Christi Taylor Ultimate Cardio Core Ball Workout

Studio: Bayview/widowmaker Release Date: 01/15/2008 Run time: 60 minutes

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Christi, Christi, Christi…does it again!
Christi has been doing this for awhile and does it better than anyone else I know. I own ALL of her DVDs and enjoy working out with her so much. The ball workout is excellent. I use this DVD more than any other right now and the benefits are showing. If you want to see results, get it!

1 Star NO GOOD
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THIS DVD, THE ONLY ONE THAT IS MESSED UP, IT DOES NOT WORK.SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH IT. I JUST SHOULD HAVE THROWN OUT MY MONEY FROM MY WINDOW, WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY CAR, AT LEAST IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WORTH WASTING IT, THAN FINDING OUT, I WASTED IT ON SOMETHING THAT IS NOT WORKING.

AT LEAST THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SOMEONE’S LUNCH MONEY…………

5 Stars FUN FUN FUN!!!
I’ve done this workout 4 times already and it’s super fun! The music is awesome too! I really like the ab workout at the end too.

5 Stars Very good DVD
I wasn’t expecting much from this but find myself using it over and over…the ball workout is very good and you don’t need to use the ball either which makes for a fun change. Really liked it.

1 Star Boring – too repetitious
This workout is really boring. Maybe I’m spoiled by Christi’s previous “it-takes-a-month-to-learn-the-steps” workouts. Christi “takes it from the top” so many times I finally gave up and started improvising. It you want an easy-to-learn step routine and challenging core workout – give this one a try. But if you want a challenging step routine, try something else.

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Cardio Burn Balanceball

Studio: Gaiam Americas Release Date: 09/02/2008

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Great instructor, beautiful scenery
I just got Cardio Burn Balance Ball and have been enjoying it! Background on me–I’m overweight, and exercise on and off, so I look for workouts that are not jarring to the back or knees.

Here’s what I like:

* The instructor: she’s high energy without being screamy. She obviously loves what she’s doing. She reminds me a bit of Jennifer Lopez. Her cues are right on, and she makes sure to say things like, “just do what you can,” or “if you have lower back problems, do it like this…” That’s very reassuring and helpful info.

* It’s a fun workout! Before I got this DVD, my balance ball had been collecting dust. I didn’t realize how fun it is to use it…and how challenging!

* There are 2 workouts to choose from, 30 minutes and 50 minutes in length. I’ve been doing the 30 minute one and it’s work for me to get through it.

What I thought could have been improved:

* There are 2 people behind her exercising along with her. At one point, late in the 30 minute workout, she says, “if you’re a beginner, follow the guys behind me.” It confused me if they were serving as modifiers all along or just for that one exercise. It seemed to be just for that one exercise, b/c they were pretty much doing the same as she was all through the rest of the workout.

* The audio. I could hear her well enough, but she was a hair overshadowed by the music. When it got to the stretching portion, then I was able to hear her just fine. It could be my DVD player or the DVD I got. Like I say, she’s certainly audible, just had to turn the volume up one or 2 notches more than normal. No biggie.

This is a great DVD if you want to mix up your workout. I would definitely buy another DVD by this instructor.

5 Stars Surprisingly tough!
I used the online home delivery option from my local public library and checked this out before purchasing. (I am tired of wasting money on workout DVD’s that sound good but end up being big disappointments. If your library offers this service, I highly recommend it.) I was really impressed with this workout. Most balanceball workouts I’ve bought are either too easy or too short and don’t allow me to feel as though I got anything out of the workout. This one really delivers. I was sweating quite a bit and could feel the fatigue setting in. The instructor is nice, quiet (no obnoxious yelping or ramblings) but at the same time is encouraging and supportive without being “syrupy.” I really liked this one and would highly recommend it. I am purchasing it for myself.

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Ab Sculpt and Yoga Stretch for Stability Fitness Ball

Ab Sculpt & Yoga Stretch for Stability Ball creates a long, lean, sculpted look!This workout is great for beginners but has plenty of advanced options too! Ab Sculpt hits the abs from every angle! From crunch variations to side oblique lifts, the variety and options eliminate boredom and create a firm, tone mid-section! Yoga Stretch blends stretches with basic yoga moves. This is a yoga stretch anyone can do! It can be done after any workout or as a workout itself! Both workouts are designed for all levels. The instructor, Kira Langolf, is informative and down-to-earth. She gives many options to customize the workouts. This is a program you can use any time, have fun and get results!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars The best of both worlds!
I love this dvd! There are two workouts and I can do them daily! I wasn’t using my ball much b/c I had no clue what else can be done with it, besides crunches. This seemed like a good way to start. The yoga stretch is relaxing and doable! I always skipped yoga because of the funny contortions, but this is yoga even I can do! The Ab sculpt workout has so many different variations and tips that I can do just part of it and get a good workout! I’ll be getting Ball Sculpt 1 from Kira next! Beware: This is a very addicting workout combo!

