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Epicurus.com - Minna - Optimizer - Strength & Grace
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List Price: $7.98
Our Price: $7.98
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Parade Video
Starring: Minna Lessig
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780739602478
Feature: This workout blends the best Eastern and Western exercises for the most innovative approwch to total body conditioning
Format: Color
ISBN: 0739602470
Label: Parade Video
Manufacturer: Parade Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Parade Video
Release Date: 2000-11-21
Running Time: 45
Studio: Parade Video
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Features
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This workout blends the best Eastern and Western exercises for the most innovative approwch to total body conditioning
45 minute workout features traditional muscle toning moves like lunges and squats, classic Yoga poses and core Pilates exercises
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Editorial Reviews:
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Minna Lessig's strength & grace is one of the first programs that combines strength training exercises with the conditioning power of Yoga and Pilates*. This workout blends the best Eastern and Western exercises for the most innovative approach to total body conditioning. *based on the original works of Joseph H. Pilates
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Strength & Grace
Comment: This is great for people who have a hard time with aerobics. It is a great workout. It tones and helps to improve posture. I like that it has helped me to improve the strength in my legs. I feel a lot more confident and sturdy.
Customer Rating:
Summary: good
Comment: When I'm feeling like I'm achy, in my back especially, this is the exercise tape I choose to do. It really stretches me and lengthens my muscles. I feel like I have excellent posture after doing it. It's not fast-moving so if you have a lot of energy, I would choose something more fast pace.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Love Minna!
Comment: I am just getting to know Minna and so far I love her personality and her attitude during the workouts. I first saw her in the quick ten minutes video that she does with two other instructors (can't remember the name because i didn't really like it) and she immediately stood out to me. I plugged her name into Amazon and came upon this video which i think is wonderful. The tone of her voice is not annoying at all and you can actually hear her breathing hard during the cardio which makes me feel better. The back ground people are average people too. There is an older lady, a really skinny girl, a girl that has a body like myself, and a really fit aisian girl. Most of all I love the 2nd portion of the video for days when i don't feel like jumping around so much. It's more toning but don't get me wrong - you still break out in a sweat. I have had this dvd for about 3 weeks and have been switching back and forth from the cardio/strength to the strength and grace portion and i have noticed a difference in my body, especially my [back] and thighs. I would give this 10 stars if they allowed it!
Customer Rating:
Summary: strength & grace ~ a must have
Comment: Minna is not only a pleasant instructor, but she gives you a real challenge of a workout. This workout both builds muscle strength and develops balance. While perhaps a challenge for a beginner, this video will bring you to the next level in core strength and stability. What I like about "Strength & Grace" is the incorporation of key yoga poses like warrior, tree and downward dog. Even though I do work out regularly, there are some moves that are balance challenging; like the "T" Pose. The ab section is also very good; using moves like boat pose. This is a wonderful overall workout and the music fits perfectly. Love this video!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Combine Traditional Gym Moves with Yoga & Pilates for Streng
Comment: Workout Description: about 30 minutes of toning (most standing, with some floorwork towards the end; focuses on lower body with some abs and minimal upper body) with 7 minute warm-up and 10 minute cool-down / stretch for a total of about 47 minutes
Workout Level: intermediate, with one student demonstrating slightly easier modifications requiring a little less balance / strength
Instructor: Minna Lessig (Certified instructor, fitness correspondent for various TV programs, and contributing writer for several fitness magazines; 1997 Ms. Fitness USA Winner). Minna's cueing is very good, and she explains the moves well, although sometimes I wish she'd give just one more pointer or point out the muscle worked every time. She's very professional, encouraging without being too hyper or chatty, and she obviously knows her stuff, both in terms of the routine and fitness in general. I personally like this "girl next door," although some people don't find her warm enough. She works both sides evenly and expects you to mirror her moves.
Class: 4 young women of various body types
Music / Background: The instrumental synthesizer music is very beat-driven, although not exactly "the spicy Latin music" promised by the cover. The interior set is very bright, with hardwood floors and back wall lit with various bright hues (pink, blue, etc.)
Equipment Needed: sneakers, mat
Caveats: Pay attention to your technique, particularly with the squats, lunges, and plies. Your knee should never go past your toes in any version of either exercise.
Additional Comments: You do not need a lot of space for this workout. You should be able to lie down lengthwise with your arms and legs extended, and you should be able to take kick front and back without hitting anything.
Strength & Grace combines squats and lunges with yoga- and Pilates-inspired moves to help you increase strength and balance. It's one of the few yoga programs out there that have people in sneakers; it's also one of the few yoga programs with a good warm-up and cool-down.
This was one of the first exercise videos I ever bought, and I still use it 1 ½ years later. I credit Minna with taking me from a "beginner" to an "intermediate" level of exercise and for helping me tone my lower body and improve my balance. (I no longer fall over when I'm just standing there or trip over my own feet; the queen of klutzes is now normal!) Now that I'm fully at an intermediate level, I find that I need more abs and upper body work, so I often add on Tamilee Webb's I Want Those Arms and maybe I Want Those Abs or Pilates. A more advanced workout that's along these lines is Kari Anderson's Angles, Lines & Curves (either I or II).
If you purchase this program on DVD, you will also get Minna's Fat Eliminator, a 30 minute toning / interval workout that will really shape your lower body followed by an extra 15 minutes of exercises for your butt, arms, and abs.
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