This workout is done outdoors to the same type of music you would find in the Method tapes, the beating of the drums. The music is loud enough to enjoy during the workout without drowning out their voices. I really liked both instructors, very upbeat personalities.

This tape starts out with a very active warm up, moving side to side with your feet, arms swaying side to side, hip rolls, lots of active movements to get your body warmed up and you end this segment with some stretches for the upper and lower body.

The first segment is BALLET. This segment starts out by having you point your toes and tap your foot on the floor, tiny taps and then you raise the same leg straight out in front of you and you keep it up while you slowly raise and lower your leg just a few inches. Using that same leg you take the leg to the back to work your glutes in the same manner, with the small movements up and down and you continue to do that movement but you change your arm position from front to side to straight up in the air before lowering the leg back down. You repeat this whole secquence on the opposite leg. Next you do one legged squats but you do it in such a way that you are stretching your hip before you contract your muscle, this is done on both sides and then both these segments are repeated one more time. Next you lift your leg out to the side with toes pointed down and foot flexed to really work your glute muscles. You repeat this on the opposite side and then repeat the whole segment one more time through before adding in one more set of one legged squats.

The next segment is STRENGTH and uses hand weights....they are using 2 lb weights but I think you can go up to 5 lbs. You start out by doing a set of plie squats with the weights at your side. Then as you are doing the plie squats, you start adding in side lateral raises for a count of 8 and then you stand up and do side to side steps while continuing the side lateral raises for a count of 8 and then back to the plie squats with the side lateral raises and then back up to the side to side steps with the side lateral raises. Next you move on to plie squats with overhead military presses for a count of 8, then the side to side step with the overhead press, back to another set of plie squats with the overhead presses and then back to the side to side steps. Next you do hammer curls with the plie squats for a set and then the side to side step with the hammer curls and then back to the plie squats for a count of 8 and then back to the side to side step with the hammer curls. Next you put both weights together for overhead tricep extensions with plie squats for one set, then you move side to side for a count of 8 with the tricep extensions, back to the plie squats for a count of 8 and then side to side step again with the tricep extensions. Next you do a set of plie squats with the weights at your side. Next you go in to a set of squats with the weights at your side, after one set you start adding in front raises to the upward movement of the squat, you do two sets of this movement before doing pulsing squats with the weights at your side. Next you do close legged squats with a skiing movement with your arms doing triceps as you go down into the squat and then biceps as you come up, then you stay up and do bicep pulses at the top of the movement, then you do tricep extensions with toe taps.....you go through this sequence twice. You end with an active stretch of swaying side to side to loosen up your body.

Next is YOGA: This section begins with Sun Salutations, moving into Down Dog, then you go into a plank position and hold for a breath or two, lower down into the updog position and then you go back into down dog position and jump into what's called the "Beatle Squat," this is where your hands are on the ground in front of you and your legs are bent into a squat position and you slowly bend and straighten your legs while your hands stay on the ground. You repeat this segment two more times through. Next you are back in the down dog position, you slowly raise one leg to the sky, hold, bring knee in towards chest as you bend your arms slightly, take leg back up to the sky, bring knee back in towards the chest and hold, take leg back to down dog position, go into plank, updog, back to downdog and repeat on opposite side. Ends in Child's pose.

Next is ABS using the Weighted ball: You start out with the ball between your knees and you start out by sqeezing and releasing the ball quite a few times and then you add in upper body crunches to the movement. Next you put the ball between your quads and squeeze and release the ball and then slowly add in upper body crunches to the movement. Next you place the ball under both knees and do lower abdominal crunches, then you slowly add in upper body ab crunches to the movement. You stretch your abs and back by doing roll ups with out the ball.

Next is the final YOGA stretch: You start by continuing with the roll ups a few more times and then you go into the butterfly stretch, slowly lowering yourself to the ground in front of your feet. Next you go into the straddle position, hold the move and add in a side stretch, slowly lowering yourself to the right side with the opposite arm towards the sky, then you turn towards the same leg and lower your head towards your knee....slowly come up and repeat on opposite side. Next you lower yourself down to the floor in the middle of the straddle stretch and hold. Ends by going into down dog and slowly raising yourself up into a standing position.

I am really impressed at the variety in this tape. The whole workout is only 42 minutes long but there is so much going on that you won't be bored.

Dawn Henson