Hi Ladies!
So here I am week 4 with a final update on my progress with the Ballet Beautiful Total Body Workout.
During the last workout, I was able to graduate to doing the bridge on my tippy toes – the advanced modification of the exercise! Woot!
After that workout, the soreness was unbelievable – but in a good way of course. I have fibromyalgia, so certain types of soreness is unbearable to me (like the soreness from weight lifting). This was different.
EVERY INCH OF THE BACK OF MY LEGS WAS SO SORE! My butt was sore through my hamstrings and down through my calves. Good stuff! This one is a keeper, and will definitely become a staple in my workout routine.
I decided a week and a half ago that since I love Ballet Beautiful so much, I should go ahead and purchase her two new DVDs – all in the name of helping my ladies out, right? 😛
Of course!
So I picked up Sculpt & Burn Cardio Blast (teal) and the Cardio Fat Burn (purple).
When I got them in the mail, of course I could hardly wait to crack them open and do them. But time wasn’t on my side last week, so I was only able to do one segment from Sculpt and Burn…BOO :(. That’s okay, this week is looking better.
The Sculpt and Burn DVD has two 30 minute segments, which I love. I really love short workouts, because I’m always short on time or energy for some reason (maybe my fibromyalgia and the fact that I have a two year old boy running laps around me has something to do with it, I don’t know..). 30 minutes seems to be the magic number for me and helps me to be consistent.
I chose the Total Body Toning segment, which has a new killer bridge segment. By the way, if you really want to lift and sculpt your glutes, bridges are the way to go. There’s nothing like them. And the way she does them in this video gets your heart rate up and you will start to feel a little sweat emerging from your forehead.
She also hits the glute muscles from different angles than she does in the original bridge sequence on the Total Body Workout. So the two DVDs are a nice compliment to one another.
She does some nice outer thigh work in this video, too. In fact, my outer thighs were pretty sore the following day, so I know I got a good workout.
I honestly really, really enjoyed this workout. I’m looking forward to doing the other segment and trying some of the segments on the Cardio Fat Burn DVD. There’s four 15 minute segments on that one, which is even more awesome than 30 minute segments!
I will start a new case study for all of the Ballet Beautiful DVDs – I think I will show you my rotation and what I am doing each day, along with the results!
Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!
P.S. Have you started doing the Ballet Beautiful workouts? I’d really like to know what you think…especially what you think about the Sculpt & Burn Cardio Blast and the Ballet Beautiful Cardio Fat Burn? Post below in the comment section!
so far I have done the cardio one and the sculpt one , one time to check them out, the cardio fat burn about killed me , the cardio was a lot for me , but I am not in good shape yet so that is why, and the sculpt one I liked for an easier day, I cannot do all the bridges not even close, so I do what I can, I didn’t use weights at all, so I know that would intensify my soreness, I love both of the new dvd’s . I am personally thinking of using the original total body with the new sculpting one to get strong enough, to add the new cardio and the original fat blast , to hopefully gain strength I need, I do wish we could figure out how many calories are burned for each dvd,
That sounds like a good plan! Keep working on those bridges because they are REALLY good for toning the butt and hamstrings, and also for gaining lower body strength.
These workouts are different than traditional fat burning workouts where the main goal is to simply raise the heart rate to burn calories (like jogging or step aerobics). The goal with barre and ballet-inspired workouts is to work the muscles to fatigue – which gives the workout a nice cardio element. Proper form is key to getting the quick results these workouts can deliver. Keep working on your form, because the better you get at activating the right muscles, the higher your calorie burn will be during and AFTER exercise. Always remember, the more muscles you can recruit, the higher your calorie burn will be.
