Since this video is called "Body Sculpt" Big Ball Workout, I was hoping for a workout routine which would provide strength training exercises for my entire body using the ball. Rather, this is a lower-body focused workout which adapts traditional toning moves to the stability ball; furthermore, some of the moves have a slight Pilates flavors.

The workout begins with a 4-minute warmup. This consists largely of moving stretches on the ball with a few static holds towards the end. Abs work comes next, beginning with work performed while seated on the ball. Because instructor Liz Gillies is facing you rather than towards the side, it was often difficult to see her exact positioning on the ball; she did explain where the ball should be behind your back but failed to describe exactly how your feet should be placed. Furthermore, although some of the abs moves seemed like they might be effective, Liz performs very few reps, so my abs muscle barely had a chance to begin feeling the work. After the seated exercises comes some oblique work lying sideways over the ball, which I felt a bit more. The entire abs segment is about 6 minutes long.

Liz then moves on to thigh and butt work. Again, you will begin seated on the ball, this time working your legs with moves like hip raises. Here again, I did not feel that Liz performed enough repetitions to really feel the work, and I also struggled with correct placement over the ball. However, Liz included some side kick moves (lying sideways over the ball) that could be felt within a small number of reps. The final toning segment focused on the glutes while lying face down over the ball. This was my favorite part of the video, as I could finally feel my muscles working during the leg extensions, hamstring curls, and heel beats. The workout concludes with a series of cool-down stretches; despite the length of this segment (7 minutes), it felt rushed and not very relaxing.

The entire duration for this workout was about 30 minutes, and by the end, I did not feel that it was time well-spent. Although I have previous experience using the ball, I had trouble with finding correct positioning to really feel like I was working the intended muscles, and I felt I got a benefit from the final section only. Liz did give a lot of form pointers, but somehow, these just didn't work for me. However, if you are looking for a ball workout that focuses on the lower body without being overly strenuous, this video might be right for you.

Instructor Comments:
This was my first experience with Liz. She reminded me a little of Leisa Hart--warm and friendly but with a manner of instruction that I found annoying at times (of course, if you like Leisa, you'll probably like Liz as well!). Similarly, the music reminded me a bit of the music from Leisa's Arms & Abs of Steel 2 workout--a bit too loud and a bit too flashy for the routine. However, the setting is the pretty outdoor pond-side set that the Yoga Zone videos often use. Finally, as I mentioned above, although Liz gave plenty of form pointers, they just didn't work for me, and I had a lot of trouble finding the correct position on the ball to feel the work.

Beth C (aka toaster)