It is no secret that I love everything Core Fusion. In January and February, I embarked on my Core Fusion Challenge – to really amazing results. I’d never had such success with workouts before this. But Core Fusion changed my body, changed my entire outlook on exercise (I now love and crave it) and it changed how I approach situations outside the classroom in my everyday life.
While I did my Core Fusion Challenge at exhale spa taking live classes, many of the people who participated along with me used the Core Fusion DVDs. I actually own them all myself, and I use them when I am traveling or when I feel like doing a short exercise at home. Each DVD is broken up into five 10-minute workouts that you can do all at once, or split up whenever you want.
The stars of the DVDs – Body Sculpt, Pilates Plus, Pure Abs & Arms, Thighs & Glutes — are Fred DeVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp, Core Fusion co-founders, husband and wife, and also my teachers at exhale. They actually got married the same year I was born! They’re on the screen, doing the exercises and the movements are explained with their own voiceovers. Unlike other exercise DVDs, they aren’t irritating or mean or cheesy. Fred and Elisabeth explain each exercise, any variations you might want or need to do, and the benefits of each movement. Very calm, very chill – yet the workouts are VERY tough.
So those DVDs are all awesome. Seriously, I cannot recommend them enough. But now they decided to take a new approach with their next few DVDs and make them more like a live class – like the classes I take multiple times a week at exhale spa.
So far, they’ve filmed three of these class-like DVDs – and one of them, Core Fusion Lean & Toned, comes out on Tuesday, May 4! Being the Core Fusion aficionado that I am, I got my hands on an early copy (tip: they are already on sale at exhale spa locations). I’ve seen this DVD twice so far. The first time, I watched it in bed on a Friday night like a movie. Core Fusion really is just that entertaining to me! And the second time, I did as much of the DVD workout as one could do in a tiny Manhattan apartment with no living room.
I was excited about this DVD because it is marketed as being like a live class. Even more exciting is that in the DVD with Fred and Elisabeth are three of my favorite Core Fusion teachers! So if you get this DVD, you’ll be watching the teachers whose classes I take the most.
So what did I think of Core Fusion Lean & Toned?
I liked it! I think that for someone who doesn’t have access to live classes or can’t afford/doesn’t want to pay for them, this DVD will definitely give you a good feel of what class is like. That said, Lean & Toned is not exactly like a live class as I thought it would be. It was like a compressed version of class – as if someone held a full-length class at both ends and squeezed it in.
Lean & Toned goes something like this:
Warm up (leg/arm lifts)
Pushups
Reverse Pushups (tricep dips)
Forearm Plank
Weights (for biceps, triceps, shoulders, back)
Thighs (ouch)
Abs (flat back/round back against a wall)
Glutes
Abs (pretzel/curl combo)
Stretch
That is a lot to pack in 50 minutes! The movements are fairly nonstop so it does work up a sweat, although the stretching in between creates a nice feeling of balance. That said, some parts did feel rushed, like the plank and arm weights sections, which were much shorter than I expected. I also never saw the pretzel move interspersed with the abs curl position, as was done here. I was confused by the pretzel (imagine sitting with one leg bent in front of you and one straight or bent to the side) being here at all since there was already a glutes section, and this pretzel was intended more for abs. Just something I haven’t seen done in class. One final difference is that in class we do glutes right after thighs. In the DVD some ab work falls in between those sections, although a little birdie told me that was a production error. 😉
All in all, this is an excellent workout DVD and you will get the idea of a Core Fusion class. If you decide to order the DVD, you will need to own a set of light weights. I’ve been doing Core Fusion for months and I use 3 pound weights. You also need a chair to hold on to for the thighs segment, and a wall with space to lean against for flat and round back abs.
Want to try Core Fusion Lean & Toned for free?
I’m giving away one copy of this DVD thanks to the awesome people at Acacia, the company that produces all Core Fusion DVDs along with many other workout DVDs (one of which I will be reviewing next week!).
You will receive one entry for EACH of the following:
- Leave a comment telling me what body part you want to strengthen with Core Fusion and why
Ex) I want so strengthen my arms so I can finally open the tightly closed bottles of POM Wonderful the company sent me
- Tweet this contest! Copy and paste the following into your Twitter:
Win the new #CoreFusion Lean & Toned DVD from @dysterious: http://bit.ly/ajVW5w
- Link back to this contest in your own post and let me know in the comments section. Don’t have a blog? Post it on Facebook and let me know!
I will randomly choose a winner via the Random Integer Generator on Tuesday, May 4 – the day the Core Fusion Lean & Toned DVD officially comes out!
I’d love to tone my abs. I spend far too much time on cardio machines, so I think this DVD might help! Great giveaway!
I love this! I want to build my abs so I can look amazing at 35 in a bathing suit!
Great review! I want to strengthen my arms and abs. I want sexy toned arms for the summer and I want to be able to do the curl!