I am just getting started with barre workouts. I used to do Crossfit and that style of workout, but my body just can’t take the combination of weights and speed-focused workouts. Also, I have a few injuries I work around that makes those muscle-confusion workouts ridiculously difficult to modify. I’ve taken a few barre classes and LOVED them. They kicked my butt, literally. I have about 10 lbs of baby weight to lose after my second child and I’m wondering if the Ballet Beautiful workouts would be the way to go. I like that there is a 30 minute option. (Time is precious with small children in the house.) Or would you recommend just starting out with the Bar Method Beginners Workout and then moving up as my strength increases. I’d love your recommendation.
Hi Kisha!
I know what it’s like to have limited time, believe me! That’s one of the reasons why I love barre so much – You can get so much done in so little time!
If you’ve only got ten pounds to lose, I would say that it’s perfectly fine to continue with the Ballet Beautiful workouts, but I would add in some cardio. You could either throw in a brisk 30 minute walk a few times a week, or grab the Ballet Beautiful Sculpt & Burn Cardio BlastDVD, which has four 15 minute cardio routines – which is perfect if you’re short on time. All of the Ballet Beautiful workouts are VERY powerful, and I am confident that they can help you lose those 10 pounds.
Truth be told, I do love the Bar Method – It’s also very powerful for fat loss…but not necessarily better. It really comes down to what you feel you will be able to stick with – because it’s not so much about the type of workout you choose, it’s more about whether or not you are consistent with whatever workout you do choose. If time is an issue for you, go with the Ballet Beautiful workouts with a little cardio, and just focus on being consistent. You will get the results you are looking for.
Thanks for sharing your goals here on the blog 🙂 I’m sure it will help motivate and encourage other women to embrace these workouts for their weight loss goals as well!
I tried the Cardio Fat Burn (purple one) yesterday, and I really enjoyed it! It’s also broken down into 15-minute segments (warm-up, upper body, lower body, and total body). Each segment has a mix of toning with short 2-4 minute cardio bursts. I think total, you probably get about 15-20 minutes cardio throughout the whole 1-hour workout. She added some new upper body work that she doesn’t have in her Classic Total Body Workout video/Body Blast video. My calves were sore today, which was something I haven’t experienced from the other two videos! I’ll definitely be adding this to my rotation. I haven’t tried the Sculpt and Burn yet. That will be next.
Hi Neha!
Thanks for sharing. I have yet to try that one…there just aren’t enough days of the week for all the workouts I wanna do! 😉
I have done the Sculpt and Burn a few times, and I was pretty sore. My biceps were very sore, and the bridge sequence she does in this DVD is KILLER. I love it! Be sure to let me know how you like it once you try it, I’m interested in knowing what you think about it 🙂
Thank you for the series – i was looking for motivation to continue with the DVD. I had tried the Swan Arms routine and it was humbling and humiliating that I could not complete it ,not that I am very fit.But I can’t even flap my arms up and down hmm really !? After reading this I am going to go back and keep at it till it gets doable and hopefully someday easy.
I would come back and read this once in a while to keep going.Thanks for the write up.
And hmm,yes I am a guy. I was looking for a DVD which didn’t involve jumping up and down to awful “music” and looking and feeling ridiculous.
Regards from India
Hi Thomas!
You are so welcome! I am glad you enjoyed it. I agree, swan arms is worse than anything I have ever done, LOL! I wish more guys would realize how hard these workouts are, they are tougher than any weight lifting I have ever done – and produce better results. Thanks so much for reading and commenting, even though you are a guy 😉 I hope you visit again in the future and give us your input and opinion – from a man’s perspective!
I remember trying swan arms for the first time. Completely embarrassed that I couldn’t complete it, especially since I’m a dancer. I would do every other 8 reps. About two weeks later I completed it and began doing that almost everyday for four months in addition to my other workouts. My boyfriend laughed when he found out my arms are trimmer after flapping my arms everyday lol.
Hi Krystal!
That’s a funny story. I probably would have laughed myself a few years ago before I actually tried one of these workouts. They are very powerful and look deceivingly easy…but they are so not easy! Glad you stuck with it and got some good results!
