| Product: |
Ministry Of Sound: Pump It Up - The Ultimate Beach Body Workout (DVD) |
| Date: |
29/12/06 (1551 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Sexy & encouraging instructor ! Extended 15 minute Bums & Tums section, music better than 1st DVD
Disadvantages: Only one 30 minute dance section which is not as challenging as expected
A few months ago I bought 'Pump It Up! The Ultimate Dance Workout'. I bought it mainly out of curiosity as I was almost certain it'd be just another Ministry of Sound cash in - but after discovering it was the most original and fun workout DVD I'd come across I couldn't wait (a bit weird, I know!) the arrival of the follow up 'Pump It Up! Beach Body - The Ultimate Summer Workout', which I promptly received for my birthday.
PUMP IT UP BEACH BODY
Most people should still remember the sexually charged aerobic workout in Eric Prydz's 2004 'Call On Me' video. Pump It Up 'The Ultimate Dance Workout' (from now on called Pump It Up 1) was inspired by that video, and this being the follow-up DVD shares many of the same attributes. The workout will probably appeal more to a youth audience, with a preference for commercial dance music (although I'm into hardhouse & hardcore and still enjoy it). The dancers are young slim and toned, so if you're the kind of person that complains about watching 'stick thin' people dancing then don't even bother!
The workout itself has a similar structure to the first DVD in that there is an instructor in the middle at the front and dancers behind her following her instructions, although there are five backing dancers rather than six. All the dancers are different from the first DVD, ranging in age from 18-26. They are: Ashley, Steven, Janine, Danielle (Scary Spice Mel B's sister) and Vicki and are led by Fiona Fagan (backing dancer to such stars as Blue, Lisa Scott Lee, Billie, and Robbie Williams).
The workout comprises 4 main sections:
1) SUNRISE - Warm Up Section
DURATION - 7 minutes
ROUTINE - Various basic body stretches and hip rotations to the funky 'Jacques Your Body' (otherwise known as the tune from that Citroen advert where the car turns into a massive dancing robot)
WILL IT KILL ME? - Absolutely not. It's a short introduction to prepare you for the main section.
MY OPINION - It's a good short warm up which just serves to warm up your muscles sufficiently. I prefer this easy 7 minute introduction to the 12 minute one featured on Pump It Up 1 as I felt that was excessively long: with this one you're more likely to follow their advice and do the warm up each time before you do any other section of the DVD.
2) PUMP IT UP - Hi Energy Dance Section
DURATION - 30 minutes
ROUTINE - This features lots of different lunges with varied arm movements, box steps with arms, lots of sexy hip movements, basic Salsa steps (the same ones from Pump It Up 1 plus some new ones), the compulsory Call On Me pelvic thrusting routine, punches (to a different remix of the title tune, Danzel's 'Pump It Up'), high kicks, grapevines, knee lifts, and jogging between other moves.
WILL IT KILL ME? - It might make you sweat but you'll probably make it through the full 30 minutes.
MY OPINION - It's a decent little cardio workout which really raises my pulse but I feel that there is not as much to work with as there was in Pump It Up 1. I still can't complete the whole 20 minutes of that but I can get through 30 minutes of this without dropping down on the floor. Plus, there is only one 30 minute dance section on this rather than two of 20 each amounting to 40 in total on the first DVD.
3) GET BUFF - Bums, Tums and Thighs Section
DURATION - 15 minutes
ROUTINE - This extended bums, tums and thighs section has everything you'd expect - sit ups and press ups amongst other lunges, stretches and leg raises whilst lying on your side. The sit ups last for the duration of one whole song - however, the whole experience is made a little more interesting by Fiona varying both the type of sit up and the pace. For example, sometimes you're doing normal sit ups, sometimes you're twisting as you come up, and sometimes you're doing different things with your legs.
WILL IT KILL ME? - Most likely!
MY OPINION - I believe that the sit ups and press ups will help to tone but I don't feel that there was enough work on the bum despite the section being 15 minutes long. However, it is quite a good stand-alone toning exercise if you've only got a short time to exercise that day and don't really feel like jumping around. The thing I like most is that although the bum toning isn't really long enough it gives me an idea of the exercises needed to tone so I can do them without the DVD in my own time.
4) SUNSET - Cool Down Section
DURATION - 5 minutes
ROUTINE - A couple of yoga style poses - the Cobra, which involves stretching out your stomach while lying on your front; and the Cat, which is balancing on all fours and arching then humping your back. There are also various leg stretches.
WILL IT KILL ME? - Not in the slightest. It's a soothing end to the workout.
MY OPINION - The cooldown on Pump It Up 1 was good because it was thorough and you could do it alone as a short yoga exercise if you wanted but I guess this one is better as an actual cool down because it's shorter, while still including the necessary stretches. As it's shorter people will probably be encouraged to do it more often to avoid muscle strain (although I very rarely do it myself…)
CONTENTS OF THE DVD
As is standard with all exercise videos there are warnings at the beginning which you can't skip through. Read them thoroughly once and then after that just put the DVD on while you go and change into your outfit and get a drink.
Once it's loaded up there are several options:
- Play workout - This features a short intro with Fiona Fagan saying a bit about her dancing and then explaining what the workout will be like. It automatically leads on to play the whole workout in order.
- Skip to routine - This goes to a sub menu where you can choose which of the four sections you'd like to complete. At the end of each section it automatically leads onto the next unless you choose to go back to the menu.
