I've done all the workouts now and, not surprisingly, I love them! Cathe has always been my go-to for working out. Here's my pros and cons:
Pros:
*There is a lot of variety within the series itself. You could mix things up and use them for moderate cardio, advanced cardio using the blizzards, weight training, floor work, or mix and match all of it together to make some really great routines.
*A great selection of premixes to fit into your schedule regardless if you have a lot of time or not.
*Some really unique moves on almost all of the workouts. I really love that! It's not just a rehash of her other stuff.
*No dread factor.....these are seriously fun, but still kick up a good HR and sweat.
*Cute outfits
*Easily modifiable either up or down in the cardio or weights to match whatever mood you are in....either hit it hard or bring it down....your choice. Theses are perfect for the advanced exerciser who wants to take it down a notch but still get an effective workout and wants the endorphin rush....maybe due to an illness, injury, sleep deprived, or whatever.
*The pace of the moves, for the most part, is nice and slow allowing for really good form and really getting into the move and also using heavier weights if desired.
Cons:
*Not a fan of the synthesizer music at all! I found that the music in the blizzards and meltdowns are typically better then the original workout itself I think b/c they were more beat driven. Some of the music is better than others in that I didn't notice it, but there were some that got on my nerves. This is coming from someone who in not a music snob....but I do prefer throwback music from the 80's even if it is the remake stuff.
*Modifications aren't consistent, which doesn't really bother me, but it is an issue for some.
*It would have been nice to have a 'bonus' disk with all the meltdowns and/or blizzards on one disk for those of us who don't use the w/o blender.
*I would have liked some premixes with the blizzards first followed by the original w/o and then meltdowns. However, I realize Cathe can't please everyone and the premixes she does offer are greatly appreciated!
I also didn't really enjoy or use Ripped with Hiit much due to the breakneck pacing on some of the workouts. I just think some of the moves were an invitation to injury, which I can't bounce back from as easily as I used to, especially with my PF and wonky knee. Some of the blizzard blasts in this set really move fast too, but overall the pace was great. With this entire set there were only a handful of moves that I didn't like, most of which have been mentioned in the other thread. I can easily replace those with something else though so I will be using this set a lot!! This was definitely a good buy