Video Fitness

Fit to Dance

Christi Taylor

Bored with your dvd workouts? Have exercise A.D.D? Then you'll enjoy Christi Taylor's Fit to Dance workout. The 70 minute workout contains 13 different modules, each with a separate music track, which is sure to keep interest high.

Christi's somewhat dancey combo's are light & fun, nothing too intricate. (Christi uses 2 modifiers for those that may find the moves too difficult) You'll need a step, a set of light hand weights and if desired, a mat for the abdominal work at the end.

Sometimes intermixing strength moves within the choreography, you'll tone the entire body as you burn fat. Christi uses multiple exercise principles, varying from dance to high-low, step to pilates, hip hop to more traditional strength work. The workout contains the following chapters (including one for warm-up and another for cool-down):

Squat Combo: 3 pulses with a knee, lunges, squats and twisting moves included in this segment.

Walking Weights: Slowing the pace, Christi begins with step back ball change & hip rocks. The leg pattern remains the same throughout as Christi adds different elements to strengthen biceps, triceps, shoulders and chest.

Latin Legs: Christi uses the step in this segment. Dancy latin moves are incorporated. (lots of ball changes, cha-cha's, turn step moves)

Nutcracker: Weights and the step are used to work the legs and upper body at the same time. (my legs felt it in this segment from all the marches on & off the step)

Hip Hop: Christi throws in some easy to follow hip hop moves. It's pretty quick feet work, however she keeps it low impact.

Core: Lying over the step (or modify on the floor), you'll train the back muscles.

Aerobics: Using more traditional moves, Christi puts together a little combo that includes such favorites as grapevines, step touches and hamstring curls.

Squats & Weights: Basic squats with upper body movement continue to keep the heart rate up all while toning the legs/upper body.

More Core: Seated on the step, Christi begins with leg kicks. She continues with glute lifts. This segment has some seated jacks & quick kicks so participants may want to view it at least 1 time to get the feel of the exercises.

Lunges: Non weighted lunges off the top of the step with various rhythmn changes are offered in this section.

Abs: Traditional ab work (situps, crunches) are performed while laying on the step (or floor). This really fine tunes the core area.

Instructor comments: www.taylordfitness.com

Denise R

3-6-2008

Today I did Christi Taylor's Fit to Dance which I got in a trade. It's a 70 min. long "interval" workout". I guess you could call it a circuit workout because it uses weights but I think it more to be cardio and the weights add an extra intensity. Although there was core work which was pretty good. I heard mixed reviews on this like either you love it or you hate it. I guess I'm in the love category because it was actually just the right kind of workout for me right now (starting to do lower intensity workouts after doing 3 years of Cathe's high intensity). It consists of 13 intervals, 1 and 13 being the warmup and cooldown and stretch. I'll go over briefly the other intervals:

2 - Power scissors, jacks, knee repeaters with arms, hip shaking
3 - Used 5# - step crossbacks with bicep curls, kickbacks, chest press and upright rows and overhead press with kicks
4 - Step - Step side, cross back (mambo 2x - pulsing) with arms, squat off side, cha cha, squat off back, cha cha
5 - 5# - Squat off step with bicep curls, squat off, cha cha with bicep curls and kickbacks, squat off back with front delt raise
6 - Running mambo, running basics (2 across step), step touch 4x (fast beat) (really hopping side to side), funky arms at the end
7 - Supermans on step, back leg lifts lying prone on step, leg raises and knees bend and straighten, scoop pushups (divebombers) and leg lifts (standing splits)
8 - Grapevines, ponies, walk 3x forward and hop knee, skip in place, 2 pivots
9 - 5# - Squat side with side delt raise, pulse delt raises (3x); turn to diagonal and straighten arm each side and then with heel while bringing elbow back; back lunge with kickback and then bicep curls with back leg lift
10 - (core work) Sitting on step (like you're about to do tricep dips), lift one leg at a time, then lift hips into bridge; tap toes 3x in front (sounds easy but really felt it in my core), tap toe out to side and kick 4x in front alternating legs
11 - Step - stepback lunges with pulses (and arms overhead) and hips, squat side and cha cha
12 - 4 situps while lying on step, lift R leg, L leg, then toe taps (8x), pull arms in, stand up with arms up, come back down on step (repeat many, many times).

Christi uses 5# for all the weighted intervals (as did I) and her modifiers used 3#. I found 5# to be enough.

Choreography was basic but for some reason, I didn't mind it not being complex (which is what I love and why I fell in love with Christi in the first place). Music was good.

Instructor comments: Christi is great at cueing as usual although this one didn't need much. She is her usual bubbly self singing along as she goes. She really seems to like shaking her hips although there was nothing complicated about it.

Marcy
mj4767@gmail.com
11/10/08



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