Shape Up With Sharon: Circuit Training
Sharon MannYear Released: 2002
Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance , Total Body Workouts
This workout is approximately 42 minutes. It has a 4 minute warm-up, 20 minutes
of cardio, 15 minutes of strength work, and a 3 minute stretch. The menu allows
you to go directly to any of these segments.
The set is the same as in Sharon's Works DVDs, with each exerciser on his or her
own round, elevated platform. The background exercisers for this one are Michelle,
Calabrina, Bruce, and Sharyn (Sharon Mann calls her "Sparkler" and says something
like "She has lots of different names.")
After a simple, athletic warm-up, you start the cardio segment. It's not truly a
circuit workout since you only use dumbbells once, at the very beginning. It's actually
an interval workout similar to Kathy Smith's Functionally Fit Peak Fat Burning,
where you learn a move, then take the intensity up, then recover by learning the
next move.
I found the cardio to be pretty challenging. A lot of it is high-impact, but two
of the exercisers show modifications. All the choreography is simple, athletic stuff,
and all you need for this workout is a pair of light dumbbells.
Here's a breakdown:
1. Squats with hand weights: Start facing the TV, then pick up left foot and pivot
so you?re facing the right, then pivot back so you face forward. Repeat several
times, then do the same with the left foot.
2. Plyo squats: pulse in squat position four times, then jump. Then do single plyo
jumps. (I really felt the BURN in my legs here after doing squats, then this!)
3. Fast feet: a football run like what Mindy often uses in her workouts. It?s basically
jogging in place, moving your feet really fast.
4. Runs lifting the knees up high, going towards and away from the TV. You could
do this in place, too.
5. Mambo (she calls it a cross step with jump), lunge, then plyo lunge (scissor).
Shuffle to one side, then leap twice back to the other side.
6. Mambo, alternating sides. Sharon switches to this quickly and the background
exercisers seem confused and have trouble following at first. Sharon teases them
and looks like she isn?t taking herself all too seriously.
7. Fast run forwards and backwards.
8. Plyo squat to right and left, then a short jumprope segment.
Fade out and come back for the strength segment. It's all functional strength training,
according to Sharon. You can't go heavy on most of the moves. Everyone has their
mats out for this segment. Two of the exercisers do the whole thing without dumbbells.
1. Bicep curls. When the workout fades in, everyone is already doing these.
2. Hold the dumbbells over to your side, one on top of the other (this is a little
awkward, but would be great with a medicine ball). Do a dip (rear lunge) with a
slow chop to the side when your leg goes back, then lift your back knee up in front
of you and dumbbells overhead to one side.
3. Lunges
4. Squats with bicep curls
5. Walking pushups?do a pushup, walk your hands to one side, do a pushup, and walk
your hands back to center.
6. Side plank. Work rotator cuff by holding dumbbell in your top arm and rotating
the arm down and up, hinging at the elbow.
7. Side plank with elbow on the ground, then your hand.
8. Side plank with rotation
9. V-sit
10. Lunges without weights.
This is one of those workouts where I'm not sure what to use it for-cardio, strength
training, etc. I did find the cardio pretty challenging (I did high impact versions
of every move) and I love side planks, so it's a keeper for me!
The segments are easily added on to other workouts. If you like mixing and matching
or shorter workouts and you like Sharon, then you might like this one. It's not
as great a buy as her Works DVDs, but if you can find it cheap, Circuit might be
worth checking out. I think most of her workouts can be done by someone at almost
any level, unless what you really want is to do a really long, intense, high-impact
workout.
Instructor Comments:
Sharon is a little different in this one than in the Works set. She seems to be
poking fun at herself, and maybe even at the hyper background exerciser Sharyn.
She still does the head shake which doesn't bother me, but I know it distracts some
people. I really do feel like she's goofy in a different way in this one. I like
her enthusiasm.