- Extra stuff - Here is a 'Making Of Mini Documentary'. It's longer than the one on Pump It Up 1 and is actually interesting to watch once. It shows short clips of the auditions, choosing of costumes, rehearsals and the actual shoot in the red hot sun! Also in this section are instructions on how to get dance ringtones.
- Videos - Features five full length dance videos: Max Graham vs Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart, Cabin Crew - Star To Fall, Studio B - I See Girls, Angel City - Sunrise and Dana Rayne - Object Of My Desire.
- Options - This gives you the choice of listening to the whole soundtrack without the workout playing (just has a Pump It Up logo and picture on the screen) or playing the workout without Fiona Fagan's instructions with the 'commentary off' option which is no doubt useful if you're a pervy old bloke who's bought it to look at some lovely young ladies!
WHAT I DO
I only have about two metres square to practise this in but it's not really a problem. Ideally you'd have more but it's quite possible within this space as most of the moves are done in one spot. I have my DVD wired up to my hi-fi to make the music more enjoyable.
I think that this DVD requires as much dancing skill/co-ordination as Pump It Up 1 - and in my opinion it doesn't include any moves that would be too challenging for anyone who can do a bit of dancing already. With Pump It Up 1 I used to set a timer for 20 minutes and then skip through different parts of each section, but as there is less choice with this DVD I tend to do it differently. If I don't feel like dancing around then I'll do 15 minutes of toning exercise with the Bums, Tums and Thighs section. If I do feel like dancing then I'll either set my timer to 20 minutes and skip through different parts of the Dance Section (maybe starting near the end then skipping to the beginning) or just do the whole 30 minutes. I very rarely do the warm up and cool down because I haven't injured myself yet and so can't really be bothered.
If you have a yoga mat or some non slip mat it's a good idea to use this in the Bums and Tums section because it can chafe your knees a bit if you're doing lady press ups (on your knees) whilst balancing on carpet.
I like to complete this in the morning about an hour after breakfast (any sooner and it makes me feel a bit ill). I generally wear hotpants and vest or bra, sometimes with a sweatband to keep my hair out my eyes. I wouldn't really recommend wearing trousers because it restricts your movement in some of the dance moves. When I'm finished I jump in a nice cool shower!
OVERALL VERDICT
It would be interesting to read a review on this from anyone who'd not tried the original Pump It Up DVD because anyone who has done it is probably biased towards liking this as it was so great. I wouldn't say that this was a total disappointment but I think I expected a little more for my money given the content of the first one. Granted, this included an extended toning section but I felt that this was a bit to the detriment of the Dance Section (I suppose this is reflected in the lower RRP but I'd rather pay the same price for more action!) The 30 minute Dance Section was in no way poor or lacking but I felt that I wanted another 10-20 minutes for my money - maybe I'm just greedy?! I also found this DVD a lot less challenging than the first as I can only just (panting and sweating) complete the 20 minute Hi Energy Dance Section on that yet I can complete 30 minutes on this with a lot less discomfort. It would be great if sold in a double pack with the first DVD because that really would be a complete body workout.
The DVD was filmed in the blistering heat of Miami Beach which makes the backdrop really uplifting to look at, and will probably be even more so when I'm dancing to this in the rainy English winter. When I first whacked the DVD on I found energetic Fiona mildly irritating because I was used to the slightly calmer Deanne Berry, but on reflection I think she was told to say certain things on the DVD and I have grown to love her and her "LET'S HAVE IT!!" outbursts. I have seen a few reviews of this DVD here and there of people complaining about Fiona spending too much time looking sexy and telling the viewer to look sexy rather than just working out, but I like that because it's supposed to be a sexy dance workout and it makes it more enjoyable. I think Fiona leads group well and for the most part her instruction is fine. However, I would say that Deanne Berry's instruction was clearer and easier to follow on the first DVD as you occasionally have to use your initiative with Fiona.
I think this DVD would be great for anyone who liked the first DVD as I feel it's more of an addition than a stand alone product. It would also be good if you had another cardiovascular workout DVD which pushes you but doesn't focus on toning specific parts. It's definitely important that you like the music because otherwise it could really put you off doing the workout.
If you are making a comparison between this DVD and the original Pump It Up in order to only buy one then I'd recommend the first one over this because there is more content to maintain your interest in the long term. But if you've got the first and are a bit tired of parts of it then this is a great refresher as I also find the tunes on this one more enjoyable than the last. One thing that I thought was definitely a bit better than the last was that it seemed a bit more personal. In the inside inlay cover there was a small 'Meet The Dancers' section where they had a picture and a few little comments from each dancer, which was a small addition but I liked it as it made them seem more human!
It retails at £14.99 but you should be able to find it cheaper online if you do a bit of research. Many people may not like the style of dancing but it's right up my street. I can't really take a star off for the reduced amount of dancing because the RRP was lower due to this and it was marketed as a toning DVD so I think it'll do that if you stick at it!
Entire tracklisting:
Les Rhythmes Digitales - Jacques Your Body (Make Me Sweat)
Studio B - I See Girls
Cabin Crew - Star To Fall
Max Graham vs Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart
Axwell - Feel The Vibe
Eric Prydz - Call On Me
Danzel - Pump It Up
DJ Sammy - Why
Angel City - Sunrise
Dana Rayne - Object Of My Desire
Paul Johnson - She Got Me On
Lee Cabrera - I Watch you
Deepest Blue - Give It Away
WOSP - Getting Into You
Schiller - Das Glockenspiel
Summary: A good toning/dance workout with (mostly) easy to follow dance moves
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