The Crunch Fitness DVD series offers a lot of different types of exercise for all types whether you are looking for a straight up toning workout, a cardio workout or, as is the case for the Fat Burning Dance Party – a fun workout. I’ll state it straight out that Crunch Fat Burning Dance Party is for the beginner or someone looking more to just get up and move than someone who’s been working out readily or steadily for more than six months. Your intermediate to advanced exerciser is not likely to get much out of this workout.
3 Sneakers
I found the music to be fun, there are three sections for this dance DVD and they seem to be broken out more as a dance party than as a fitness workout to be honest. You’ve got salsa, party funk and retro party. The instructor talks you through the moves, but to be honest – she doesn’t spend a lot of time making sure you have it down before she whips into the next set of moves.
As someone who’s studied dance, I found that particular aspect of the workout pretty frustrating because while the music is fun and you can just ignore her and dance if you have trouble – I don’t get the sense that this is the way the workout is supposed to go.
The Latin dance section involves a lot of mambos and sambas in a routine designed to get your heart rate up and keep it up. The second section is called the funk where you are challenged to get your groove on in a number of different combinations that keep your heart rate up and charge you to burn fat as you move steadily. The last dance section, to be honest, not sure what it was supposed to do, but it was pretty fun.
My daughter got a kick out of the music and she was more than happy to strut her stuff to the combinations even when she didn’t get it. I get that the philosophy of this fitness DVD is to have fun and if you exercise as a by-product – that’s great, but it doesn’t feel like the goal is a good solid workout or a good solid cardio fat burn. That’s why I gave this DVD 3 sneakers, it’s decent enough, but I don’t find it worth repeating that often nor would I want to add it to my collection of fitness DVDs.
The Instructor
Jennifer Galardi is the instructor of the Crunch Fat Burning Dance Party and while her credentials are pretty solid, I think this fitness DVD would serve better if the instructor took more time from the get go to give her audience a step review so that you can feel more comfortable when working out at speed. I get the idea is to keep you moving to keep your heart rate up, but I think the overall workout suffers because if you don’t get catch on to the dance steps, you’re left just stomping in place and feeling either clumsy or just plain left out.
You will get a good sweat on from this workout and you’ll likely get a good laugh from some of the cheesier moments, but overall – if you enjoy the idea of a dance workout that you can get your groove on to from the get go – this may not be for you. If you can practice it a few times, chances are you’ll get more bang for your buck in the workout.
Have you tried the Crunch Fat Burning Dance Party?
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