EXHALE: CORE FUSION THIGH & GLUTES

I had purchased this about a year ago, but then had a knee injury so put it on hold. Waited a few months after finishing PT before I picked it up again. I had been worried that the barre style workouts would bother my knees but have been pleasantly surprised that they have not (although they probably would have a year ago). I have used each of the segments once now, and the pretzel and standing glute segment a few times. I see myself using them as a regular part of my rotation.I completed Parallel Thigh and Standing Gluteal Toner together as part of a longer workout. I think the standing glute work on this DVD is easier than the similar segments on their other DVDs, but at the same time the simple moves allow you to really focus on your form and working the glutes. Parallel Thigh includes standing plie and knee dancing variations.The following week I completed Turned Out Thigh, Kneeling Gluteal Toner, and Pretzel. I added in the ab segment with leg variations from their upper body / abs routine. I had also done some traditional exercise earlier in the day but definitely had some muscle soreness the next day from this combo! I thought Turned Out Thigh was intense. It includes standing plie variations with legs turned out and standing forward leg lifts. While I thought the standing glute segment was one of their easiest ones, I thought the kneeling version was challenging. As for the pretzel, I do Tracy Effingers pretzel/clam routine on a regular basis and this makes a nice variation to that.If you really like the Core Fusion thigh and glute exercises on their other DVDs, I recommend this one as well.

I recently began including this video into my weekly workouts, and I absolutely love it. It comes with five 10 minute Pilates workouts that will kick your butt (literally). I've been doing the full 50 minute workout every day for 2 weeks and have really seen some results! I haven't gotten bored of the routine, and really enjoy the fact that you can turn on/off the music and/or commentary. The narrative is great in the beginning, the instructors explain which each workout does (tighten and lift your butt, or create long thigh muscles), which really helps keep you motivated. When doing the full 50 minute routine, the instructors do a wonderful job and keeping things flowing, and and the time really just flies by. No pilates equipment is needed, except a yoga mat and a chair which is nice. Even if you don't have an hour to dedicate each day, the five different routines make it easy to pick and choose what you would like to focus on. I just purchased the Core Fusion Arms and Abs DVD, and am excited to include that into my weekly workouts as well!One thing I would suggest, is spending more time stretching in between exercises. They only spend about 1-2 minutes stretching and I personally feel that I need longer to really stretch out those areas I just worked out (to avoid bulky muscles), so I pause it for another few minutes and do a few yoga stretches, which also allows me to bring my focus back on my breathing before beginning the next exercise."You will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 20 sessions, and have a completely new body in 30 sessions" - Joseph Pilates

I've been doing the other two Core Fusion DVDs for months and was so happy to receive the new one that I did the whole thing at one time, then added the Round Back/Flat back Abs, the Pure Core and the stretch from Pilates Plus and can I just say that I am sore in places (2 days later) that I have never really met before? This new DVD works all the muscles around the hips and waist as well as thighs, glutes, hamstrings and calves. What I really liked in this DVD is that Fred and Liz talk a little more about what you might be experiencing (shaking, burning, etc) and let a beginner know that this is normal. Liz has such a great body and having her do the work with a bare belly is a great motivator to see how she got that belly. Also, I like that all five segments are active, as I'm happy to do my own cool down or use one of the stretch segments from the other two DVDs. I'm looking forward to doing it again! Having all three Core Fusion DVDs allows me to program my own workouts with the convenient 10 minute (and 5 minute bonus sections, 1 each, on Body Sculpt and Pilates Plus) sections. Over time, I can go further and really experience my growing strength.If Jillian Michaels is too "boot camp" and jarring for your tastes, try Core Fusion. In my opinion they are safer yet thorough and deep workouts that will get your body where you want it to go.I can't WAIT until December when I can get the new arms and abs!

This workout is awesome! I got it because though I have always been naturally very thin, I noticed after hitting 30 that my butt and thighs were not as toned as I would like them to be. I am thin, but my lower body wasn't as toned as my upper. I can definitely feel this workout. Oftentimes I work out every other day and I do a1 of the 10 min. workouts on this dvd on my "off" days. While I do agree with one reviewer who said that the camera angles at times make it difficult to see what form you need to be in, I find that you are still able to get the gist of it and no matter what, you can feel it in your glutes and thighs. For anyone who doesn't have a lot of time. but likes to see and feel results instantly, this is a perfect dvd for you. I was glad I bought it and am planning on getting more exhale core fusion dvds based on this one.

Disregard the hottie with the tight buns on the DVD cover, because she's not in the video. What you get are two geriatrics who, quite frankly, aren't in the best of shape. I'm not watching this for titillation, but I need to see someone with a body that inspires me if I'm going to be motivated.The music is awful, the set is distracting. This is something out of a bad SNL skit. The narration (that's right, there's no live sound on these, it's all looped over in post) is often out of sync.