Classical Stretch is a series of workouts created by Canadian instructor Miranda Esmonde-White. The Classical Stretch method incorporates various forms of stretching, including isometric and PNF work, which is supposed to provide both both flexibility and toning benefits. This is the second full body routine, and it is 56 minutes long, with 31 minutes of standing exercises and 25 minutes of floor work.

The workout starts with a 4-minute active warm-up that reminded me very much of the warm-up which Miranda performs on her 30-Minute Express "Spanish Hallways" workout (in fact, the setting for this workout appears to be the same as well). The standing series begins with upper body stretches which feel wonderful on the upper back and shoulders. Next comes the arms segment which Miranda jokingly states is "everyone's favorite"--she is being facetious because the arms work is actually quite tough! Following this, Miranda moves on to legs, performing side leg lifts to work the outer hip area (note: she does NOT use a barre for balance as in her other workouts). A series of flowing, Tai Chi-like stretches follows, but then it's back to the lower body with plie work. Miranda says that she is going to keep you in a plie position for 4 minutes, but in reality, it is less than that, especially given that she allows you to rise up several times. She finishes off the standing work with great stretches for the quads, calves, and inner thighs.

For the floor work, Miranda begins in a side-lying position and performs a series of leg lifts to work the outer hip. This segment is relatively short (about 4 minutes total), but you will definitely feel it! Next comes approximately 4 minutes of abs work; Miranda incorporates mostly traditional crunches and moves fairly quickly here. Blissfully, the remainder of the floor work is entirely devoted to stretching. First, Miranda spends time on the hips, moving them through various stretches in both a seated a a lying position. She follows this with about 2 minutes of very nice seated neck stretches, and finally, she returns to a standing position to conclude the workout with a few full-body stretches.

I enjoyed this workout very much; it felt even more thorough to me than Full Body Volume 1. However, Classical Stretch is a unique exercise technique that is definitely not for everyone; some people might not like Miranda's unique style, particularly given that she is quite chatty throughout the entire workout. Still, I find Classical Stretch to be a great way for me to keep active on my lighter workout days as well as to provide me with much-needed flexibility training in a way that is both fun and enjoyable.

Instructor Comments:

Beth C (aka toaster)