Zodiac Workout

I am sure that the title of this workout is likely to put a lot of people off,

as the workout might simply be dismissed as something overly quirky or

new-agey.  In truth, however, the Zodiac Workout offers an interesting blend

of stretching, yoga, core work, and free-form dance movements.  The "zodiac"

part of the title comes from the idea that the different astrological signs

apparently correspond to different parts of the body, and so the warm-ups and

dances designed for each particular sign simply reflect this.  The creator of

this DVD is Sherene Shostak, who presumably provides the female voiceover

narration, but the moves are demonstrated on screen by ballet dancer Ashley

Maher.

The Main Menu of the DVD offers the following selections:  User Guide-Let's

Warmup-The Zodiac Dance-Your Warmup Sign-Your Dance Sign-Zodiac Body-Audio

Setup.  The Audio Setup offers an option that I've never seen on a fitness DVD

before, which is a choice of female or male narration.  With respect to the

other menu items, you can choose to do the entire Warmup or Dance segments of

the workout, or you can select certain signs only by going directly to that

menu feature.  Zodiac Body is a chart which provides further descriptions of

how each sign influences different areas of the body.  Finally, the DVD comes

with a detailed booklet insert which provides even more information on the

individual signs and how to work with these during the dance segments of the

workout.

The Warmup is approximately 40 minutes long, and it is more appropriately

described as a stretching/core workout.  Beginning with Aries, the first

several signs concentrate largely on loosening the upper body.  I was

particularly interested to see that the exercises for my own sign, Taurus,

included shoulder shrugs and shoulder circles, as my shoulders/upper back

tends to be my tightest area.  You continue moving through the signs in the

standing segment in this manner, spending about 2-3 minutes per sign.  Scorpio

includes several recognizable yoga postures such as tree, eagle, camel, and

down dog.  At this point, however, you actually return to two of the previous

signs, Leo and Virgo, for a lengthier (10 minutes) floor segment (note: I

don't believe that this segment can be accessed off the main menu like the

others).  This section, which is a bit more challenging, focuses more on

working the core via moves that have a Pilates-like feel to them.  At one

point, the voiceover states that you will be moving into the "leg work," but

really, you are simply continuing to work your core by using leg moves such as

frog legs.  The Warmup series returns to standing for the final few signs;

Aquarius actually includes some brief jumping, and then Pisces brings the

segment to a quiet close.

The Zodiac Dance is 20 minutes long; each dance flows into the next, with the

dance for each individual sign lasting 1.5-2 minutes.  The opening

instructions suggest that you use what is shown on-screen as a guide but that

you follow your own interpretation.  As mentioned above, there are also

additional suggestions for the dance segment based on each sign in the

included booklet.  Again starting with Aries, the dance is a bit more active

and aggressive, including punches and optional kicks.  The dance slows down

with Taurus, becoming grounded and more sensual.  The dances continue in this

manner, often varying between being more quick and dramatic (Gemini, Leo) to

being more gentle or dreamy (Cancer, Pisces).  There is no cool-down or final

stretch to bring the dance segment to a close.  By putting a lot of effort

into the dances, I was able to be in my target heart rate zone for 15 minutes.

I did find it interesting to try this workout.  It reminded me of other

workouts that I like and enjoy--for example, the opening stretching reminded

me of Classical Stretch, and the dance portion reminded me of Ravi Singh and

Ana Brett's Dance the Chakras.  However, I think that those other workouts

better meet my needs than this one, so I'm not sure if the Zodiac Workout will

find a permanent home in my workout collection.  Still, there are definitely

some things to like about this workout, and I could see it being a good fit

for the right user.