30 Minutes To Fitness: Weights Workout with Kelly Coffey-Meyer (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This was the first workout in fitness instructor Kelly Coffey-Meyer's new 30 Minutes to Fitness series. Like the other DVDs in this series, 30 Minutes to Fitness Weights offers two separate splits-style workouts; when combined with the warm-up, each of these workouts is approximately 30 minutes long, perfect if you are short on time. However, additional options allow you to create a longer workout as well as to add in lots of variety (described below).
Kelly works out with two background exercises, one of whom shows modifications for some of the exercises. The Main Menu of the DVD lists the Warm-Up, Workout 1, Workout 2, Workout Sections, and Premixes; there are also audio options for working out with music or with Kelly's voice only. In her introduction, Kelly explains that the workouts are designed for heavier lifting. She recommends that beginners use 5 lbs., intermediate 7 lbs., and advanced 10 lbs. (note that these weight amounts are different than what is is listed on the DVD menu). I found these amounts to be about right, as I consider myself to be high intermediate, and I used 8 lbs. through the majority of both workouts, sometimes pyramiding up to 10 lbs.
The basic 3-minute warm-up includes marches, taps with reaches, side steps, and hamstring curls. Without the warm-up, Workout #1, which focuses on Back, Legs, & Chest, is 29.5 minutes long, and Workout #2, concentrating on Biceps, Triceps, & Shoulders, is 27 minutes long. Both workouts follow the same general format: a single exercise consisting of 8 repetitions is performed for each of the three targeted body parts. This round is then repeated once, and then you take an "active rest." The active rests are 1-minute periods of standing ab work; these are fast-paced and hardly feel like a "rest," but they're a fun break from the strength work. Two more strength rounds and two more rest periods follow, and then there's just a few very brief stretches to finish. Kelly moves quickly from exercise to exercise in both workouts--don't be surprised if your heart rate stays up the whole time. As always, she adds a lot of unique twists to to the exercises, such as hesitation holds, deadlifts with a twist, and some challenging push-up/plank moves. She also manages to sneak in additional strength work during the so-called rests (ie, one of the rests includes plies to work the legs).
The Premixes on this DVD provide a great amount of variety to the workouts. The first four premixes feature the workouts exactly as above, with the only changes being to the active rest portions. For the first two premixes, the active rest portions in both workouts are replaced by 2 minutes of floor abdominal work (exercises include leaning rows with lifts, knee tuck crunches, full sit-ups with arm reaches, frog-leg crunches, and side leg crunches). For the next two premixes, the active rest portions in both workouts are replaced by low-cardio segments, including simple moves such as v-steps, knee repeaters, side-steps, hamstring pulls, toe taps, and lunges. Each of these premixes remains about 30 minutes in length.
There are also three additional premixes as follows:
Full Body--1 rotation of each exercise (38m)
Mixed Full Body Blast--no active rests (41m)
Time-Saver Full Body Blast--2 exercises each body part w/no rests (31m)
As with the other DVDs in her 30 Minutes to Fitness series, Kelly did a great job in this video, which provides users with plenty of workout options. Overall, I give this 4 1/2 stars!

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30 Minutes to Fitness is traditional weight training for everyone! Kelly Coffey-Meyer adapts and blends the industry's best moves in a unique format that brings the best from the past into today. 30 Minutes to Fitness offers two 30 minute workouts on one DVD: Back/Legs/Chest and Biceps/Triceps/Shoulders. Each workout moves continuously from one effective move to the next. These workouts go a step further to maximize results by using active rests throughout the 30 minutes of training. 30 Minutes to Fitness is a workout designed by you - select standing core to trim your waistline, abdominals or low cardio moves for your active rests. Each option offers its own added benefits and changes the overall feel of the workout every time. The active rest you choose and the weight you use, results in your perfect workout in only 30 minutes. 30 Minutes to Fitness will build strength, increase muscle definition and boost your metabolism so you can achieve the body you've always wanted

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Kelly Coffey-Meyer: NYC Body Sculpting Workout Review

