Ballet Beautiful Ballet Workout DVD - Sculpt & Burn Cardio Blast. Mary Helen Bowers Barre Dance Inspired Fitness DVD

I just got done doing this workout for the first time, and loved it! I've been doing Mary Helen's workouts for about the last eighteen months. I own all three of her previous DVD workouts, and last year, when I did just the Ballet Beautiful Total Body Workout and Ballet Beautiful Body Blast for about three weeks, I completely toned and tightened up, even though I was doing very little cardio at the time. If you're familiar with the Tracy Anderson Method, the results you get from Ballet Beautiful are very similar; you get long, lean muscles without much bulk.After seeing a recent article about how Mary Helen trains some of the Victoria's Secret Angels (who are in amazing shape), I decided to do another Ballet Beautiful rotation, and will be working this one into the mix. I'll be doing these and Sylwia Weisenberg's Tonique workouts for a few weeks to see what happens, and will be sure to report back on my results.When you put the DVD into your player, you have the option of choosing from two options: a Workouts choice (where you can play one of the two workouts or both with a Play All feature) and a Custom choice (where you can choose which order you do the two workouts in). Unlike some of the previous BB workouts that are broken down into multiple segments, this one has two main segments: 1) Total Body Strength and Cardio and 2) Total Body Toning. Each one is 30 minutes long. You also have the option of playing the workouts with Mary Helen's voice/cueing or with the music only.These two new workouts are different from Mary Helen's previous offerings. I would describe them as almost a mix of her Total Body/Classic DVD and her most recent Ballet Beautiful: Cardio Fat Burn DVD. Also new to this DVD is that Mary Helen uses light weights with the arms segment, which she doesn't do on any of her previous DVDs.The Total Body Strength and Cardio section uses standing moves with weighted arms work (using two- or three-pound weights), so there is a nice cardio factor to this workout. This first workout is also the most balletic of all her workouts; it's all done standing, and you use poses and postures that are very ballet-like. This workout starts with standing ab work, and then moves into leg work and then arm work that uses the legs. The second workout, Total Body Toning, is all done on the mat and doesn't use weights at all. For this second workout, you do a set of C-curve work for the abs/core, two series of bridges, some outer thigh work, and a mini-set of Swan Arms. (If you want to know true pain for the arms, try her fifteen-minute Swan Arms set on the Blasts DVD! Your arms will be fried!) At the start of both workouts, Mary Helen says that they are workouts that she uses for travel, but since the first one relies on hand weights, I think that it's not the best travel routine.As with her first two DVDs, Mary Helen counts each rep on this new DVD, and she does four sets of eight counts for each exercise. If this bothers you, as mentioned, you have the option to turn off her voice.Some of the moves are repeats from other workouts (like a bridge series), but there are plenty of new exercises to make this not feel like a repeat of her other DVDs.As with the other DVDs, these are filmed in a white studio, with classical piano music playing in the background. I find it really relaxing to have this backdrop and setting -- and am always surprised at how Mary Helen can smile and be so positive, even when she's killing us!I bought a pair of the Capezio Women's Daisy Ballet Shoe to use when I do Mary Helen's workouts, and would recommend them. You don't need a ballet shoe, but it's nice to have the extra support, and wearing them makes me feel a bit more graceful than I otherwise am. :-)I'm really glad I pre-ordered this one, and know I'll use it a lot!UPDATE ON 12-19-13: Someone asked in the Comments section of my review about the intensity level of this workout, and I would say that it is a bit easier than the other workouts, but still challenging. Because you're not doing as many reps of each move, it doesn't feel as tough as perhaps the Classic or Blasts DVDs, but it is still challenging.Today I completed it for the third time, and still felt nicely worked out. I don't shake as much as I do with the other workouts, but still feel nicely challenged.UPDATE ON 1-7-13: After doing a few weeks of Sylwia Weisenberg's Tonique workouts, Ballet Beautiful, and Dream Body (using the workouts from the two sets Dream Body Cardio Series 5 DVD Set and Dream Body Workout Series 5 DVD Set), I started seeing big improvements in my arms and legs -- especially in a slimming of my saddlebag area, which is one of my big problem areas. It's been a great rotation for slimming down my larger lower half.UPDATE ON 3-18-15: If you need more of a low-impact cardio workout, then I'd recommend the new Ballet Beautiful: Swan Arms Cardio, which just came out last month. Since you leave one foot on the ground at all times with Swan Arms Cardio, it's easier on the joints.

I am 47, I really love the simplicity of ballet beautiful, in its background and music. However... this DVD is not easy in the fact that you have a lot reps to build up to in the toning part, and in the standing part with using the weights in the standing series and going up to 5 lbs should prove to be a challenge, if you are holding your muscle's in and are conscious of your movements you will tone your arms and legs . I am not using weights yet, I have only been doing this for 2 weeks, also I am using the Total Body DVD on alternate days, so I don't get bored . the 2 DVD's that I am using has actually changed my body shape to a small degree, in 2 weeks 5 days each week, my pants are fitting a little looser, Mary Helen says in an Interview that you can do 5 sets of 8 for the advanced if you want, that is 40 reps people, which is plenty. I really love this DVD , it is awesome for beginners to the method but you can grow with it also, and its low impact which my body appreciates. For all the complaints about how short her stretching is Pause the DVD , you have the Remote. I personally stretch way longer than she does and she tells you to pause the workout, for Water, Stretching, even just to take a break which I have to do because my muscle's start to cramp up, my 2 cents worth, rant over. I also read another person's review of a different DVD of Ballet Beautiful and she uses 1 or 2 LB ankle weights to build muscle faster which is another way to make these workouts more advanced, I wouldn't go over that weight however. Anyway I enjoy these a lot and do see results already, which is awesome. summer is coming.

I have all the BB dvds and love them - but this one leaves me a tiny (tiny tiny) bit disappointed.The good:Just like the previous three dvds, you will get a great workout while feeling graceful and relaxed. This dvd has two 30-minute segments and while they're both killer, the first one (standing/cardio) is the biggest challenge to me! I don't even do it with weights (Mary Helen Bowers has some 3-pounders for it) and I'm getting my heart rate up and lots of good burn out of it. As I improve, maybe I'll just add some light soup cans or something. Not really keen on using weights period because my arms build muscle quite easily, but to each her own. After you get a little huff-and-puff going, the second segment is all toning work on the mat - my favourite part about Ballet Beautiful, and the part that I think gives the quickest and most dramatic results. Mary Helen knows just which muscles to work to give you a lean, toned look. Your own butt, thighs and midsection will start to surprise you - seriously.The bad:If you were looking to save money, this is the BB dvd I would skip. I mean for one thing, it's the third of the BB dvds (out of only 4) to have a bridge series (mat workout where you lie down, bend your knees and raise your pelvis to make a bridge). Same basic workout/move, but a teeny bit different on each of the three dvds it appears in. Make no mistake: it's a great move, and will get you great results with it, but once you know it... you know it. I'd rather this dvd introduced some totally new moves so you feel like you're getting something fresh to mix up your routine. For that matter, I don't know if I found any of the toning moves from the second segment to be dramatically different from what you can find on the previous three dvds. There are some swan arms (already on the green dvd), some ab work (very like what is on the pink and the purple dvds), and outer thigh work (similar to the first/pink dvd).In conclusion, if you're such a BB fan that you'd love to expand your collection for the sake of expanding it (like me), then by all means, this is a good workout as always and you should get it. But if you're new to the BB series or looking to save a bit of cash, I'd get the pink or purple dvd first to see how you like this approach. Enjoy!