Barre Bootcamp Series contains three 40 minute barre bootcamp workouts: Total Body, Sculpt, and Box. Here is a video clip showing all 3 workouts. I wanted these workouts very bad. But when Linda first announced them the only way to even pre-order them was through Total Fitness DVDs and even then it was only available as a box set with two other Barlates workout DVDs. I don’t have an issue with more workouts, but I already owned one of them (Sweat Series). However I did want the 3rd also included (Cardio Sculpt Fusion Series), so I gave my daughter Sweat Series and bought the box set. However, now the DVD with just the Barre Bootcamp workouts is available on Amazon. But I have no regrets!
This collection was a mixed bag for me. I loved Total Body (my favorite of the 3 workouts), I loved the first half of Box and didn’t care for the rest of it and I liked Sculpt but didn’t love it. I will probably only return to Sculpt occasionally but I can see myself using Total Body and the first 16 minutes of Box a lot. In fact, that is how I will use them. I will start my workout doing Box and once I hit the 16 minute mark, I will switch over to Total Body and do the entire workout. That will give me a 56 minute excellent barre bootcamp workout!
Bootcamp Total Body is 40 minutes long; 1 minute intro, no warm up and 5 minute stretch. Linda is using 2 pound hand weights and a barre. I used 3 pound hand weights and a chair. Wow! What an excellent and tough workout! This workout alone makes all the trouble I went to in order to get my hands on this collection worth it! I was working hard and I felt it! Each time I do this workout I will increase my dumbbell weight incrementally. I’ll use 4 pounds next time and if I feel like I can go heavier then I’ll try 5 pound dumbbells the time after that. I just ordered 6 pound dumbbells so I can even try that if 5 pounds still seems too light. I think 7 pounds (which I also own) would definitely be too heavy.
- Side lunge and while in lunge raise heel while doing rear delt fly, stand and raise knee while raising arms/DBs overhead; changes to staying in side lunge while doing heel raises/rear delt flys; changes to just side lunge to knee raise; changes to knee raise + straight leg raise while raising and lowering arms/DBs overhead to hips; repeat everything on other side of body
- Lunge into single leg deadlift; static lunges while raising and lowering heel (arms/DBs held overhead); lean forward and raise and lower back straight leg while also raising straight arms behind you 2x then hold leg up and bend and straighten knee 4x while doing tricep kickbacks; repeat on other leg
- Hold onto barre/chair w/ feet in 3rd position and do 3 jumps alternating feet w/ each jump + 2 low kicks out to side; feet still in 3rd position, 2 plie squats, bend one knee then lift it straight out to side, lift it straight to side again then return to 3rd position (heels raised throughout)
- (for this you will be holding both DBs in one hand throughout) Lunge forward and do 8 static lunges w/ one arm bicep curl while raising and lowering heel + 8 static side lunge w/ one arm concentration curl (elbow inside of lunging thigh) while raising and lowering heel + 8 static curtsy lunge w/ one arm wide curls while raising and lowering front heel; repeat but do 4 reps of each, repeat again but do 2 reps of each, then go back up the pyramid–4 reps of each exercise and end with 8 reps of each exercise; repeat everything on other leg
- 4 mountain climbers + 2 plank jacks
- Straight arm side plank, bring bottom knee in front of you, bringing elbow (holding one DB) to knee then kick straight bottom leg in front of you bringing DB to toe then raise and lower hips 2x while reaching DB overhead
- Sit on hip then do one bent knee jack knife, one straight leg jack knife then scissor legs 3x; remain on hip w/ both legs lifted straight to ceiling and circle top leg while holding other leg straight
- Repeat 6 & 7 on other side of body
Barre Bootcamp Box is 41:30 minutes long; 1 minute intro and 4 minute stretch. Equipment: a barre or chair and Linda is using 2 pound hand weights, I used 3 pound hand weights and a chair. This workout was a mixed bag. I loved the first 16 minutes of the workout (#1 & #2 below) but then you do this long plie punch sequence that was not only making my feet cramp big time but also lowered the intensity of the workout–for me at least. It really seemed to be wearing Linda out. I don’t know if the cramping was due to the fact that both of my heels are full of plates and screws but it was really hurting my feet. However, even Linda said she was having problems raising her heels near the end of that very long sequence. I did like #6 (didn’t love it like I do #1 & 2)–that was also really wearing Linda out. She was clearly working hard and exhausted by this workout, but her form was always stellar in spite of this. I liked the first 16 minutes of this workout so much, I have a “fix” for it. The other two workouts on this DVD are also 40 minutes and since I work out for an hour every morning, I will just do the first 16 minutes of this workout, then change to one of the other bootcamp workouts–which will make my workout nearly an hour. Perfect.
