The FIRM: Cardio Overdrive

The Firm has created another classic!! "Cardio Overdrive" is a 45-minute fitness program that combines cardio and intervals of fast-paced, light sculpting. This DVD is very similar in format and purpose to an earlier Firm title called "Ultimate Fat Burning Workout," in that it uses light weights only and flows through more like fast and slow cardio than cardio and toning.I LOVE this program! It is fun, effective and challenging (but without being so difficult that it inspires dread or requires you to eat like Michael Phelps to produce enough energy to get through it!). If you are a beginner exerciser, it definitely will challenge you and the sweat will pour! However, if you are an intermediate to advanced, it is a great maintenance workout that will burn calories and help keep you toned in the right places."Cardio Overdrive," led by instructor Alison Davis, begins with a 5-minute-or-so warm-up. After a quick back stretch, you pretty much hit the ground running and your feet never really stop. The warm-up consists of V-steps forward and back, knee raises, glute raises, lunges and quick calf stretches. Then you're on to the first cardio segment.All of the cardio in "CO" is medium impact. (There is some hopping, but not a whole lot, and what hopping there is can easily be substituted with low-impact squats or other variations. All variations are demonstrated by Sue Mi, the beginner modifier.) The cardio is also fun and varied. The moves are of the classic cardio vein, with side-to-side steps/sprints, jacks, high-and-low jogging, repeater knees, and some plyo jumping (the jogging and plyo jumping only occur in one section). There is NO dance and NO kickboxing (with the exception of a front-and-back kick, no arms, that occurs in one cardio section).There are 2 toning sections. In both, Alison suggests that you use light weights (I'm guessing theirs are 3 to 5 lbs., but you can always go a little heavier if you try that weight and it is too easy). The toning is okay. It consists of a lot of The Firm's signature compound moves such as moving squats with bicep curls, lunges with L-shaped arms, side lunges with sweeping both arms, knee raises with tricep dips, etc. The moves are all done quickly, so although your heart rate will come down a little, you still will continue to burn calories AND tone up your muscles somewhat.Though this program tones, it does so VERY lightly, and it is more of a medium-intensity cardio workout than anything else. I am a high intermediate, and does this workout max me out? No. But it is too fun to condemn just b/c it's not crazy hard! To make it more challenging, you have several options:1. Add more weight during the toning sections.2. Add higher impact to the cardio. Hop whereever you can, and do NONE of the lower impact options, not even in the beginning.3. Add onto "Cardio Overdrive" with a short, 20-minute toning workout. To supplement this, I actually add on The Firm's "Power Sculpt Workout," using the green 9-lb. Sculpting Stick. This program is a mere 20 minutes from beginning to end, and is Perfection for rounding out "CO" and making a solid, more difficult hour of exercise."Cardio Overdrive" is another fave. Great workout, great format, great music, great instructor. If you want to preview this, check out The Firm's official site.

This is the best workout I've ever had! I rented it from Netflix first to see if I liked it, and I ended up purchasing it right away.I had been using Barry's Bootcamp for the past couple weeks. It's nice, but with those 30 second breaks every minute, I didn't feel like I was really getting my heart rate up. I think Barry's is fine for those who are in good shape and want to stay that way, but if you have a lot of fat to lose, the FIRM is the way to go. I've used them in the past, and it's like taking a potato peeler to the front of your thighs!I started out this video with high expectations. The warm-up was kind of fast and I thought maybe I had skipped over it by mistake. But I kept on going. I should mention that I'm well over 200lbs; I had used the TransFIRMation steps in the past but you're not supposed to use them if you're over 250lbs. I did, and I cracked them. I digress. For the othe reviewers who might say that there are missed cues or it's hard to follow... do it again! Sheesh, an exercise video is to be used many times, not just once and complan that it's too difficult. They used music like Salt N Pepa's "Push It" and at times the moves even felt like I was in a cheerleading competition. I love the way you learn a couple moves well and then add on. Very easy to follow and a delight to watch. Sumi is the beginning person and I was happy to see that I could even out-do her -- and she was gettin' down with her bad self! I don't have bad knees so I can't comment on that, but I could do every thing that was put forth to me.All of a sudden, she says, "it's time to cool down..." Whoa! I look up and over 40 minutes have passed. I was disappointed that I didn't sweat, but when I took off my shirt, it was soaking. Three-quarters of an hour and I didn't realize how hard I was sweating and I didn't realize how much time was flying by. You work your butt off (literally) and you're having so much fun that you don't feel like it's a workout. That makes it the best workout on earth!

LOVE this DVD. I am new to the firm. I was looking for something with low impact (I have back issues) but high intensity where you actually WORK and burn calories. This was perfect for me. No twisting or mountain climbers and I most definitely broke a sweat. Loved how she made the toning sections into cardio as well and how she splits up cardio with toning intervals.

So I tried this work-out for the first time this morning. Now, I know that I'm not going to be able to follow ALL the moves on ANY work-out video the first time... but I was TOTALLY lost here. I completed probably less than half of the moves because the instructor just yells out some name of a move and doesn't explain it or walk you through it or anything. Even when it was the 2nd and 3rd time thru the sequence I wasnt able to get thru it. And I consider myself a very quick teach if actually taught properly the first time around. My heart-rate never really felt elevated, but I sweat a little (I'm sure it would've been a better work-out if id have been able to follow it). I don't know if this is a FIRM thing or if they just assume you know what all these names mean and how to do the moves perfectly without any instruction what so ever.I gave it a 3-star rating because I could see it being a decent work-out if you have all the moves perfected. I dont see it taking less than 5 watches to do that though... I'll probably try this one a few more times, but just be warned, there is no instruction or explanations, so be prepared to get frustrated the first few times thru...

Yes, you get sweaty. Yes, it's aerobics and weights, the usual Firm routine. I do like that there are different moves (I get so tired of the same moves with slight variations; this has some new ones!) so that's a plus. But really, there are better, more engaging Firm DVDs. I prefer instructor kelsie Daniels. Alison Davies is a little too dancey, a little too "come on girls, this is fun!" for me. I use this video about every other month for a change of pace.

Good

Es divertido y dinámico

I really like this one. It moves quick with non stop cardio.