So I decided to give Cardio X a try. Before I popped in the DVD, I was already skeptical. First of all, it's less than 45 minutes long. Also, the list of exercises in this workout read like the ho-hum B-Sides on a Greatest Hits album rather than the fan favorites. Clustered around a watered-down Yoga X section, a few Kenpo X moves, some of the less-intense Plyo exercises, and a handful of Core Syn exercises (but performed without weights), Cardio X includes:
- Sun Salutations (Vinyasas)
- Runner's Pose
- Warrior One (though Tony actually demonstrates Crescent pose instead)
- Warrior Two
- Reverse Warrior
- Ball Kick
- Hook / Uppercut / Side Kick
- Front & Back Knuckles / Ball Kick / Back Kick
- Jab / Cross / Hook / Uppercut
- Three-Direction Kick (both sides)
- Airborne Heisman
- Swing Kick
- Jump Shot
- Tire
- Wacky Jacks
- Squat X-Press
- Steam Engine
- Dreya Roll
- Squat Run
- Superman/Banana
But to my surprise, Cardio X got my blood pumping and my sweat dripping. It starts off a little slow, but Tony soon increases the pace of the workout, and by the end, you realize that he's not stopping for breaks or instruction. By the time we launched into Squat Runs, I was thankful that I wasn't using weights. Incidentally, I was pleased to see that Sweaty Vanessa shows off some advanced moves here, which suggests that she was assigned the task of demonstrating the "easy" variations in Kenpo X. (Which still begs the question: What was Wesley Idol supposed to be doing?)
Lastly, please tell me I'm not the only one creeped out when Tony admiringly tells Vanessa that she has "the skin of a FIVE-YEAR-OLD -- so LUCKY!" while he describes her fiancé Jason as a "weird" looking "Neanderthal runner guy."
[UPDATE: Later in the afternoon, M and I did X Stretch for an hour. Stretching later in the day was amazing; I was significantly more flexible and limber than I typically am in the early morning. For the first time, my feet touched -- and stayed on -- the floor while in Plough. Moreover, my forehead made contact with my knees during the seated hamstring stretches, and after adding a yoga block to the bottom of my feet, I was able to grab onto it to lengthen my stretch. I know: You're thinking "big fucking deal, pal," but you can kiss my super-stretchy ass. (On second thought, that sounds really, really gross.)]
