Angela Griffin Dance Mix Workout (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Educational Value	Good
How good are the presenters?	Standard
How good is the content?	Excellent
Value for Money	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Works and is fun !
Disadvantages:	Repeatative

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Now I am not someone who has the confidence to go sweat it out in the gym a few times a week, or even worse, go jogging along the pavement. I'm sure there are loads of you out there who prefer to exercise privately, and on their own, where the only person who can see all your wobbly imperfect bits- is you! That's why this work out DVD from Angela Griffin seemed like the perfect answer! I paid £18 for it from HMV (would not pay any more than that, but I couldn't find it any cheaper! You will recognise Angela from TV soaps including Holby City and Cutting It. The reason this workout DVD appealed to me more than say, the Jordan Workout, was because I could identify with Angela; she comes across as a far more real person than the super cleavagy and super-skinny Jordan.

The front of the DVD case is very eye-catching and stimulating, and really pulls you in to want to take up this form of exercising (I mean, how many million work out DVDs does there need to be!?). The cool bold writing shows you that this is the dance mix work out DVD, with a very toned Angela wearing an ultra trendy Punky Fish workout outfit. We learn how she 'dance away 2 stone in 2 months' and on the back there is a very convincing before and after shot, which was enough to convince me that I could look like this!

Angela teamed up with personal trainer Nicky Wybrow to put together a workout programme, they did it together for 2 months, and after Angela lost 2 stone, they filmed it to make this DVD!

The main menu on the DVD goes like this :
-Play DVD
-Play workout
-Chapter selection
-Extras

When I first got the DVD I wanted to learn as much as possible, so I sat down and selected the 'play DVD' option (well duh) and it took me through Angela's story how she wanted to lose weight in a fun and effective way and obviously proves the results. OK then, the intro wasn't amazing, so I got on my exercise gear and went to chapter selection and selected warm up. The play workout option on the DVD literally plays through the whole work out- the warm up, the pop section, hip hop section, salsa section and then the cool down. This work out is for those who want more of an intense workout. The main way to do the DVD is select the warm up, then once that's done it goes back to the chapter selection, where you can select your main dance workout, and then when one of those is done you can then go back and select the warm up.

WARM UP
This launches into some poppy up beat music (the DVD doesn't actually give the track names used) and then the screen changes to Angela and Nicky (in their colour matching designer outfits of course!) standing on a stage in front of a giant screen with lots of swirly patterns. I could pretty much do the warm up from memory now, because the routine is pretty short and it's repeated lots of times! Nicky shows a new move, does it a few times, adds it to all the previous moves, then compact it, then do it all to the right, then to the left, then back to the right again. Personally I'd rather a longer routine repeated less. But it's a very good warm up with an interesting variety of moves and you really don't notice how quickly it gets your heart rate going and you're all warm before you even notice.

POP WORKOUT
This is the easiest of the main workouts. I didn't recognise any of the pop music used, but the routine is a lot of fun and does use some routines, especially a certain Bootyliscious move! The moves are repeated a lot, but not as much as the warm up, which is good! The moves work on all areas of the body, and the best part is, you genuinely don't notice you're working out, you only realise when you stop and think about it…'hey, I'm actually sweating!' It's also very good for working out the arms.

HIP HOP WORKOUT
This is my favourite routine! One of the reasons it's my favourite is because it's one big routine- not a few moves which are condensed and then repeated on the left and the right a good few times. You learn how to march hip-hop style and some the moves are easily recognisable from your favourite hip-hop artists, such as the brushing off the shoulder move, but I'll let you find out more about that! This DVD has got its priority spot on, because the moves are fun to do and keep you engaged, so it honestly doesn't feel like working out. Also, anyone of any level of working out experience and stamina can do this- is the move is too hard for you, you can do it half speed , and if you don't feel worked out enough- just repeat a workout!

SALSA WORKOUT
Now this one is the hardest and really focuses on the thighs and arms. When salsa marching you have to keep your arms up near your shoulders- flamenco style and twist your legs and waist round, with lots of killer twist style moves- trying to do the salsa march whilst going down to a squat then going back up again. Trust me, it burns! However, this work out would suit those with more of a flair and showy off side because there is so much emphasis on getting the expressive arms, and you don't notice (again) but it's very effective and much more fun then just doing lots of repeated movements, aerobic style.

COOL DOWN
Don't think you're allowed to relax in this! You do lots of stretches so there's no danger of hurting yourself or being stiff and achy the next day and it's a chance for you to get your breath back and your heartbeat back to normal. And the next killer area- working on the stomach! First time I did this it burnt sooooo much! I really did feel sick. But it was such a good feeling when I was working out and before I knew it, I'd managed to keep up with the whole sit up sequence, and the sicky feelings had gone, so I knew that positive things were happening. Nicky also focuses on making sure you don't hurt yourself whatsoever- there's lots of spine curling!

The banter between Nicky and Angela can get really annoying- but that's the consequence of having a DVD that you're going to repeat a lot! The workout of warm up, one dance mix and the cool down lasts approximately 35 minutes, with every extra dance workout adding about 12 minutes. And yes, the DVD does work! Everywhere is more toned and I certainly have a much flatter stomach :D I also have an increased load of energy and far more confidence- because I'm happy to do a work out that I actually enjoy, An ideal amount to do this DVD is 3 or 4 times a week, and you really will start to notice a difference.
There is an extra feature on the DVD but it's not a major one, it features advice on healthy eating, and then gives diet suggestions. So guys, don't think you can do this DVD alongside an unhealthy diet and expect to see a change- the world is not that kind!

Thanks for reading :o)