Thanks for visiting the blog! 🙂
Hey I am from India too and I and doing BB I just started though can u tell how the results are because I want to get lean muscle instead of bulking but swan arms made my arms huge did u notice the Same thing?
hey even i am a guy from India Thomas if u r reading this can u tell me what ur results are i feel BB is amazing and as Tawny say’s it’s really tough and challenging my arms are in great shape after just a week i’ve muscle growth and my arms are huge can u share ur results? i love doing BB but within the privacy of my room though 😛 i guess it would be silly if someone walks in all of a sudden but as long as i get results i am not stopping 🙂 only thing i think the DVD misses is the cardio though it has cardio in the fat burn DVD but it is way difficult for me as a non dancer will come back to share my results i love this website and looking forward to try other workouts in ur blog 🙂 can u tell me ur routine my goal is to cut the bulk and get lean and toned 🙂 thank you
i am absolutely in love with ballet beautiful. i’ve done the classic workout regularly for about two years, maybe two and a half. i have advanced to using ankle weights and bands for a more challenging workout, but it has stayed effective. i also like the swan arms blast a ton, i can do it frequently without my arms getting bulky like weight seem to do to me.
if you liked this, try pure barre. it’s so, so difficult, but there is a lot of quad work. be forewarned.
Hi Bad Dancer,
Thanks for visiting and for your comment!
I’m still working on mastering Swan Arms – it’s so tough! I’m so done with traditional weight lifting 😉 I have not yet tried Pure Barre for that very reason…I don’t like to do too much quad work because my quads respond very quickly and bulk a little more than I would like. I do have the original Pure Barre which has more of a glute focus. I know lots of people love all of the Pure Barre series though. In fact, I listed them among my top five barre DVDs for weight loss on this site 🙂
Hey I am planning on starting this workout after finishing Insanity and Focus T25, but I am still thinking whether I should get this or her Body Blast DVD, but what I am really interested in is do you think you can lose some weight if you combine this workout with some intense cardio 5 times a week (and of course balanced diet)? I am trying to tone and sculpt my body but I think I need to lose at least 10 pounds of fat as well. Do you think this workout could be helpful?
Hello Michaela!
Thanks for visiting the blog!
Yes, I do think it would be helpful…However, be careful with intense cardio. Sometimes you can be working against yourself – especially if you do it five days a week. Tow or three days max of interval training cardio for 30 minutes at a time should be sufficient…and then you could do this workout on alternate days.
Hello Tawny,
I have to say your blog has really convinced me this is the ideal workout for me. I just bought four of the Ballet Beautiful DVDs on Amazon after reading a bunch of reviews. One question, do I need to buy any type of special shoes or socks for this workout? Also, is there an ideal type of floor to do this workout on (carpet, hardwood)?
Thanks!
Abby
Hi Abby!
So great to hear you are convinced! I am sure you will love these workouts.
Personally, I go barefoot. But when it’s cold I like to use barre socks with grips – which are especially helpful if you have hard wood floors or slippery carpet.
Keep me posted on your results! I’d love to hear how you are doing. If you haven’t already subscribed you can do so on the upper right hand side of this blog. It’s a great way to stay in touch 🙂
I really love ballet beautiful. I even bought a ballet shoes and leotard 🙂 Even though I only workout through watching YouTube clips of the ballet beautiful workouts. Most of the DVDs are not to be sold outside u.s.
And oh I love your blog post. Tnx for sharing your workout experience to us:)
Thanks for visiting and commenting Barbie Lee!
Hi Tawny, I’m new to your blog and love it!
I’m 26, always been sedentary and about 20 pounds over, but in the last year I went from 130 to 97 pounds (all gooey flesh, no muscle) just from losing my appetite and not eating. Now I’m starting to put some pounds back and I wanna exercise.
I love your review and I just started working out with the Ballet Beautiful full body workout. Is it less effective in activating my muscles and toning up if I do it everyday? Or do i have to have to have a rest day in between to see better results?
