Slim in Six

This is from a review I posted back in May 2010 on this thread:

http://forum.videofitness.com/showthread.php?t=148389&highlight=slim

*****Burn It Up*****

I got the new Sin6 from Mary Friday! I've only done Burn It Up twice so far. The original BIU is one of my staple workouts; I could do it in my sleep, so I was anxious to see the new version!

My first impressions... The set is similar, but new and fresh at the same time. The same goes with the music - new, but the same old type of music we're used to from SS/Sin6. Debbie looks fabulous and it's the same warm personality we're used to. The timer at the bottom is smaller and has a rep counter, so that's nice!

It follows the same format as the old BIU. There were subtle changes everywhere. The warm up, cool down and standing ab segments were pretty much the same. She does throw in some glute pinching plies (Tear It Up) at the end of the plie work, and no traveling plies this time!

Squat/kick segment - the old BIU is brutal because once you've completed a few moves, you repeat before moving on to the next set of moves and it's intense and non-stop. You do the same moves here, but there is no repeating, she replaces that with the new moves. From what I remember, she adds on a squat with a rear leg lift (ala Tone It Up), holding a squat position with a fluid leg sweep, and holding a squat position with fast toe taps to the side.

Lunge segment - Debbie adds in some lunges with front kicks after the lunge with the knee ups followed by static lunges. Reminded me of the lunge series from Tone It Up. Then she does a lunge with a rear leg lift followed by slow count and fast lunges.

Tubing - identical to the tubing segment from Tear It Up, completing all the moves on one side before doing the other.

Floorwork - instead of working each leg completely, Debbie splits it up so your rear isn't burning to death (which I kind of liked in the old BIU! ). So you do a 45 degree side kick (new move) and regular kickback on both sides and then a set of push ups. Then you do a straight leg lift and a bent leg lift and a set of push ups. She throws in a new move - basically a superman where you scissor your legs to finish off the hamstrings and glutes.

The ab segment is different; she does crunches and then adds in straight leg oblique crunches, bicycles and kickouts. She finishes off with a 30 second plank. Woo-hoo! I was excited for that and the superman, thanks for adding some lower back work, Debbie! The stretch/yoga phase is the same.

To tell you the truth, I'm a little lukewarm. I thought this was less intense than the original, especially the first half. I think the old squat segment is tougher and set the stage for the rest of the workout. The repeat moves didn't help in terms of variety, but I think the new moves are less intense and "waters it down."

I really wanted to post a rave review, but I'm kind of indifferent to it. Like a lot of things - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I'll have to try the stretch and ab workouts later today (those look good, scanning through it, Debbie ads some side plank and bridge work in the ab workout!).

I really should give them all an honest try a few times this week before I come to any conclusions, but at this point I'm not anxious to try Start or Ramp It Up based on my impressions of BIU.

*****Start It Up*****

Wow, I was pleasantly surprised with this one! I was planning a longer run this morning, so this really fit the bill for a nice, gentle, total body workout to warm up my muscles and wake up my body. This one is about 34 minutes long. There isn't much different in this one aside from the upper body work Debbie has added.

As far as new moves… In the plie segment, Debbie throws in a new move at the end called an "airplane" where you are basically in plie position and with straight arms just bend as deep as you can side to side. She throws in a "toy soldier" after the squat segment where you basically kick one leg straight out and try to touch your toe with the opposite hand. The upper body segment is basically what you find in the old Ramp It Up. Debbie finished off with abs, added in some pelvic tilts and a nice six minute stretch at the end. Debbie is a fan of hip flexor stretches in this series, something that I don't really recall from before.

I know I said I wasn't looking forward to doing this one after BIU, but I really enjoyed it. Plus, the new set is so lovely, Debbie is beautiful, yet personable, I couldn't help but smile through the whole thing. Who knew!

*****Slim and Limber*****

Really very similar to the original, about 15 minutes long. Debbie throws in some ankle rolls, neck/head rolls and hip flexor stretches. She may have a variation or two on basic stretches (like laying on your side for the quad stretch instead of bringing your leg behind you), but no real big differences here. Still, the presentation is lovely and it's just so much more inviting and warm than the old set - which seems dreary to me now.

*****Slim and 6-Pack*****

Again, very similar to the original format, about 14 minutes long (I think that's a bit longer than the original). Debbie throws in some new moves for you here. After the usual bent knee crunch segment, Debbie adds in some oblique work. Her new move is dropping your legs with bent knees from side to side to work the obliques. After the usual straight leg crunch segment, you go into a side plank and hold. After the hold, you take your arm and reach under your side and up to the sky so you're twisting while still holding that plank. She also adds in some bridge work at the end and ends with a nice stretch, which I think is a little more extensive than the original.

Although I love her standing and floor ab work, I'm glad Debbie has thrown in some more core and lower back work with what I've seen so far. That's the one thing I always felt was missing from her series. For example, when I go to Jillian for my core and lower back strengthening work, sometimes I feel my midsection feels like a tree trunk when I'm done. Debbie just touches on it so you feel you hit it all without overkill.

*****Ramp It Up*****

I actually did this later in the day when I did Start It Up, sorry for not posting my review sooner! Since many of you have raised the issue of Debbie's new and improved pectoral area, I'm happy to report that the black top she wears in this workout is the least distracting, so you can focus on the workout!

This workout runs about 55 minutes, a few minutes longer than the original. Forgive me if I'm not spot on, I'm probably least familiar with the old Ramp It Up. The workout follows the same format with a few new moves. The new moves to note are:

In the squat series, Debbie adds in squats with side sweeps/delt raises and squats with rear leg lifts.

The upper body segment you do rows, biceps, shoulders and triceps. It's a little more challenging because you work right and left simultaneously (except for triceps), where I think in the old version you work one side at a time.

Floorwork is split up the same way it is in Burn It Up, with sets of pushups in between. One new move is a fire hydrant with an extension to a 45 degree angle.

Abs is a little different. She does some inner thigh work here - extending the legs doing a "V straddle" (Firm It Up). After you do a set of those, she adds in a crunch - that was unexpectedly tough! She also adds in squirms and straight leg (extended legs on the floor) crunches. It's finished off with some pelvic tilts to work the lower back.

I enjoyed this one, I would definitely reach for this one over the old version. I think the old version also missed something on one side during the table work, which always bugged me. It's nice to see rep counters in these new workouts because I have always wondered about Debbie's counting in all of her workouts!

FINAL THOUGHTS… Well, definitely not a must have by any means if you have the old Sin6. But if you are a Debbie fan like me, I am happy to add these to my collection. All the new things about this set make it a keeper. I will probably never use my old Start and Ramp It Up workouts after this because the new ones are better. Even though I am a little disappointed in the squat segment of Burn It Up, I will gladly incorporate the new version into my regular routine and alternate it with the old version. I could poke my eyes out during the old BIU if it weren't so darn effective - so an alternate is welcomed... The new Burn It Up has a few nice perks - I did enjoy the new lunge segment, the superman move after the tablework and the plank work. It's nice that she is paying attention to the lower back and core more so than the old series.