Customer Reviews

Carmen Electra's Advanced Aerobic Striptease

5 star:		(234)
4 star:		(134)
3 star:		(66)
2 star:		(59)
1 star:		(60)

 

 

I am a (...), Mother of two that has been working out religiously for three years. I go to the gym, lift weights, practice yoga and horseback ride. I have gotten bored with my current routine and was looking to energize my workouts. I saw these DVD's and thought I would give them a try. I am very glad that I bought DVD#1 with DVD#2 as each of them is very different. DVD#1 is the striptease instruction (with two routines) and DVD#2 is the workout to prepare your body for the routines. Don't get #2 if you want to striptease because there isn't any in it. What is on the DVD is a great total body workout that is fun and challenging. I haven't been this sore in my (...) and thighs since I started riding horses! I haven't gotten the courage to try the routines in DVD#1 yet..but when I have some alone time without the kids I will since they look fun. One other point, unlike other workout DVD's Carmen and her trainer are not only nice to look out, but limit the chit chat and are not annoyingly upbeat. They are down to earth and don't waste our time trying to motivate the viewer. It is definitely a good buy on Amazon and I would recommend getting both DVD's to start.

I just tried this dvd out for the first time yesterday, and did all three of the short aerobic striptease routines. It was fun to learn the routines (they're cute, and none of them are too complicated or difficult), and it did raise my pulse a little and make me sweat a little. I definitely will use the dvd again as a supplement to my regular, harder workouts, because it was fun to learn the dances and because making the dances actually look sexy is the hardest part of the routine to master. However, if you're looking for a way to melt off the pounds, using only this dvd will not be the ticket.

Okay, so I bought into the idea of a great cardio aerobic workout that was also sexy. And with carmen electra behind it all, along with the coreographer of the pussy cat dolls, how could I go wrong?!

Well, just to give you info on the discs that I did watch.... the routines/workout is not seamless and fluid as one would expect. It becomes difficult to get a good solid 30 minute work out done the way the dvds are edited and set up.

The 1st dvd breaks things down so much... there's intructions to the warm up, Oh, and let's not forget, and intro speak by carmen... that should have been on additional footage, so that you don't have to skip it all the time. So, we start with instructions to warm up, the warmup, the instructions on routine 1. then going through parts of it as a dry run... the instructions on the 2nd half of the routine. Then finally, you do the routine to music. The next routine follows the same suit. I think it would have been much better to do instructions to the entire dvd, and then do the entire routine. We could always pause and replay. Then one might argue, we could always fast fwd, but the breaks in the dvd are not for the routines alone. So you have to fwd, and HOLD, and fwd some more.

The routines are not as sultry and as sexy as I thought. The movements are jerky and uncomfortable at times!! It feels fun, as you are learning these things as dance routines, so it does feel less like exercise... but overall, the fun does not outweigh the flaws. At one point, you are on the floor, on your back, doing QUICK leg scissors. I don't think that's sexy.

The next dvd, Fit to Strip, is quite a workout!! But the only reason, is because there is a professional trainer that is really ready to whip you into shape!! The moves are quite fast, and you'll be surprised at how many things you do in such a short time!! And you will feel the BURN!! Maybe not today, but definitely the day after!! But again, the editing leaves much to be desired. There are unnecessary pauses. They even pause the dvd so that the instructor and carmen can "towel off and get some water". Um, do that, but leave the dvd seamless. This way we the viewer can work and pause at our own pace. It is also undermining, when carmen actually has difficulty doing the moves. She pauses for a while too while the trainer gives some personal instruction. This is okay if we are all beginners, or we are only watching the dvd for the 1st time... but what will become of this nonsense the 6th and 7th time around?!

Oh, and there are times when exercises are done more times on one side of the body than the other. I don't know if I should pause and do my own counting, least I end up with a lopsidedly toned body?!

I have great kudo's for carmen's attempts. I think that the staff/producers of the dvd should had more foresight in creating an exercise dvd.

Carmen is charming, and sweet, and not hard on the eyes. I think with much tweaking, this could have been a potentially fun and fabulous dvd set.

