Review Addicted To Sweat - Previews, Reviews, Thoughts and Comments

ssgilby · 09-10-12, 06:35 PM

I thought I'd start a thread where we could post our thoughts from previewing and doine these workouts. Of course, if you're so inclined, also post an official review in the reviews section as well.

CarlaVeg · 09-10-12, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssgilby

I thought I'd start a thread where we could post our thoughts from previewing and doine these workouts. Of course, if you're so inclined, also post an official review in the reviews section as well.

can you please post a link to the workouts?

ssgilby · 09-10-12, 06:56 PM

I had a bit of time to do part of ATS Workout 1 - Get Wet, which is one of the cardio videos.

First there is a warm up lasting about 3.5 minutes. It consists of dynamic stretches and higher intensity moves like jacks, walks, grapevines, grapevines with turns, etc. It got my heart rate out of "fatburn" mode and into "fitness" mode.

There are three combos, each consisting of a "Tutorial" section and a "Breakdown" section. The tutorial sections are very short (probably 2 minutes) and consist of Nicole breaking down the combo slowly once and then once more at a higher tempo. Basically it's like a "preview" of the combo to give you a sense of what it involves.

As Christina mentioned in the other ATS thread, the "Breakdown" sections are mis-named. I just did the first combo (Step Together) breakdown, and it lasted about 12 minutes. It was high intensity from start to finish. Nicole goes through the combo section by section, adding them together. She'll have you do the first part of the combo 2-3 times and then go through the next section 2-3 times and then add them together for a couple of times, then go through the next section, add it to the others and so on. These aren't slow, "walk through" breakdowns. This is actually performing the moves at tempo with non-stop bouncing, step touches, etc. in between the sections. The majority of it is higher impact, except for some "walks" here and there.

The moves are simple, and the choreography easy to pick up. The section I did consisted of step touches, walks, pivots, turns, see saws, etc. I thought it was fun.

Then I did the cool down, which is 2 minutes of some dynamic stretching.

I liked it! The music is good, Nicole teaches well, IMO, and the choreography was simple yet fun. The "breakdowns" are definitely a workout, and assuming all the breakdowns are around 12 minutes, if you did all three back to back plus the "Bonus Performance" section (which I've heard is about 5 min. long but I haven't previewed or done it yet), you'd get about 40 min. of high intensity cardio - add in the warm up (which, as I said is also higher intensity) and the cool down, and the workout would be around 45 minutes.

The cons -

Yes, the DVD does go back to the menu after every section. There is no "play all" option. A matrix would've been nice so that you could just pick the warm up, breakdowns, bonus performance and cool down, but it isn't a major deal to have to go back to the menu. You could just bounce around (if ou wanted to keep your heart rate up) while you're fiddling with your remote or use the time to walk in place to lower your heart rate a bit if you prefer, get a drink of water or whatever.

Also, it might get boring after awhile to have to go through the combos chunk by chunk rather than just doing the dance straight through. I guess it depends on your patience and what you like in a dance cardio workout, but you WILL get a workout during the breakdown sections.

Comparing it to Tracy Anderson's cardio -

I found Nicole's dances a bit more interesting/fun than Tracy's non-choreographed stuff (the Meta, Continuity and 30-Day Method cardios - I find myself clock watching a lot during these).

I'd say that Tracy's choreographed stuff is definitely more complex, and Tracy doesn't always do the best job of breaking things down. (I think we've all experienced Tracy teaching it one way during the tutorial but then doing it slightly different in the performance like adding an extra bounce or something like that, which totally throws you off. I love the Tiny One, but she can be a frustrating teacher! LOL!) From the one I did, Nicole's dances are much simpler. If you prefer more complexity, you will probably get bored fast with Nicole's stuff. I sometimes like complex, and sometimes I like simple, so for me, I will definitely reach for both depending on my mood.

Cardio-wise, I think Nicole's workouts are about the same intensity. There is a lot of bouncing, hopping, kicks, etc., and it is all most high impact.

Overall, I think I'll like the cardio vids, and I'm glad I got them.

Susan · 09-10-12, 07:08 PM

Thanks for posting the review, Shelley!

hotncmom · 09-10-12, 07:46 PM

Thanks for the review! I hope a lot of other people will post their thoughts too. I have yet to find a cardio dance workout that I can pick up easily.

kitty12 · 09-10-12, 09:16 PM

I posted this in the other thread too.....

