Zumba Fitness Total Body Transformation System DVD Set

Okay, okay, I fell for the infomercial. I was looking for something that was pure cardio and this really seemed to fit the bill. So I gave it a try and I don't have any regrets! Honestly, I had four other dance workout dvds in my Amazon wishlist--after doing the Zumba 20-min workout, I deleted the wishlist. No kidding.What you'll definitely need: WATER!! And plenty of it! Also, a little room to dance around in. Of course, the workouts and the toning sticks are provided for you.What might need: Since the toning sticks are crazy light (1 lb. each ??), you may want to throw on a pair of weighted hand gloves if you have them. I've also tried just using regular hand weights but at the fast pace of this workout and since the toning workout is "dancey," they were a little difficult to handle.Workouts: The basics "workout" isn't really a workout but breaks down the moves using a 3-step process working up to the full dance move. (I'd break it down but there's 20+ moves) This is about an hour but, I feel, well worth the watch, even if you are a seasoned dance dvd phenom. And if not, the moves are super easy.The other actual workouts, of course, use the moves from "basics" but also does variations of these moves (don't worry, they'll give you a heads up.) Some mainstay dance routines are Samba, Merengue, Reggaeton (my fav!), Cumbia, Mambo and Salsa but I was pleasantly surprised that were more styles of dancing included in the workout other than Latin. Cardio Party (my fav!) has an "American Mix" section that features a bit of country dancing and an ode to 1950s Americana. There's also some African steps that are really fun, too (you'll see them in Zumba Sculpt and Tone and in Zumba Live). You'll also see some bellydance (kinda, sort of) ;-) and Flamenco.A few things that might trip you up:1. The cueing, though not terrible, could be a bit better.2. During the "basics" workout, Tanya (??), the girl who co-hosts the workout with Beto, says to just keep to beat. This tidbit really comes in handy because there are a few (VERY few but noticable) editing issues. So you might think you're on the wrong foot when in reality, the editor messed up. But no worries, the scene will cut and everything is back to normal. (In other words, just keep in step with the beat of the music and eventually, you and those working out of the dvd will be back in unison.)3. Beto has a REALLY rich accent so it can be sort of hard to pick what he's saying at first. I found, after doing the workouts a while, my ear has become more apt at understanding him--so maybe it will for you, too.A couple of personal pet-peeves:1. The toning sticks. They seemed like a great idea but the constant raddling kind of started to get on my nerves.2. After each routine, there's this pause to introduce the next routine. I'm not really sure about how I feel about this because sometimes I think "thank goodness, I thought I was gonna die." But other times I feel like the breaks just slow down the workout. Jury's still out on that one.Overall: What else can I say that I haven't already. I really dug this workout. 'Nuff said.*Side note: I know there has been some debate over price on this item. I love this workout and bought this from Amazon (only 60 bucks + free shipping at the time), but seriously, it's really not worth spending over $100 for.

I started taking the Zumba classes and was so in love with them that I wanted to do them at home. After researching the Zumba DVD's, I stumbled across this set and bought it. I loved it- but it wasn't like the Zumba Beginners class that I was taking. The first DVD is a beginners DVD that shows you how to do the steps, and includes a 20 minute workout. I am a fairly fit, active female, and broke a sweat in no time with just the instructional DVD. They break each step down into 'easy', 'medium', and 'hard' so you can learn the steps and be confidant enough with them to move up into the other DVD's. Other reviews thought this was lame- I actually loved it. It was very helpful, here I thought I knew the steps all along and I really didn't. It will also help me with my class. The 20 minute workout is also a good beginners dvd, but I assume would get old after you get good at the moves. The Zumba Live DVD is probably most like the Zumba classes, where there is no instruction, and everyone is just dancing in rows. Surprisingly, you can pick up what they're doing, and I really didn't see them use the moves you learn from the first DVD too much, it was a little more freestyle. Beto, the creator of Zumba is kinda crazy- he's hard to understand, but the other female instructors are great and easy to follow.I also thought this was very different than my classes. I was hoping to hear some of the same music and routines that I see in the live classes I attend, but it's different- not better or worse, just different than I was expecting. The 'weighted dumbells' are kinda lame- they're long, and not real heavy- I haven't used them yet because I find it hard to add yet another dimension to these moves still. You want to make sure you have a good area in front of your TV to do this on, and that you have the ability to jump and move your body weight without having to worry about things falling off bookshelves and such. The reviews that this was cheaply done and put together are false- how could it be cheap? It looks pretty clear from the pictures what you're getting. There were several DVD's and a dumbell set and I thought Amazon.com's price was reasonable for what you get. I don't know what these other people were expecting. I guess this is going to be sold on infomercials, but I have yet to see one yet- it's put together by that Gunthey-Renker brand that touts several other 'as seen on TV' products.In all, I would highly recommend this, and recommend you wear hip-hop shoes (like the Bloch S0538L sneakers), and as few clothes as possible- each time I try to do this in a tshirt, I end up having to put on a tank by the end of the workout. Get ready to sweat and work your butt off- and you'll be well on your way to needing hip replacement surgery after all this latin dancing!!