I honestly did not expect to enjoy this workout as much as I did! I adore Michelle Dozois’s new BodyFit 360 series! I have no rhythm and two left feet, so I was certain any workout with the word “dance” in it would end up being shelved after one try. But try it I did because #1 it was created by Michelle Dozois and I always give her workouts a chance and #2, I loved Volumes 1 and 3. But I honestly did not expect to even like this workout! But I love it! And what I love even more is that she made all 3 volumes very different. They all fit together nicely, but do not duplicate each other. You get unique, fun and effective workouts with all 3.
Bodyweight Dance Conditioning is put together very nicely. The full workout is 54:30 minutes long. However, she has two 30 minute premixes, plus the main workout is broken down into 10 chapters. The premixes basically split the main workout in half and both share one block (block 6). The first premix is called Dance Conditioning Workout and contains the first 6 blocks. These blocks are the warm up block, the 4 dance/cardio blocks and block 6 which is a very flowing yoga routine. The second premix is called Flow, Strength, Core, Stretch & Release which contains blocks 6-10, the more focused body weight strength work; block 6 apparently serves as a warm up here.
Michelle has also included one of her Movement Reviews, which is a 3 minute segment in which she explains and demonstrates some of the more complex exercises in this workout. I do want to say that I didn’t really feel any of the moves in this workout were horribly complex or difficult to do, but it is always nice to see a demonstration beforehand so you can stay in the flow of the workout when the exercise appears. There is also a modifier, showing some low impact and less intense versions of some of the exercises.
Overall this is a wonderful workout. I will say it has less strength than Volume 1 and less cardio than Volume 3, but what it does have makes it unique and well worth adding to your collection. Did I suddenly become a great dancer after doing this workout? Not even close! I still had no rhythm, even when doing her dancier moves; but nevertheless, I found it fun and was able to stay in the flow of the workout without a problem.
I’m going to review this workout a little differently than I did the others. Rather than breaking down every move, I will list the blocks, how long each block is and a brief description of what they contain.
Block 1 Warm up 4:30: low key dancy, flowing and stretching moves.
Blocks 2-5 are all Dance Conditioning blocks, each approx 5 minutes: very flowing and dancy–you are doing a lot of dynamic movements. Some impact, some dance steps, but mostly flowing, rhythmic moves that incorporate some strength, some flexibility, even some ballet-inspired moves that all combine into cardio.
Block 6 Strength, Flex and Flow 5:30: flowing yoga with chair, warrior poses, up dog and down dog, snake, dancers bridge and more.
Block 7 Upper Body 5:30: very challenging push up variations, plank variations, some wide jumping mountain climbers, mermaids, scorpion touches.
Block 8 Core 5:30: core is exactly what it sounds like–core work. It starts with lots of various moves in V-sit. You’ll do some interesting pilates like moves in Z sit, plus bicycles and scissors.
Block 9 Stretch 1 5:30: very flowing yoga-like stretches with down dogs, 3 leg down dogs, dragon, goddess poses and more.
Block 10 Stretch 2 & Release 8:00: much more relaxing, low key, deeper stretches that end with corpse pose.
