Gin Miller
I think this was initially available from Gin's
site as a download under the title "Pole-
lateez." It was then released on DVD-R as
Straight Up Stick and is now available on a
regular DVD with Salsa Walk, which is the
version I have, purchased from Collage
Video. Gin is by herself in what I am pretty
sure is her own production studio - I've seen
the set (or a similar version) in some of her
other videos. Hardwood floors, kind of a
minty green wall with glass blocks part way
up and an art deco type painting of her in the
background. I like it; it is nice and bright,
clean and pleasant. Gin is wearing black
pants and a reddish orange top and
sneakers. I've done the workout twice, both
times in bare feet and think that shoes aren't
really necessary if you don't want to wear
them. The music is mellow instrumental,
nothing recognizable, but seems a good fit
with the workout. Gin uses a wooden dowel
with a hand towel wrapped around the
middle, secured by athletic tape. At the
beginning of the workout, a trailer appears
across the screen specifically saying not to
use a weighted bar. The dowel is used for
nearly every exercise, so it really is necessary
(you could probably substitute a
broomstick). It is not a strenuous workout,
but some of the positions present a little bit
of challenge for me (the muscles of my chest
and shoulders are particularly tight due to
some surgeries). She does hip hinges, squats
and lunges and some one legged balance
moves and has you position your hands
differently on the stick to vary where you feel
it. There is also a move where you stand the
dowel on end, press it into the floor and kind
of pull yourself up, like you are getting out of
water. Next it is down to the floor for some
seated stretches and twists and v-sits, then
you are back to your feet for some tricep
extensions and back stretches. In one move,
she has you roll the stick down your back,
over your butt and then back up and she says
something like if your arms are too short, or
your butt is too big, write in to her, she has
others available for sale. I love her sense of
humor. At the end of the approximately 36
minutes, my upper body feels nice and open,
which is what Gin says the workout is
supposed to do. I really like this and plan to
incorporate it into my routine regularly.
Instructor comments:
Excellent cueing, calm, precise, but funny.
LAC
April 27, 2008