Thanks for all these awesome articles and best of luck with everything!
Hello Anda! Thanks so much for visiting 🙂 I think you could do it everyday and be fine. If you are really sore though, you can skip a day and do some walking. Ballet Beautiful is a great workout for toniing!
Hi Tawny,
I Googled “Results from Ballet Beautiful” and your site came up as one of the search results. I read through your 4 week journey with Ballet Beautiful. You mentioned in one of your earlier posts that you have A.D.D. regarding workout DVDs. I am the same way. I get bored easily. I would love to be able to stick to just one DVD for a time to see the results and it would make my life more simple. Also I noticed that you mentioned you had fibromyalgia in your last blog. I was very inspired by the fact that you suffer from that, but were able to do the 60 minute total body workout 3 times a week. Did you supplement it with cardio and if so what kind? I don’t suffer from fibromyalgia, but I misaligned my pelvis about 4.5 years ago and it screwed up the alignment in my body. As a result I suffer from various aches and pains on a daily basis. I am being treated by an awesome chiropractor and I am slowly coming along. Anyway, I just find what you did to be very inspiring and I wish I could stick to one DVD for 4 weeks.
Take care,
Amy
P.S. Currently I do Pilates three times a week and alternate that with jogging.
Hi Amy,
Thanks so much for your comment, and I am glad to have inspired you 🙂
I don’t supplement with cardio since I do a 25-30 minute Classical Stretch/Essentics workout everyday, and that is just right for me in terms of what I can handle physically. These videos have a nice light, but challenging cardio effect to them, and are VERY effective on their own. In fact, these workouts are all I have been doing for the past 8 months and I have lost no muscle tone, I feel very lean and I like the way my clothes fit…especially my jeans. I don’t know much about pelvic injuries, but I would imagine it would be very painful. I’m not sure it’s the right workout for your pelvis though, could be aggravating especially the glute bridges. Have you heard of Essentrics/Classical Stretch ? They are pain relief workouts that are extremely therapeutic and happen to work great for toning and leaning out the body.
Hi, I’m wondering where you watch your classical stretch/essentrics episodes. Do you watch on PBS or do you have the DVDs. If you have the DVDs, which do you recommend? Thank you!
Hi Katherine!
I have the DVDs, and they are all great. But I do have my favorites, and they are Essentrics: Strength and Stretch in Motion, and Classical Stretch Season 8
Thanks for the review but I was hoping you’d give us the summary of actual results and whether or not the exercises had actually done the toning and what change if any had occurred. But thanks anyway!
Hi Elena,
I am sorry you were disappointed in the review. The case study was only to be for 4 weeks, which really isn’t quite long enough to see major changes. Also, I am already at my goal weight and muscle tone, so I would have to do much more than this to get a significant result. The main purpose of this case study was to give people a feel for what the workouts entailed, how intense they were, and what muscles they worked. It’s a good sign that I didn’t lose any muscle tone while I was doing these workouts exclusively, which means they are effective at building/strengthening the very muscles they helped me maintain.
Thanks for visiting!
I found your blog after googling for ballet beautiful reviews and decided to try it while I’m visiting my mother and don’t have access to my regular barre studio. I was surprised how difficult swan arms is! I definitely didn’t expect 15 minutes of a no-weights, no-pushups video to burn this much. I’m definitely gonna keep doing ballet beautiful and I’m gonna check out physique 57 and barreamped too, especially since I can’t get to a barre class that often with my schedule.
I have a question – do you think I can reasonably do barre instead of weights to combat deterioration of my muscle and bone mass? I find weight lifting so much more boring, but conventional wisdom seems to be that you need to lift progressively heavier weights for the rest of your life. Thanks! Your blog’s been really useful to me.
Hello Maru,
Barre is definitely enough to maintain muscle mass and bone density. Barre is a weight bearing exercise that never gets easier…you can always go lower or work deeper into the muscle.
Glad you are enjoying the blog!