Body Bar: Ripple

Clare Dunphy
Year Released: 2001

Categories: Pilates/Core Strength


Ripple is a well instructed, difficult, and enjoyable "functional fitness" core training tape that emphasizes grace and balance. Clare Dunphy draws on her pilates training, but has taken this program in a different direction than traditional pilates matwork.

The routine is slightly under an hour. A light fitness bar, such as a bodybar, is required. There is a six or seven minute warmup followed by a long standing work segment, maybe 45 minutes. The standing work has a beautiful flowing quality and is quite different, for instance you do lat rows while balancing on one leg, which, trust me, is a whole different exercise.

My heart rate was elevated by the end of standing segment, and although it doesn't bill itself as such, Ripple could legitimately be described as "fat burning" - which is more than I can say of certain other yoga/pilates type tapes that assume that title. The end of the tape is a series of planks that are extremely challenging. Perhaps because I've been pre-exhausted by the standing series, I found I had to modify to complete the planks, which include "push up" style variations, several side planks and some "teasers".

The bodybar is used to change your center of gravity and engage core muscles that are not typically worked - especially in a traditional strength training class. You really need a light bodybar to do Ripple. I used a 10 lb Reebok knock off padded bar and was quite challenged. Dunphy uses a 9 lb and one of the background exercisers had the 2 ft 4 lb bar, which seemed to work fine.

Dunphy has several other bodybar tapes. If memory serves this is the most difficult. It is not for beginners who would be better served by her Elements of Form tape.

I completed this tape maybe an hour ago, and I can already feel heretofore unnoticed terrain in my lower transverse abdominis - how about that?

Instructor Comments:
Clare Dunphy is an experienced instructor who clearly knows what she's talking about. She provides perfect cueing for her creative core work.

Jane C

02/07/2002