Cardio Barre: Ultimate Advanced DVD

I'm a huge fan of my local Cardio Barre studio in Hollywood, especially the advanced classes, so figured this would be a great DVD for me to do at home and when I travel. The studios are so sleek and modern that I gotta say I was pretty shocked by how cheesy the creator of Cardio Barre is who leads this DVD and, yes the music truly is horrible. I actually had to check the year on it because it seemed so 90s aerobics inspired (copyright 2008, so there is no excuse). However, if you can get past all of that cheese and Mr. Giorla's cliche motivational phrases ("quitters never win and winners never quit!") it is the same great workout that I love from the studio and damn good sweat from the comfort of your home. Using a chair is a little tricky vs. the ballet bar I'm used to from class, but works ok and I think I'll get used to it. Don't feel very cool doing this workout (as compared to the Pop Physique DVDs which make me feel pretty sexy), but it gets the job done.

I have tried several ballet workouts that did not make me perspire, tracey mallets workout that hurt my knees, and other barre workouts. I used to exercise with THE FIRM WORKOUT CLASSICS, but now that I am older, I can't do that running and jumping without hurting me. This workout made me sweat. I love the fast pace workout, its not boring. I love the result! I got my waistline back. My husband told me that I shrunk. I am a curvy woman and being 46 years old is not bad. This workout works for me and I am very grateful. I usually don't write reviews, but I do believe that the creator of this workout deserves a shoutout of THANK YOU! I got my groove back. How I wish I can show you my legs! Thanks Richard Giorla.

This workout would be great if the music wasn't so horrific and outdated- a repetitive jazz beat. The instructor's constant prompts, encouragements and individual shout outs by name to each ballet babe behind him gets VERY annoying. However, the prompts are somewhat necessary because each exercise keeps building to become humorously frantic and jarring. The instructors running commentary about "being a winner and not being a looser" and "going for your goals and not giving up...yada yada" were cliche, boring, and mindless background chatter. I strongly encourage you to turn the sound way down and put on your own music if you're going to do this workout!The toning and ballet inspired moves are effective and challenging overall if you can ride out the pace without tearing something. The arm section using 1 Lb weights was not very creative and again done in a whirlwind of crazy hurried movements that seemed unnecessarily fast. The mat work and leg toning felt great and were done at the right pace. I prefer Tracy Anderson's Mat workout over this since she selects awesome music that is actually enjoyable to listen to, and offers many of the same toning benefits as this claims to deliver. I've done this DVD twice now and find its many quirks just too annoying to push through. I'm putting this one back on the shelf.

I can't say this workout is "fun", because it's so fast, it's kind of jarring compared to most ballet workouts, but it's very effective and will get you the cardio and toning you need in minimal time. I'm an advanced exerciser and my goal is to maintain a lithe and lean dancer's physique as opposed to a muscular gym rat body. I've been practicing Tracy Anderson's method but like to alternate with other DVDs every other day. To do Tracy Anderson's high impact dance workout as part of the cardio requirements daily is too hard on the joints and I need variety between her mat workouts to help with boredom. This Cardio Barre incorporates the same principles by repeatedly working the smaller accessory muscles that sculpt a lean body. It's a very rigorous yet low-impact workout that will definitely make you sweat, keeping you challenged, and I think pleased with the results. I also highly recommend Jennifer Galardi's Ballet Body and Elise Gulan's Ballet Conditioning as well as Cathe's MMA::fusion DVDS for cardio, as they really work the core and use a lot of lateral moves while not over-developing the larger muscle muscle groups.

This was a very different workout and I did not have to modify much in it. I am a former athlete with a spinal disc injury. I usually find exercise programs either not challenging enough or much too impactful on bones/joints etc.....in order for them to get my heartrate up or work muscles. I did not have any of those issues with this program. Richard is funny.....obviously a classic dancer...and I appreciated that...given my background as a competitive athlete. It is NOT for the faint of heart...so beware....if you want something easy - Do NOT get this....if you want a challenge that is easy to work with and does not cause undo stress on joints...this is for you! Enjoy!

I recently moved out of the country, from Los Angeles CA to Aruba, and it is so nice that Cardio Barre offers dvds. I loved working out at the Studio City location and really missed the girls, energy, and pure fun that this workout offerers. It was so nice to see my former instructors instructing me on this at home dvd! It was so nice finding this dvd. I am here in Aruba and am still getting the great workout that I use to get in the classes. This was a great buy and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to tone up, burn fat, and feel great!

I really enjoy this dvd. I use it when I want to get some cardio in for the day and I don't feel like going on the treadmill.Pros:-As the dvd promised, there's no jumping or similar strenuous moves.-Lot of repetition which I like and I generally enjoy barre workouts.Cons:-Some of the movements are too quick that I'm not sure if the movements are effective for me.Some people complain of the music, but I don't really notice because I'm concentrating on the workout. I recommend this dvd to people who want a fast paced, cardio and love barre workouts.

Richard Giorla Dancer, Choreographer, has created the most advanced ballet workout yet! its excellent, the DVD is like going to a dance studio in your own home, you workout with a class of about 10 dancers and Richard's instructions are clear and very precise to get the most out of the workout, its great fun while you burn serious calories. I would really recommend this DVD to anyone wanting to improve their cardio without impact on joints, elongate their muscles and get into serious shape. The ultimate Advanced Cardio Barre is not suited to people who have not done some form of Pilates or ballet conditioning before, as the dance based exercises must be performed corrrectly, I would recommmend his earlier DVD Cardio Barre with a beginnners and intermediate workouts included which are excellent.

Expensive dvd for what you get! Don’t be fooled thinking you get multiple different workouts on the one dvd! You just get ONE and only same workout that’s split into “workouts” not impressed! Waste of money!