Search - Michelle Dozois: Your Body Breakthru - Your Best Body Circuit, Includes Free Resistance Band! on DVD

A fun circuit workout with plenty of unique moves!

Beth Cholette | Upstate NY USA | 06/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Your Best Body Circuit is part of the Your Body Breakthru series by instructor Michelle Dozois. This was my first video in the series, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The DVD Main Menu offers the following options: Full Workout, Express Workout, Chapters, Testimonials, More on Your Body Breakthru, Michelle's personal message, and Contact. The Full Workout is 58-minute workout consisting of a warm-up, seven cardio/strength circuits, and a cool-down, while the Express Workout provides a shorter (35 minutes) version of this. Equipment used includes 2 sets of dumbbells (medium and heavy) and a resistance band (Michelle and crew use a straight band, but my handled one worked fine).

Here are the chapter breakdowns:
Warm-Up
Circuit 1 (Back and Biceps 1)
Circuit 2 (Chest and Triceps 1)
Circuit 3 (Back and Biceps 2)
Circuit 4 (Chest and Triceps 2)
Circuit 5 (Shoulders w/Legs)
Circuit 6 (Legs)
Circuit 7 (Abdominals)
Cool-Down

The warm-up is just under 5 minutes long and is consists of some light aerobics plus moving stretches. Each circuit begins with a short (2-3 minutes) cardio segment consisting of a simple series that is repeated 3 times. The cardio sequences are performed first on 1 side of the body, then the other (ie, you do the same cardio moves for Circuits 1 and 2, but your start on your right leg for 1 and then move to your left leg for 2). The cardio is fairly basic, with moves such as jacks, lunges, and knee lifts, but the addition of some punches and kicks adds a kickboxing flavor. Although there is a bit of impact to some of the exercises plus a few plyometric moves such as power jacks, one of the four background exercisers always shows a low-impact option (I chose to follow the modifier at times and still had no problems keeping my HR in my target zone).

I especially enjoyed the strength work for assorted reasons. First of all, the exercises were quite varied and different, especially the band work. However, Michelle also offered new twists on more traditional exercises, such as lowering into a squat, pulsing while lifting one foot, and then raising back up. For further variety, Michelle varied the count of the exercises, doing 2-2, 4-1, 1-4, etc. (similar to Jari Love's Ripped workouts). Furthermore, I liked that there was a functional fitness component to many of the moves, with twisting exercises like the wood chop as well as balance work. I also appreciated the strong emphasis on back work, as this is an area that is often overlooked. The only complaints I had about the weight segments were that 1) Michelle moves very quickly, sometimes making it difficult to set up the next move in time (particularly when working with the band), and 2) in Circuit 2, there was a push-up series that was extremely challenging--although a modification was shown, the difficulty level of this exercise seemed out of proportion with the rest of the workout.

I consider myself to be an advanced intermediate exerciser, and I found this workout to be perfect for both my level and my preferences. However, given both that modifications are shown and that you can always vary the amount of weights used (I used mainly 8# and 10# dumbbells), I think that this DVD would appeal to a wide range of exercisers, from advanced beginners to intermediates to those at a full advanced level. Michelle has done an excellent job in creating a challenging workout that is both interesting and fun to do; highly recommended!"

Kciks your butt into shape

Jennifer M. Kepler | Veerle, Belgium | 12/17/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was first introduced to Michelle Dozois workouts when my mum gave me her Weight Watchers DVD for new exercisers- though that dvd was really too easy for me, I could see instantly what a great instructor Michelle is. I am a very unco-ordinated, obese exerciser, who has never had much success with overchoreographed aerobics workouts- but Michelle is different- she uses a core set of steps which she builds on, the steps are not too complicated and yet they are varied enough so you do not get bored. While I would not consider this a complete beginner's dvd- it probably isn't for the advanced either, perhaps a beginner's to intermediate rating is best. I will not list the various chapters, as a previous reviewer has already done an excellent job- but to sum up: the cardio gets your heart rate up- and the breaks of weight and resistance training (with the included band) really work your muscles but aren't so long that you cool down too much - however if you want a purely cardio heart pumping exercise routine, this one is not for you.
If you want to get your heart rate up, burn calories, tone your arms, legs, butt, shoulders and especially your middle - this routine is for you. My only complaint is that for me the abdominals are a bit too difficult (again I am seriously overweight, so I hope I will eventually be able to do that side lying plank crunch!)
The workouts have both higher impact and lower impact variations, and you can do the dvd in a fairly small space (3 by 5 feet or 1 by 1.5 meters or so)
The resistance and weight exercises are both easy to do and interesting enough to keep you from getting bored, however there is not much time to change between exercises, so this is a slight downside to the workout.

Michelle counts well and demonstrates/explains the moves clearly.

Overall, very enjoyable and highly recommded."

Fun and fantastic ;-P

Little Miss Cutey | Melbourne, Australia | 08/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really love Michelle Dozois as an instructor. She's friendly, encouraging, a good cuer and easy to listen to. She leads a group of four exercisers in this circuit routine. You can start by watching a small introduction and then can either do the full workout or an express one.
It's high energy all the way and with good music and a fun set, it's motivating. She uses intervals of intense aerobics alternating with body sculpting in 7 circuits. Each circuit targets a different area of the body and almost no muscle is left untouched. This is an easy workout to follow as she lets you know in good time, what's coming up next. All the equipment you need is some weights and the dynaband that comes with this (mine is a great purple band). I have to say that it's nice for a change to see 'real' people working out on the dvd. Not all are size 0's which is great to see.
I really love this new workout and I've done it three times already and found it challenging but fun and as long as you are somewhat fit already, you'll find it easy to do but still feel the burn the next day. I really love this and highly recommend it."

Great addition to your weekly workout routine!

nctmac | TX | 09/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am fairly new to DVD workouts. I learned about Michelle Dozois from the Shape Bikini Body DVDs (my first exercise DVDs). The main reason I purchased this DVD was for the sculpting exercises, and it has exceeded my expectations! The DVD comes with a blue resistance band. I was impressed with the quality of the band (it is excellent in comparison to the green band sent with the Shape DVDs). The upper body work on this DVD is awesome, I look forward to seeing the results.

There are two workouts. The first consists of 7 circuits and lasts almost an hour. The second is an express workout and lasts a little more that 30 min. You have the option of creating your own workout by choosing between the 7 circuits.

You need two sets of weights, heavy and moderate. I used 8 lbs and 5 lbs because that's all I have. My fitness level is intermediate (closer to advanced than beginner) and the weights seemed a bit light. I plan on getting a set of 10 lbs for heavy and 7 lbs for moderate. The resistance band exercises are a bit challenging - which is definately a good thing (the results will be long lean muscles!). I recommend this for all fitness levels, as it offers modifications for beginners.
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