Power 8 Week Rapid Evolution Kettlebell Weight

Its a great program.

First a little background: I consider myself an intermediate/advanced exerciser and I normally workout 6 days a week. I like to mix things up and have a ton of exercise dvds. My favorite instructor is Cathe Friedrich and I also like Michelle Dozois, Amy Dixon, Tracie Long, Kelsie Daniels, and Jessica Smith. I like working out but prefer shorter intense workouts. Since I had great results in the past with kettlebells, I thought this set would be perfect.I already have a 15lbs kettlebelll so I ordered the 10 lbs kettlebell kit. Unfortunately, the box with the kb was damaged but this did not interfere with the workouts.Cardio workouts: I have completed all of the CARDIO workouts and I like the workouts a lot!! Each workout consists of (the same) a 2 min warm-up, 1 minute kb exercise, 15 second rest, 1 minute cardio exercise, 15 second rest. You will do a total of 2 circuits with 4 exercises each (2kb and 2 cardio) and each circuit is done twice. Exercises are simple and include: kb swings, lunges, squats, high-knees, burpees, mountain climbers, etc. Each workout ends with a VERY SHORT 1-2 minute stretch. The cardio workouts definitely progress in difficulty with the last workout (Blaze) being more difficult than the first (Ignite). Nevertheless, you will get an excellent workout in a short amount of time!! I mainly used 10lbs and 15lbs kbs. Aside from additional stretching which is a must since the final 1-2 min stretch is NOT sufficient, I felt that one workout was enough for the day. Rating for the cardio workouts is 5 out of 5!!Although I really do ENJOY these WONDERFUL cardio workouts, I did not rate the product a 5 due to two things: the trainer and the lack of cool down/stretch.Trainer: I now realize that I have been completely spoiled by Cathe Friedrich who I believe is the best of the best!!! I expect a trainer to motivate me, give me form pointers, and actually DO the workout with me. Although Alex, the trainer, seemed nice and somewhat encouraging, I do not feel that he did a good job leading the cardio workouts. For all moves, he would begin the move (maybe 10-15 seconds), stop and walk around (maybe 10-15 seconds), continue the move (maybe 5-10 seconds), walk around some more (maybe 10 seconds) and then finish the move with the others. This lack of doing the exercises may not have bothered me but he did not really do anything useful while walking around. He did not correct those with poor form (which didn’t happen much at all but did at times) and asking “How are you doing?” could have been said while he was actually doing the workout. On top of that, it kind of irked me that he would say “let me do this with you” and then do the exercise double or triple time for 5 seconds with someone who was going at a slower pace since they had been doing the exercise for 40 seconds to his 10 seconds! Saying “I know this is hard but you can do it” does not motivate me if YOU ARE NOT DOING IT and simply looking at the camera while taking a break. (On a separate note, LAURA WAS GREAT and I found myself just watching her since she sweated with me the entire time!!) Rating for the trainer is 1.5 out of 5!!Lack of cool down / stretch: It always amazes me that trainers will say that that the cool down and stretching is super important but never include it! Why not include a longer extended stretch (5-15mins) when you repeatedly say how important it is. Since three 10 minute supercharged workouts were included with the kit, why not a stretch? As mentioned before, you will DEFINITELY NEED TO ADD ADDITIONAL STRETCHING at the end of the cardio workouts.I really do like the 4 cardio workouts and have already seen weight loss (1lb which is big for me) after only one week of doing these along with some yoga or lighter cardio on the other days. I do recommend the cardio dvds and will more than likely continue doing these for the next month or so provided I can get past the trainer. They really are great workouts and I believe that they are / will be effective for leaning out.I will post reviews of the other workouts (resistance, core, supercharged) after doing them.

I am new to kettlebell workouts, so I was very interested in this product. It is very comprehensive. The set includes:*7 DVDs (explained in more detail below)*5 lb Kettlebell*8 Week Rapid Evolution Calendar (tells you which workout to do each day - there are 2-3 rest/recovery days built in each week)*Personal Guide - briefly explaining Kettleworx program*Meal Plan Guide with logDVDs - 7 DVDs boxed into one convenience case. Just flip through to find the DVD you need.*The introductory DVD explains the Kettleworx program.The remaining DVDs are broken out into Basic and Supercharged DVDs. Included on the Basic DVDs are 4 separate workouts. All workouts include a 2 minute warm-up, training, and cool-down.*Basic Resistance (Strike, Surge, Rip, Slam) - approx. 20 minutes each*Basic Core (Rock, Sculpt, Power, Chisel) - approx. 20 minutes each*Basic Cardio (Ignite, Burst, Fire, Blaze) - approx. 20 minutes eachIncluded on the Supercharged DVDs are 3 separate workouts of 10 minutes each: Burn, Shred, and Cut. These are 5 exercises of two minutes each. These workouts are done after the Basic workouts each day, so there are no warm-ups or cool-downs on these videos.*Supercharged Lower Body (Burn, Shred, Cut)*Supercharged Core (Burn, Shred, Cut)*Supercharged Upper Body (Burn, Shred, Cut)All that is needed for the Kettleworx program is a Kettlebell (included in this package) and a mat. You may want to invest in a higher weight Kettlebell as you progress through the program and get stronger.I really like how this program is laid out and designed. The calendar is very organized and tells you specifically which workout to do every day. The DVDs are also color-coded so it is easy to find the DVD you need. The workouts are short, but effective and will get you working in no time! Overall, I am still in process of using the program but I am really enjoying it and finding the program to be terrific. I will need a heavier kettlebell soon, but that's a good thing, I think!If you are looking for a comprehensive program to get started working out in general or working out with kettlebells, I recommend this program.