picked yourself up and dusted off, you’ll move to the floor where you’ll really put your abdominals to the test.  You’ll work them from every angle, and while some of the moves might be familiar and some might be new to you, they’re all powerful and challenging.  Jessica doesn’t forget to target those back muscles either.  If this doesn’t help you strengthen your core, I don’t know what will.
• Bonus Tummy Torching Tabata – 4 minutes.  Maximum intensity interval routine. The Tabata is a great add-on!  I like to do it right after the other workouts, but you can also do it alone when you’re pressed for time.  In this section, you’ll alternate between 20-seconds of maximum intensity moves with 10-seconds of active recovery.  Even though it’s only 4 minutes long, you still feel like you’re working hard.  Four minutes doesn’t leave a lot of time for instruction, however, so Jessica recommends just watching it first so you can see what the moves are like.  She also urges you to warm up before attempting the workout, and I strongly suggest you take her advice.  It’s an intense workout and your muscles will thank you for the preparation.

Are you read for a little preview?  Here you go!

As Jessica mentioned in the above preview, diet is just as (if not more) important as exercise when you’re trying to reduce that belly fat.  So, she has also made available The Great Abs Guide, a free PDF that includes:

• Eating for Abs Guide & Customizable Meal Plan
• 6-Week Great Abs Workout Schedule
• Links to Free Bonus Online Workouts
• Bonus Tips to Banish Belly Bloat & More!

You should definitely check out this guide; it’s full of really great tips.  The recipes aren’t too complicated, and each one is accompanied by an appetizing picture.  My favorite part is the workout schedule, which is presented in an easy to read calendar format.  This bonus rocks!

I’d classify this as an intermediate workout, but you can take it up or down as you need to.  The moves are fresh and the pace is fast yet easy to follow, so you won’t find yourself struggling to do the moves properly.  She’s friendly and upbeat without being annoying, her cuing is fantastic, and she gives pointers to keep you on track and in good form throughout the routine.  I love that the workouts are relatively short, but each one is thorough.  There aren’t nearly enough workouts like that available.  I wouldn’t mind if there were at least one other instructor to show modifications for those times when I need them, but it’s not a deal breaker.  As I mentioned, this was my first time working out with Jessica Smith, and I’m sold.  I look forward to seeing what else she comes up with!