Customer Reviews

The Method - Step Up to Dance [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a wonderful workout that utilizes alot of dance terminology and technique. If you have no dance experience you should possibly look into a basics tape to do with this as it will maximize your workout. While the tape uses a step and balance bar, it can be done just as a floor routine for the step portions and with a chair, (or if you have good dancer control with arms in 2nd position) for the balance bar sections. Focus on mimicking the moves as closely as possible once you get the routine and this tape will always give you a great workout! I am a personal trainer/actress who works out 6 days a week and this is one of the only videos I've found that remains challenging after months have elapsed. It's well worth committing too and the abs section is very well done!!! Love it!

...who are looking for a challenging step DVD, you've found it! I love step aerobics & am trying to build my collection of home workout DVDs. While I love Reebok The Video, I wanted something with more choreography and this DVD delivered! I'm pretty coordinated and when I used to take step classes, I could easily keep up with instructors who liked to mix up moves rather than stick to basic ones. However, in all my years stepping, I've never seen instructors try the creative combos found in this DVD - probably b/c everyone, myself included, would've just stood and stared, which was my initial reaction when I tried this DVD today! However, I liked Lisa Wheeler's cueing, her voice (unlike Denise you know who!), and the combos so much I decided to concentrate and learn the steps this first time. I won't lie to you, it took me well over an hour just to get through the aerobics routine, b/c I kept having to rewind and redo the combos (and despite all the pausing in my cardio routine, just by relearning the combos over and over, I broke a major sweat!). I really hate to build, build, then repeat the same steps, so I really loved the structure of this DVD. You get to do 3 amazing combos, each punctuated by quick but effective thigh/glutes moves, then at the end you get to put all 3 combos together. I love this format for it makes the time fly and I was having so much fun focusing on the steps that I didn't have time to focus on the burn :) After the aerobics segment, there's a challenging ab workout that uses Pilates principles and really works your core. This is one DVD that I know I will not get bored with.

I like to be able to do most of the steps in an exercise video the first time I try it but, barring that, I like to be able to tell that I will be able to learn to do it in the future. This instructor (she's kind of lackluster and not inspiring--in other words: BLAH!) doesn't give enough information about right and left foot. There are a lot of turning around moves and I need more instruction when I can't see the TV. The steps feel so unnatural that once I've turned back around I'm never on the correct foot. It's really difficult even for an experienced dancer. (Karen Voight is an EXCELLENT instructor.)

The introduction is very brief and doesn't tell any of the benefits of this workout. She doesn't give any safety tips or tell you how to get the most out of the exercise. Why did they bother putting it in?

This video requires MUCH more space than most people have in their living rooms. If you don't have lots of empty space, don't get this DVD. Also, they use this little "The Method Toning Bar" as a sort of prop at one point in the workout. I suppose you could use a chair instead--a very tall-backed one--but I just balanced on one leg and was fine. (I hate it when you have to use their special little props and they don't suggest any alternate equipment.)

I also didn't like the ceaseless drumming. It's just plain loud. A little variety in the music would be nice. And why do they have five people on a crowded-looking set all doing the exact same steps? It just adds to the confusion.

It's hard to get your heart rate up when you're frustrated with difficult steps and lack of space (which is adequate for most other videos). I didn't enjoy this workout at all and felt badly that it got such high reviews: thus inspiring my investment.

All in all, I just didn't like this program and will probably not buy any more "The Method" DVDs because they get such mixed reviews. Here I am, throwing my review into the mix for this program. Hopefully it will help newcomers to "The Method," like me, make a more informed choice.

This tape is absolutely fabulous! It does aerobic/step work first with some interval leg toning and then it launches into the best part. The abdominals. They are pilates based and extremely effective. They work very well if you continue to hold your abs in throughout. The plank position has been one of my favorites for toning the abs as well as the arms and back and it's nice to see it on this tape. The yoga-type stretching at the end is great also. The step portion is fun and different, which makes it much more likely to get used at my house. The stomach section is intense and effective, if done properly and the Yoga stretches really calm the body and mind which is great after all of that work. Definitely worth it to do this tape!

I did not realize that this was, indeed, a step video. Neither did a friend of mine who was anxious to see it. The workout is very intricate. I was an aerobics instructor, trained and certified by Reebok to teach step. I had a horrible time trying to keep up with what Lisa was doing. Plus, one of the best things to me about The Method is the lack of "props". This video needs your sneakers, a step, a dowel and alot more coordination than I have! Very disappointed with this offering. Would anyone who is a fitness freak be interested in this one-time used tape?

This step tape is a fantastic combination of Method choreography, method music (live percussion band) and the intensity of step workout. After trying and owning a number of step aerobic videos, I have to say this was a fresh breath of air. The workout is an interval training which provides alternating aerobic sessions and strength sessions. It wasn't easy to nail down the moves and you might need to practise the tape several times before you can fully enjoy the workout. But I welcome this difficulty as a challenge - I can see myself getting better and enjoying more as I progress.

If you don't own a step, please do not get discouraged. A lot of step tapes including this one could be done WITHOUT the equipment. No Method toning bar? No problem. I use broomsticks. Actually Jennifer Kries once mentioned in one of her tapes that you can use mopstick or broomstick instead of Method toning bar. I think the choreograhy is complex enough to enjoy the whole workout on the floor.

Also I'd like to mention that Lisa Wheeler is one heck of an instructor. She truly is a master instructor. Very encouraging, nice cueing, motivating and not annoying at all. I really liked her in Dance to Fitness video and she didn't let me down in this one. Give it a try and just stick with it until you can move along. You won't regret anything.

The first two times I went through this video, I couldn't keep up and got really frustrated. Now that I have practiced a bit and mastered the routines, this is my current favorite video. I get a really nice workout and I don't get bored. If you like step aerobics and you have some patience to learn a routine, this is a great video. If you want something really straight forward with a solid no fuss workout, you may want to look at other videos like Kathy Smith or Keli Roberts.

I have a lot of workout tapes, and I like this one. I don't have a good sense of choreography, so it took me about 4-5 run-throughs before I could figure out the dance steps, but once I had them down, it's a lot of fun. Exertional level is moderate, impact is low. I especially like the fact that this tape ends with some yoga postures.

I really enjoy The Method and this one is one of my favorites. I appreciate a good challenge, and you will certainly get that in this video. I like any video that incorporates cardio with toning and stretching. You get all three in this one. I am not sure I understand the confusion other reviewers experienced about this being a step video. If the title didn't give it away, the fact that the instructor is on the cover standing on a step and the description on the back of the video should have!

I have numerous step videos but this one is by far my favorite. The moves are difficult since I am a total spaz when it comes to dancing but once you pick them up - it is so much fun - and a fantastic workout. I workout much harder to this tape than any other because I don't realize it is a workout - it's just fun! It's a fantastic tape to break up the monotony of the traditional step tapes where they all share the same basic moves.