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Old 08-26-16, 08:20 AM  
Aurora C.
 
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Please tell me more about Barlates & Sweat Lab...

In all of my recent research I see Barlates being mentioned again and again, so naturally I'd like to know more. In the past I've done Pilates classes and privates but could never really get into them as home workouts, I guess they're just not motivating enough for me. Ditto with barre style workouts (and some of those, like P57, actually caused pain in my hip flexors)...though I have successfully added on a Pilates or barre segment of arms, abs, legs or whatever, I just cannot bear a whole workout of it, not energizing enough.

I do like to include a cardio burn and love circuits, HIIT, body weight, and high rep/low weights. AND I must keep my routines within a half hour...I can tack on 10-30 minute specialty segments devoted to specific body parts either right after or later in the day, but my main workout fits best at 30-35 minutes.

Anyway, that said, Dream Body Sweat Lab has come under my radar but I'm not finding a whole lot of feedback on them or any results reported. I have the original Dream Body Workout that I HATED for too many reasons to list, but I'm also at a higher fitness level than I was when I got it so I'm going to give it another shot and try to ignore some of the more annoying aspects of it. But the idea of a short and intense version of this type of workout without the stuff that didn't work REALLY intrigues me!

So please direct me where to start with Barlates, and please chime in on Sweat Lab. Thanks!
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Old 08-26-16, 11:28 AM  
ebianco
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Hi Aurora,

For the Sweat Lab DVDs, I don't think they were quite as popular as their first two series. I'm not sure what you hate about the original? If you're talking about the original DVD with the bubbles all that crazy editing is gone, thank goodness, all their other DVDs are much more polished. But if you're talking about super fast talking and the "frantic" pace of movements, etc., that they have been often criticized for, that hasn't changed much.

The Sweat Lab series, for what it's worth, seems a tiny bit less intense than their two other DVD series (original and cardio series), and seems to move a tiny bit less hectically. I didn't like them as much because spending 30-40 minutes on JUST ARMS or JUST ABS is mundane to me, although the three cardio DVDs are great. Their signature 'fusion' style also seems a bit missed with these since three of the DVDs (abs/booty/arms) are strictly toning, although the cardio seems more fusion-y.

I also want to add that they have tons of short 2-10 minute freebie workouts on youtube, if you want to try out their style before buying.

I'd be more likely to recommend the original or second (cardio) DVD series, many of which have a fairly defined half way point. In fact I often do "halfsies" when I'm short on time and definitely reach for these more than the Sweat Lab DVDs.

----

I am definitely also a fan of Barlates, but not sure the place to start. She has an overwhelming amount of material both on DVD and tons of free youtube content. What kinds of things are you looking for? She has tons of pilates mat style workouts, also standing barre (but that may not be what you want?), fusion-y workouts that seem very Dream Body lite to me (mostly for purchase but there are some for free), and lots of pilates/barre type workouts that use toys such as the stability ball, playground ball, band, etc. She also has more yoga fusion type workouts. Thankfully most of her workouts a half hour or very clearly chaptered and you can add pieces to fit into your timeframe. Of her DVDs I like Mix and Match HIIT (Dream Body lite-like), Barre Ball Blast, Fusion Mat at the Wall, and Fusion Mat. That's a lot of content Again depends on what you're looking for.
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Old 08-26-16, 01:40 PM  
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Linda Woolridge, Barlates, also has lots of stuff on youtube you can try for free and see if it clicks for you.
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Old 08-26-16, 01:58 PM  
Aurora C.
 
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Thank you so much, ebianco! Yes, Dream Body was too fast paced and intense/advanced for me about two or 3 years ago or whenever I got it, and with not even a water break the whole hour and all the blabbing testimonials just drove me up the wall ("alright already, I'm doing the workout, you can stop selling me on it!").

...so I actually did the original Dream Body Workout this morning, and although there were points I had to pause to stretch my psoas because it did put excess tension there, I'm proud and impressed with myself that I made it through! ...and felt surprisingly different than when I'd done it a few years ago! All the idiocy didn't bother me all that much and I most definitely felt well worked! It feels good to note that progress!

