Fitness experts Jill Ross and Lindsey Emery weigh in on
popular exercise dance DVDs.
If you want to get in shape this spring, consider hitting the dance floor -- or at least the floor in your living room.
The latest twist in exercise DVDs: workouts that feature swing, jive, cha-cha, samba, hip-hop and other dance moves, capitalizing on the popularity of ABC's Dancing With the Stars, Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and Oxygen's Dance Your Ass Off.
"When you see people on the TV screen having fun, losing weight and toning up in all the right places, it motivates you to try the same thing in the privacy of your own living room," says Lindsey Emery, senior fitness editor at Fitness magazine.
"What people like about these workouts is you can burn a lot of calories without getting bored. They're definitely more amusing than traditional aerobics," she says.
Besides providing a good cardio workout, dance exercise DVDs also could help men and women feel more comfortable dancing at a club or an event such as a wedding, Emery says.
And there are distinct advantages to learning to dance at home rather than at the gym, she says. "You can wear whatever you want and listen to whatever music you want. You don't have to worry about someone staring at your backside while you are shaking your booty, either."
For many, these workouts are a flashback to the past and a refresher course on long-lost skills, says Jill Ross, co-owner of Collage Video (collagevideo.com) in Minneapolis.
Most people haven't taken dancing classes, especially ballroom dancing, since junior high or high school, she says. And some people enjoy learning dance moves.
Although workouts don't require a dance partner, you do need some coordination and concentration, she says. Most of the workouts are good exercise, but they're not too strenuous.
Although some of the instructors wear high heels for a more dramatic effect, Emery says, most exercisers will be better off and safer wearing a good pair of cross-trainers.
Dancing With
the Stars: Dance
Off the Pounds
A fast-paced program that stars three dancers from the show -- Kym Johnson, Dmitry Chaplin and Lacey Schwimmer, Ross says. Each instructor teaches a specific style -- swing, jive or quickstep -- with the same flair and confidence they display on TV, she says.
Dance Your Ass Off: The Workout
This easy-to-follow workout features disco, Latin and hip-hop techniques, Ross says. Based on the Oxygen TV show, the DVD combines non-stop movement with an anyone-can-do-it attitude.
Robin Antin's Pussycat Dolls Workout
If you shake your hips along with every music video you see, you'll like this workout, Emery says. The DVD takes you through three fun dance routines -- one for the Pussycat Dolls' song Don't Cha, one for Buttons and one additional burlesque number. Antin, the creator and choreographer, breaks down each workout step-by-step so that you're comfortable with the moves before performing
the entire routine.
Dance Off
the Inches: Sizzling Salsa
This is a spicy Latin dance video that features motivating music and tons of variety. The tempo is quick, the moves are wide-ranging, and the energy level is high, Ross says.
Dance With Julianne: Cardio Ballroom
This is a solid, fat-burning workout powered by Julianne Hough's contagious energy and proven Dancing With the Stars teaching expertise, Ross says. You get three distinct dance styles: sexy cha-chas with lots of hip movements, a fast-paced jive that gets your heart rate going, and a pasodoble that focuses on strength, control and power.
Keep on dancin' with these titles, too
*So You Think You Can Dance Get Fit: Cardio Funk
You'll burn about 105 calories every 14 minutes during this
easy-to-follow workout, led by former finalists on the TV
show, Emery says. You also can learn disco, contemporary
and hip-hop moves at three different speeds so that anyone
can break a sweat without feeling silly.
*Dance With Lisa: 5 Day Latin Dance System
The workouts here each feature one Latin dance style --
cha-cha, salsa, merengue, samba or rhumba. Lisa
Nunziella is an energetic and inspirational instructor.
*Dance Off the Inches: Dance It Off Ballroom
You learn moves derived from the cha-cha, samba and
jive, Ross says. It's a great way to burn calories while
practicing a variety of fun and flirty steps that you
can take to the dance floor.
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