BodyFit 360

This is a very different fusion workout, that blends dance, pilates, body weight training, and yoga in a fun and unique way. I will just post my overall impressions, as it has been broken down very well. Most videos that try to do a fusion of this type do not get me sweating, so I never know where to put it in my rotation, unless it's during a rest or rehab day. However, I am very glad that with this workout, I can use it as a cardio day, because I really worked up a sweat! I also felt stretched afterward. The choreography is fast and nonstop, which contributed to the high sweat factor. Although I'm not one to view a workout before jumping right in, I highly recommend that one do so for this workout. I previewed the difficult moves, but wished I had previewed the entire thing, so I knew how fast it was going to be. I did go at my own pace so may have been a rep or two behind Michelle and Co., but I still got a great sweat.

While this workout has many pluses (the music and moves being the biggest ones in my opinion) I have to co-sign on many of the same issues that Laura S. had with this workout. The modifier does not modify much, either for intensity, impact, or for those with joint issues (wrists, low back). There is no chaptering. Additionally, while Michelle did tell you which moves were coming up and how to do the move, she didn't really say sometimes HOW to get into the move. For some moves, it would have been really helpful to remind people to tuck the pelvis or engage the core to avoid having lower back pain, or relax the neck and jaw to avoid having your neck tighten up later. Thankfully, I knew to do this, but for those starting out to exercise or new to this style of fusion, good luck on them!

What I Liked

The music was fantastic! There was lots of hip circles, rib cage slides, and general moves that really let you stretch your body and feel loose. Very liberating. I also liked the few balance challenges and ab work sprinkled throughout.

What I Didn't Like

The moves were a touch too fast. Just this side of bordering on frantic, especially for certain moves where you have to twist your body from standing to the floor, with one leg in the air. IF you are not engaging your core, you could hurt something. Also, I did not care for the ab work at the end. I wish we could have done more cardio that incorporated ab work, rather than getting on the floor to do ab work.

What You Should Be Aware Of

Those with wrists or lower back issues, pay attention to your body. Don't go as fast or as deep starting out. Engage your core, or you will wreck your lower back. And possibly your knees and neck. Those with bad wrists, you are left on your own to modify, as the modifier does not really offer options for those with wrists problems. There are plenty of moves that could compromise the lower back if you try to do too much too soon.

Title: Bodyfit 360

Instructor: Michelle Dozois

Time: 52 Minutes

Level of Difficulty: Advanced

DVD menu: Play workout, exercise demonstrations

Production quality: high

Equipment used: None needed!

This workout has already been broken down so I will just give my impressions. I have used a lot of Michelle's workouts from a 10 Minute Solution cardio DVD she did through her PeakFit series. This is a different style of workout for her, more in the "fusion"genre, but is just as well thought out and challenging.

The workout goes through several cycles of interesting fusion style exercises seamlessly streamed together to make up a sequence, with a pilates/yoga flair. A lot of the exercises require some preexisting flexibility and strength to really execute, along with the fast pace, to me makes this a more advanced workout. In a couple of places (after two times working through the DVD) I got stuck briefly as she transitioned so quickly, but she mentioned those workouts were on the demonstration, which admittedly I did not watch. Anyway, there is a little learning curve but nothing that another two or three times through won't resolve. The workout concludes with what Michelle calls "deep stretching" but I thought it was more dynamic stretching as she goes in and out of stretches in a more flowing movement than static stretching. I personally prefer more static stretching, but it certainly isn't a deal breaker! The music in this one is what brings a lot of the FUN to the workout, I can't think of any other DVDs (maybe Turbo Jam/Turbo Fire) that have such fun music. That really makes this workout stick out in my collection.

The workout reminded me of a lot of other workouts but really had its own unique flavor. It reminded me of Ellen Barrett's Studio workouts with a lot of large range of motion arm movements and swaying type exercises, but much more challenging. It reminded me of Dream Body workouts for the quick transitions and challenge, but I found B360 to be more dynamic (and less athletic, and certainly less high impact). Some of the more dynamic exercises even reminded me of Tonique (newer workouts like Femme Fatale) but performed in a slower, more controlled way with far fewer reps. The high energy and fun music reminded me of Buti workouts, but less dancey. (However, B360 is still somewhat dancey). The workouts I mentioned I use often and love, so B360 really fits right in, but fills its own niche. When the moves are performed deliberately and you are able to keep pace with Michelle and the backgrounders, this is really a challenge that will get your heart rate up and work you everywhere. I would highly recommend this workout to more advanced fusion enthusiasts.

This 54 minute fusion workout is inspired by pilates, ballet, yoga, dance, plyometrics and really hits the core! Michelle leads this very unique workout in an open room w/ 6 backgrounders, providing modifications. You wont need any equipment and they work out barefoot.

Exercises include: chair pose, jumping, side to side hops, side bend side lunges adding hops, plank hops, burpee pliet hops, rib shifts, curtsy balance side knee raises, reverse plank crab series, pendulum hops & lunge, warrior lunge series, back roll, push up to warrior,tricep yoga push ups, low back extensions, and down & up dog.

