Lauren Brooks The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells VOL 1

**4/30/11 - Update: I'm still doing this workout. I mix it up with my other videos. I just did my first 50K bike ride and whooped my husband's behind, and I definitely credit kettlebells. The stamina you get from just swinging a bowling ball around is tremendous. - end of update**This workout is terrific for anyone just starting out with kettlebells, although more seasoned users will certainly get a powerful blast from this DVD. However, this workout is not for beginners to fitness! You should already be working out regularly and have basic cardio and muscular (particularly core) fitness before doing this. I've been doing Jillian Michaels DVD's for close to a year now, and I'm finding this workout quite a challenge. The great thing about it is that once you master your form and build your strength, you can move up to a heavier kettlebell. As of now, I'm doing the 15lb. bell.I love the demonstration segment. Lauren goes through the moves methodically so you can follow along and get the form right. Then there are 2 workouts: a 12 minute blast, and a 40 minute workout. Both are great. I do the 40 minute one. In between high-intensity segments there is a 60 second rest, which you can use to either really rest and get some water or do some light cardio like jumping jacks or running in place. By the middle of the workout, you'll appreciate the rests!Some have complained about Lauren's personality. She's very matter-of-fact and she is not here to entertain you, she is here to give you a good workout. Which she does. I personally like not having to listen to the same stupid jokes over and over again or be forced to endure a false bubbly personality at 6 in the morning. Lauren gives you straight-up workout moves with solid form. I appreciate her use of a 50+ yr. old woman as workout buddy, she should be a huge inspiration for any woman, she looks better than a lot of gals in their 20's. Thanks to Lauren and Kettlebells!My only complaints - It seems I have to restart from the beginning each time I play this DVD in our Playstation. Not a huge deal, as you're not forced to watch a whole bunch of nonsense like other DVD's. Also, I think the brightly colored, scroll-y design used on the DVD wrapper and the graphics in the video look amateur-ish. When I received the DVD, I took one look at it and thought "Oh no, poor production inside!" I'm a designer so I notice these things. I also think the hip-hop music used in the intro is silly. However, the music during the workout proves to not be nearly as annoying.

I purchased this DVD as it was raved about by people as "the" DVD to get. I have just started using KBs but am pretty familiar with them and though I am a small female have spent out 15 years doing some form of serious resistance training. I am in decent to good shape.I guess I do enjoy this DVD (hence the 4 star) rating...but I am unsure as to why this is 2x as much as other DVDs out there. To keep it brief:Pros:-I like LB's style - she reminds me of me I guess..petite, female, similar age, no nonsense style - so I can relate- She is inspirational for a # of reasons and frankly how a trainer looks or instructor/how in shape they seem - fair or not - is part of an assessment-Liked that was an older person in the video to make it less intimidating-Good form intros-I liked the inclusion of body resistance work - as any trainer I have worked with has used these - and I think there are important. Her WOs are meant to be routines...not just KB drills.-Nice outdoor settingCons (why 1 star off)-No real cool down section - I think for people new to KB - trying to avoid extreme soreness and injury through proper post stretch is important..there are some stretches that are especially important to do for ex in KB training-Would have like to see more moves for 40 bucks besides the basic ones you can learn on YT (Turkish getup, Figure 8s, etc). While this is a nice DVD - these moves are basic basic-Felt her workout partner's form was very poor at times. Yes - she was there just to be a companion and not as the instructor but it's glaring and I am not a PT or KB trainer-Would like better production quality for the priceAll in all - nice. I think given I have a couple of decent intro CDs (I love AOS Providence!) and there are so many good YT tutorials on basic moves I could have passed on this one. I like LBs style way better than any of the other more popular female instructor led DVDs. For non-female led DVDs, I like Anthony's style of AOS Providence and Newport, and I think alot of other female reviewers feel the same way.If you know anything about KB or have any other decent intro DVD - I would spend the $ on Volume II

I absolutely LOVE this video. I'm a woman in my early 40s and I've been an avid exerciser for many years (P90x, Insanity, Jillian Michaels, Bob Harper, not to mention running half marathons and triathlons). I wanted to try kettlebells but had no idea how to get started. I'm so glad I found this DVD! Lauren breaks down each movement and shows you how to safely swing the bell and do the other moves on the DVD, which is SO IMPORTANT!! She is not annoying at all and her moves are challenging and effective. The only thing I don't like is the 1 minute rest between rounds. I find it too short so I fast forward through it and it ends up being about 30 seconds which I prefer. There are 2 main workouts, one is a 12 minute "quickie" which I personally think is too short, but if you need something quick it's great. The other is a 40 minute total body workout which is really about 32 minutes due to the 1 minute rests between sets. It gradually gets harder in intensity and the last round is a high intensity round that leaves you breathless. There is no cool down - she does an ab segment as a cool down but I prefer an actual stretching segment. It's not a really big deal, I just do my own after the DVD is over. The setting is nice, she's outside on a rooftop, and the woman she's with is older and looks fabulous which is quite motivating. I love Lauren and have purchased her Volume 2 workout and her Kettlebells for Women book, both of which I highly recommend. This lady knows her stuff and I look forward to much more from her.