Denise Austin: Power Kickboxing

Well, my girl has donned black gloves and long gray pants (keeping a firm grip on what's ‘now' and what's ‘hip' in exercise coterie), and here happily leads viewers through the next cool thing in this two-part kickboxing workout. The first section offers an extremely basic introduction to kickboxing principles, including a warm-up and a low-impact routine, while the second half increases the challenge and intensifies the workout with pseudo-boxing drills and quasi-martial arts moves. Austin doesn't quite pull off the killer machine attitude; in fact, I could picture her telling a would-be assailant in a cheery voice, "give it all you've got--all 110%!" Still, she's a knockout with aerobic fans everywhere, and a winner for patrons looking for a new workout with an old friend. Recommended. Aud: P. (N. Plympton)