I rate this a low advanced workout. The pace is nonstop and Michelle wastes no time. Very unique and super fun, not so dancy and pretty straight forward choreo made this a winner for me. I literally have nothing like it in my extensive dvd collection. As always, Michelle is a superb instructor! I received this dvd to review.

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this workout.

I have been conflicted about this workout since I first saw clips of it. It looked like soooo much fun, but I was concerned about bodyweight exercises. My arthritic hands/wrists don't do well with moves supported on the hands and this workout obviously had them. Then, I read raves about this workout and how it left people feeling relaxed and really good. So, I decided to try it and figured I could skip over moves that didn't work for me.

Michelle works out with a group of people and one serves as the modifier. It's presented as a barefoot workout and the only equipment needed is a mat.

This is a dance-based workout that blends different workout styles: from modern dance to Pilates to yoga to plyometrics. It's also an up-and-down workout, you frequently are standing and move to the floor to do work there. You also do a lot of balancing and stretching with everything else going on. And, it works. It's an exceptionally well designed workout and I found myself smililng at times - usually during the standing portions.

In this workout, there are distinct combinations set to a particular tune. Michelle even uses the work "track" when moving into the core section. Because of this dynamic and because of my initial assumption that I would be able to skip over sections I didn't want to do, I hit the Skip button on my remote to move along and it took me out of the workout. What does this mean? The workout is not chaptered; there are no chapter points; you cannot skip ahead to the next section. I found this incomprehensible and annoying. Where one segment stops and another segment begins is totally obvious, so why would there not be chapter points in this workout as Peak 10 workouts are?

While I did like this workout more than I first thought I would, it was also disappointing that there were so many moves done on the floor. There were even forms of burpees and squat thrusts. And, the modifier doesn't modify very much. She modifies the hardest moves short of the hardest option and does the really easy modifications (like reaching down rather than reaching to the floor). But, she offers no modifications for those moves that are hard on joints like the hands or knees.

That is my opinion based on my personal preferences. However, the analytical part of my brain thinks that this workout is a creative and well-done workout that will appeal to many people who like fusion workouts and who do not have joint issues that make floor work hard. The way Michelle incorporated the moves in a fun and different way along with some good music that enhances the workout makes this a unique workout. People have offered workouts that offer some similarities, but there doesn't seem to be anything out there exactly like this workout. The pace of the workout is fast and continuous, but it was NOT frantic. In order to get the most out of this workout, you want to be familiar with the moves and the flow of the combinations.

The DVD menu offers a movement explanation/instruction segment to choose. I would suggest watching that before you try the workout so that the three most challenging moves won't be a total surprise when they occur in the workout.

This workout is kind of hard to review for me. It's just so unlike any other workout I've ever done and I'm not sure I quite know how to explain it, but I will do my best!

Body Fit 360 is a 53 minute workout that combines dance, pilates and yoga for a fast paced, body weight sweat fest! You only need a mat for this workout, no equipment or shoes required. The DVD gives you three options: Introduction, Movement Review & Play Full Workout. During the introduction, Michelle talks about the workout. During the movement review, she demonstrates certain moves at a slower pace.

In a nutshell, this workout is a non-stop flow of one move to the next that targets the entire body using body weight exercises with a dance feel. You'll feel your muscles working but at the same time you'll be having fun and strengthening as well as stretching your body. There's a nice blend of standing and floor (plank) work that is perfectly choreographed to the motivating music. This is an advanced level workout and a bit above my own level, but I made it through with some modifications. There were several moves that were beyond my ability to even perform so I just went slower and modified them. Though I will note that while there is a modifier in this workout, she didn't modify all the time. Also, just beware that the choreography moves fast and I got a bit lost myself the first few times, so there may be an adjustment period. There is no dance choreography, but rather a choreography of movements that target all the major muscle groups through various pilates, yoga and traditional body weight movements. If you're the kind of person that doesn't like a learning curve, this may not be for you. By the time the workout was over my head was spinning and I wasn't exactly sure what I accomplished, but I know I accomplished something since my muscles were like jello, yet completely relaxed (if that's possible?)! It's definitely a good workout, but it's very different and the kind of workout that I really need to be in the mood to do.

The 6 minute warm-up has a dance feel, with tribal like music, and gets you moving pretty quickly right away. There's no real dynamic stretching, but rather stretching through movement. The next 28 minutes include a variety of moves that Michelle puts together into different routines that you will repeat more than once before moving on to the next. It truly is a mat fusion type workout that integrates the styles of yoga, pilates and traditional body weight exercises. While you're working the muscle, there are also moves that stretch them out. There is around 10 minutes of all floor work as well and about 10 minutes of stretching. I wish I could get more detailed with all the different moves she performs, but if I attempted to do that, this review would probably be 5 pages long. It really is non-stop from one pose to the next and will surely get your heart rate up, but it makes the time fly by!

Overall, it's a great, advanced workout. If you like fusion workouts with a learning curve that incorporate pilates, yoga and traditional body weight exercises that move in a constant flow from one to the next with no rest in between, this may be the workout for you! As I mentioned above, It's very unlike any workout I've ever done and I consider it a nice addition to balance out a well rounded fitness routine that includes cardio and weighted work.