Another workout by Tracey Mallett. I just keep buying them! This one is different from her others that I’ve done so far. Just like the title says (6 Minute Quick Blast Method), this workout is made up of seven 6 minute segments plus a warm up and cool down. You can take these seven segments and mix and match them any way you want. You can also “Play all” and get a 51 minute workout. There is also an interactive calendar w/ premixes that group different segments together on different days of the week (premix break down and times are at the bottom of this review). I used it several different ways–once as a doubles workout using a premix, another day I added two segments onto the end of a 48 minute workout to round out my hour and another day I added the Quick Ab Blast onto the end of a longer workout to finish it off with ab work.
The 7 segments are 3 metabolic cardio segments, one yoga/flexibility segment, one pilates segment, one yoga/pilates segment and the bonus ab segment. They are all exactly 6 minutes long. The warm up and cool down are shorter. The warm up is 5 minutes and it is horrible. It did not warm me up at all. It is a dancey thing with lots of hip shaking and some stretching at the end. I did not like it at all. The 4:30 minute stretch however is much better. It does a very nice job stretching you out.
I like all of the segments but my favorites are the three metabolic segments. They were surprisingly intense! But you cannot use the piddly weights that Tracey and crew are using if you want any intensity. They are using something like 2 pound hand weights. I used anywhere from 5-15 pound dumbbells for the 3 metabolic cardio segments. I will note what I used for each exercise in the breakdown below. You will not get an intense workout with the tiny weights they are using unless you are a complete newbie to exercise. I did the Mon/Wed premix. It is the warm up, all 3 of the metabolic cardio segments and the stretch. I got a great little workout! I finished it off with Mind Body A, which is a yoga/flexibility segment and got a great little 33 minute workout.
Now, one thing I have to mention before I move onto the individual breakdowns. I have to compare this to the other Tracey Mallett workouts I’ve done–3 other DVDs (not including her Popsugar workout). They were all advanced workouts. This is not an advanced level workout. There is a modifier so it can be a beginner workout if that is what you need. If you use very light dumbbells for everything but do the exercises at Tracey’s level, maybe a low intermediate. If you use heavy enough dumbbells this is high intermediate. So you’re never going to get an advanced workout, but you will get a good workout if you challenge yourself. That is the metabolic cardio segments. All of the other segments are probably low intermediate. The bonus abs beginner.
In the 3 Cardio Total Body Blasts below, they are all structured the same so every one of them will not get a summary or description. They are all circuits of cardio + metabolic strength.
Quick Cardio Total Body Blast A: When I first did this, the first move seemed pretty easy and I thought maybe I wasn’t going to like this DVD as much as I have liked Tracy’s other workouts I own. But then you grab your dumbbells and the workout took off–my heart rate really started elevating! One thing to keep in mind, the actual warm up is so lame and un-intense that you could just start with this segment and count the first minute as your warm up.
- Triple step + Bouncing ball shuffle
- Side lunges w/ back row; 2 sets each leg (10# DBs)
- Split lunge cross country (scissor runs)
- Chopping wood (get into plie, hold DBs overhead to the side; chop DBs down to opposite hip while squatting); 2 sets each side (one 10# DB)
Quick Cardio Total Body Blast B: This one really burned my arms out!
- Fast knee repeaters
- Hamstring curl w/ double arm tricep kickback (balance move; stand on one leg and push other leg out behind you while doing double arm tricep kickbacks); 2 sets each leg (10# DBs)
- Skip rope (lots of different jump rope variations)
- Curtsy lunge w/ side leg lift + lateral raise (curtsy lunge into side leg abduction while doing lateral raise); 2 sets each side (5# DBs)
Quick Cardio Total Body Blast C:
- Pulse squats w/ lateral squat jumps (2 pulses + one jump); this changes to lateral side-to-side squat jumps–no pulsing
- Flamingo w/ biceps (hold DB w/ palm facing in front of you, arm straight; lift opposite leg up behind you in a sort of warrior 3 while raising straight arm w/ dumbbell in front of you); 2 sets each side (8# DBs)
- Choo-choo train (this a step tap move–like an 80s dance move but with lots of energy)
- Plank w/ Row (this is a renegade row but Tracy and crew are all on their knees–I did this in full plank), 2 sets each side (15# DB)
Quick Mind Body Blast A: This is a very nice yoga/flexibility segment. Only 6 minutes but I felt like Tracey did not rush you through it. You held everything long enough and got a nice stretch.
