Hi Everyone!
Today I am going to do a Ballet Beautiful review of Butt Series 1 on the Body Blast DVD.
I decided to start with Butt Series 1 because I tend to focus on my glutes the most when I workout for a number of reasons, one of them being the sacro-illiac joint pain I have and the other that I love working my lower body, don’t ask me why, I always have!
So let’s get started!
The Workout
She begins with a couple of light stretches and then gets right into the workout.
The first exercise is rear leg lifts to arabesque, which QUICKLY became extremely difficult.
My butt was on FIRE by the third set of these, and then the muscle-trembling-fatigue started, which made it very hard for me to keep my form. My legs felt like they weighed a ton and I had to pause numerous times during the workout from the fatigue.
This is a good thing because it means that I can continue to progress and grow with these workouts and my results will only get better and better.
She does 4 sets of 8 of each exercise. There are 7 different exercises.
Here is an exercise breakdown:
Beginning in quadruped position (on all fours) lifting the left leg back:
1. Rear leg lift to arabesque
2. Pique in arabesque
3. Leg extended straight back, down, lift
4. Leg extended straight back, then lower, lift, bend, stretch back out
Stretch break – Hamstring and calf stretch
5. Leg lifts in attitude
6. Hold leg up in attitude, bend in attitude, stretch in arabesque
7. Bring leg in, extend to the back, bend, stretch back out
Stretch break
The next day I was sore not just in my glutes, but also in my lower back. Lifting your leg out to arabesque really works the smaller muscles in your back – the ones that very often get neglected in other workouts.
Overall this workout feels intermediate to advanced not only because of the difficulty, but also the fact that she doesn’t offer any modifications.
But honestly modifications aren’t necessary for this workout because the moves are not complicated, they are only difficult because of the amount of reps she does.
So to modify, you will have to take little breaks or invent your own modifications to get you through until you build the strength to get through all the moves with perfect form.
What I Liked
I really liked this Body Blast workout, especially because I could really feel my glutes being worked.
Sometimes it can be difficult for me to really isolate my glute muscles during a barre or ballet workout, but the Butt Series 1 made it easy for me to really get a good burn in my glutes. I definitely felt it, and the burning was unbearable more than once, which is good :).
These 15 minute body blasts would be perfect add-ons to a Pilates workout, or any other workout for that matter. Once I get used to these workouts and build up strength, I am planning to tack a Body Blast segment onto the end of my other workouts each time I do them.
These are also great if you have only a small amount of time to workout – you can literally blast one body part per day and it would only take you 15 minutes at a time – nice for moms like me or anyone who is too busy to do longer workouts.
What I Didn’t Like
Honestly, there wasn’t anything I really did not like.
There is one thing that may bother some people, though…. and that is the fact that she doesn’t do a separate warm-up.
However, there really is no need for a separate warm-up in this type of low-impact workout, because the first few sets of exercises can serve that purpose.
Also, if you plan on adding these little segments to another workout (like I plan to do), then the lack of warm-up really won’t be an issue.
Still, there would be nothing wrong with you doing your own warm-up if you feel you need to. I felt that I would have been able to get into my muscles quicker and deeper had I done a short warm-up specifically for my glutes before I did this workout.
Wrap-Up…
Overall, I love that these little segments are only 15 minutes. I always have 15 minutes to do something, even when I’m busy or with my little one running around.
I also like that there is no equipment required for any of these workouts. So you have no excuse not to get a workout in , even when you are traveling ;).
Next up is Butt Series 2 review on the Body Blast DVD.
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