(Viewers of this dvd may be interested in the bellydancing twins', Veena and Neena, dvds. They are definitely more sultry in movement, and I really like the flow and instruction of their dvds. They are a hands down favorite for dance/exercise dvds!! :)

The title of this DVD makes it sound like it's something really advanced (and aerobic). But actually the first two DVDs in Carmen's set are much more physically challenging than this one. This DVD is kind of a cheesy joke. It consists of two 10 minute strip routines which require dressing up. The first one is a "sexy librarian." To do the routine as Carmen demonstrates you need some glasses and a scarf. The next routine is wearing men's clothing--a big button shirt, a tie, and a really stupid hat. Taking these items off is an integral part of the routine, although there is no actual nudity involved.

The routines are too slow and short to actually count as aerobic. So this DVD is useful for one thing...learning some strip routines to act out for your significant other. Although I think I could make some up that wouldn't seem as embarassingly silly as parts of this DVD.

I was looking for a fun dance routine that would get my heart pumping but this is definately not it!

The routines taught are on the EASY side, so if you've had ANY dance experience before whatsoever, then Carmen's routines won't impress you much. It's a good workout and it'll get you sweating a bit and a little flushed in the face, but the routines are a bit disappointing. They're all short 1 or 2 minute routines that have a lot of repetition. The moves are recycled a lot, so they're not too fresh or interesting. Once you master the routines (which will probably take 1 hour per routine if you don't have any dance experience, or about 30 minutes if you do have dance experience), then the DVDs are a bit useless since, for the most part, Carmen is teaching you how to do it.

Carmen seems very genuine, sexy, and adorable- she is quite an inspiration. I just wish the routines were a bit LONGER and more better-choreographed. Overall, a fun set to spice up your workout a bit, but not worth the $. My advice is, if you could get it inexpensively, then go for it. It'll be fun to try it out. But if you have to buy it at full price, my advice is to just save your money for the sexy Bellydance workout DVDs from Neena and Veena. Those routines are much more thrilling, with beautiful, fresh choreography.

Or, if you don't want to buy the whole set, I would suggest just purchasing Disc 2 (Fit to Strip), which is a fun and EFFECTIVE workout to tone and shape your body.

I bought this several months ago & only did it 2x.
The menu options are great, there are many chapters to choose from & you can either choose with or without instruction. You can also choose between three different kinds of music throughout the workout: rock, house & hip/hop.

What I hate most is when she is teaching nice & slow with a lot of talking, there is only soft almost elevator-like music to keep you inspiried & makes it feel more slow. The whole workout, she teaches first with alot of talking with soft, boring music at half speed 2-3x, then normal speed 2-3x more. THEN there's good music & you following along normal tempo with NO talking at all & that's repeated several times. Each time you learn new moves when the music comes on, you do all the previous moves as well, building to a routine. There are two very short routines.

The warm-up itself is great & long & extensive. The pace is slow w/o music, but great for building endurance for anyone who isn't in althletic shape. You'll definitely feel stretched out & already muscle use. She talks a lot about theory as well as warning about injury from moving incorrectly & describing how to move including analogies. Then it's repeated with music & no instruction at all, just mimic by watching & memory of what you were taught.

The workout she teaches a few moves at a time, teaching in the usual 8-count dancer style with very good cues & instruction, almost perfect. Almost everyone should have no trouble understanding/following the moves. The movies themselves get me.... It's actually very fast, almost the same style you'd see on any music video or music commercial with a few butt slaps, a finger in the mouth & on your back with legs crossing added in. There's only a few mooves on the floor.

You definitely will get a decent toning workout especially by doing the moves & make it seem like you're graceful & light as a father though holding all your weight as you dip in a squat many times or on your back holding your weight on your arms, etc. Becasue of the pace being slow, fast, slow, fast... not as much as a cardio workout unless once you master you just do it w/o instruction normal speed for the whole workout or even repeat it.
One I like as well is Jeff Costa's Cardio Strip Tease.

