Review Classical Stretch 2009 series

[Colleen]

Classical Stretch: 2009 series, part 1

So far, I've liked all of the episodes I've tried. Mini-reviews for the first 4 episodes are listed below. I'll write an overview when I've done the entire series, and I will send in the entire review when it's finished. This will take some time!


601: arms and posture

equipment: mat

This workout has chapters for the standing (12:30) and floor (10:30) sections.

Miranda is on the beach near the water on a mostly sunny day. She is filmed from different camera angles, showing either the water behind her or the shoreline with some trees off to the side. She is wearing a green V-neck top with black pants. Miranda’s microphone is a bit close, so you can occasionally hear her breathing (minor complaint).

The arm work begins after the warmup, and it’s a fairly long arm work section for a TV episode. The full body flowing stretch is next, and it is especially nice for the upper body (lots of upper body stretches). The floor work begins with exercises for the ankles and feet. Seated leg lifts are next, then Miranda stretches out the quads, hips, and hip flexors. The workout ends with exercises and stretches for the abs and back, plus a brief seated side stretch.

warmup 2:20
arms 3:20
flowing stretch 6:40
seated: feet, ankles, and leg lifts 2:20
seated: pigeon series 2:30
abs 3:40
cobra, back exercises and stretch 1:40
seated stretch 0:20



602: leg sculpting

equipment: mat

This workout has chapters for the standing (11:30) and floor (11:20) sections.

Miranda is on the beach with the ocean behind her and some trees on either side. She is wearing a dark blue top with black pants.

After the warmup, Miranda does plies and then adds arm movements and stretches to the plies. The standing part of the workout ends with a flowing stretch with plenty of upper body stretches and lunges for the legs. Floor work is next. This includes side sit-ups, inner thigh exercises, and ab exercises. The ab work includes plenty of toe dips. Supine stretches for the lower body are next. The workout ends with seated leg lifts and circles, followed by seated stretches with the legs extended.

3:10 warmup
2:20 plie series
5:50 flowing stretch
2:40 side-lying exercises
3:10 abs
3:10 supine stretch
1:10 seated leg lifts
1:00 seated stretch



603: lose a pant size

equipment: mat

This workout has chapters for the standing (11:50) and floor (11:10) sections.

This workout was filmed in a room with a colorful chaise flanked by floor lamps and sheer curtains that let the light in. I liked the set so I did not miss the usual outdoor scenery. Miranda is wearing an ivory v-neck top with black capris.

After the warmup, Miranda does a series of standing leg lifts and leg circles that work the legs and challenge balance. The standing section of the workout ends with a full body flowing stretch. The floor section begins with abs. For this workout, Miranda does basic crunches and focuses on keeping the abs contracted and the torso lengthened as you lower. The workout ends with seated stretches, including a pigeon series and neck stretches.

warmup 1:50
leg lifts 3:10
flowing stretch 6:30
abs 2:50
supine stretch 3:00
seated stretch 5:20



604: hips and groin

equipment: mat

This workout has chapters for the standing (12:50) and floor (9:50) sections.

Miranda, Sahra, and Brandon are on a deck with the ocean and some trees in the background. Miranda is wearing a pink jacket with black capris. Sahra is wearing a maroon camisole top with black capris. Brandon is wearing a maroon t-shirt with black shorts.

Following a warmup, the workout begins with plies and knee bends. Next, you hold the plie position and do alternating heel lifts, shifting the weight onto the ball of the foot and then pressing the heel back down to work the ankles. The plie series ends with plie holds while lifting both heels at the same time. The standing section ends with a full body flow stretch. The floor section begins with side-lying exercises, including side sit-ups and leg lifts for the inner and outer thigh. The workout ends with seated stretches, including a pigeon series and cobbler’s pose.

warmup 2:40
plie series 4:00
flow stretch 5:50
side-lying exercises 5:10
seated stretch 4:40

[videofit]

Thanks for writing this. Please cut and paste on the "official" New Reviews page for future reference. There are so many Classical Stretch threads that it will eventually get lost.

[toaster]

Mmm, Colleen, I think you are making me lean more towards this series...even though I am not big on doing a lot of abs work, I do like toe touches, love pigeon, and cant' resist neck stretches!

[sundari]

Thanks Colleen. So far I've liked 2009 much better than 2008. The scenery and music are so much better.

[kelsey211]

Originally Posted by sundari

Thanks Colleen. So far I've liked 2009 much better than 2008. The scenery and music are so much better.

Ditto. I this new series. IMO it's more intense than the other series and Miranda explains so much better than in her other workouts. This series is such a bargain with all you get for the price.

Colleen, you're awesome for taking the time to post a summary of each one of the episodes. Your summaries will help me piece together some great workouts.

[fuzzie]

Colleen - Thank you so much for these detailed reviews! I am thinking about purchasing the 2009 series and this is very useful.

Susie - Your comment about the greater intensity in this series is pushing me off the fence...

One question: Is the ab work in this series the typical crunch-based stuff Miranda does in her other DVDs?

[Keepfitgirl]

Colleen, thanks for doing this. I was going to get the 2008 series before 2009 but now I'm thinking I'll do it the other way round!

Emma

[Colleen]

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I'll keep working on this, but it's going to take a while to finish! Now that I've done more 2009 episodes I'd agree that overall the 2009 series is more intense than 2008.

Fuzzie - Yes, for the most part Miranda's ab work is the same as in her other DVDs. I think I saw a new exercise here and there, but they are still crunch variations.

[rockette]

Originally Posted by Colleen

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I'll keep working on this, but it's going to take a while to finish! Now that I've done more 2009 episodes I'd agree that overall the 2009 series is more intense than 2008.

Fuzzie - Yes, for the most part Miranda's ab work is the same as in her other DVDs. I think I saw a new exercise here and there, but they are still crunch variations.

More intense? What exactly is worked more intensely? Now I want this even more. Thanks for your reviews.

[toaster]

Colleen, where are you??? Just kidding--I know you've been busy! As you know, I did purchase Part 1 of this season, and I've tried 3 episdoes from Disc 2 so far. When I finish Disc 2 (which I may be able to do by the end of the weekend--we'll see!), I'll post a review of all 7 of those episodes here and then start working on Disc 1!