this dvd's case says that one set of dumbells sized 2 to 5 pounds and a floor mat would be needed for the workout.
so i chose to use 5 pound dumbells but had 3 pounders standing by just in case. i wasnt sure what to expect.

ellen is working out with 2 friends on a beautiful mexican beach. this workout would be excellent to do in the snowy winter-time. despite the
outdoor location, the lighting was quite good. there are were a few angles where the picture was dark and i couldnt really see much detail, but overall everything looked great. i am using an ancient tv so im blaming
any dark shots during this workout on that.

ellen and friends are wearing sensible lycra shorts and bras for the workout and they all have excellent form on all exercises.

there is music and while i noticed it during the warmup, it was very non-descript during the rest of the workout. so mainly the music was just a soft beat.

even though the workout ended up being only 30 minutes long, i found it to be surprisingly more strenuous than i expected. it starts with a lively warmup and contains lots of unique and interesting sculpting exercises done with the light weights and a fairly high number of reps done in superset fashion.

i did most of the workout with the 5 pound dumbells but did drop
down to 3's eventually. ellen and one of the background exercisers use 3 pounders... one background exerciser uses 5 pound dumbells.

the workout was quite flowing, one exercise would end up being the beginning for another. however, i thought that ellen could have cued or described the upcoming exercise before actually doing it. since it was my first time
doing the workout i had to watch a few reps to see what she was doing
before joining in and that interrupted the flow. this will improve after ive done the workout a few more times.

because of some of the non-traditional exercises, i do advise a new exerciser to watch this
workout before doing it. the demonstrated form is very good so everything is easily picked up just by watching.

i cant say much else that is negative about the workout except that i wish it were longer.

also on the dvd is a bunch of talking done by ellen
concerning what constitutes a healthy eating plan plus a 5 minute bonus pilates workout for the abs. i wish that workout were longer as well.

Instructor Comments:
ellen was very pleasant and encouraging and gave good form pointers. Cueing could have been a bit better though.

Carolyn Visser