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Core Fusion Lean & Toned Review & Giveaway

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:

  1. 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
  2. Tweet this contest! Copy and paste the following into your Twitter:
    Win the new #CoreFusion Lean & Toned DVD from @dysterious: http://bit.ly/ajVW5w
  3. 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!

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120 comments on Core Fusion Lean & Toned Review & Giveaway

  1. Maggie
    April 30, 2010 at 10:02 am (15 years ago)

    I want to tone my arms so they look great in all sleeveless shirts I’ll be wearing with this warm weather!

    Reply
  2. Karla
    April 30, 2010 at 11:27 am (15 years ago)

    I want to tone my abs and boo-tay so I can look my best when I get engaged soon!!!

    Reply
  3. Danielle
    April 30, 2010 at 12:19 pm (15 years ago)

    I’d love some help toning my abs and arms – I’m clueless when it comes to good exercises for this!

    Reply
  5. Britt @ Runnerbelle
    April 30, 2010 at 1:16 pm (15 years ago)

    I’d love to strengthen my abs some more! After surgery in January they haven’t quite come back to where they were before.

    Reply
  6. Holly
    April 30, 2010 at 2:28 pm (15 years ago)

    Awesome giveaway! I’ve been debating buying one/some of these DVDs, because I know how much you and Missy love the classes. My (new) PT says my weak glutes contribute to my knee problem, so I would love to strengthen those buns. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Amy
    April 30, 2010 at 4:03 pm (15 years ago)

    I would love to shape up my glutes – I’ve never enjoyed looking at my rear view!

    Reply
  8. Lea
    April 30, 2010 at 11:25 pm (15 years ago)

    I would also like to tone my glutes and achieve the coveted bubble but. lol.

    Reply
  11. HIma
    May 1, 2010 at 1:03 pm (15 years ago)

    I want to strengthen my core in hopes of having a flatter tummy for summer.

    Reply
  12. Christie
    May 1, 2010 at 1:19 pm (15 years ago)

    Great giveaway! I will want to tone EVERYTHING once baby is born!

    ~Christie

    Reply
  13. Christie
    May 1, 2010 at 1:20 pm (15 years ago)

    I tweeted! HOLLA!

    ~Christie

    Reply
  14. Stefanie
    May 1, 2010 at 1:41 pm (15 years ago)

    Hi,
    I think I would want to strenghten my core, it is still my weakest part of my body!

    Reply
  15. Alicia
    May 1, 2010 at 1:53 pm (15 years ago)

    just tweeted!

    Reply
  16. Manon
    May 1, 2010 at 3:59 pm (15 years ago)

    I have just recently gotten into the core fusion workouts, and looooove them! I really need to tone up my tushy for bikini season!

    Reply
  17. Betsy
    May 1, 2010 at 4:56 pm (15 years ago)

    I want to tone my inner thighs because they are my problem area!

    Reply
  18. Kelly
    May 1, 2010 at 5:58 pm (15 years ago)

    I want to continue to tone my arms. They’ve gotten a lot stronger lately but I’m a little bored with my same routine and would love to have something new to try!

    Reply
  19. Keri
    May 1, 2010 at 6:23 pm (15 years ago)

    I would like to tone my abs because I haven’t worn a bikini since I was six, and it’s most definitely been long enough!

    Reply
  20. Victoria
    May 1, 2010 at 6:43 pm (15 years ago)

    I would like to strengthen/tone my arms because they are totally weak sauce, and I would like to be able to move without my Dad carrying all the heavy boxes.

    Reply
  21. Jess
    May 1, 2010 at 6:59 pm (15 years ago)

    I could definitely use some more ab workouts!

    Reply
  22. eatavegan
    May 1, 2010 at 7:33 pm (15 years ago)

    I want to tone my arms — going for the MObama look!

    Reply
  23. eatavegan
    May 1, 2010 at 7:34 pm (15 years ago)

    Just sent the word out on Twitter! Thanks for the great giveaway!

    Reply
  24. Melissa K
    May 1, 2010 at 8:04 pm (15 years ago)

    I want to tone/strengthen many parts, but definitely my abs and back so that I no longer have back pain! It’s been getting better ever since I’ve been getting serious about my working out, so I will definitely continue with that. I’ve also never tried core fusion, and it sounds amazing!

    Reply
  25. Natalie P.
    May 1, 2010 at 8:21 pm (15 years ago)

    I would like to strengthen my core so I can work on having better posture.

