“Tighten Tone and Torch” exercise dvd by Suzanne Bowen Fitness -Barre

Collage Video sent me three workout dvds of my choice last month, complimentary for blog review; and one of my choices was “Tighten, Tone and Torch” by Suzanne Bowen Fitness.

I am familiar with Suzanne Bowen’s barre exercises because I’ve done some of her streaming workout videos online and participated in two of her recent challenges. She is very motivating and has a great personality! I find her movements not complicated and easy to follow.

Here is what the dvd looks like:

This is what the chapter menu looks like.

The warm up is 2 minutes long.

The lower body lean portion lasts 22 minutes. You will need a mat and hand weights.

Next is the upper body sleek for 21 minutes. You will need a mat and hand weights.

The last portion is called Cardio torch with bonus abs. You will need shoes for this workout. The cardio portion lasts 17 minutes. The ab section lasts 6 minutes, making it a total of 23 minutes.

Last is the stretch/cool down which lasts 12 minutes.

Overall, I really liked this workout. It took alot of time to do the entire workout from beginning to end, so I probably won’t do that again. She designed it with the different sections so that you can pick and choose what workout to do and still get the warm up and cool down.
I didn’t feel like the warm up was good enough though-it was less than 2 minutes. The cool down stretching portion was awesome and felt so good to my body after doing an hour of her barre exercises. I used my Lebert Equalizer bars for better stretching for my legs. I used 3 pound hand weights and had to stop a couple of times for breaks. I need to use 1 or 2 pound hand weights when doing barre exercises. It was harder than I thought with some exercises-I definitely felt the burn!!

Collage video rates this as an “intermediate” total body workout.

http://www.collagevideo.com/workout-video/suzanne-bowens-tighten-tone-and-torch-6409

Certified instructor description: It combines traditional toning exercises with Pilates and yoga-inspired variations. The moves are creative and well-sequenced — as soon as you finish one set, you’re perfectly aligned for the next. The first segment targets your lower body. It features lots of angles, lots of positions and lots of reps. The second section is upper-body and core-focused (mostly floorwork). It’s also well-designed and well-transitioned. The final series is a mix of fast-paced toning and true plyometric style cardio (e.g. high plié jumps that also sculpt your lower body). The program ends with an extended stretch designed to improve flexibility and promote joint mobility. Requires 1 to 5 lb. dumbbells. ©2013