Warrior Workout

What with the plethora of fitness dvds and classes, it seems that there are some exercise enthusiasts who think, "Hmm, I could do that. But, how to distinguish myself? Getting trained and certified in an existing, legitimate discipline like yoga or Pilates® would be time-consuming and expensive...whoa, I've got it! I'll invent own "body movement" routine! I, too, can be a fitness guru!"That's what this odd routine seems to be: a give-it-a-spiritual-sounding-name, borrow stuff from everyone else only don't do it as well, and call it, "unique variations."A digression to my ranting credentials. A lifelong exerciser, for 30+ years I've done a rotation of at-home yoga, pilates, weight, cardio and toning routines. I'm familiar with many exercise styles and variations, and I'm not sure what this DVD aspires to be. My current dvd fitness collection includes over 130 titles. A collection that large means I've purchased a few stinkers over the years, sometimes, as in this case, due to having been attracted to the title and cover graphics and a couple of good reviews (that probably came from the dvd makers' friends, or someone who owes them money).Caveat emptor: Don't be fooled by the "Warrior" title. This is not a yoga workout. What it is at all is never fully explained. After a few shiny happy people comments from one of the DVD's two "instructors" (read: performers - I hesitate to call them instructors, as there is so little instruction included), here is the intro to the dvd's routine: "All you need for this workout is a mat. Let's begin."No, not even close. What you need for any exercise routine is an explanation of what you will be doing, and why, and how.The three segments include a mélange of quasi-yoga postures, moves borrowed from weight lifting and toning routines (e.g. squats, lunges, plies), and also some that just seem...well...made up, and silly. Really; I found myself laughing, and then moving into very un-yogalike thoughts ("Neophytes! Rip-offs!") as the dvd progressed.The presentation is amateurish, the guidance into and explanation of postures and exercises almost nonexistent. Many of the "movements" are, like the dvd's title, borrowed from yoga without attribution. The name-omitting is a minor point compared to the fact that the poses are entered into without proper cuing and explanation of breathing and alignment that are essential to doing those particular YOGA poses...even if you aren't admitting that that's what you're doing. One of many examples: The "Stretch and Relaxation" segment begins with the two performers in a seated pose (hero's pose, although it is not identified as such). The audio says, "Walk it forward, bring the front leg underneath you, turn the back leg down." Huh? That's it? Bring the leg underneath you how; turn the leg down how? The screen reveals that the two performers have walked "it" into Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana). An experienced yogi would understand how to Pigeon Pose, except that, of course, the pose is not identified. IF done properly, Pigeon is a wonderful hip opener, but it is a pose for experienced practitioners, and, especially for someone with little or no familiarity with yoga, it requires at least a brief explanation or reminder of the contraindications (people with sacroiliac, ankle or knee problems should NOT do this pose). Even the injury-free can strain or twist their knees in Pigeon if they do not have proper positioning, or follow the simple advice of keeping their front foot flexed - and there is no mention of this!After a few closing stretches, here is the entry into the "relaxation" portion of the dvd. The performers sit in a simple cross-legged position; the video cuts to a still ofa black and white graphic and the words "Relaxation Time" while the audio gives three or four sentences of advice that might sound profound coming from a fourth-grader's Googled research paper ("Relaxation is very important for your health, weight lost, and for your mind and body and spirit.").Wow - ding! No need to sign up for that retreat in Banares.Please. Save your money. Really. And flex your front foot in Pigeon Pose.

I am a workout junkie. I am always looking for something new and challenging. I have been purchasing many workouts via Amazon because it's faster in delivery. I love Amazon. I know.. this review is about this workout. I have most of Leah's Ballet Body workouts... but they are so hard that I can't finish them entirely. Ever since I got the collection (which I have reviewed on my blog -LA-Story.com) , I have been breaking the workout into segments. I also have one workout with Suzanne Bowen (Amped) -- recently purchased via Amazon. I like it because I can mix up segments (which is something I can't do on Ballet Body) I need to confuse my muscle memory so that my body is shocked consistently into fatigue. I LOVE this workout. I did it today (7/4/16) and it was fun, easy to follow and while I found it challenging, I found the moves easy to execute. That's the key to this workout-- the actual moves aren't hard to replicate- the effort to replicate the numbers of them (since they are done in multiple sets) will fatigue muscles, move you past that into other postures and then circle back to do it all again. I like both instructors a lot and now I am thinking that RELEASE would be a good addition to my repetoire. I have 2 more workouts hitting me in the next week so it can wait.It's about challenging my core, legs and arms within the same workout which this workout does. I started following Leah's moves and realized I am stronger than I thought. (Means I can circle back to Ballet Body). I have been focusing on Barre & ballet workouts ( Mary Helen Bowers and other Barre workouts) . I thought this workout would be the same. It's distinctly different and more uniquely challenging. I like that. I like how Suzanne and Leah work together. It's useful to have the modifications done by Suzanne and Leah pushing the envelope. I can't wait to try mixing one section of Mary Helen Bowers + the lower body section of Warrior into my workout. That should work my core and legs/hips & balance sufficiently!

I was ready to like this workout based on good reviews. However, I am rather disappointed because it just doesn't motivate me. Actually it frustrates me more than motivates. The music is dull, the cueing is late or non-existent so I have to watch the screen all the time otherwise they are already starting the next move before I'm even told about it. The standing leg work is repetitive; it's actually only 15 minutes long but is done twice to lengthen it to 30 minutes. The upper body work is rushed and, again, has late cueing. It's hard to do planks and push-ups while turning the head to watch the screen. I've tried this workout 3 or 4 times now and it just bores me so much that I'm watching the time to see how much longer it's going to be. If the music had cues in it this would be helpful so I could do the music only option(I might try this next time since the cueing is so bad anyway and the voice over is annoying). I feel like I have to use the tape for a while at least to get my money's worth out of it. There is so much forward bending that it's hard on the back so I have to be really careful. That said I think that it can be effective to work the legs in an uninspired way if you can deal with the dull music and bad cueing.