Does anyone have a recommendation for a really good dance workout video? I'm not a dancer so it will have to be really easy to follow and instructional but I also want to get a good workout...I'm up for hip-hop, latin/salsa, reggae, anything! Thanks!
Here are two that I use- Crunch Fat Burning Dance Party and Crunch Cardio Dance Blast. I think they are easy, but I do have a background in dance. I like the Cardio Dance Blast better, but both will make you sweat.
Good luck,
Wendy
I got one called Tru2Form Urban heat for really cheap (like $9.99 @ Best Buy). All the dances are like 5-10 mins each back to back, so it's pretty easy, and the whole dvd is like 30 mins I think. I think it is geared more towards beginners. I really wanted to get the Paula Abdul one (like a million years old of course), I don't know why I didn't get it. I have taken a lot of dance classes I am even taking one this semester, and I thought that the one I mentioned was really easy, perfect for begininers, I gave it to my mom and sister to use!
I also have the cardio bance blast and enjoy it. I like belly dancing videos too. On ebay you can find Rania's Bellydance for Weight Loss set for $20-$30 for 4 DVDs. Denise Austin has a new one out called Burn Fat Fast that's kind of dancing. There's grapevines, mamba steps, squats, butt shakes, you name it. lol. Good luck!
OK I went to Best Buy yesterday and thought the Crunch Salsa one looked best...it was a lot of fun, but mainly because we couldn't get the steps so we just bumped around and jumped in place and generally acted silly for half an hour...LOL! We still got a really good workout but on this tape she doesn't break it down slowly without music, she just does a bunch of reps with music hoping you'll catch on eventually...that was kind annoying cuz it looks like it would be awesome if I could do it! I am now 100% certain there is nothing Latin in my genes for sure...lol
They DID have the Paula Abdul one there and I almost got it but I haven't heard anyone talk about it so I wasn't sure if it was any good...has anyone here used it?
I tried the Paula Abdul one (I got it from the library) and thought it was too challenging for uncoordinated me. It was impossible to do on carpet since it had a lot of slides and turns. Paula even says it will take many attempts to get it right. It was the beginning of my weight loss journey, however, and I've gotten much more coordinated now that I've lost some weight and started moving more. Maybe I should try it again. You should check with your local library to see if they can get it for you to try through interlibrary loan.
I have done the first Paula Abdul tape (Get Up and Dance), but not the second one (Cardio Dance). The workout is fun and the steps are not overly difficult to learn, BUT I would not do the workout on a carpeted floor - the twisting and sliding movements could cause injury if done on carpet. Also, you need a LOT of floor space to do these workouts so you are not constantly running into things or tripping. There is a clip of the second video at collagevideo and, from that, it looks better than the first one. I may have to try it after all.
I love those, and I feel like they are a good workout...especially for my lower abs, butt, and legs. Plus the warm up is really good, it's a good stretch, and I really like the cardio.
Carmen Electra's is good for fun and I like Quick Fix's Cardio Hip Hop too. It's broken down really well. I thought Paula's was way to hard, but I'm completely uncoordinated, so take it with a grain of salt. I always sweat a lot with Paula's trying to keep up, but I don't think I've ever completed a sequence correctly.
I haven't tried their DVD's but I had a great time taking Masala Bhangra classes from one of the Jain sisters. Their website is masaladance.com. I'm hoping when she's back in the states in March she'll teach at my gym again.