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Old 06-01-10, 03:04 PM  
fuzzie
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Leah Sarago: Ballet Body online videos

These workouts have been discussed here and there on the forum so I thought I would start a new thread for us to share reviews and impressions. Here is the Leah's web site with a preview and an explanation of how the subscription works: http://www.balletbody.com/Online_Video_Workouts.html

A brief overview of the workouts available so far:

Month 1:

Basic Abdominal Series 1 - A solid abs workout focusing on the C-curve with a definite pilates feel.

Basic Plank Series 1 - Lots of plank variations (on hands, on forearms, different leg positions and movement).

Basic Plié Series 1 - First and second position plié variations: full range, pulses, hold, tucks, etc.

Plie Parallel Combo 1 - Thigh series with tons of plié variations in V-position and parallel position. She includes some interesting balance challenges.

Month 2:

Plié Lunge Combo 1 - A dynamic little workout that combines pliés (V-position) and static lunge variations (for example, she does a static lunge moving the upper body from an upright position to a hinge position which transfers the work from the thighs to the glutes - neat!).

Anatomy Focus: Glutes - Begins with one-legged squats variations, then moves into creative foldover work (including an awesome variations where you hinge back and squeeze back up to really intensify the work in the standing leg), and finishes with a tough little floor series (hip lifts).

Upper Body Circular Movement - Floor exercises using you own body weight (think planks, pushups and triceps dips with a circular motion) and standing work with very light weights (again performing circular movements). It reminded me of a more controlled and structured version of TA's stuff... and it is TOUGH!

Side Lunge Plié Inner Thighs - Dynamic workout that focuses on second position plié variations and side lunges with leg lifts. There is a great mix of large range movement and challenging small pulses.


Some general thoughts...

Production:
  • This is not a fancy production. Due to Leah's professionalism, it does not feel amateurish but more like having your personal trainer send you a follow-along workout.
  • The workouts are filmed in what looks like a living room but in an email exchange Leah mentioned that in the near future the workouts will be filmed in a studio. The camera angles were effective and you can clearly see what she does.
  • In the first 4 workouts, Leah cues "live" and the more recent ones are voice-over. I thought the sound quality was much better in the voice-over; not everyone cas do this well but Leah is really great at it, as she demonstrated in the Ruah DVDs (she says she plans to continue with voice-over in the future).
  • There is no music. I was a little bummed about that initially but I added my own and found it actually better than having the "soft" music typically used in barre workouts. Again, the voice-over makes it easier to play your own music without her voice being drowned.

Workouts:
  • The workouts flow very well and they include lots of interesting twists on barre moves as well as some new moves that are more a fusion of ballet-pilates-yoga. I really like that Leah includes lots of balance moves.
  • The workouts in the first month were solid intermediate but not advanced. IMO the workouts in month 2 are way more challenging. I put my three favorite segments (the last three) into a 30-minute workout when I was short on time and found it very thorough.

Instructor:
IMO Leah is the highlight of these workouts. She is truly a professional and you can tell that she has a solid background in dance and fitness. She has a lovely voice, cues clearly and demonstrates exquisite form.


Overall these are winners for me. They are great little add-ons and I look forward to collecting more in the future and stringing them together into longer workouts. I must say it's really fun to get an email saying that new workouts have been added to the library and to have something new and fresh to look forward to.
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Old 06-01-10, 03:18 PM  
olala
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Great review Fuzzie!

I am hooked to those workouts. I am waiting for core/abs. Leah Sarago is very professional and gives a lots of form pointers.
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Old 06-01-10, 03:56 PM  
saffron
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Toronto
... so if I subscribe today I'll get the 4 workouts for June as well as access to the previous two months?
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Old 06-01-10, 04:48 PM  
glamgal
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Location: Dallas, TX
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Old 06-01-10, 05:30 PM  
pcramer
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Just signed up also, you get all the workouts!!!

Thanks Fuzzie for another great recommendation

(still trying to figure out how to save them on my RealPlayer....)
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Old 06-02-10, 09:19 AM  
azuniga
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
I hadn't thought of making it into one workout, I've just been adding them after my P57 workouts. Thanks for the tip! Her plank series is still challenging for me.
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Old 06-07-10, 01:57 PM  
fuzzie
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Workout #9 was released last week and I had a chance to try it over the weekend:

Side Plank Shoulders Obliques Sides: This workout is ALL about side planks and it works the shoulders and obliques thoroughly. It begins with about 1 minute of prone planks with shoulder protraction and retraction to warm up. You then moves to several side plank variations - on the knees and full side planks; on elbow and on hand; lifting the hips up and down, pulsing and holding still; changing leg position (including a challenging passé and développé position). This was pretty tough! I like the fact that Leah broke the sequence - doing a few moves on one side and then on the other - so that we can make the workout shorter (7:45 minutes, 10:30 minutes or the full 12 minutes) if we are short on time or if we need to work up to the full workout.

A nice surprise: There was a pleasant background music in this one! The email said it might not always be included in future workouts but I really enjoyed it.

Anyone else tried it?
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Old 06-11-10, 11:18 AM  
azuniga
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
I just downloaded it. I'll let you know what I think. I hadn't downloaded my workouts for the past two weeks!
*just got an email saying that the new workout is available: Abdominals: Reach and Stretch Focus. Sounds good!
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Old 06-26-10, 12:59 PM  
fuzzie
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Has anyone been using these workouts? Here are some thoughts on the most recent releases:

Workout #10 - Abdominals: Stretch and Reach Focus (12:36)
Filmed indoor by a staircase; no music. Begins with a short series of pelvic tucks to establish the tuck. Then, keeping the tuck, you move into small pulsing curl variations. Next is a move where you lift the legs up toward the ceiling and pull them in (like a hip lift but without lifting the hips off the floor - the idea is to resist isometrically with the abs while the legs move). Back to small pulsing curls focusing on the obliques. The workout keeps alternating between moves focusing on upper abs (small pulsing curls) and lower abs (moving legs). Concludes with a brief, 45-second stretch.

Workout #11 - Yoga Fusion Flow: Thighs and Glutes (16:40)
I LOVE this workout! It is filmed on a dock by the lake (beautiful!) without music) and consists of 8 minutes standing work and 8 minutes floor work. The standing work is a dynamic, flowing yoga-fusion series with some unique moves (e.g., from chair pose you raise on the toes and do small pulsing pliés). The floor work is more pilates-inspired with 6 minutes of interesting and challenging pelvic tuck variations and finishing with hip extensions on all fours. There is almost no stretching here but the next workout is the perfect complement...

Workout #12 - Stretching on the Water (14:07)
This workout is filmed in the same location as #11. I had been hoping Leah would do a stretching workout and she really delivers with this one! The workout is definitely yoga-based and includes both dynamic and static stretches. The emphasis is on the lower body and Leah offers more advanced variations throughout the workout. I really enjoyed this and I would love for Leah to offer a similar stretching workout but with more of a ballet emphasis.
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Old 06-26-10, 02:28 PM  
bee
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Join Date: Jul 2008
No, haven't done any, but I'm intrigued so I keep following your thread. Does she still live in Franklin, TN, do you know? I think one of them moved away, correct? The only reason why I ask is that I used to live near there and we had a boat on a lake and I wonder if that's where it was filmed! It was when I was a kid, so I'm not sure I could say it was "really pretty" -- in fact, I'm pretty sure it wasn't hugely scenic, but I may have been oblivious.
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