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(More customer reviews)Kelly Coffey-Meyer is a high-energy instructor who offers fun workouts which blend more traditional exercises with unique, interesting twists. NYC is a 54-minute full body strength workout which uses two sets of dumbbells (light and heavy) plus an optional step; Kelly works out in a bright studio with two background exercisers. For the most part, the workout follows a specific pattern: Kelly targets a single upper body muscle group with several exercises using weights, moves on to an unweighted lower body interval, repeats a second set of the upper body moves, and concludes the series with slightly different lower body exercise. Overall, Kelly moves very quickly through the workout--the lower body exercises in particular are performed quickly enough to keep your heart rate in an aerobic zone.
Kelly begins with a 4-minute warm-up that includes basic aerobic moves and ends with dynamic stretches. The first muscle group is back, and Kelly begins with traditional 1-arm rows. More unique are the alternating shoulder blade pulls (palm up, thumb moves to the back) and the back raises with slow lowers. For lower body, Kelly does a side squat and rear lunge off the step; after repeating the back work, she does just the rear lunge, moving into a double-time count. The next exercise group biceps, starting with hammer curls that lower to the side. Kelly then does half bicep curls high and low, adding a 1-arm move to both. The leg series is a side step with a curtsey dip, adding a knee raise to work the obliques. The biceps are repeated, and then it's a side-to-side step with a rear lunge.
Moving to lighter dumbbells, Kelly starts the shoulder work, beginning with a circling lift overhead. She then combines shrugs with an upright row and finishes with a butterfly elbow lift and overhead press. The leg move is a wide squat with a knee lift to the side and then the back; after another set of shoulders, the leg move changes slightly to an around the world leg lift with rear lung. Next comes triceps: French press, elbow touches, and dips with pulses. Then, straddling the step, you do a plie squat, this time keeping the weights in your hand; to finish, you repeat the triceps and then perform the plie squat with the opposite leg forward. Kelly conclude the standing work with an additional move for the legs, a bent-over squat with hands on the step.
The workout then moves to the floor (lying on the step/bench) for chest work, which includes pullovers, wide grip bench presses, flyes, and close grip bench presses. Kelly then does a series of abs work with basic crunches before repeating the chest moves. She finishes this series by moving the dumbbells to hips for pelvic raises to target the glutes/hamstrings. She then moves to the floor for additional abs work. These moves were more Pilates-like and thus more challenging: Kelly starts with a 4-count crunch but then does knee tuck-ins (adding rotation), roll-ups, and half roll-downs with a twist on the end. Moving to side-lying position, she does a short but tough series of hip/outer thigh work on both sides, then repeats the floor abs series. Finally, Kelly concludes the workout with a very short (about 3 minutes) stretch on the floor, first lying for the lower body and then seated for the upper body.
The Main Menu of the DVD offers the following options: Introduction, Start Workout, Workout Options, Coffey Mixes, and Credits. The Workout Options is basically a chapter list (Warm-up, Standing Exercises, Chest to Lower Ab's [sic], Chest to Glutes, Abdominals to Outer Thighs, More Ab's [sic] and Stretch). The Coffey Mixes menu offers several shorter premix options:
Expresso [sic] Mix (no warm-up, 1 set of all exercises, stretch)
Latte Mix (warm-up, 1 set of all exercises, stretch)
Mocha Mix (warm-up, upper body, abs, stretch)
Capucchino [sic] (warm-up, all legs, abs, stretch)
Overall, I enjoyed this workout very much. I did have a few minor issues with it--eg, I thought that the triceps were overworked, and I didn't like the first abs series of basic crunches--but in general, I found the moves enjoyable, and I felt thoroughly worked out by the end. Kelly is a fun yet no-nonsense instructor; I give this workout a final rating of 4 1/2 stars, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, especially for intermediate-level exercisers.

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N.Y.C.: NEW YOU COMING - A BODY SCULPTING WORKOUT WITHKELLY COFFEY-MEYERNamed as FITNESS Magazine's "Best DVD for Head to Toe Body Sculpting",Kellly Coffey-Meyer's NYC (New You Coming) is the ultimate sculptingworkout! The mission is to achieve maximum caloric output while toning anddefining all muscle groups for a leaner physique. To achieve this goal,multi-setting with lighter weights, constantly moving from upper to lowerbody exercises and focusing on hips, glutes and abdominals, is a sure wayto ensure there's a New You Coming! If you are looking for a no-dread,no-nonsense sculpting workout that burns calories and increases muscledefinition, this is it. It's one workout no `body' should do without.Expertly cued by Kelly Coffey-Meyer, NYC features energizing music, andvery smooth transitions. The first section intermixes upper-body dumbbellexercises and bench-enhanced lower-body toning. The second segment is alsofast-moving - featuring weight-room-style floorwork, usually lying on thebench to improve body position. Both parts maximize effectiveness byalternating upper and lower-body exercises within a multi-set structure.The DVD also has pre-programmed shorter options. Requires two sets ofdumbbells and a step. Running Time: 55 minutes

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