- Forward fold into lunge
- Crescent pose
- Warrior 2
- Triangle
- Down Dog split
- Plank
- Down Dog
- Forward fold/back extension
- Repeat sequence on other side of body
Quick Mind Body Blast B: This is a pilates segment.
- Knee twists (sitting on mat, lean back w/ knees bent and arms stretched straight in front of you; twist upper body/arms to side and lean knees in the opposite direction; alternate sides)
- Chest lift (lay on back, knees bent, soles of feet together and knees opened to side, hands behind head; lift torso then reach hands out between legs then lay back down, hands back behind head)
- Single leg stretch (bicycle maneuver legs while grasping shin of leg as it comes in)
- Criss-cross (actual bicycle maneuver w/ elbow touching opposite knee)
- Flutter kicks (lay on belly, raise chest/shoulders and flutter kick legs; 2 different kinds of kick variations)
- Pilates leg series (lay on side, bottom leg bent; first raise and lower top leg; this changes to swinging top leg forward and back)
Quick Mind Body Blast C: This is a yoga/pilates segment.
- Chair pose (while in chair pose you will raise and lower heels; then hold in heel raise/chair pose and pulse)
- Side plank leg lifts (side plank but with bent bottom leg, top leg straight; raise and lower hips)
- Double leg stretch (lay on back, knees bent, feet on ground, head/shoulders raised; reach legs out straight, arms straight at side, circle arms around then return to start position)
- Dolphin kick backs (come down on elbows and knees, raise knees off floor so you are on elbows and toes; raise and lower one bent leg, foot to ceiling)
- Leg pull (in straight arm plank, raise and lower one straight leg)
- Bird dogs (on hands and knees, extend one leg and opposite arm straight; bring them underneath body so elbow and knee touch then straighten them out again)
- Child’s pose to down dog
Quick Ab Blast: This was a pretty easy but very enjoyable ab workout. Nothing difficult or complicated but it does the job.
- Circle roll up (slow sit up, circling arms to side, overhead, to other side then to front of body)
- Dipping the toes (lay on back, legs raised and knees bent, head/shoulders off floor, hands behind head; start tapping toes to ground, alternating legs; then tap both feet)
- Froggies (head/shoulders still lifted, straighten legs, lifting feet to ceiling, turn toes out so heels are together; bend and straighten knees)
- Abdominal openings (head/shoulders still lifted, straighten legs, lifting feet to ceiling, arms straight to sides; open and close legs and arms at same time)
- Double leg stretch (lay on side, head on arm, legs straight; raise and lower both legs)
- Side plank twist (start sitting on hip, push up into straight arm side plank, rotate body so hip is in air and press top arm under body, return to side plank then sit on hip)
- Plank to down dog
Premixes:
Plan 1:
Mon/Wed: Warm Up, Quick Total Body Blast A, B & C, Cool Down (28 minutes)
Tues/Thur: Quick Mind Body Blast A, B & C, Quick Abs Blast, Cool Down (29 minutes)
Fri/Sun: Warm Up, Quick Total Body Blast A & B, Quick Abs Blast, Cool Down (28:30 minutes)
Plan 2:
Mon/Wed: Warm Up, Quick Total Body Blast A, B & C, Quick Abs Blast, Cool Down (34:30 minutes)
Tues/Thur: Warm Up, Quick Total Body Blast A & B, Quick Mind Body Blast A, B & C, Cool Down (40 minutes)
Fri/Sun: Warm Up, Quick Total Body Blast A, B & C, Quick Mind Body Blast A, Quick Abs Blast, Cool Down (40:30 minutes)
