Burn Fat & Have Fun

Burn Fat & Have Fun is part of Jessica Smith’s Walk Strong 2 program. The other two DVDs in this collection/program are Boost Metabolism & Muscle and Build Balance & Inner Strength (which will be reviewed later this month). She also has a Walk Strong 1 program and a Walk Strong 3 program–these workouts fall between those two programs. Boost Metabolism & Muscle contains 3 strength training workouts and this DVD contains 3 cardio workouts. Unlike Boost Metabolism & Muscle, I didn’t find this much harder than the workouts in Walk Strong 1 but it does give you some variety if you have been doing Walk Strong 1. After doing Boost Metabolism & Muscle, I was expecting this to be more challenging than it was. They all burned around 250 calories so they were a good cardio burn for a 30 minute workout. My favorite of the three workouts on this DVD is Walk 3: Have a Ball. Just like in all of Jessica’s Walk Strong workouts, her mother Debbie is there showing beginner modifications to everything. In all of the workouts below I mention ideas for increasing the intensity if you want to make the workouts harder. Some of the ideas I actually used when I did the workouts and some are ideas that occurred to me after I did the workout that I will use when I do the workout again.

Walk 1: Steady, Ready GO! is 31:30 minutes long; 3 minute warm up and 3:30 minute cool down/stretch. The structure of the workout is lower intensity for several minutes (the intensity builds) then go all out–highest intensity for one minute. Jessica previews the high intensity moves during the warm up–the warm up is the first 3 minute low intensity interval. There are 5 of these interval circuits. This was a pretty easy workout. It was kind of weird, too. This felt pretty easy, like I said, but for a 30 minute workout I burned 250 calories, which is a pretty decent calorie burn for such a short workout. Yet I barely perspired. So I’m really not sure what to think. All I know is when doing the workout, it didn’t tax me. Done as presented, this would be a good warm up for a gentle yoga recovery day but on any other day I will have to do some things to increase the intensity. Adding weighted gloves and a weighted vest would increase the intensity. As well as adding some impact–for instance, instead of doing half jacks, do full jacks.

1. Side steps w/ push down arms; step out and in (wide steps, squatting when stepping); jog while pushing arms overhead
2. Interval: Squat swim (pulsing squat w/ large swim arms)
3. 2 side steps then walk backward; 4 side to side steps + one grapevine; alternate toe taps in front of you while pulling arms down
4. Alternating heel digs in front of you w/ arm pulls; 2 knee pulls and alternate sides; step side to side
5. Interval: Diamond half jack (jack arms but pull one leg in toward other leg 2x, alternate legs)
6. Step side to side; side steps backward while doing tricep kickback arms; grapevine crossing foot in front
7. Low side steps moving forward and back; step side to side while scooping arms
8. Interval: Skater half circle (lateral skaters while circling arms overhead)
9. 2 side steps + insole tap; changes to tapping heel; stepping corner to corner while doing a hamstring curl; changes to 3 hamstring curls each corner
10. V steps forward and back; step front and back + 3 fast jogs in place, alternate which foot is stepping forward; V steps forward and back while turning in a circle w/ each V step
11. Interval: Side to side half jack (step side to side w/ jack arms–fast)
12. Rotating to tap (hips are what are rotating); lateral skaters w/ skier arms; tap foot out and in out to side
13. Interval: Knee pulls

Walk 2: Stride and Step is 30 minutes long; 2:30 minute warm up (I think) and 4:30 minute cool down/stretch. Jessica is using a square step topper only (4 inches) and her mother has no step. My step was @ 8 inches (topper + 2 risers). This workout was more intense than Walk 1. It was still a steady state cardio workout but I actually broke a sweat when doing this workout. To increase intensity in the future I will also wear 2 pound weighted gloves. Maybe even a weighted vest. There are no complicated step combos in this workout–all basic step variations. I found it fun and effective. The odd thing is, I burned just as many calories as I did during Walk 1 which I find very odd since it truly felt like I worked harder. But according to my Fitbit, I burned the same amount of calories. Some of the step moves you’ll see: basic steps, step knee, step knee corner to corner, step w/ side leg raise, step up and over, Charleston step/kick, L step, L step w/ knee lifts, straddle steps, air squats, hamstring curl steps, step and raise other leg straight behind you, uneven squats (one foot on step), alternating reverse lunges (off step).

Walk 3: Have a Ball! is 33 minutes long; 5 minute warm up and 3 minute cool down/stretch (#25 & 26 are part of cool down). Equipment: a pilates ball; if you don’t have a ball, Debbie uses a rolled up towel. I used a 4 pound medicine ball. The ball is used in the warm up and the stretch. I loved this workout! Definitely my favorite of the 3 but I always love Jessica’s ball workouts. She always uses a soft/squishy, very light playground or pilates ball but I always use my 4 pound medicine ball and get an awesome workout. I would not get such a good workout in any of her ball workouts if I was using a pilates ball like Jessica, but the workout is what you make it, right? I use the medicine ball and get an intense and awesome workout. And bonus–we get Peanut in this workout! She is stretched out on the floor at the beginning of the workout. She left pretty quickly but I was pleased she made a cameo.

1. 2 side steps while making large circles with ball
2. Jog forward, toss ball, jog back, bounce ball on floor
3. Plie squats with large power circles w/ ball
4. Alternating knee lifts while reaching ball overhead and pulling down to knees
5. Alternating side squats while chopping ball from overhead to between legs when squatting; changes to squat jacks (same ball chop)
6. Step side to side while doing a half arc w/ ball overhead and down to opposite hip; side to side step changes to coming down low into a partial squat when stepping to side
7. Alternating heel digs to opposite side while scooping ball from hip to hip
8. Repeat #5
9. Side to side knee chop (2 knee pulls to each side while pulling ball down from overhead to knee)
10. Repeat #2
11. Repeat #6; add leg lift to side while ball is overhead
12. Skaters side to side w/ large figure 8 arms
13. Hamstring curls while chopping ball to hip
14. Alternating angled knee pulls while chopping hip down across hip
15. Plie squats while circling ball overhead and chopping down to side
16. Repeat #2
17. Heel digs raising ball overhead and pulling down; changes to alternating knee lifts
18. Step side to side while arc ball overhead with one arm, passing to other hand and bringing down to hip
19. Repeat #1; add a shuffle
20. Hold ball in one hand and, while stepping side to side, reach ball overhead and to opposite side then bring elbow down to hip
21. Hold ball in both hands in front of chest and, in split stance, pull back knee in and up to ball; add chopping ball down to hip
22. Still in split stance, hinge forward and raise and lower ball overhead while lifting and lowering back leg behind you
23. Repeat #21 & 22 on other side of body
24. Repeat #20
25. Holding elbows in to side and holding ball in one hand, open arms out to side and bring then back together (always keeping elbows against sides)
26. Hold ball in both hands and squeeze and release ball