Ballet Beautiful - Cardio Fat Burn

Mary Helen Bowers
Year Released: 2013

Categories: Ballet/Barre


Title: Ballet Beautiful: Cardio Fat Burn
Instructor: Mary Helen Bowers
Time: 60 Minutes
Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
DVD menu: Play workout, play with or without Mary’s instruction
Production quality: High, lovely classical music
Equipment used: None

Well the workout has already been broken down, so I will not reiterate the structure of the workout. This is my first Ballet Beautiful workout, I do a lot of barre workout including P57, Cardio Barre, Bar Method, Barre3, Ballet Physique, etc. I regularly do Tonique and running, so I knew the cardio would not be incredibly challenging, but for days that I don’t feel like working out, and need something more gentle, this workout really fit the bill.

Honestly I didn’t entirely get the hang of the standing ballet cardio (I’m sure I was doing it all wrong) – was it more like hopping or more like fast feet? In the end I thought fast feet with attention to form on the leg moving forward, sideways, or back was the best approach. The constant arm movements got my heart rate up, and I felt more control in my legs than if I were hopping, for more of a barre style workout.

I thought the floor work was great: first ab work with some isometric holds and I felt it really targeted the lower abs the most (which is a plus for me), then arm work which was surprisingly challenging but was only for the triceps, and finally leg work which was also surprisingly challenging but was only for the inner thigh. However, I would have liked some attention spent on other muscle groups too – glutes, outer thigh, chest for instance. The toning was awesome but definitely could not have been considered total body.

I think anyone could do this workout, but to follow the standing work in the more energetic style presented, and to have enough strength to be able to most effectively execute the floor work, I would put this in the intermediate range. I definitely plan to keep it for lower energy days. The fun factor and amount of effort exerted was comparable to an Ellen Barrett video, to me (who I enjoy very much for light days).

Instructor Comments:
Mary is very friendly and motivational. However she doesn’t seem very assertive in front of the camera and sometimes her instruction seems more like a suggestion. She gave great form pointers on the floor exercises but not for the standing cardio.

Emily B.

12/18/2014