Ballet Body: Total Body Workout

I'm a big fan of ballet/barre, Pilates and yoga, so I thought I would love this workout. I didn't.Here are the negatives:1) Productive quality is low. There is a distracting white back-ground, as other reviewers have noted. The presenter also has a bad tan and extremely heavy eye makeup to the point of distraction too. The music is good, but oddly chosen--it does not really match the video. By far the worst though is whatever camera man they hired. The image scopes in and out at odd times, and makes it hard to follow along, especially when you lose the view of her body. Notably, this is worst in the warm-up and gets better, but it is still just unacceptable for a professional exercise video.2) There is not nearly enough instruction on form and alignment. In fact, for most exercises there is none. You just have to follow what you see, even though they are complex moves.3) The first 10 minutes of the upper body section are asking for injury. Even if you are fit, and familiar with form and alignment generally to protect your shoulders (which I am), you are putting a huge amount of pressure on your wrists. Combined with the lack of instruction on alignment and lakc of offered modifications, someone is going to get hurt.4) This is not a "ballet" workout. It has some fusion moves that look ballet-inspired, but you can find much better authentic ballet workouts, like Mary Helen Bowers' Ballet Beautiful. This is more like a barre fusion by an instructor who is not seriously ballet-trained. Fine, if that is what you are looking for but not what was advertised.I am still giving it three stars, because it did get better in the lower body/core sections, and the ending stretch was good. I would repeat those segments and maybe parts of upper body, but this is not a favorite. If I had it to do again, I would make another purchase. And I would specifically warn friends against this video unless they are already familiar with barre and have no known wrist problems.

I have the other 3 Ballet Body workouts. It took me a LONG TIME to get into those because I wasn't fit enough to do them when they first came out. However things have changed since then. I am much fitter,stronger and more agile. This is a great workout. It's broken into 20 minute segments which makes it much easier to do. I tend to like to mix up my workouts and switch dvds and or elements. I am not a beginning to end person. I would recommend that if you are new to Leah's workouts, do the warm-up and definitely do the instructional video at least twice (not twice in one workout but 2 days in a row). Your body will thank you for that.Make sure you engage core at all times. You will have to modify because if your abs aren't strong enough or your legs can't go straight up into the air, that's ok. Just realize that this is a long term commitment to your health and your body.I liked this workout a lot because she talks much more (but I agree on the echoing comment too because it's annoying) I like that the moves are not just replicas of similar moves. These will challenge hips, abs, quads and lots more. Be Patient with what you can and can't do.I found her upper body workout to be so very challenging because it actively engages core and upper body with movements. If you find it hard to do, do less reps and stop for a moment then pick it up again. or do half the workout till you are able to do it easily. The core workout section is hard-- so make sure you adapt to it. Keep pulling abs down (navel to spine) and then slide abs up too.Personally the music is OK but not great. I recognized songs but felt they were too loud in the background. I tend to focus on cueing.. and if the music is too (fill in the blank), it's distracting. Do check out her other workouts. Sarrago is challenging, smart and great at cueing This makes for an interesting and useful workout and the core work is hard.

I have done this video, or should state, parts of it many times now over a few months. This video is my first Barre experience. Was working full-time and gone 10 hours a day, so if I could even get a 20 minute segment in I was happy. No dread factor, because I like it and feel worked in 20 minutes. Needed to do something, as I had been working way too hard, and for years on my desk job body. (A job I that I no longer have due to refusing a flu shot at work due because of a previous adverse reaction- Anyway.) Could feel and see improvement in strength, tone and energy even by doing 20 minutes maybe 3 days a week. I have never completed the entire video in 1 session. So look forward to further improvement in my fitness, by in part, using this video. And will do the whole video when I am that strong and full of energy. Yesterday I started a different Barre video that was too much, then shut it off and reverted back to this one. Personally like a video that is hard to finish. I have other videos I can finish the first try with my desk body and I want more challenge than that. Would say the level of this video is moderate to advanced depending how hard you work. Easily gave results in a short time, I didn't have time to waste. Very effective use of exercise time. Love the lengthening and strengthening. More elite athletes may rate this easier.Am excited that I can still try other Leah Sarago videos suggested by other review(s) and expect I will. Is a bummer the sound quality isn't better, but it's tolerable. And the beat of the music is noticeably helpful at times to keep the pace and finish a sequence.My family is sometimes around when I am doing the leg section, they tease me about using my, "Steaming glute," when she is actually saying, "Standing glute." Does sound like she is saying steaming. My glute usually is standing and steaming. Most used exercise video of 2013 at the unemployed nurse's home! Whoot-whoot! Goal of: Daddy's arm candy. Serving the world does not have to come with adverse reactions.