I previewed the chair routine and I really liked what I saw. I listened to the entire tutorial (approx. 12 minutes) and it was really well done. Very good tips, which is good because there seems to be little instruction in the actual workout.

I didn't really see any safety issues with the workout, as long as you have a good chair height (she did miss on that in the tutorial - my chairs would all put me at less than 90 degree angle for my knee so would likely need to use a step as a platform for stepping up to the chair). (ETA: The step up section is pretty short.)

The warm up is very fast paced - I might need to warm up on the elliptical for 5-10 minutes first! The actual workout is about 20 minutes, and with adding the warm up and cool down it makes for 30 minutes. I think as long as you are willing to go at your own pace (she moves very fast), it looks like a great workout to me! Despite the miss on chair height and the little instruction during the actual workout, I am looking forward to trying it.

I don't really think it seems like a barre workout at all. It does have some standing glute work but the overall workout is much more dancey looking and not really barre.

Oh, and they sent me duplicates!! I checked my credit card and I was only charged once.

Fit Gal · 09-10-12, 09:19 PM

You are right everyone

olala · 09-11-12, 07:16 AM

I think they will demant to send the dublicates back or they will charge for it. I really think we should send it back. I got the dublicates too.

LaurieS · 09-11-12, 08:15 AM

Got mine today---2 packages of 4 videos.

Bunny · 09-11-12, 08:30 AM

I got 2 sets yesterday...has anyone checked with customer service about sending the duplicates back? I really think that is the right thing to do here.

I previewed the towel workout and I REALLY liked what I saw. Nicole's tutorial is good. One thing I really like about this workout is the way the moves sync with the music...almost like a dance routine, but muscle sculpting. There is a rhythm to it. I can't wait to do it!

She mentions that if you don't have a slick surface, that plates or discs can be used. I will have to use discs because I'll be on carpet. For some of the exercises, I can see where using the discs will be tricky because you won't be able to put your feet together. I'm sure I'll be able to make it work though - and after a few times it won't feel awkward. This workout looks like it will be AWESOME for the abs and core.

Thanks Shelley for test driving the dance workout. Great news for anyone worried it wasn't going to be a full dance workout!

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09-10-12, 06:35 PM
ssgilby Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota	Addicted To Sweat - Previews, Reviews, Thoughts and Comments I thought I'd start a thread where we could post our thoughts from previewing and doine these workouts. Of course, if you're so inclined, also post an official review in the reviews section as well. __________________ Shelley

09-10-12, 06:56 PM
ssgilby Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota	ATS - Workout #1 Get Wet (partial) I had a bit of time to do part of ATS Workout 1 - Get Wet, which is one of the cardio videos. First there is a warm up lasting about 3.5 minutes. It consists of dynamic stretches and higher intensity moves like jacks, walks, grapevines, grapevines with turns, etc. It got my heart rate out of "fatburn" mode and into "fitness" mode. There are three combos, each consisting of a "Tutorial" section and a "Breakdown" section. The tutorial sections are very short (probably 2 minutes) and consist of Nicole breaking down the combo slowly once and then once more at a higher tempo. Basically it's like a "preview" of the combo to give you a sense of what it involves. As Christina mentioned in the other ATS thread, the "Breakdown" sections are mis-named. I just did the first combo (Step Together) breakdown, and it lasted about 12 minutes. It was high intensity from start to finish. Nicole goes through the combo section by section, adding them together. She'll have you do the first part of the combo 2-3 times and then go through the next section 2-3 times and then add them together for a couple of times, then go through the next section, add it to the others and so on. These aren't slow, "walk through" breakdowns. This is actually performing the moves at tempo with non-stop bouncing, step touches, etc. in between the sections. The majority of it is higher impact, except for some "walks" here and there. The moves are simple, and the choreography easy to pick up. The section I did consisted of step touches, walks, pivots, turns, see saws, etc. I thought it was fun. Then I did the cool down, which is 2 minutes of some dynamic stretching. I liked it! The music is good, Nicole teaches well, IMO, and the choreography was simple yet fun. The "breakdowns" are definitely a workout, and assuming all the breakdowns are around 12 minutes, if you did all three back to back plus the "Bonus Performance" section (which I've heard is about 5 min. long but I haven't previewed or done it yet), you'd get about 40 min. of high intensity cardio - add in the warm up (which, as I said is also higher intensity) and the cool down, and the workout would be around 45 minutes. The cons - Yes, the DVD does go back to the menu after every section. There is no "play all" option. A matrix would've been nice so that you could just pick the warm up, breakdowns, bonus performance and cool down, but it isn't a major deal to have to go back to the menu. You could just bounce around (if ou wanted to keep your heart rate up) while you're fiddling with your remote or use the time to walk in place to lower your heart rate a bit if you prefer, get a drink of water or whatever. Also, it might get boring after awhile to have to go through the combos chunk by chunk rather than just doing the dance straight through. I guess it depends on your patience and what you like in a dance cardio workout, but you WILL get a workout during the breakdown sections. Comparing it to Tracy Anderson's cardio - I found Nicole's dances a bit more interesting/fun than Tracy's non-choreographed stuff (the Meta, Continuity and 30-Day Method cardios - I find myself clock watching a lot during these). I'd say that Tracy's choreographed stuff is definitely more complex, and Tracy doesn't always do the best job of breaking things down. (I think we've all experienced Tracy teaching it one way during the tutorial but then doing it slightly different in the performance like adding an extra bounce or something like that, which totally throws you off. I love the Tiny One, but she can be a frustrating teacher! LOL!) From the one I did, Nicole's dances are much simpler. If you prefer more complexity, you will probably get bored fast with Nicole's stuff. I sometimes like complex, and sometimes I like simple, so for me, I will definitely reach for both depending on my mood. Cardio-wise, I think Nicole's workouts are about the same intensity. There is a lot of bouncing, hopping, kicks, etc., and it is all most high impact. Overall, I think I'll like the cardio vids, and I'm glad I got them. __________________ Shelley

