Ballet Body Rotation Thoughts & Questions

[Lannette]

1. Have you ever done and completed or not completed the BB DVD rotation? If you didn’t complete it, what changed your mind? If you did complete it, what kept you going?

2. Do you mix BB downloads or DVDs with other non-BB WOs? If yes, how?

So here’s my deal. I’ve completed 11 weeks of the rotation. I just finished week 2 of Phase 3. I’m noticing a mild sense of deep fatigue and some signs of light overtraining. This isn’t the first time during the rotation that I’ve felt these things. I persisted and was fine because it improved.

I think in the back of my mind I’m also resisting doing the same 4 wos for another 6 weeks!

So I’m thinking it through but would hate to bag it if others had experienced the same and had it get better by continuing on.

I searched extensively and couldn’t come up with a thread where someone talked about the trials and tribulations of finishing THIS rotation.

Any thoughts you have are much appreciated.

[Lannette]

The lack of replies kind of tells me what I needed to know.

[slockhart]

Hi there!
I have purchased the Ballet Body II but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. As much as I love Leah, there is a dread factor. IDK if it's the lack of music or what, but I can't find the motivation to do these on a consistent basis. I also subscribed to her streaming for a couple of months but gave that up. The workouts are good, but I didn't like having to repeat the same one two or three times in a row.
Stacey

[Lannette]

Stacey, thank you so much for responding and sharing your experience. I’m sure the repetition is part of the problem for me. That and my love for other wos.

I’ve benefited immensely and I don’t want to lose those benefits. My back body is much stronger, my back and SI joint feel more tightly knit and aren’t at all prone to “going out.” My shoulders, collarbones and sternal area are more balanced too.

I’m considering taking an early active rest week but have a really strong feeling that I won’t be able to convince myself to continue once the week ends.

I need to come up with a way to weave BB into my other fitness activities in a way that sustains these great improvements without creating boredom or dread. I need to find the “baby bear” dose that’s just right.

[fatkat555]

Hi! I have almost all her workouts via download when they were available for purchase and I have her streaming as well. I like her workouts; however, I could never do a full rotation of them simply because I’ve learned that rotations cause burnout in me. I love to mix and match. My only issue with her workouts, and I find this to be a personal issue and applies to other systems as well, is I enjoy full body 45-minute to an hour long workouts. Having to stop after doing upper body and then starting another frustrates me because my heart rate drops and my mind says “you’re done”. Most of Leah’s workouts are upper, core, or lower body focused and Suzanne Bowen has many for streaming this way as well. Just my .02. I think Leah’s workouts are solid, just wish she had more full body options.

[Honeydew]

I completed periodization system 1 several times. repetition did not bother me and I think it helped build up strength. I got into my best shape ever with this rotation, but I really struggled through the last time I did it.

[prettyinpink]

I have done both periodization systems a few times, but it’s probably been about three years since I did one straight through. The second system has a DVD rotation for the second month. You do each DVD once (not total body, but maybe that one wasn’t out when the rotation was put together) and then one day with downloads. I always enjoyed that month, but I know I would have a hard time doing only the DVDs for four months straight.

For the past eight months or so I have mixed Iron Barre with some other workouts, and for the past three months I have done IB three or four times per week, adding in a single Ballet Body download and/or Pilates once or twice a week. Or sometimes I will do a Tracie Long day, or another barre workout. I like that the Ballet Body downloads are segments that can be mixed and matched so easily.

What has been surprising to me is that when I have done a day of several lower body BB downloads, it can actually be more fatiguing than the Iron Barre workouts which have some similar exercises, but with weights. My guess is that this is because the BB often have more repetitions, but especially because with bodyweight only, I am probably stretching into the movement even more and getting more eccentric contraction. But that is just a guess. The same is true with some of the movements for the back, my lats can be more tired with the Ballet Body than with Iron Barre or other weighted workouts, even when I am going as heavy as I reasonably can. Though I am thinking that maybe that has something to do with my form and that I activate lats better with the bodyweight work.

[kittybug]

Reviving this old thread because I just recently started incorporating Leah's BB DVDs into my mix and goodness, they are HARD, but that's why I want to keep going. I can totally understand the dread factor though and am wondering, Lannette, how on earth you got to Phase 3 (and maybe beyond) of that rotation???

Just for reference, I'm only doing each DVD one time per week and mixing with other workouts. So on Sundays I like to do longer workouts, and I've been combining the BB upper and lower, then on Monday I do a short cardio with the core workout. Tuesdays is some kind of Cathe circuit workout. Wednesday is BB Total Body, Thursday is some kind of Cathe leg workout, and Friday is some kind of cardio. I want to stick with this for a while but after just a few weeks, I'm already developing a bit of dread!

Lannette, were you able to continue on or did you have success mixing in other workouts or...where are you at now, hah? Just curious!!

[Lannette]

Well right now I’m actually recovering from a neck injury - unrelatedly to fitness!
If you go to my blog, HERE, you should be able to see my notes from the rotation. I didn’t finish and it’s reflected in my notes there, as are the benefits I saw and the challenges of following the rotation. For a while I continued weaving Leah’s WOs into my schedule but eventually fell away from them. Then we did Yin Yoga as a family and then a slip wrenched my neck and shoulder.

It’s funny that you should revive this thread today. My neck is much better, the disc is no longer bulging so my left arm is back in business. I’ve been slowly progressing my exercise and thought about adding Leah’s pregnancy WO.

[kittybug]

Originally Posted by Lannette

Well right now I’m actually recovering from a neck injury - unrelatedly to fitness!
If you go to my blog, HERE, you should be able to see my notes from the rotation. I didn’t finish and it’s reflected in my notes there, as are the benefits I saw and the challenges of following the rotation. For a while I continued weaving Leah’s WOs into my schedule but eventually fell away from them. Then we did Yin Yoga as a family and then a slip wrenched my neck and shoulder.

It’s funny that you should revive this thread today. My neck is much better, the disc is no longer bulging so my left arm is back in business. I’ve been slowly progressing my exercise and thought about adding Leah’s pregnancy WO.

Oh, wow! I'm so sorry about the injury, ug!! I know all too well how that feels. I hurt my SI joint some years ago and it took a long time to get to where I am now with feeling like I'm 'back in business'...which is another reason I want to continue these types of workouts, because they help! I'll check out your blog, thank you!

I was just looking at the pregnancy workout and it actually looks great, pregnant or not. I wasn't aware of it before now...is it comparable to her other BB workouts or less intense or...?