30 Minutes to Fitness: Cardio Sculpt Overload

Cardio Sculpt Overload is a new workout from Kelly Coffey-Meyer. Though it is in her 30 Minutes to Fitness series, it is set up differently than most of her other 30 Minutes to Fitness workouts, which usually contain two 30 minute workouts. This DVD contains one workout which is set up in circuit fashion. One circuit consists of 4 one minute intervals: one minute of low impact cardio, one minute of weighted boxing drills, one minute of lower body bodyweight strength and one minute of a weighted total body exercise. The main workout contains 3 full circuits then there are 3 more bonus circuits. Plus there are lots of premixes, all in the 30-40 minute range, so you can approach this in many different ways. If you want to do all 6 circuits sans premix it is a 51 minute workout. How that plays out is described in the workout breakdown below.

I loved this workout. Loved it! After doing Mark Lauren’s 90 Day Challenge and, before that, being unable to lift heavier than 3 pound dumbbells since March (post-surgery restrictions)–I was ready for something different. This delivered! I have seriously missed these types of workouts and it felt incredible to be doing them again. It was so much fun.

This is an intermediate level, low impact, cardio + strength circuit workout. Kelly adds some very minor impact to some moves but they are very easy to keep low impact if that’s what you need. And to increase the intensity, Kelly is wearing a weighted vest. Kelly looks amazing and muscular. There are no background exercisers, just Kelly, but at the very end, after her extremely short stretch, she brings out her producer and some of the girls that appear as background exercisers in her other workouts.

Equipment: one heavy dumbbell (Kelly is using a 12.5 pound dumbbell), a set of light dumbbells (Kelly is using 2 pound dumbbells) and a weighted vest (she does not reveal the weight of her vest). The dumbbell weights listed below are what I used. I also wore a 6 pound weighted vest but after going through the workout once I could have definitely handled a heavier vest. I also own an 8 pound and a 12 pound vest, so I will try the 8 pound next time I do this workout and if I still think I can handle more then I will try the 12 pound vest. Because I will definitely be returning to this workout!

***10/07/19 I did this workout this morning for the second time. This time I wore my 8 pound vest + weighted gloves. Between the gloves and the vest, that is 10 additional pounds (4 more than the first time I did this workout). I think I found my sweet spot. I found the workout more challenging than the first time I did it but it also didn’t wipe me out. I was working hard and got a great workout. For now, the 8 pound vest + weighted gloves (I used the same dumbbell weights I used the first time, too) are all the “overload” I need.**

Cardio Sculpt Overload is 25:55 minutes; 3 minute warm up. If you do none of the bonuses below and go straight to the 1:35 minute stretch, your total workout time is 28 minutes. If you do all of the bonus circuits then the total workout time is 51 minutes. Keep reading to see how the bonuses factor in.

1. Hook punch + 3 knee pull, alternate sides; changes to 1 hook + 1 knee
2. Jab-cross 4x then hold the 5th jab out for a second (2# DBs)
3. Curtsy lunge + back kick
4. Squat + single arm overhead press (one 15# DB)
5. Step forward + front insole tap + tap heel behind you + front insole tap
6. Upper cut + knee raise, bringing opposite elbow to knee (2# DBs)
7. Hold a static squat and tap one leg in and out while doing running man arms
8. Hinge forward, do one single arm back row, stand with a bicep curl (one 15# DB)
9. 4 knee pulls on the same leg + 4 side to side steps + 4 knee pulls on other leg; changes to 2 reps instead of 4
10. Upper cuts (2# DBs)
11. Squat + reverse lunge tapping hand to floor + squat + front kick tapping hand to foot
12. Step squat out to side while lowering DB to the ground, return to standing while snatching DB overhead (one 15# DB)

You get a screen with Kelly telling you if you want to keep the workout at 30 minutes select the stretch (1:35 minutes). Or you can select “keep going” for more intervals. If you select nothing it will automatically “keep going.”

Bonus circuit #1 (7:53 minutes)

1. 2 duck unders to side + 2 low jacks to same side; changes to 1 duck under + 1 low jack, alternate sides
2. 3 front jabs + 1 back hook (2# DBs)
3. Double side kicks
4. In sumo squat do 3 concentration curls then stand (she also gives the option of adding an overhead press when you stand, which I included) (one 12# DB)

You get a screen with Kelly telling you if you’re done, select the stretch (1:35 minutes). Or you can select “keep going” for more intervals. If you select nothing it will automatically “keep going.” **#2 below, the weighted boxing combo, I had a hard time with the first part. She does it fast from the start and I couldn’t catch on to the combo. The second part of the combo was easy.**The second time I did this workout I caught on to the combo much quicker.**

Bonus circuit #2 (7:39 minutes)

1. 4 pendulums (alternate lifting legs out straight to side) + 4 alternating tap backs; changes to 2 reps of each
2. Jab-jab-hook-hook-upper cut-upper cut-punch down; changes to 2 jabs + 1 punch down (2# DBs)
3. Stand with elbows raised to side and hands clasped in front of chest (genie arms), do one crescent knee + one standing knee raise/crunch
4. Reverse lunge pushing one DB straight in front of you + one side lunge pushing DB down near foot (one 15# DB)

You get a screen with Kelly telling you if you’re done, select the stretch (1:35 minutes). Or you can select “keep going” for more intervals. If you select nothing it will automatically “keep going.”

Bonus circuit #3 (7:17 minutes)

1. 2 lateral leaps + wide squat
2. Hook punch + cross punch (2# DBs)
3. Stand with all of your weight on one leg, opposite arm is raised over head, raise bent leg and tap ankle (she calls it a shin block) + one round house kick (looks more like a side kick)
4. Stand in split stance holding one DB in both hands, rotate DB from hip to hip 3x and on 3rd time do a knee raise (one 10# DB)

Premixes:

Low Impact & Box (29 minutes)

Low Impact & Lower Body (29 minutes)

Low Impact & Compound Moves (29 minutes)

Box & Lower Body (29 minutes)

Box & Compound Moves (30 minutes)

Lower Body & Compound Moves (30 minutes)

No Low Impact (41 minutes)

No Boxing (41 minutes)

No Lower Body (41 minutes)

No Compound Moves (40 minutes)