The routines are easily broken down to teach you what you need to learn, it has a great warm up and then slowly shows you the steps. You can repeat the instruction part as many times as you like until you learn it, because that is its own chapter. If you are wanting more of a cardio workout then just repeat the routines more than once not only to get your heartbeat up but just to get it down better.

I love this series, its fun, completely unique and different and just something great to throw into a usual routine.

One other thing, Im 9 months pregnant and having a huge belly is a little challenging (to say the least) to do some of the midsection moves. But if I can do it then someone who doesnt have a watermellon for a belly should definatley be able to learn! When my baby is born look out! I cant wait to be able to control that section better.

Its awesome, seriously one of the best workout series Ive come across in a long time. Pregnant or not.

I guess the most important thing is what you're focusing on in the title - if your main interest is the "aerobic" portion of these videos you're going to be dissapointed. If your main focus is the "striptease", you're going to have a great time! If you want a series that will teach you how to strip for your lover, perform a chair dance, and perform a lap dance - this is for you. Moves are complex enough to be impressive, not so complex that you would be huffing and puffing after giving a striptease - not so sexy! Carmen does a great job of breaking down the moves and runs you through them enough so that you can actually learn them the first time through the video - you won't feel lost or frustrated during these videos! The hip hop video was an extra treat for me - I have always wanted to start learning hip hop but the videos I've seen are too fast and complex for me and therefore disheartening. Carmen walks you through a shorter routine and I was able to pick up almost all the moves the first time around! Plus, it got my heart rate up - I consider it the most cardio oriented video in the package.
The only thing that annoys me is that Carmen does not mirror her motions to make it easier for the viewer, a common problem with workout videos. For instance, when she will tell you to roll your right hip she will roll her right hip, so either you roll your left so that you are going in the same direction as the video or you roll your right and everything is opposite of the video. The videos are so well choreographed, though, that I didn't have any real trouble keeping up. Every time I've done these videos I've felt a little sore the next day, which is impressive since I have strong muscles from practicing yoga, pilates, and the Lotte Berke method on a regular basis. Carmen herself is absolutely adorable. She is very comfortable with what's she's doing which makes me feel more relaxed. She comes off as very nice and genuine. I know that someone complained about the time it takes to get the videos. Mine did take some time, probably 5 weeks, to get to me. But that was well within the delivery guidelines presented at the website that said 7-8 weeks. You can upgrade to better shipping if you want. Enjoy and get ready to learn some impressive (and useful!) moves!

Why didn't I read the reviews before making this purchase? Carefully read the reviews below. Read very carefully. And unless you are a big Carmen Electra fan
and want to see ANYTHING she does. Pass this one up.
Zero% cardio. 100% boring

What a joke. The broke college student that I am decided to scrap together money to buy this and I would have been better off buying nothing at all. There is no possible way you could break a sweat doing this video. It could only possibly be advanced for a MORON who can't count to 8. There is nothing advanced about any of the moves - any one could do it. The strip teases are barely a minute long and they just keep repeating them over and over not like they did them over and over in the video so you could make a work out of it, no the screen automatically feeds back to the beginning of that chapter of the DVD and plays it over again for you. This is the biggest waste of money I have ever had in my entire life and I am absolutely disgusted with the way they are taking advantage of customers by misleading them with this title. You would never get in shape by doing this video. NEVER. You could do it all day. You might be able to take a few tips from this video and do a flashy dance for your man, but it would be a short dance and probably not even long enough to get a rise out of him! You had better be creative and be able to add your own moves in long enough to make the dance last through a long enough REAL song and not some cheesy background music that loops over and over again. if you are creative enough to add your own moves then you don't need this, this will teach you nothing. Keep your money in your wallet, because learning this "striptease" would probably make your you weigh no less and would not impress your husband too very much I am sure... Lets put it this way. If they went to a strip club and this is the lap dance or dance they paid for - even if she was naked - which she isnt! -- i think any guy would want his money back becuase the dance isn't long enough to do any good...If you are smart you will not fall for this like I did!