5 Stars A great workout!
I really like this workout! I do more of the Ab sculpt, but liked the Yoga too-no contortions, just good stretches & more core! The Ab Sculpt has my abs on fire in no time! I like the instructor, she gives very good instruction and is natural and real, not obnoxiously perky like some instructors. From this dvd, I have learned to focus on my abs and it makes a big difference in how I feel the exercises! The Preachers and ab rolls are tough! I do this workout a few times a week and love it! I highly recommend it!

5 Stars Abs galore!
I also bought Ball Sculpt with Kira Langolf and love this one as much as that one! There are so many great ab exercises that I was sore from this one too, for a few days. I really need abs and this is the perfect workout for that!

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The Works Yoga Pilates

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Good Series.
The picture is of the Yoga/Pilates DVD which is also good. The Cardio is a fun DVD. Each time you exercise you can select different routines. No matter how you pick them, there are 4 segments-warm up, workout 1, workout 2, and cool down. All of that in a 25 minute time span. Great for when you need something different and quick. I do these in addition to my cardio workout or by themselves.

4 Stars Look Out Billy Blanks! Heh heh…
Okay, just kidding around a bit in that title. Billy Blanks still works me the hardest, but Sharon Mann’s DVD is great, too. I’ve used it several times, taking advantage of the option to create your own workout routine. I was hesitant at first because I did not know if it would work in my player, but the DVD works just fine in both of the two DVD players in my house (my player and my parents’ player). The only bummer is that there is no fast forward scan available in this DVD, and the reverse scan keeps getting stuck in one of the players. I need it to work because sometimes I get lost or distracted, and need to go back a few steps and try again. Eh, well.

The workouts themselves did get me plenty tired, especially the plyometrics exercises. Each workout routine you design lasts about 30 minutes. Mann herself does intermediate level workouts, while people in the background do modified workouts for beginning and advanced levels.

I’ve become used to doing routines that last longer, at least 60 minutes, so I just go back and make another combo to fill in the time. The only thing is, you need to buy a few props for some of the workouts if you do not have them already such as for the step workouts and the military training sections.

In spite of the two bummer issues (the lack of a fast forward scan and the need to buy a few props, which is why I docked one star off my rating), I like this DVD. I have one of the other ones (for yoga and pilates) and enjoy it, too. I’m looking forward to getting the body sculpting DVD soon.

1 Star This new version doesn’t work
A couple years ago I bought her complete box set from my local video store. I LOVED her workouts! I never got bored and I reached my target weight in only 5 months. It was great for the winter months. However, after a couple years of use, 2 of the 3 CDs got scratched so I reordered them from Amazon.

However, the since the time I bought them, they have redone the cover design and it is evident also the quality of reproduction for the CD has been compromised. The new versions don’t work properly in my dvd player. I even went out and bought a new dvd player after Amazon shipped me a second set of videos which didn’t work. The problem didn’t go away. Basically, they either don’t read, or when they do read in the player, the menu doesn’t work right or the video skipps. Very dissapointing since I actually looked forward to working out with her.

5 Stars A must have for anyone serious about getting in shape!
Wow, this DVD is a must have for anyone who is serious about getting into shape. It offers a varied selection of workouts programmable by YOU. You decide which type of warm-up, workout and cool down to do. This makes it very easy to alter each workout to work more cardio, or more lower body or ….you know where you need the most work, and this DVD lets you decide how and where to work it most. Some of the workouts use freeweights, some are kickboxing, pilates, some all over training. I love the flexibility to change workouts, in one DVD instead of 6 or 7 different ones with one workout each to accomplish the same thing. I have used it for 2 weeks, and already lost 4 pounds and my clothes are fitting loosely. I can not believe how fast I started seeing a change in my body shape. I sound like one of those silly commercials, but I am serious, it is working for me and much faster than I would have thought. I would highly recommend it to anyone wishing to get aerobic training, and improve overall body condition.

1 Star Buyer Beware!
I purchased not one but two separate copies of the DVD. When the DVD is inserted a caption reads “input code, parental violation”. Huh?

Both DVDs created the same problem for my late-model GE digital DVD. Called the distributor. Waste of time, they blamed my player. Yikes!

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Prospirit Athletic Gear My Personal Trainer DVD Medicine Ball with User Manual

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