Good variety of workouts...
Teedums | White Bear Lake, MN | 01/15/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This DVD contains 3 - 20 minutes workouts from the Caribbean Workout TV show. I was expecting 3 sculpting workouts with weights to be here but that is not exactly the case. But after doing each of the workouts I am still pleased with this purchase.
The first segment is muscle conditioning, but it is actually a kickboxing workout with some toning work done with light weights. Shelly McDonald leads here and is joined by Joanna and Carolyn. The kickboxing workout is a lot of fun, but the toning work is pretty sparse. They use one set of dumbells here. For the kickboxing you will see all the punches, jabs, crosses, hooks and upper cuts, blocks, elbow strikes, knee smashes, front, back and side kicks. Many of them are done in combination as well as on their own. The toning work is brief but includes double arms rows, rear delt raises w/rear leg lifts, squats some adding a rear leg lift, and some standing ab work. There are some minor cueing mistakes, but it isn't too bad. The atmosphere is very relaxing as Shelly includes her friends in the conversations and it makes it more fun.
There is also a pilates segment here, Jen Tilley actually leads this part, she is joined by Shelly. The focus here is the abs and back, the exercises in this segment include rollbacks (later adding rotation), pendulum, scissors, bridge (later lifting/lowering leg), teasers (modified/advanced), single and double leg kicks, single leg circles, corkscrew, back extensions, breastroke, pushups, and the diamond. Most of the exercises aren't too difficult but there are some advanced like the teaser and leg pull. The leg pull is where you are in a reverse plank position and you lift and lower one leg at a time. I found these to be pretty challenging and just left them out, maybe one day I will be able to do them. I would definitely recommend this segment for those already familiar with pilates.
The last segment is a chi ball workout, where you use a small weighted ball, any ball would work though. Shelly leads this segment along with Joanna and Carolyn. Shelly says that this isn't a true chi ball workout, just an adaptation and her own variation. But there is a variety of moves here where you are doing simple footwork while raising/lowering the ball or passing it from one hand to the other. There are also some lunges and squats in this segment. This segment isn't difficult by any means, but I found it interesting and there were times that my arms were actually getting a little tired. I plan on using this segment for days where I want a some light toning and in the mood for something different. I really enjoyed it.
This DVD contains a nice variety and I think is well worth the money. The workouts are filmed in Barbados, so the scenery is awesome. For the chi ball workout the scenery is especially nice, it is darker out but you can see the sun setting and there are some torches around to keep the area a little bit lit. Kind of a moonlight workout. I would definitely recommend this DVD along with Caribbean Workout aerobics and kickboxing DVDs. They are a great deal for the price."
Camera work detracts from the workout
L. Carpenter | USA | 02/18/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"There are three workouts on this DVD, but the only one I tried was the chi ball workout and, I was so annoyed that I have no interest in doing the others. Whoever did the camera work and editing for this needs a good swift kick in the behind. If it was a travel video, the constant switching to views of the water and the sky and the scenery would be appropriate; however, this is supposed to be a workout video and the camera should remain on the instructor and participants so the viewer can see what the heck they are doing. Also, the camera often seemed to be focused in on bellies and chests when it should have been providing a full body shot so you could see changes in arm/foot movements. I suppose if you did the workout often enough, you would be able to anticipate the changes without needing to see them, but when you are first learning, it is definitely a hindrance. Had I not been so distracted by the camera angles, I might actually have enjoyed this workout. This is going on my trade pile."