Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Xtend Barre Lean & Chiseled was (and is) something entirely new for me, a style of exercise I have never attempted before. So for that reason I thought it would be a useful new selection to alternate with other favorite exercise DVD's presently in "heavy rotation" in my basement workout space. (A few of which I've reviewed separately on Amazon.) My reaction--I like it! But before I expand let me fill in some blanks. Surely unlike 98% of the other users, I am male and probably also unlike many other Xtend Barre users, I'm well into middle age, having just turned the calendar on 54 years. Though I would NOT call myself a "gym rat" I have certainly been a relentlessly faithful exercise devotee since age 25 when I realized to my alarm that metabolism alone would not keep me lean. Decades of aerobics classes followed, regular "land" aerobics as well as step, along with various toning classes, and since '06 I've been wringing myself into a puddle of sweat at the company gym (stairclimber--NEVER gets easy), and at home exploring the under-appreciated wonderland of exercise DVD. In addition to conventional abs and toning workouts, I've diversified with yoga and pilates which have both proven to be challenging and beneficial. So I think I can claim that I'm an experienced fitness person with some credibility. So with that in mind, I want to observe first that "Xtend Barre" is NOT appropriate for beginners. If you are only now getting off your sofa to begin your fitness quest, this is NOT the place to start. I would classify Xtend Barre certainly as an intermediate (possibly advanced) level class which will very quickly intimidate and overwhelm a beginner. Do NOT let this stop you--there are scores of DVD's targeted directly at beginners and you should have NO hesitation at starting at an appropriate level. I promise a beginner program will quickly let you see improvement, however if you try to bite off "Xtend Barre" to start, your aspirations will quickly be dashed. Trying something new in a fitness routine is NECESSARY but also humbling, as "Xtend Barre" quickly reminded me. Because it's based on ballet stances and moves, the emphasis and orientation is considerably different from most familiar aerobics routines. BALANCE, control and precision are required here to a degree not demanded by other cardio/toning programs. For those (like me) with no background in ballet it's a bit of a shock to see how clumsy and awkward my early attempts at this material were (and still are, though I AM acclimating). But here's the unassailable truth we must not flinch from: fitness (like life itself) demands that we be fearless in advancing ourselves; inertia and allowing ourselves to stick with the "same old same old" will lead us only to stagnation and decline. NO I'll never make the US Olympic team, but neither can I be satisfied that grinding out 25 push ups every morning is sufficient to keep me fit as the years pile up. Beginners take heed! Once your introductory workout starts to seem tolerable, you have to switch and challenge yourself anew! Xtend Barre trainer Andrea Rogers is EXTREMELY competent in her cueing and (as we would expect) in her mastery of the material and her direction of the workout segments. I especially admired how smoothly the barre section of the workout alternated sides of the body then added new moves to build and extend the routine. Throughout Andrea maintained steady cues and encouragement with changes vocally telegraphed in advance VERY effectively so home users can be ready for transitions without losing track. Of course I also have to mention as someone who has been a male for a long time, Andrea and her raven-tressed workout partners (demonstrating the high and low intensity modifications) are all sleek beauties, and YES denounce me if you must but that's always an extra sprinkle of motivation for us XY gender users... Again--this workout will challenge you, and here I redeploy my ironclad law of video workouts: you are NOT allowed to abandon any routine/instructor until you've done the entire workout four or five times. ANYTHING new you try--especially a higher level workout like Xtend Barre--is going to make unfamiliar and taxing demands on you. Realize that this is part of the reason why you do it--and understand that you will need a few repetitions to "get" the instructors' style and material. The blessing and curse of video workouts is that they're ALWAYS the same--over time you will learn the routine with some swagger, and then it's time to pick up something new. Let me just admit here that I'll be working months to bring myself to that point of familiarity with "Xtend Barre". Let me also point out that Andrea & her producers (mercifully and wisely I think) made the barre segment accessible by using a chair for balance throughout. Clearly, Andrea and her helpers could do the routine with NO support; thankfully they understood that most of us will never gain that degree of mastery (though it's certainly something to shoot for over time), and chose to do the barre routine using chairs so we can keep ourselves vertical as they lead us through this demanding sequence. "Sweat like a pig" is an indelicate but accurate description of my experience running through the entire 50-some minutes of this routine. You can certainly break it up and do one segment daily (the 23 minute barre routine is the longest-and most difficult). I prefer to get the full routine in if possible, so my use so far has been confined (mostly) to weekends. However in my short exposure so far, I feel I AM catching on and indeed, following their demonstration with increased snap and vigor. Of course the question is fairly asked: does "Xtend Barre" truly deliver the "dancer's body you've always wanted" (as the box claims)? My direct answer is YES with the qualification that YOU are obliged to work it so it will work for you, AND recognize that one DVD workout alone can never span the entire continuum of what is necessary for optimal fitness and good looks. Now let me hasten to add that NO, after only a months' (somewhat limited) use of Xtend Barre I do not have a "dancer's body". Given my fitness background however I'm firm in my conviction that my years of work have been indisputably beneficial and exercise should be something EVERYONE with a body does. I'm not going the full 5 stars for "Xtend Barre" because it's too high of a hill for beginners to climb, but exercise veterans looking for something adventurous and different should DEFINITELY add this to their library and rotation. Amazon friends, there is NO silver bullet! I like and recommend this DVD but be aware that it could be more than you can handle right now. Let's not kid ourselves that establishing and maintaining a commitment to fitness is easy, ESPECIALLY if parenting, work, or possibly an unsympathetic spouse actively or passively try to discourage you. You must not let those things get between your aspirations and actions. This after all is YOUR life! As so many have sagely reminded us in other contexts, let's not die full of regrets for the things we were too timid to attempt. "Better to do it WHILE YOU'RE ALIVE!"