DVD - An Exhilarating Caribbean Workout

I just finished my 1st workout. I recently lost almost 100 lbs. So I work out a lot. Not in the best shape still, but I can keep up pretty well. I wasn't winded or anything, but it was sometimes hard to keep up because there was very little preparation for the transition to the next move. However, overall it was very fun. It went by so quickly. Before I knew it the 45 minutes was done. And I timed it, so I know it was the full 45 minutes EXACTLY! The warm up was great, the cardio was great. I expected more from the upper body toning. I loved the lower body toning. The abs were challenging, but that's a good thing. Some of the stretches were a little hard to do. But it's good to be challenged and have something to work up to. It was very fun and not to mention SEXY! My advice would be to watch the whole DVD through at least once before the 1st workout and you should be fine. Will be doing this daily!

I was a little disappointed in this product not for anything having to do with the shipper or supplier. The overall format of the DVD was very disappointing to me. First, the menu was difficult to navigate through. It wouldn't allow me to skip to the type of exercise that I wanted to do. It only allowed me to go through each one at a time and there were days when I wanted something more upbeat than others and I'd have to sit through the entire ordeal. Second, there was too much gyrating going on and not enough working up a sweat. It was over-sexualized and I felt it paints a negative picture of Trinidadian fitness training. By no means were the exercises easy, but some of it just wasn't appropriate to exercise at all. If you want something fun to try with a girlfriend or party friends, this DVD is for you. If you really want to get fit, buy a real exercise video. My 6 year does these exercises with me and she giggles all through it! It says a lot to me!

I thought this was a good idea. I bought this item to break up the monotony that Zumba had become and I actually read the reviews before making my purchase. The presentation of the item was good. There is a little booklet/chart in the DVD case that show pictures breaking down some of the moves and some healthy eating tips. That being said, when it came to the DVD itself I was disappointed. My DVD player was broken and it would not play in my laptop, don't know why.When I replaced my DVD player and could finally play the disc, I immediately had issues:* the instructor just jumped in with the moves there is no breaking down of the steps that anyone with a Zumba would appreciate especially a particularly fast and complicated routine in the chutney bacchanal section* the booklet/chart is completely useless in helping to get the moves down* the cuing is poor eg she'd say "now to the right" but does a move where you alternate to the right and left* there's hardly a workout just a lot of winingI remember one reviewer saying there was no cue to get your weights, but the chart does say that there is weights needed for the toning section.All in all this was not what I was expecting, it wasn't exciting, it certainly wasn't worth the money I paid for it plus shipping and paying a freight forwarder to get it to me. I'm sorely disappointed especially as I'm stuck with something I'll probably never look at again. I DON'T recommend it. Now back to doing Zumba.

This was a great workout. I'm a beginner at this so I sometimes had trouble doing the moves just right, but from what I remember of Aerobics classes, you just do it as best as you can and keep up. You will get better. That said, I could do most of the moves, but I'm pretty sure I didn't look as graceful and smooth as the instructor. This DVD wasn't expensive. My goal was to not pay too much but still get a good workout. This met my goal. I'm sure there are fancier produced Zumba/Soca exercise DVDs but this does it for me. The instructor is up-beat and likable.

I was looking for a dance type of workout video, like Zumba. This had decent reviews so I went for it, bad choice. Not only is this a terrible workout video, it is an awful dance video. Do not, I repeat do not waste your money. If you are looking for a workout and dancing Zumba is the way to go. Two thumbs down for this one.

The instructor, I thought, is perfect. She is energetic, without any of the fake perkiness typical of many workout instructors. And the workout is tremendous, high impact and using muscles you probably have not used in other cardio workouts giving you quite the burn. One of the major pluses of this workout is that it has one of the most intense, comprehensive cooldown/stretch section I have ever personally seen in a cardio video. Most I have done are cursory at best. This minimized soreness IMO. The ab section is great and so is the upper body toning. I thought the lower body was a bit weak, but she gives your lower body a thumping in cardio so I give her a pass.Why did I dock one star? Because she is terrible at cueing. Now, note that this video does not break down steps for you so you basically start off in full speed. Thus, cueing when to shift steps or transition to the next move or what to watch out when it comes to form is extra critical. She is okay with this in the "wine and tone" sections but in the cardio sections, she is not at all helpful. You will eventually catch on to transitions (you are on your own when it comes to form, mostly) but I think cueing is a very important part of any routine, especially when you switch between workout tapes constantly, and given the high speed of this cardio routine.Key things to keep in mind:1. She does not break down steps for you, so you better be prepared to take longer learning this routine, or to pay careful attention.2. Requires a LOT of space. If you have a small crowded study you might knock over stuff.3. You need very good shoes. This is high impact. Plus, if you have knee trouble, hip trouble or ankle trouble, you might want to google the moves first to see if you can do all the jumping and wining down.