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Sweating Sexy is a 50-minute dance toning workout.  In the first part of the workout, Jennifer takes you through a standing toning workout that hits the upper body, abdominals, and legs.  The second part of the workout is the dance workout and it is where Jennifer gets you heart rate up by taking you through several run-throughs as she layers on the moves to create a mini dance combination. The DVD menu offers the following options: Introduction Play All Warm up Using the Floor Using the Upper Body Ready to Dance!. In the warm up, you are doing a series of dance isolation moves for the neck, abs, and hips found in most dance workouts. Using the Floor is the segments where Jennifer focus on your legs, calves, and ankles. This segment is around 4 & 1/2 minutes. Using the Upper Body is around 10 & 1/2 minutes and the focus is on the core region (abs and obliques). This segment also contains a mini-dance routine. Jennifer states she is using it to get you read...

Pure & Simple Stretch is a 40-minute stretch workout lead by Karen Voight.  In this total body stretch workout, Karen takes you through a series of static stretches.  Karen eases you into each new position and she gives you time to work the stretch by holding each position for several beats. Karen uses a towel and a cushion as props and to help with certain stretches.   There are three other cast members and sometimes they show variations on the stretch that Karen is doing. The music is ho-hum. There is a narrator at the beginning of the floor segment but the rest of the workout, it is Karen cuing.  This workout was filmed in 1991, so the set is a bit dated but the stretch workout is very good. The DVD does give you the option of dividing the workout into two segments.  You can choose to do a standing 10 minute stretch or a floor-based 30 minute stretch. 3 & 3/4 stars

  Barre Break Thru is Jennifer Galardi's follow on workout to Ballet Body.  In Barre Break Thru, Jen takes you through a 69 minute total body workout.  The workout does includes an advance and beginner exercise modifier. The workout is also performed barefoot. The DVD offers the following menu options : Intro Play All Warm Up Cardio Barre:  Tone, Strengthen, Stretch, Lengthen! The workout starts with a seven minute warm up.  After the warm up, you move into the cardio segment which is around 15 minutes. This section includes lots of plies, kicks, lunges, and leaps. You also use your balance quite a bit in this segment. The Barre segment is 46 minutes length and it is divided into three segments. A standing barre segment, a mat segment, and an extended stretch segment.  The barre segment is about 13 minutes and include lower body and triceps work. The mat segment includes a biceps, core, plank and glute work and is around 15 minutes in length....

This morning I ran the Navy 5 Miler race.  In addition to beating last year's time, I ran the whole thing without stopping. It was a tad on the humid side but other than that it was a great day for a run.

Ballet Body is a 65 minute workout by Jennifer Galardi.  In this workout Jennifer takes you through 5 distinct segments that contain ballet, pilates and yoga exercises. The DVD menu offers the following options: Play Entire Workout Choose Your Workout In Choose Your Workout, you have the option of selecting to do the Warm Up. Strength, Balance and Length, Floor Bare, and finally Stretch. The Warm up clocks in at 12:41 and is really more than a warm up. The warm up includes a dance conditioning sequences traveling plie series. I love the music used in the warm up. The Strength segment clocks in at around 13:06.  This part of the workout uses a set of weights to work the upper body. The strength segment also includes plies, releves, standing abs, curtsy squats and roll downs. I did not care for the music in this segment but the exercises were fine. Balance and Length contain standing exercises that include a balance element. Jennifer also includes a yoga seque...

Tracy Anderson Mat Workout DVD is a 59 minute workout.  The DVD offers the following menu options: Play Chapters      Mat Intro      Mat Routine      Gwyneth Interview - MAT      Tracy Main Interview      Back to Man In the MAT routine, Tracy takes you through a series of movements that work the legs. butt, arms, and abdominals.  Tracy hits the legs twice. First in a barre/chair sequence and later in the workout in a floor mat sequence. Like most of Tracy's workouts, the leg and butt segments are easy to follow because they are more structured and Tracy cues them very well. The arms and standing abs segments are less easy to follow because the cuing is not as precise or it is non-existent.  Essentially you are just following along. There is a floor abs segment that Tracy cues well enough so that you can do the exercises as she does them. The workout does con...

September 2017 It is all almost fall.  I have three races scheduled over the next two months, plus I will be attending the Cathe Daytona Trip. So in anticipation of that, most of my workouts for September will be Cathe workouts. Sunday - Treadmill/Road race Monday - Tracy Anderson/Jennifer Galardi Tuesday - Cardio Karate Wednesday - Cathe Metabolic Strength Thursday - Cathe Metabolic Cardio Friday - Cathe Metabolic Circuit Saturday - Classical Stretch Season 9