Grace and Gusto

This type of fusion style workout has reduced my back pain and inflammation in my body significantly. I rotate through a couple of her dvds every week to help my balance, posture, burn calories and tighten up every muscle in my body. Ellen Barrett teaches to focus on breath during exercise among many other mandatory exercise techniques. This idea of deep breathing during exercise has flooded into other areas of my life helping me to cope with stressful situations.I personally would caution anyone who works out daily to make sure that they rotate body parts and Ellen Barrett dvds - meaning if you do Grace and Gusto which works the arms and shoulders a lot- the next day do an exercise that concentrates more on legs like her Power Fusion dvd - then take a day for simple walking and stretching or a day off and start the dvd rotation again.I come from a family of professional athletes and I am 52. I have had 10 major spinal surgeries and Ellen Barrett's exercise methodology has improved my quality of life immensely.

There's a lot to like in this routine: it is full-body, it is companionable (the ever-radiant Ellen and her bevy of exercise beauties), and it is intelligent (the moves make sense) -- except for one thing: the arm twists. They appear in other Barrett productions but they are especially featured in this one, and for the life of me, I can't see why. Unless you have the arm strength of a dragonfly, I don't know what this exercise can possibly do for you. I always find myself doing other things that at least give my arms SOME sort of challenge. And then there is the more generic critique I have -- which applies to nearly all Barrett's workouts -- and that is the unnecessary pauses. The pauses have the group -- and you -- literally standing still while she talks about the next move, or hesitates before leading into it. I find them baffling: why are we standing still? Why are we stopping instead of moving directly into the next move? Another weakness, I think, is in taking the moves too slowly to begin with, before moving at a reasonable tempo (I am usually ahead of the group in the video because I don't like holding myself back). Then there are the moments when Ellen breaks the momentum of the workout with deliberate slowdowns -- I don't even mean her 'oases', which might be welcome -- but that's not a problem in this video. All the same, you have to be prepared, if you feel the wind is at your back, so to speak, to carry on with a more driving movement when Ellen and the girls stick to a stodgier beat.

I love all of Ellen Barrett's DVD. I am not an athletic person and have bad knees. I am not overweight, but I want to exercise daily. Most workout I've tried are either too hard, or dont have enough cardio. What I love about these is that they are not too fast or too hard, they really are made for a "normal" person like me who never did ballet or dance and may not be superfit; however, the workout are fun, challenging, and increase body function.For the past year I have tried to increase the functionality of my body by working one on one with physical therapists to address various common issues that I have such as weak glutes, lack of hip stability, or shoulder tension from a sedentary lifestyle. I love how her workout integrate a lot of the exercises and stretches you do in physical therapy, except its much more fun because the workouts have a flow. I think she is very creative and innovative in having found a way to incorporate functional training, cardio, strength and flexibility and unlike many other videos out there, you can safely do this regularly without hurting yourself.I will definitely get and use all of her dvds!

I fell for all the positive reviews and decided to cave. I typically do advanced workouts and I knew this workout wasn't of that caliber, but I was hoping for moderate workout that I could do on those low energy days. I have never done a Ellen Barrett workout so I thought a new change of pace would be nice. This was a complete waste of time for me. I really wanted to stop this workout less than 15 minutes into it. The music was dull, the moves were generic, and it just wasn't much of a workout at all. There are much much better workouts to choose from on a low energy day.......take a pass on this one. This DVD will never see the inside of my player again.

I used to exercise all the time and since becoming sick, I needed something new to try. I have fibromyalgia so it's really hard to find the right exercise program that my body would allow me to do. So many programs are too fast and leave you dizzy with your head spinning but this one is slow and controlled. It might take some getting used to but it makes the body feel great (after hurting for days after your first try). It was really hard at first because my body is so weak but after the first 10 minutes, you'll realize you can do it until you reach the end, or be like me and can't do one of the moves that's like a crab position. It's really fun and it's been so long since I could do something like this (can't do it everyday I have my limits). So I would recommend it to anyone who's sick,healthy,bored or lazy to just get up and move.

I'm a guy, and will never been mistaken as graceful, but that won't stop me from trying to be. I found this workout a little bit humbling in that I had to drop my arms a few times, i was stunned at how much they were being worked by what looked like an easy to do tape, led by a great instructor. This DVD works, although I did fall over a few times during moving tree pose...there's that non-graceful part. It is indeed something to work towards, and far more challenging than it looks. I read somewhere that mind body fitness is the new way to go, and Ellen Barrett has been considered one of, if not the best, instructors in this field, she'll get no argument from me...sore arms and all. Guys, try this with an open mind, you might be in for a shock...I was, happily so..this workout works everything, mostly I felt it in my mood, my productivity level at work, and my overall out look on life!! Awesome way to spend 45 minutes!JerryCape May, NJ