Oh and tweeted and linking back in an hour!
Great review! I am always on the lookout for workouts I can do when the mood strikes at home!
I want to tighten my hips/thighs so I look rockin in my new bikinis;) Thanks for the awesome giveaway.. I hope I win!
I want to get rid of my love handles and drop 15 pounds.
I want to strengthen my glutes so that they are more defined and, therefore, easier to grab onto in certain situations.
I want to tone up my thighs so that I can look rockin’ in my race pictures this summer!
I want to tone up my glutes & thighs….summer is right around the corner!
I want to tone my back, shoulders and arms so I look hot in my wedding gown!
I would love to work on my arms. I am trying to get them to look more toned.
I want to tone my arms so they are totally buff for my wedding in September! 🙂
Great giveaway! I want to strengthen my arms and back in hopes to be able to do at least one chin up. As of right now, I just hang there!
I’d really love to tone up my arms. That’s mostly in the name of vanity though. What I should really work on is my core, so I have more support when I run!
I really want to tighten and tone my thighs–so I can feel confident in shorts again!
Thanks for the chance to win!
I need to tone all around! But, my main concerns are my abs and arms. 🙂
I want to strengthen my shoulder and back muscles. Core Fusion is also the perfect strength training for my fibromyalgia. I’ll be buying this if I don’t win. CANT WAIT!!
love the review!!!! I have lost 10lbs doing lean and toned and eating healthier, results happen!
i’d love to win this dvd to tone up overall – i’ve been running too much lately, and my muscle tone has suffered a bit from it. i’ve done a few of the other dvd’s and love the great workout you get from them 🙂
i want to tone up my butt and hips after having my baby! surprisingly, my stomach didn’t take as much of a beating from pregnancy as did my hips and butt!!! since i don’t have time to go to classes anymore (infant and working!), this would be a great dvd to do in my living room!
Thanks for the review! I’d like to use the DVD to work on my core & shoulders… have to counteract the rounding from working at a desk all day!!
I would love toned arms and shoulders because I am going to lots of weddings this summer and want to wear strapless dresses. I also really want to improve my push ups.
I’d like more toned thighs because Trinidad Carnival band launching season is coming up and if I’m going to pay exhorbitant money to be a frontliner, I’ll need great thighs in all the pictures I’ll have taken (and a VERY strong core to dance holding twenty pounds of feather and gem for two days straight!)
I need to strengthen my core.It the hardest place for me and would help me to fit in my snug bridesmaid dress:-)cc
Definitely need to work on the abs!
I would like to strengthen my legs since I’ve had to rest them due to injury!!
Abs and arms, for sure! Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
I really want a total body workout! However, it would be nice to see some change in my arms…..especially since tank top weather is almost here! These DVD’S sound great!
I’d like to strengthen (and of course, tone) my abs to improve my posture & balance (esp. during long runs and yoga sessions). Great giveaway!
I want this DVD because I strained my abdominals less than a week after my first live Core Fusion class (it wasn’t related!). I was laid up for months, but now that I’m finally ready to start serious exercise again, I’d like to practice with the DVD at home before I return to Exhale, so I can work at my own pace and rebuild my strength.
I want to tone my ABS!!
I want to strengthen my arms so they look lean and toned in my wedding dress.
I’d love to tone my legs! With as much running as I do, I feel like my legs should be more toned. I think this might give me that extra oomph I need to really get them sleek.
I really want to tone my abs for summer. And I heard it will help my running.
I can’t wait for this DVD to come out since I am clearly obsessed with this workout now.
Great review!
hi dori june 15 i will have completed 1 year of cf. i love it, now i mix up all the dvd’s. my current favorite workout is the 2 abdominals on abs and arms, i like to do them each twice in a row then go for the first arm section. then i move on to body sculpt for gluteal sculpt. wow we are all so lucky to have found these workouts. thanks for your enthusiam. i share it eileen
hi i realized that i did not answer the question. i want to work on all of it, but mostly abs abs abs. ei
I want to strengthen my back. I have no trouble with other areas but think a better basis on my back could add more efficiency in other moves.
Thanks for the review! It’s hard to know what DVDs are good or not!
Katherine
Thanks for the giveaway and review! I need to tone my inner thighs!
Oh man, I am dying to try Core Fusion! I have read so much about them on blogworld and especially on your blog. I love the idea of shorter workouts because I have the worst core strength, and I hate working on them too long. I just get too frustrated. I need me some ab strength!
Tweet tweet! 🙂
hi…been following your blog for some time now=)
i love to tone my abs so i can finally wear a 2 piece swimsuit…it’s been a long time dream of mine=)…so i guess, this dvd will help=)
I would love to tone my arms!
oh … and Tweeted! linkback going up before my shift ends this morning. 😉
I want to strengthen my legs so that I can be a better runner!
I want to tone up my arms more! Pilates is great for my arms but I want moremoremore!!
I twittered it 🙂