Ministry Of Sound: Pump It Up! The Ultimate Dance Workout [DVD]

I bought this video because I liked the ‘Call on Me’ song and video and wanted to find an exercise DVD that had great music and great moves! In many exercise videos there is hideous music that you’ve never heard before playing in the background because the makers can’t afford to get ‘proper’ songs, but on this DVD there are loads of energetic, recognisable, upbeat dance songs that really motivate you.The instructor, Deanne Berry, has a warm style and a lovely Australian accent. She doesn’t talk you through the moves before you do them but in the long run this is best because when you’re doing the DVD for the twentieth time you don’t have to wait while every single move is explained. All the dancers are dressed in skimpy workout clothes, which is inspiring and fun to watch in a very tongue in cheek TMF / MTV kind of way. The one bloke is very sexy (in a dark and broody kind of way) and wears some funny vibrant green shorts!The exercises are of very high quality and I’m sure you’ll see results if you practise this regularly. The sections are:1) 10 min warm-up – very good and pretty standard for this kind of thing2) 20 min dance section – exhausting and fun, rather like an aerobics class with dance moves thrown in (including salsa!), amazing music, some moves are hard to pick up but each time you do the DVD you get better at it which is really motivating3) 20 min hi-energy dance section – very fast, looks good, excellent music, but I’m not fit enough to get through it yet straight after the previous section because it is so exhausting4) 10 mins bums and tums – pretty standard, press-ups and sit-ups are a killer (and I don’t even do half of them!)5) 15 min cool down – overlong for a cool down, but the music is very goodOverall, the DVD is fun, exhausting and sexy. I really feel good while doing it, despite the fact that I’ve never done any dancing before. This DVD is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of fun because it includes super music (my favourite tracks are Pump it Up and Call on Me) and the dancers all look like they’re having a great time. Yes, some of the moves are hard to pick up if you’re not a natural dancer (like me), but after several tries I’m now much better at it and can do 90% of them. I actually like the fact that I still have more moves to learn because it makes doing the DVD that much more interesting and it keeps me on my toes!I recommend this DVD to people who are reasonably fit, like commercial dance music, want to really sweat, and are motivated by watching a lot of very slim dancers strut their stuff in tiny outfits (rather than annoyed).

This is, without a doubt, the most enjoyable workout DVD I've ever owned. The routine is one of the most fun I've come across; If like me you regard exercise as the physical equivalent of completing a self assessment tax return, then encouraging, smiley Deanne and her mates just might convince you otherwise. But don't be fooled into thinking that fun means boringly easy, this is a proper cardio routine.The workout is divided into five sections, so you can create a routine which is at the right pitch for your fitness level: you do need to view the routines first and decide what you could manage to begin with. Deanne's very motivating, reminding you of position, breathing and so on and most of the moves are broken down into smaller chunks, starting with the feet then introducing the more complex elements (If you still feel uncoordinated ,start by concentrating on getting the footwork down before introducing the arm moves.) To start with I used the warm up, first dance section and cool down before using the bums and tums, building up the reps gradually to the same amount shown. Even in a shorter form it's wonderfully effective and will target most of your large muscle groups.It does require a few attempts to get your upper and lower body coordinated and in time,and I would recommend a couple of viewings before you start using it. This provides an excellent opportunity to spot who made it from the Call On Me video to the workout(yes, they were all in it) and enjoy the antics of the back row who, in the fine tradition of back rows everywhere, are having more fun than anyone else. Juan, the lone guy in a sea of lycra(he really looks like he *hates* it, the poor lamb :) Deanne even cooingly calls him "Juan baby") and Jordan's prettier, more fun sister(well, it could be...)flirt, laugh, grin, pull faces at each other and generally muck about whenever they get the chance. I swear that when Juan has to dance with Deanne there's a hole burning in her back from the evils Jordan's (maybe) sister is giving her.This is is a great workout to progress to from something like Dan Karaty's Hot Pants workout, or to put some fun into your programme if you've being doing lots of gym workouts or more sober, strict routines and you need some levity. Some people might find Deanne's smile and constant stream of directions and encouragement irritating (she is almost unhumanly cheerful), or be put off by the slender, toned lovelies apparently prancing effortlessly about. If you want to be whipped into shape by a bellowing hard body,then this probably isn't for you.I found it fun and very effective; the soundtrack is brilliant and (reassuringly, since imperfections are normally edited out of filmed workouts)the dancers sweat, pant, get knackered, fluff some of their moves and smile along with you.