Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Three fun and effective workouts using gliding discs, April 9, 2007
I have done gliding-type moves in other workouts and enjoyed them, so I was eager to try this set. The term Gliding is trademarked by fitness instructor Mindy Mylrea, and this is the original set of 3 workouts on one disk sold via infomercial. The workouts including Ultimate Buns and Legs, Fat Burning Cardio, and Total Body Workout. This set also includes two gliding discs designed for use on carpet (discs for use on smooth flooring are sold elsewhere).
The Ultimate Buns & Legs workout is an approximately 35-minute workout focused on the lower body. It begins with a 6-minute warm-up which includes shoulder rolls, squats (moving side-to-side with discs under the feet), and stretches. About 10 minutes of standing leg work follows: you will do single leg squats, first to either side, then to the rear, and then move into double leg squats. This segment includes a 2-minute stretch before moving to the floor. The floor work includes bridge moves (with the discs under your heels), side and plank work, and finally, some brief back extensions for a total of about 15 minutes. The workout ends with a 4-minute seated stretch which includes twists. Overall, I liked this workout; I felt that it gave me a bit of a cardio effect, and I felt a slight soreness in the backs of my legs the next day.
Fat Burning Cardio is a 37-minute aerobic interval workout which alternates 4-6 minute cardio intervals with 3-minute toning segments using the discs. The workout begins with a 6.5 minute warm-up which includes side steps, hamstring curls, and knee lifts; the warm-up ends with squats and lunges using the discs. The first cardio interval is about 4 minutes and includes marches with a V-step, eventually adding on mambos and small hops (I recognized music from Firm videos here). The first toning segment consists of squats and single leg lunges; the lunges are performed both to the side and to the back, moving from a slow to fast tempo. The next cardio segment is a little longer at about 6 minutes, and it includes side steps with a direction change, adding jumping jacks, lunges with a hop, and heel digs with a hop; my calves were really burning during this segment! In the toning segment which follows, you will do circle lunges (using the disc around one foot and making a circle around the other disk), and slow side squats remaining in a crouched position. The final cardio interval is 5 minutes long and starts with a chasse/lunge combo, adding scoops and jogs. The last gliding segment has more side squats as well as a back-side-back lunge combination. This workout finishes with a 5-minute stretch which targets the hamstrings, thighs, and hip flexors. Again, I felt some soreness from this workout the next day (mainly in my calves), but I was a bit disappointed that my heart rate was only in my target zone for less than 20 minutes.
The final workout in this set is the Total Body Workout, a 54-minute workout targeting the entire body. The 6.5-minute warm-up is similar to the ones above, featuring side steps with shoulder rolls and squats using the disks. The next part of the workout is 29.5 minutes of standing leg work. Again, the moves are similar to those done in the above two workouts--eg, squats, single leg lunges, circle lunges, etc.--but for some reason, I enjoyed them more here. A brief standing stretch follows before moving on to the floor work, which begins with an additional 2-minute stretch in a seated position. Next comes 5 minutes of abs work on your back, using the discs both under the heels and under the hands. Following this comes 5 minutes of side-lying work, about 7 minutes of bride and very tough plank work (again using the disks both under the hands and under the feet), and finally, a 4-minute floor stretch. I particularly enjoyed the standing portion of this workout (which actually put me in my target HR zone for over 20 minutes), and I felt more soreness in my legs the next day than I did with the Ultimate Buns & Legs workout.
Overall, I liked these workouts a lot, and I think getting them together on one DVD is a great deal. I find gliding to be a lot of fun, and use of the discs definitely seems to work my muscles in unique ways (for example, I felt my inner thighs working much more than usual). I would definitely recommend this set, and I give it a rating of 4 1/2 stars.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I thought it was going to be..., November 2, 2008
I was expecting something that would be hard on my legs and easy on my carpet. I really didn't care for the sliders, they weren't very smooth gliding on my carpeted floors.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Not for beginners, April 24, 2008
I picked this up because it's a lot cheaper than slide boards and am not disappointed. Learning to slide on the balls of your feet then drop your heels at the end takes a little practice, but it's not horribly difficult, and this is a very versatile form of exercise. I don't recommend it for beginners, however, because most people skip any instructional segments, and some of the moves in this DVD (sliding bridge, for instance) are all but guaranteed to result in injury if you're not wise. If you're experienced enough to know how to protect yourself, though, this program works nearly every muscle group and is adaptable to nearly any level. Even fairly advanced excercisers will find the pushup variations a challenge, and the control required really works your core. I like this one despite the fact that I just don't feel a connection with the instructor.
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