09-10-12, 07:08 PM
Susan Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Exotic USA	Thanks for posting the review, Shelley! __________________ Susan

09-10-12, 07:46 PM
hotncmom Join Date: Jan 2009	Thanks for the review! I hope a lot of other people will post their thoughts too. I have yet to find a cardio dance workout that I can pick up easily.

09-10-12, 09:16 PM
kitty12 Join Date: Jan 2010	I posted this in the other thread too..... I previewed the chair routine and I really liked what I saw. I listened to the entire tutorial (approx. 12 minutes) and it was really well done. Very good tips, which is good because there seems to be little instruction in the actual workout. I didn't really see any safety issues with the workout, as long as you have a good chair height (she did miss on that in the tutorial - my chairs would all put me at less than 90 degree angle for my knee so would likely need to use a step as a platform for stepping up to the chair). (ETA: The step up section is pretty short.) The warm up is very fast paced - I might need to warm up on the elliptical for 5-10 minutes first! The actual workout is about 20 minutes, and with adding the warm up and cool down it makes for 30 minutes. I think as long as you are willing to go at your own pace (she moves very fast), it looks like a great workout to me! Despite the miss on chair height and the little instruction during the actual workout, I am looking forward to trying it. I don't really think it seems like a barre workout at all. It does have some standing glute work but the overall workout is much more dancey looking and not really barre. Oh, and they sent me duplicates!! I checked my credit card and I was only charged once.

09-10-12, 09:19 PM
Fit Gal Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: On my jumpsport!	You are right everyone

09-11-12, 07:16 AM
olala Join Date: Dec 2001	I think they will demant to send the dublicates back or they will charge for it. I really think we should send it back. I got the dublicates too.

09-11-12, 08:15 AM
LaurieS Join Date: Feb 2002	Me too! Got mine today---2 packages of 4 videos.

09-11-12, 08:30 AM
Bunny Join Date: Sep 2002	I got 2 sets yesterday...has anyone checked with customer service about sending the duplicates back? I really think that is the right thing to do here. I previewed the towel workout and I REALLY liked what I saw. Nicole's tutorial is good. One thing I really like about this workout is the way the moves sync with the music...almost like a dance routine, but muscle sculpting. There is a rhythm to it. I can't wait to do it! She mentions that if you don't have a slick surface, that plates or discs can be used. I will have to use discs because I'll be on carpet. For some of the exercises, I can see where using the discs will be tricky because you won't be able to put your feet together. I'm sure I'll be able to make it work though - and after a few times it won't feel awkward. This workout looks like it will be AWESOME for the abs and core. Thanks Shelley for test driving the dance workout. Great news for anyone worried it wasn't going to be a full dance workout!