Dancing With The Stars: Dance Off The Pounds [DVD]

I tried another of the Dancing with the Stars workouts (Latin Cardio) and though I liked it, I felt like it wasn't as challenging or as fast paced as I would like and that I would tire of the dvd too soon. When I saw that this one was available I thought I'd give another try since it is geared more toward intermediate/advanced fitness. I wasn't disappointed. It is very fast paced, and I had my pedometer on when I was doing the routine. We are talking 5,000+ cardio steps in approximately 45 minutes. Now that's my kind of cardio. A fun dance workout that doesn't feel like exercise, that makes me pour sweat. Loved it!I felt that the dances increased in difficulty and pace as you progressed, with Quickstep being the most difficult for me. I haven't gotten all the steps perfected yet but I look forward to being able to really polish up my technique as I practice a bit more.Word of caution: This is not a good dvd if you are a beginner to dance (too fast paced, maybe try another DWTS video, or some of Lisa Nunziella's dance videos, that have excellent sections that really slow the moves down). If you feel you aren't in good shape, this might be too challenging to begin with as it is quick paced and you will get a pretty intense cardio workout. (I work out 7 days a week and have danced since age 9 and I was pouring sweat doing this workout). If you feel like you have two left feet, also not for you. You will end up being frustrated, and that is no fun at all. Start with a beginner workout and then progress up once you feel comfortable with increasing the pace and the choreography. Dance should be fun, so do this when you progress to a more challenging workout.This workout is for you if you have a dance background, are used to fast choreography, are willing to practice a bit before you "get it" or for someone that wants to try something new and is in fairly good shape.I borrowed this copy but I plan to buy it. It is fun, just challenging enough and a heck of a cardio workout. Best of all, it is dance, and it doesn't feel like a "workout" it feels fun. What can be better than that?

I consider myself at an intermediate level of fitness. I have minimal dance background (maybe a year or so of non-intense lessons, I have done swing before but not the others) and more martial arts than anything else.The swing and jive were fairly easy to pick up. The first time I did these routines I did not get as good a workout since I was still learning it but by the second time I tried the vid, I had it down enough for a workout. You actually do get a decent cardio workout. You don't notice the time going by because it is fun but the heart rate does get up there and you start to sweat over the course of each approx 15 minute routine. Instructors, backup dancers, music, and moves were all good.The quickstep is another story. Perhaps this is a more difficult dance but the choreography was much more difficult to pick up. I was still struggling to pick up the steps by the second time I tried the vid but had enough of it down that, at the end, when you do the whole routine 2 or 3 times in a row, I could keep my feet moving along even if it was the wrong foot or late sometimes. If you did the entire routine enough times it would probably be the most intensive workout of the 3, but since most of the first half is done very slowly to teach you the moves and broken out into short segements, you probably will never really get the benefit of a stretch of cardio like the other two routines. The instructor is likeable but terrible at cuing. He randomly calls out the 5678 but not before you start the move like you would expect. Or he calls nothing at all.I used this as a second, add on to my other workouts and is more of a fun me-time thing than another exercise session to endure for the sake of my waistline.

Ok, I got this dvd with two others (DTWS Latin Cardio and Julianne Cardio Ballroom) a few days ago after ordering from Amazon. I'm not very athletic though I do work out every now again, so I have some muscle tone, but really a lot. I'm also NOT a dancer.This dvd has no warm up, so I suggest you do your own.The first dance, the swing, is taught by Kym. She's NOT very good at instructing in this dvd. She starts off with a triple step, which to me is soooo confusing, because what, you jump twice on one foot, once on the other, or is it three times or twice on both?? She doesn't explain, she just jumps right into it. Also, the dance itself was NOT very fun. It wasn't a lively dance and some of the moves were just weird to do.The second dance by Lacey is the Jive. This dance was MUCH better. She explains a few steps very clearly and does them slowly a couple of times so you get the hang of it. It will really make you sweat, I mean like it will KILL your legs.The third dance is the quickstep taught by Dmitry. Excellent instructor, he did everything SLOW so you could really understand it. He would stop, explain, show. Stop, explain, show. This may be a bit hard for those who wish to keep their heart rate going, but it does wonders to get the moves right. Here's the catch: Once he starts, he DOES NOT STOP. This quickstep at the beginning seems like it's the easiest but once he gets going, it becomes the hardest of the two. The good thing is that once you get the steps you can keep doing them while he stops, so you keep your heart rate up. Definitely the best teacher of the three and the hardest dance.Then it has a nice cool-down section.Overall, worth the money for the last two dances, but this is NOT for beginners. I suggest buying an easier dance dvd and starting off with that, and once you have a good idea, move on to this, because learning the steps is SUPER hard.

i didnt recaive my package it was expose to b in on march first and the track thing said it was in on febuary 28 and its still not in....i would like my money back thanx