So You Think You Can Dance Get Fit: Cardio Funk

I just received the So You Think You Can Dance Get Fit Cardio Funk and Tone & Groove dvds yesterday (I tried CF yesterday and T&G today), so my reviews will be based on my first impressions, and then I'll edit them again later regarding the long term results.First thought-I LOVE these dvds! Because the routines were explained well and taught in a progression, I was able to pick up the choreography for each dance the first time through, though I felt all of the routines were definitely challenging and VERY effective as workouts! After just finishing the second dvd today; my muscles are sore, I'm sweating, and I feel fantastic (and like I worked really hard)! The dancers were all very energetic, encouraging, and none of them ever missed a beat/step on the routines. It was exciting to see all of these great personalities from the show (definitely 5 of my many favorites) choreographing, dancing, and having such a blast out there-and it's even more fun to dance along with them!Getting down to business, the menu screen has a 'Play All' option which takes you through the warm-up, all 3 routines (with instructions), and the cool down. In the 'Workouts' section, you can choose between the 3 routines (with or without instructions) and the bonus workout that combines the three styles with some extra steps (also with our without instructions). The Warm-Up and Cool Down sections are taught by the whole group of dancers, switching off. They're the same combination of dance-infused stretches on both dvds and they've got a funky flavor going on the Warm-Up and more of a bluesy tone on the Cool Down. I found them to be fully effective in preparing me for the workouts and cooling me down afterward, as well as enjoyable ways to begin and end the session. For extra entertainment value, the dvd also includes interviews with the three dancers featured on the front cover, as well as with Nigel Lithgoe. The dancers' interviews include behind the scenes clips from their workout rehearsals, taping, and photo shoot, as well as them just goofing off with each other and having fun. I expect that all fans of the show would really enjoy these parts as much as I did. :) Anyway, I chose to 'Play All' and then perform the Bonus dance with instruction and my total workout time for each day was about 1 hour and 40 minutes! That will be reduced without the instructions, though I think it's always good to get the extra benefit of performing the moves slowly and isolating the muscles whenever there's time. Seriously, for only $11?-What a tremendous value for the money!On this dvd:-Lauren-Hip Hop: This had a very nice groove to it and you can tell that she really focused on making sure that we got a tremendous cardio workout in her routine (especially at full speed). It's fast, it hits, and it's very fun!-Travis-Contemporary: I loved this one! Beautiful, flowing movements and stops that if done correctly will give your back, arms, waistline, calves, and abs a great stretch and workout!-Courtney-Disco: This was so cute! Fairly simple moves strung together into a FAST and extremely fun little number. I found this to be an especially effective on my legs. There's lots of comedy in this one too, "check you out, check you out!" :)The video clip at the top of the screen will give you a nice preview into how the steps are taught and the types of moves you'll be doing. I'm so excited to have added this fitness dvd into my collection and hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did! ***** Difficulty: Intermediate/Challenging (At least a little dance training recommended, if not required).

The two So You Think You Can Dance Get Fit DVD's are the best thing to come out since my favorite summer TV show started five seasons ago! This one, Cardio Funk, is such a wonderful change from the same old regular contrived "hip hop" moves in 10-minute segments, or proliferation of oldies music dance tapes. YUCK! I would rate this DVD as intermediate with some impact. If you are not already fit and haven't done dance workouts before, you will be overwhelmed by the choreography; start out with Petra Kolber. I consider it an interval workout, considering the slowness of the beginning choreography of each dance segment. However, each dance builds in tempo until it is being done at full speed and full impact. Even the 10-minute or so warm up starts very easy and builds up to a cardio tempo. However, I didn't feel I would have gotten a full workout unless I did the entire tape, which was about 140 minutes long. I must say, the time absolutely flew by.Some things you don't get on an ordinary dance exercise tape: the contagious energy and enthusiasm from the SOTYCD crew. Also, really creative choreography. And don't think these guys don't know their physiology as well as say, Kathy Smith. They have been training for years, and throughout the DVD they point out how to do moves correctly to avoid muscle strain.Throughout the teaching of each set of choreography (hip-hop with Lauren, disco with Courtney and contemporary with Travis), the moves initially seem confusing when they are taught one-on-one with the dancer. But they are done again and again, slowly adding more dancers and slightly increasing tempo, then adding the music, and by the end when they are doing it full tempo with music, I totally had it down. I've also been doing home workout videos for 25 years, mainly dance and kickbox, so again, not for total beginners. At the conclusion, there is a bonus workout, shorter than the other dances, kind of just for kicks, that uses moves from all three workouts.This workout is a total blast! Not my hardest workout; I have 45 minute kickbox DVD's that leave me more winded. But none are more fun, and if you do the whole thing, you've done a good, core-emphasizing workout. My only complaint is that the choreography of the warm-up of this one is identical to that of the Tone and Groove DVD, and I think universally everyone is going to buy both. With all their creative choreography, they could have come up with different warm-ups. But the rest is so great, I forgive them!

I recently got my Mom both So You Think You Can Dance workout DVDs for her birthday and have been using them myself since. Personally, I recommend the Cardio Funk DVD over the Tone and Grove: the routines feel like more of a workout and they're more fun. Lauren's hip hop involves a lot of jumping around so you're really breathing heavily when it's done. Travis's contemporary is my favorite: it's not as fast-paced, so it gives you time to focus on your movements and engage your muscles. My back and arms were sore after performing the contemporary workout. Courtney's disco is just fun and energetic, so you don't mind repeating it a few times.It's easy to learn the routines at your own pace thanks to the scene skip function on any DVD player. Once they're taught slowly in detail, the routines are done to counts and then to music at three successively faster speeds. I found the routines easy enough that I only had to go through the instructions once to learn them sufficiently. The bonus workout that combines moves from the three routines is done much more quickly and can be a little hard to follow; I haven't mastered that one yet. As others have said, the music is somewhat uninspiring, but the dancers' enthusiasm makes up for it.I'd recommend this DVD to anyone who's a fan of the show and finds traditional workouts a chore. The familiar faces and fun dance routines are a great way to mix things up!