Workout DVD Review: Step Up Revolution Dance Workout

Dance it up with the Step Up Revolution Dance Workout.

I have always loved dancing, so when Jenn showed me a stack of workout DVDs to review, it took me all of five seconds to find Step Up Revolution Dance Workout and give it a good home. While most workout DVDs are fun but can get repetitive after a while, I knew this one was going to be a keeper, so I invited my friends Bree and Ashley to get their dance on with me. Bree has been dancing ballet since we were five, and Ashley has always wanted to learn how to dance. I am somewhere in the middle of the two when it comes to dancing skills — I love to dance and have been told that I’m pretty good at it, but I am by no means a great dancer like Bree. Excited and somewhat apprehensive (at least Ashley and I were), we popped in the DVD to get movin’ to the DVD’s four dance routines.

Hip-Hop Jam

This section was a lot of fun, but the instructors went through the moves very quickly, and there was little to no time for a beginner to catch the beat. Since Bree is a ballet dancer, she picked up the moves to this session the fastest. I was pretty good at picking up the moves, but we had to rewind several times for Ashley. There were definitely some fun parts once you got the hang of it though. My favorite move was when the instructor Micki showed us to slide across the floor while making some pretty fancy arm movements that made my biceps ache (in a good way, of course).

Latin Groove

Bree was still rockin’ it out in this segment and Ashley and I were pretty much in the same dancing boat as we were earlier, but, overall, the Latin dance part was a little easier to catch on to than the Hip-Hop Jam workout. Although the steps were pretty quick, the moves were easier to grasp, which made it a lot of fun. This segment got my heart pumping, and I was out of breath moving my feet and arms to the Latin beats. My favorite part had to be the fact that we moved all across my studio apartment, leaving all three of us with several bruises from running into furniture, but it was a blast.

Latin Hip-Hop Fusion

Since I did Latin Hip-Hop Fusion and Hip-Hop another day, I did this one solo, making it a touch easier because my apartment is quite tiny. More room to move and groove! Once again, I dug the Latin workout (maybe because I am from Brazil? But I know you will love it, too!) and was able to catch onto the moves faster than I had in Hip-Hop Jam. This section, however, was very similar to the others in the aspect that the DVD moved fast and left me wishing I had stronger lungs. Latin Hip-Hop Fusion really was a fusion of Latin Groove and Hip-Hop Jam because the moves were extremely similar and melted together into a fun jam session that had me scootin’  and slidin’ across the room.

Hip-Hop

Instructor Bryan got my heart beating (in two different ways because he is oh-so cute!) for real in this part of the DVD, which seemed to combine club dancing with street moves — although he doesn’t teach you to break dance (wouldn’t that have been awesome?!). The other workouts were great, but the Hip-Hop part was easily the most fun of the four. Even though you stay in place more so than the other sections, I felt like I got a more complete workout. This section is also the shortest of the videos (a disappointment) but I couldn’t even tell because I was sweating like none other by the time the video ended. The only thing I would have changed about this part was that I wanted to move around my apartment a little more and expand my movements.

All in all, even though this was a very fun workout video, it definitely had some downsides. First, I would have appreciated it if the workout had warm-ups and cool-downs mixed into the DVD sections (or maybe even a section that you can play before and after the dances). Secondly, even though this DVD is great fun, if you don’t have a firm grasp on dancing, you may need to rewind the video a few times because the instructors only go through the moves twice (each being 16 to 24 counts).

Overall there were more pros than cons. The music was totally poppin’ and some of the dance moves I learned I will surely incorporate into my dancing the next time I go out. (Seriously!) Even though Step Up Revolution Dance Workout didn’t give me as thorough a workout as many other at-home workout DVDs I have done, I was still covered in a sheen of sweat when I was through. Woot!

FBG Rating (Out of 5)
Instruction: ★★
Long-Term Likeability: ★★★★
Music: ★★★★
Fun Factor: ★★★★★
Meets Expectations: ★★★
Overall: ★★★★

Fit Bottomed Line: If you’re a dance fiend, this is definitely a workout DVD you will love with its fun, fast pace. If you’re a beginner to hip-hop or any type of dancing, this may not be your bag, unless you’re determined to dance and willing to learn!

When it comes to workout dance DVDs, do you like your moves plain and simple or fast and complicated? —Maria