- Punch down (coming down in side lunge and punching near foot) the punch overhead on other side of body 2x + cross punches w/ 2 front kicks (same leg); do just the punch down/lunge with the punch overhead but this time do 3 punches (so punch down 3x and overhead 3x); changes to just cross punches w/ the front kick (same leg); repeat on other side of body
- Holding onto barre/chair w/ one hand, curtsy lunge low (touching DB to floor) then do a side kick then bring toe to inside of other knee and twist knee front to side as you punch forward, side, forward side; changes to just the curtsy lunge + side kick; changes to just the knee twists w/ forward side punches; repeat on other side of body
- Stand w/ feet/heels together and toes turned out, then step one foot about 6-8 inches behind you then do high low punches while squatting then raise onto toes and do speed backs w/ pulsing squats w/ heels raised; do the same move but now in wide plie squat; repeat the first move but this time the other foot is 6-8 inches back; keep repeating this pattern but for different reps (she does it pyramid fashion)
- In wide plie squat do 4 upper cuts then 4 cross punches while raising one heel, alternate heels
- Repeat #3 but you are now punching/speed bagging with other arm
- Start in plank, bring leg underneath you to opposite side, lifting opposite arm off ground, raising leg and tapping toe with hand, lowering leg then raising it again and tapping toe with hand, rotate body as if returning to plank, but keep twisting all the way around until the leg that was raising and lowering is on the floor underneath you with hips raised to ceiling, lower hip to ground then raise it to ceiling again while sweeping arm around in a circle, return to plank and keep repeating (FYI–the twisting/reverse plank portion of this move is similar to a PiYo Flip if you’ve done PiYo); changes to just the kick through and raise and lower the straight leg, touching toe with hand–do this 16 times, then do the flip and raise and lower hips while circling your arm 16x; repeat everything on other side of body
Barre Bootcamp Sculpt is 41 minutes long; 30 second intro, 1 minute warm up and 3:30 minute stretch. Equipment: Linda uses 2 pound dumbbells, a barre or chair and a playground or pilates ball. I used 3 and 5 pound hand weights (5 pounds for #7, 3 pounds for everything else.) This was another very good workout–not as intense as Total Body and this one was very lower body focused. Though I had no problems with any of the moves, some of them I felt more than others. The exercises for your legs that used the pilates ball–I just didn’t feel them. I felt something, but it wasn’t intense or painful, there was no burn out. That doesn’t mean it didn’t do anything, but usually I feel the burn with a Barlates workout.
- Curtsy lunge, return to standing and lift other leg to side and do 2 large leg circles twice while also doing 2 straight arm circles
- Get on all 4s and bring one leg out straight to side of body and lift 2x, bring that leg in front of knee on floor and stand up, raising arms to sides of body and also bringing toe of other foot to inside of opposite knee
- Repeat 1 & 2 on other side of body
- Start in a high runners lunge (DBs touching floor, so leaning over front thigh but back leg is straight), jump forward, raising the knee in front of you then kicking it straight in front of you, raising knee again then returning to the high runners lunge (while doing the knee/leg raises you will do bicep curls when knee is bent and raise and lower straight arms in front of you when your leg is straight)
- Place ball between thighs and hold onto barre/chair w/ one hand, bend knees and keep spine straight, extend outside leg and pull leg inward toward barre/chair, squeezing ball between thighs; changes to pulsing leg up and down in front of you; changes to circling leg while still lifted in front of you (ball is still between thighs)
- Repeat 4 & 5 on other side of body
- Start in a high runners lunge (DBs touching floor, so leaning over front thigh but back leg is straight) and bring knee in 2x, kick it up straight behind you 2x, step back and while still hinged forward lift other leg straight behind you 4x while also doing tricep kickbacks
- Face your barre/chair back and place ball between thighs and raise one leg behind you and press leg in toward other leg, squeezing the ball; changes to pulsing leg up while squeezing the ball; with leg still raised behind you, circle the leg
- Repeat 7 & 8 on other side of body
- Straight arm side plank w/ arm straight over head, raised and lower top leg then come down on all 4s and do 2 bird dogs bringing elbow in to opposite knee each time
- C-sit w/ ball behind small of back, raise one arm straight overhead and the other arm held straight in front of you, in this position, tuck hips up and back; hold hip tuck and pulse top arm back; hold arms stationary again and do a small crunch (still in C sit w/ ball at small of back); arms still in same position, twist torso so straight arm touches opposite knee and pulse
- Repeat 9 & 11 on other side of body
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