All that being said, this is a challenging workout for the lower body. It begins with a brief warmup to lengthen and stretch the muscles and then moves on to some beginning inner thigh moves combined with concentrated abs work. Although the latter consists mainly of traditional crunches, the resist-a-ring is incorporated to make the moves more unique and more targeted.
The next section comprises the heart of the workout and mainly targets the thighs. The exercises are are done lying on the side and using the resist-a-ring to specifically focus on the inner thighs. The moves are small but tough, with a high number of repetitions at an increasingly quickened pace. Following the thigh work, it's onto the hands and knees (without the ring) for some tough buttocks moves, and then the entire thigh-buttocks sequence is repeated on the other side. Then, just when you think you can't take any more, there are several sets of pushups plus some plank moves for the abs. Finally, the workout ends with a brief stretching segment.
At 50 minutes, this workout is a definite challenge to your strength and endurance. Instructor Karen Voight is extremely encouraging, constantly reminding you that the workout is difficult but worth the results and saying things like "hang in there with us for just two more." Karen's form is impeccable, and she provides flawless cuing to match her excellent instruction. I know that I will continue to challenge myself with this workout and that the results WILL be worth it.
If we take it as a workout that's "Pilates-inspired", it's pretty good. Her instructions are very precise, and it's easy to follow along (even if what she's asking you to do isn't easy).
However, "Total Body" it's not. 24 pushups and one set of planks do not an upper body workout make, and while we do work the abs through some variations on crunches and the Pilates Corkscrew, I wouldn't use this as an abdominal workout. The focus is clearly on the lower body.
I'm in the minority, but I am not very concerned with my inner thighs. Therefore, the fact that the majority of the exercises that were performed here focused on the inner thighs annoyed me after a while. However, if this is your "problem area", you'll love this tape. I was hoping that the work for the buttocks would be just as intense. Though she does include some targeted exercises for the glutes, it wasn't nearly as much as it was for the inner thighs. The inner thighs are a tiny group of muscles compared to the buttocks; I would have thought a balanced workout would have been designed the other way around.
Again, if the pet peeve of your body is your inner thighs, this will be a great tape for you. Overall, it's a good tape, just not the same "great" I've come to expect from Voight. If you want to balance the workout for your lower body, cross-train with the Lotte Berk Method Muscle Eats Fat and High Round Assets.