Of course I would get more use out of this disc if there were a better halfway marker, but every now and then I find time for a longer workout. I know a lot of people say they hate to be repped to death, but I kind of like it. I like to get a cardio effect from high reps and body weight exercises. I hardly do any pure cardio but I do like to include a cardio effect in every workout. Does the Dream Body Cardio set also use high reps/light weights to keep up the intensity AND has a clear halfway mark? Those may be a good fit for me as long they get my muscles involved too.

Are the toning arms, abs & booty routines on Sweat Lab done at a pace that gets the heart rate pumping?

As far as Barlates, I'm not really sure, just that I notice when I search for things like "thinning the inner thighs" or "leaning the upper arms" or just whatever area I've been seeking to sculpt lately Barlates comes up. As I mentioned, I don't tend to love anything too mellow or zen unless I'm doing yoga, and even then I tend to like flowing, active, athletic or kundalini styles of yoga. If I'm there to move I'd rather not be put to sleep ...so fusiony is probably more of what I'm looking for. Mix and Match HIIT sound like a good place to start and I'll check out the others you mentioned too. Thank you!

I welcome any more input on these topics!
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Old 08-26-16, 02:19 PM  
Aurora C.
 
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Thanks gladgirl! Are there any in particular you recommend?
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Old 08-26-16, 04:57 PM  
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Hi Aurora,

Congratulations on your progress on the original Dream Body DVD! That is not an easy workout!!

Some thoughts based on your post:

-None of the workouts have any water breaks (I just take them as needed and backtrack if I have to)
-All of the Dream Body workouts - cardio, sweat lab, etc. have the high reps and high intensity (and for the cardio high impact too).
-I TOTALLY agree about the testimonials on the original DVD annoying!! All of the other workouts are more polished and don't have that sort of problem!
-I also love being repped to death As long as the moves are switched up and it's engaging (not boring) I don't mind it at all, TAM, Tonique, barre, Dream Body, etc. They are all great.

Based on what you're looking for (including a cardio effect) I'm thinking the Cardio Series would be a great choice. They were actually designed with a halfway mark in mind (although keep in mind they are not really chaptered in a way to easily navigate and only 'play all' on the DVD menu)

-MILF: Clear halfway mark at around the 30 minute mark. The first half is standing cardio, one big superset of cardio work (which also has a fusiony toning impact) repeated twice for a total of three circuits. The cardio uses the loop band and gliders (going off memory here). The second half is mat work with total body toning - a long elevated bridge set, pushups, etc.

-InTENse: Easy to break up as it is structured in 10 minute circuits: 10 minute cardio/10 minute arms/10 minute abs/10 minute cardio/10 minute arms/10 minutes abs. The circuits are not repeated, in the sense that the second 10 minute cardio is not the same as the one at the beginning. It is chaptered but I didn't find it to be exact at the start of each circuit.

-Batabarre: Clear halfway mark, the first half is standing tabata/HIIT and the second half is barre work, using the gliders.

-Fusion 50: This one didn't seem so easy to break up, but it is a little shorter at 50 minutes. There is more standing cardio at the beginning, maybe the first 30 minutes, and toning at the end, more like 20 minutes, but I don't remember it being intuitive to break up.

-Bikini Bootcamp: Clear break point but not at the halfway mark. The first ~40 minutes is standing cardio, 1st 20 minutes with the band and 2nd 20 minutes with light weights, and the last 20-ish minutes is floor toning.

They are all great tough workouts, with MILF and InTENse being probably the hardest of the group.

The Sweat Lab set (toning arms/abs/booty) in my opinion do not get the heart rate pumping. The booty to some extent yes, since you are using your legs, the other workouts you will get a little sweat due to the pushups in the arms DVD and some plank work in the abs DVD. But not really significant cardio effect in my opinion.

I think Mix and Match HIIT would be a great place to start with Barlates. The downloads are a couple dollars cheaper than the DVDs FYI.
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