    Reply
  26. Krystal Obbink
    May 2, 2010 at 12:13 am (15 years ago)

    I’d like to do all over toning, but first is my arms! I’m in a wedding this summer and the strapless dress won’t go well with flabby arms!

    Reply
  27. Kelly
    May 2, 2010 at 1:52 am (15 years ago)

    Sweet giveaway! It’s a toss-up between abs and arms for me – my arms have always been naturally stick-like, but I’m also drawn to the allure of well-toned abs.

    Reply
  28. Marlena
    May 2, 2010 at 11:14 am (15 years ago)

    I have the Core Fusion Abs & Arms workout, which I love! I’d really like to try the other CF DVDs for a total body workout.

    Reply
  29. Marlena
    May 2, 2010 at 11:26 am (15 years ago)

    I added a link to my FB page & tweeted it too!

    Reply
  30. Erin
    May 2, 2010 at 11:31 am (15 years ago)

    I want to tone my abs and arms because they are the problem areas that have still not gone away after losing 35 pounds!

    Reply
  31. christine
    May 2, 2010 at 5:30 pm (15 years ago)

    I would love to strengthen my arms! after a car accident left me with a bum shoulder, I’ve had pretty much minimal upper body strength and it gets in the way of my daily life. anything to help with strengthening my upper body would be amazing.

    Reply
  32. Josie
    May 2, 2010 at 7:55 pm (15 years ago)

    I want to focus on my arms, specifically the troublesome triceps (at least for me!)

    Reply
  33. Patricia
    May 3, 2010 at 8:57 am (15 years ago)

    I want to tone my thighs and rear for the upcoming bathing suit season! One month until Memorial Day Weekend.

    Reply
  34. Teri [a foodie stays fit]
    May 3, 2010 at 9:17 am (15 years ago)

    I want to strengthen my glutes and lowerback so I stop getting so many overuse injuries!

    Reply
  35. Onegreatsmile
    May 3, 2010 at 10:35 am (15 years ago)

    I want to tone my arm because I think sleek curvy shoulders look super sexy, especially in summertime. And trust me, I’m a long way from sleeveless at the moment.

    Reply
  36. angel
    May 3, 2010 at 11:42 am (15 years ago)

    I want to tone my thighs in case corduroys make a comeback.

    Reply
  37. angel
    May 3, 2010 at 12:16 pm (15 years ago)

    blogged!

    Reply
  38. Beth
    May 3, 2010 at 2:44 pm (15 years ago)

    I’d like to tone my abs and upper arms.

    Reply
  39. Laura
    May 3, 2010 at 3:14 pm (15 years ago)

    I want to strengthen my abs so I can actually do the full ab segments in my other CoreFusion DVDs 🙂

    Reply
  40. j
    May 3, 2010 at 3:31 pm (15 years ago)

    I want to strengthen my left forearm, because my right forearm is too big from “working out”.

    Reply
  41. Mallory
    May 3, 2010 at 4:21 pm (15 years ago)

    Santana wants to win puppy core fusion!

    Reply
  42. Heather (Heather's Dish)
    May 3, 2010 at 4:48 pm (15 years ago)

    i want to strengthen my abdominals and back to better my posture and decrease back pain 🙂

    Reply
  44. Ash Bear
    May 3, 2010 at 5:02 pm (15 years ago)

    I’d love to win this so I can strengthen my entire body! 🙂

    Reply
  45. Ally
    May 3, 2010 at 9:32 pm (15 years ago)

    I’d like to strengthen my core to improve my posture!

    Reply
  46. Kim @ LEO the lion says GER
    May 3, 2010 at 9:43 pm (15 years ago)

    I’d love to win this because I want to wear a bikini instead of looking for excuses not to go to the beach.

    Reply

3Pingbacks & Trackbacks on Core Fusion Lean & Toned Review & Giveaway

  1. Fit Links Friday April 30th « Shape Up in the City says:
    April 30, 2010 at 12:29 pm

    […] Core Fusion Lean & Toned Review & Giveaway – Dori’s Shiny Blog […]

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  2. Baby, Give it Up to Me… says:
    May 1, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    […] The DVD isn’t out yet; I’ve been waiting to pre-order from Amazon until I take my chances in Dori’s contest. I’m telling you about it because I love you…but I’m also telling you that I hope to win! Anyway, if you have been dying to see what all the fuss is about, head over there to enter! […]

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  3. Fitness Inspiration | Just Flourishing says:
    May 2, 2010 at 5:41 pm

    […] Core Fusion Lean & Toned Review & Giveaway – Dori’s Shiny Blog […]

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