MaDonna GrimesDance Fitness for Beginners with MaDonna Grimes: African Beat - Latin Heat

If you are familiar with Lupus you will know that our body attacks itself and often times make it impossible to get out of bed much less workout. On good days the limbs and joints can hurt like hell. On great days we look and act like everybody else. My doctor calls me "highly functional"- whatever that means. I am blessed to have a personal trainer come to my home for a "whopping" $40 bucks a session (how cool is that). She is spectacular because she adjusts the workout based on how the Lupus affects me that particular day. Sometimes the hips go out and other times the wrist starts acting wacky. She adjust and we keep it moving. This dvd does exactly that- keeps it moving!I was able to do all the movements without straining any part of my body with this dvd session. It was low maintenance but high impact. I found myself sweating and felt that I was getting a good cardio workout. Plus the movements made me feel sexy- and all that. She started off slow with the warm up- but strong- which felt pretty good. Then she smoothly began on the movements and a particular set. I say "set" because that's what she did. She did a group of exercises (or better yet dance moves) and we followed while still getting a cardio workout. Then she speeds up after walking through the dance move several times. After that she moves on to another set. Then she combines those two sets to make the dance longer. Then she adds another set, and so on.By the time she stops you are doing a complete routine. I learned the full routine after 3 sessions. The 1st session made me feel out of rhythm and silly. I was glad that no one was there. I heard myself say several times --"what the hell was that". My lab barked as in agreement with my frustration. However, the 2nd time was good. I stumbled a little bit, but did pretty okay. The 3rd set was great!. When my trainer came over I had her go through the rountine with me as the workout for the day.Then I used "Barry's Bootcamp- 15 minute Belly Blaster" for my abs. That is also intense but manageable. Combining those two dvd's gave me the Perfect Work Out Session. My trainer agreed and said she would copy some of MaDonna's dance moves with her other clients. I am so pumped now because I know this is something I can actually begin AND finish. I buy these dvd's all excited then I get frustrated or bored and it goes in the cabinet. This one is a keeper.MaDonna is funny and pretty. She looks normal and not like one of those bony synthetic exercise trainers who has the most unrealistic body. Now I will say MaDonna is "bodied up" but it seems like an attainable shape (for the most part). Heck I just want some of her abs. Her arms are amazing and her dance team looks like normal people. Her voice is not irritating and the steps don't confuse me and easy to learn (by the 3rd or 4th session). I am going to take a chance and order her other more advanced dvd. I will try it at least once. If it is too much I will go back to my old comfort zone----this dvd. This is a great dvd if you want something "fun,& effective".

I'm definitely overweight (clinically obese) and my weight has yo-yo'ed for years. I bought this DVD in order to get a grip on my weight again. I took dance as a kid, am well coordinated and have done aerobics in the past. I am, however very out of shape. I just did the video for the first time and loved it! he moves are relatively simple if you have any sort of dance/aerobic experience. Some moves were a little difficult for me since my coordination isn't as great as it used to be and I don't have much space in my living room. I've never done Zumba, so I didn't expect it to be like that, what I expected is exactly what is presented. I got a good workout. My heart rate was elevated and I felt good. It's short, which is great for me since I can't go for very long yet. I imagine that I'll be using this quite often!MaDonna Grimes was fun and I liked the interactions with the backup dancers.If you're really overweight but have dance/aerobic experience and want to get moving, I would recommend this DVD to you.

This workout is an intermediate Latin-/African-inspired dance routine. It is SO fun and SO intense! This is the only workout DVD I own that gets me really sweating -- and that's a good thing!You need to know some simple Latin dance steps (merengue, mambo, cha-cha) beforehand, or be able to pick them up quickly, because MaDonna jumps into them first thing. Granted, the merengue is an easy dance move -- just marching while twisting your hips/legs -- but there was zero instuction, so I could see how someone with no dance experience would feel overwhelmed right off the bat. The "jumping right in with no instruction" caught me a little off guard at first, but luckily I have had some Latin dance training and was able to follow along with no problems. If MaDonna provided instruction by going through the steps at 1/2 time, I would wholeheartedly recommend this workout to beginners. As is, it's probably most appropriate and fun for those who can easily pick up most coreography.I'd love to take a dance class with MaDonna Grimes. Her cueing is great. She's fun and friendly with her backup dancers, frequently talking to them during the routine (like, "Next is the mambo -- yes, y'all?" and they shout back, "YES!"). A few times, though, MaDonna shouts "MERENGUE!" so loud that there's mic feedback, and sometimes she yells "AAAHH!" after finishing a particularly intense combo. If you're following along with the workout, you won't really notice/mind this (I don't -- it's like being in a live dance class), although some people may find it a bit jarring. For those who don't like lots of whooping and hollering during their workouts, you do have the option to go through the entire routine with just the music (no talking or cueing).Here's what you get on this DVD:- Warm-up: 10 minutes of light-intensity Latin moves, some shimmying, stretching lunges, neck rolls, torso isolations, a few jumps towards the end. I'm glad this warm-up is as long as it is; you need it to prepare you for the next part!- Workout routine: 15 minutes of INTENSE Latin & African dance steps. A wildly effective cardio routine that will really get you sweating!- Cool-down: A 5-minute modified version of the warm-up, with light-intensity Latin moves and stretching.- "Performance": A pre-recorded hip hop performance that plays immediately after the cool-down, featuring MaDonna and her backup dancers. Fun, but kind of random -- I did like watching it.- Bonus Workout: A standard aerobic-style 10-minute routine with TONS of squats, some standing/lying ab work, and some stretching. Probably good for some people, but I don't use this section at all.I do wish there were a second routine before the cool-down or that the main-feature dance workout were longer. The front of the DVD says "Leaves You Sweating for More!" which is true. You're having so much fun doing the routine that it's over before you know it. You're standing there after the cool-down, going, "Wait, that's all?" So, I'm taking half a star off my rating because I wish the routine were longer, and half a star off because it needs some 1/2 time step instruction to be truly accessible to beginners (although this wasn't a problem for me personally, it would improve the workout's overall quality). Compared to MaDonna's Urban Street Heat DVD, which I also own and enjoy, this Latin/African routine contains the same segments (warm-up, routine, cool-down) and is the same length of time (30 min.), but is more fun and more intense (makes me work harder, probably burns more calories).In summary, I'm extremely happy that I bought this DVD because the routine is SO fun and really gets my heart pumping. The BEST dance workout DVD purchase I've made!

I bought this video under the assumption it really was for beginners interested in dancing for exercise. Unfortunately, the video just jumps right in without any instruction into the dance steps, they just add more as you go without a thorough instruction. There was absolutely NO explanation of the different steps and step by step guidance on how to perform the steps correclty. Perhaps this is sufficient for other people but I absolutely hate this video and will never use it. I feel like I am stuck with another dead horse to add to the pile of work out videos I hate. I hope others have a better experience than I.