Tony Horton
Circuit 1-2 Sculpt! is an all
strength training 30 minute
dumbbell or resistence band workout
that was part of the Power 90
series from 2000. In typical Beach
Body style there's the familiar
countdown digital clock in the
lower right hand corner as well as
graphics for each exercise and
stretch along the bottom of the
screen. One of the more
interesting aspects of the video,
believe it or not, is that there is
no musical accompaniment; Tony
suggests you put on whatever music
you like to exercise with if you
want to. This is actually a plus
since the exercises can be done at
a nice, slow pace allowing you to
complete anywhere between 8 and 15
repetitions, depending on the
amount of weight you use, your
general conditioning, and whatever
BPM music you choose to work out
to. The set is bland, all-grey, and
void of any detail or interesting
visuals, unfortunately. Tony has
two students who demonstrate the
exercises. Lisa uses dumbbells and
Sean uses the resistence bands.
Tony demonstrates each exercise
with his students, then stops,
assist, and comments on Lisa and
Sean's form, then does the last few
reps with them again.
The program begins with an 8-minute
stretching warmup, then the 3
circuits. Each circuit consists of
1 set per exercise per body part.
At the end of each circuit there's
a short stretch -- then on to the
next circuit. The body parts are
repeated but different exercises
are performed. Here's a breakdown
of the exercises in each circuit:
Circuit I:
1. pushups-- hands 6" wider than
shoulders (chest)
2. "heavy pants" -- double back row
(back)
3. military press (shoulders)
4. "back scratchers" -- single arm
french press (triceps)
5. bicep curls (biceps)
6. lunges -- shown without weights
(legs)
7. stretch
Circuit II:
1. pushups -- hands 9" wider than
shoulders (chest)
2. back flys -- double back row
with bent elbows (upper back)
3. "swimmer's press" -- a.k.a.
"Arnold presses"; military press
with palms rotating at the top of
the move (shoulders)
4. open curls -- bicep curls at 45
degree angle (biceps)
5. kickbacks (triceps)
6. lunge/squat combo -- lunge
followed by 3 squats; shown without
weight (legs)
7. stretch with water break
Circuit III:
1. "7-7-7" pushups -- wide/narrow/
widest hand positions; 7 of each
(chest)
2. "lawnmower" -- single-arm row
with a twist at the top of the
movement (back)
3. lateral raise (shoulders)
4. chair dips -- straight legs;
Tony demonstrates easier variations
(triceps)
5. "21's" -- 7 bicep curls to
waist; 7 from top to waist; 7 full
range of motion (biceps)
6. 3 part squats -- narrow/wide/
widest leg positions; 8 each
position (legs)
7. stretch
There's no cooldown after the last
stretch so its a good time to pop
in another tape with some ab work
or do more intensive stretching on
your own.
What makes this circuit workout
unique is the 1 set concept allows
you to "go heavy" if you're an
intermediate or advanced exerciser.
The slow pace and count of each set
allowed me to use 20, 15, 12, and 8
lb. weights -- something I could
never manage in more fast-pa
Instructor comments:
Tony is very confident and a bit of
a ham -- but in a likable way.
He's at his best when he's checking
his students' form and encouraging
them to work harder, rather than
hamming it up in front of the
camera. But his personality works
well with the w
Ann
anniesmailbx@redshift.com
9/27/04