Dance and Be Fit: Abs Burn(Acacia)
2009
What is it?
A 50-minute cardio/ sculpting workout that focuses on your abs and back. Can be divided into two 30-minute routines. Kimberly Miguel Mullen instructs.
Who is it for?
Advanced beginning exercisers — this workout is best if you start off with a certain amount of ab strength. And it’s very dancey and flowy, which will eliminate most men and any women who aren’t the dancey-flowy type. If you are working out on a hard surface, you may want a mat for some of the floor work.
What to expect:
I’m still not sold on the “Dance and Be Fit” instructional approach, which seems to be a rather stream-of-consciousness voiceover that goes (sort of) with the visuals. As with the other DVDs in this series, the cueing is poorly timed and sometimes not very helpful. That said, the problem isn’t quite as bad as in Lower Body Burn, and the moves are a lot of fun. If you’ve taken any Brazilian or belly dance classes, you’ll enjoy the snakey moves — your spine gets a workout as much as your abs do. The two 20-minute workout segments each begin with some floor work that includes graceful, moderately challenging ab moves (you may want a mat if you’re on a hard surface). You do need some ab and back strength for some of these exercises — they’re not for complete exercise newbies. After the floor work, Mullen takes you through an even more graceful, flowing dance routine that has you twisting and undulating your way through a variety of steps that keep your abs constantly engaged while burning calories. The second routine is a bit more challenging than the first; you can do each routine on its own for a 30-minute workout (each separate routine including a warm-up and cool down), or both for a full, 50-minute workout. Because the moves are often not fully described, it may take a few passes for you to catch on to them, but if you enjoy this type of non-traditional cardio dance, the effort will be worth it.
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