| Customer Reviews (or write your own review) |
Amy Bento's Kickbox Xtreme |
  Good option for advanced exercisers who dislike cardio. |
| I like this video because I can do the premix that has no complex choreography. I wish there were more "interval" drill segments, but the ones that are there are short enough that I don't get tired of them. The "combo" segments are another story. I generally don't like long warmups; 10 minutes seems excessive, but I feel I'm already getting into the zone after 5 minutes so it doesn't bother me all that much. In a cardio video once I'm done with a combo I want it to be the end of that combo for the rest of the video - none of that "take it from the top" but Amy has you combining combo 1&2, and then 3&4 - if you're into that kind of thing. I'm thankful for the one premix at least. Having an aversion to long cardio sessions, it's funny that I seem to want to pick short premixes, but when I make it to the end I wish I had chosen a longer premix. No worries, it's chaptered by interval or combo segment so I can go redo an interval segment or two if I want. Because this is a cardio video, it's OK to have fun... no... it's a requirement to have fun and Amy has no shortage of it. The music selection could be better but it's not bad. Aside from the complex combo content, others have mentioned that Amy has a habit of using the "other foot" which at first felt awkward for me, but now I'm following her without issues, at least for the interval segments which I actually enjoy. I don't have a lot of floor space to exercise but I manage to make do with what I have. If you're not familiar with kickboxing, it may be better to try a video with a different instructor first. Amy doesn't exactly have the best form. And did I mention the woman doing the modificiations is pregnant? - posted by S on 5/15/2009 |
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| Love It!!! |
| Love Amy's dvds. I'm an advanced exerciser, and I found this very challenging. I added weighted gloves once I got through the workout a few times. Would like to see alot more moderate choreography from Amy, I have a few of the complex and have not been able to master the steps. - posted by Beth on 4/25/2009 |
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| can't get enough! |
| To me, this is the crown jewel of Bento's collection. I keep coming back to it time and again when I really want an intense cardio workout. The choreography never gets stale and even after having owned it for half a year i still haven't even gotten to the premixes yet (I LOVE this idea) because I always just do the entire workout (about 1 hour). What a ton of value for your money! I love how intense her floorwork can be compared to step aerobics (I love the cardio burn of step, but have bad knees for it). The first segment (combos 1 & 2) is most intense (but is over after about 15 mins) and combos 3 & 4 are pretty moderate (yet still challenging). Combo 5 and its accompanying interval is kind of a yawn, but I consider it a cool down after the 50 mins of pretty intense working out that are going on til combo 5 comes along. I wish I had a punching bag to do the bonus bag parts, but so impractical. Still, this is my all time favorite go-to dvd. I wish Amy would bring more like this! - posted by tara on 4/13/2009 |
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| So glad I got this one! |
| There is something about Amy that I really like. She is fun, motivating and energetic. While it may take a couple tries to catch onto the choreography, it is well worth it. Once you catch on you will be moving right along with her! This is a fun, high energy workout that keeps your heart rate up and makes you sweat! It does take a little more room than other workouts, but I found there are ways to adjust to this. - posted by SG on 3/30/2009 |
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| Not impressive |
| I have been looking for more kickbox workouts. This was my first Amy Bento workout and although I will try others this just did not do it for me. The warm up was boring and just felt too long. While the choreography is not hard, some of the moves just seem really awkward and non-functional. This was not a winner for me. - posted by Sandra on 3/26/2009 |
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| Great workout! |
| This workout is fab! I have hi/lo xtreme too, but this is by far the better. This is harder, physically and choreographically, but you never get bored! the intervals are great, hard, but complex enough that you don't give up. I like the fact that the combos get harder as you go along. My only complaint is that my heart rate drops in combo 5. Having said that, at the time, I'm always greatful for it! This is a very tough workout. Not Amys toughest, but it comes close. I find that the cueing is very good on this dvd, as always with Amy. I would not advise this unless you are familiar with kickboxing, and are an advanced exerciser. This is hard. I particular like the fact that there are effectively 25 sections, which breaks it up alot. This prevents tedium setting in. I have done this about 4 times, and am still raring to go with it. I would however warn that at times balance comes into play, which may be a problem if you have many valubles around! I love the drop kicks, they really raise your heart rate. As usual, I remain a devoted Amy fan. - posted by Zoe on 2/18/2009 |
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| Good but not great. |
| I LOVE Amy's Hi/Lo Extreme and agree with others that you're thankful for the complicated choreography after having done it repeatedly. I found this one as frustrating as others have the first time through, and as frustrating as I found the Hi/Lo DVD, but as everyone seems to agree, once you get the hang of the choreography it's fine. However, the choreography, as 'hatha' has said, is unnatural. I kept wanting to use the opposite leg of what Amy was using and found that the fact that she'd continually use what seemed like the wrong leg to me was twisting and really hurting my standing knee. Part of what I like about kickboxing is the flow, and I'd have to say this workout is lacking flow. Timing and general choreography just didn't seem right, comfortable, or fun to me. I also found that because of the unnaturalness of the choreography, I was almost ALWAYS unable to get perfect position and thus wasn't doing the moves correctly (or to greatest toning advantage to my body). A big problem to say the least!!! - posted by Holly on 1/17/2009 |
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| Love Amy, Love the workout! |
| This workout is great! I love Amy and I think she is a wonderful instructor. She is always clear on what she is going to do and makes smooth transitions. She also is very encouraging and just seems to have a nice personality. The workout itself is intense, alternating cardio intervals with power intervals. This really brings your heart rate up and this workout is definitely advanced. If you want a good workout in about an hour's time, you will LOVE this!! - posted by Kate on 1/16/2009 |
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| You will LOVE this workout!!! |
| I loved this workout. My heartrate stayed high throughout. I take classes at the gym at least 5x a week and usually hate dvd's because I need constant change and challenge and can get bored easily. The choreography can be a little tricky at times, but that's what makes it fun. Amy layers pretty well and there are many opportunities to repeat the combos. It took the second workout to completely get it. Buy this dvd, you will not be disappointed. Amy Bento officially has a new fan!!!! - posted by Tamika on 11/22/2008 |
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| I am changing my review |
| Despite my initial distaste for this workout (and my feeling in agreement with the muscle/brain melt of frustration mentioned by hatha below) I am changing my review after having done the workout a second time. I regret having given it such a scathing review because it actually does get less "brainy" and frustrating the more you do it. It actually becomes enjoyable despite what initially come off as unlearnable moves - it really does sink in the more you do it and I had a perfectly good time doing it the second time despite the awful experience of the first time going through. I think it made a big difference too, modifying my workout space to be more lateral than horizontal in its use. The moves made way more sense and were easy to execute. Anyway, just some things to consider if you are someone who values a quality high energy cardio workout - posted by amy on 11/22/2008 |
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