Getting in Some Serious Cardio at Home with Fusion Fitness

Hey guys!  Well today is the day I tell you about my other super secret project I’ve been working on and that is the Fusion Fitness Dream Body Cardio Series!  Fusion Fitness sent me their Dream Body Cardio Series DVDs recently and I have been dying to tell you about them!

There are five DVDs in the Cardio Series, each with a slightly different focus.  I’ll give you an overview of all of them but if you want to check out what I’m talking about, you can scroll to the bottom of this post and check out the video I made!

MILF -DVD1

Get your mind out of the gutter!  MILF stands for Max Interval Laced with Fusion.  This class is the perfect combination of cardio and toning.  The first 30 minutes is an intense cardio workout featuring 3 rounds of intervals that take you to your max level.  Each interval features 3 exercises, the first last 1 minute, the second 30 seconds and the third 15 seconds.  You will be absolutely huffing and puffing in no time.  My heart rate was consistently between 170-180 bpm during this portion of the workout (consistent with a difficult cardio class like spin).

The remaining 30 minutes was spent on toning your legs, butt, abs and arms.  As with any Fusion class, these exercises were tough and my booty was screaming for mercy.  You can do the entire 60 minutes or it is completely possible to split the workout up into two 30 minute increments.

Equipment:

• Light weights (1-2 lbs… seriously I have 3lbs and they are way too heavy)
• A resistance band
• Gliders (affiliate link) or paper plates or I used two small towels which works well on hard surfaces
• A mat is optional
• A chair or step risers or you can use a wall but I didn’t want to put my feet on the wall so I used a chair

Thoughts:  This workout is no joke.  I consider myself very fit and I was dying (in a good way).  It is very challenging, which is awesome if you are like me and workout at home frequently.  Many DVDs are not challenging enough but this one will have you sweating in minutes.  It’s fast paced so you will not get bored but that means you will need to stop and take water breaks on your own accord (I recommend doing so in between intervals).  I love that this DVD gives you a full body workout and leaves you completely spent!

inTENse-DVD2

inTENse is broken into 6 ten minute segments for a tough 60 minute workout.  The first ten minutes features cardio, followed by ten minutes of arms then ten minutes of ab work.  The sequence repeats itself with different exercises.  In this DVD you will work your muscles to fatigue!

Equipment:

• Light weights (again 1-2 lbs)
• A resistance band
• Gliders
• A mat
• A playground ball (affiliate link)

Thoughts: Just like MILF this workout is incredibly difficult. A lot of these moves were new to me and they were tough.  Things like jumping jack one leg planks, inverted plank lifts and arm circles while squatting against the wall and squeezing a playground ball.  Fusion Fitness claims it wants to shock your body to fitness and in this workout you will absolutely do just that!  Although the workout focuses on cardio, arms and abs you still end up working your lower half in this DVD.

Bikini Bootcamp-DVD3

Bikini Bootcamp is Fusion Fitness’ take on traditionally kickboxing and bootcamp classes infused with their signature Fusion movements.  This class offers both cardio and toning benefits, including a killer ab section at the end.

Equipment

• A resistance band
• Light weights (1-2 lbs)

Thoughts:  Like the other DVDs, this class is tough.  It’s definitely cardio the entire time but my heart rate was slightly lower than MILF and inTENse.  It was still in the cardio zone but I felt I was able to concentrate on toning and cardio without feeling like my heart was going to explode.  The resistance band really makes those traditional punches much more difficult and I felt like my arms were tightening as I was working.  The ab section is by far the most difficult of all the DVDs.  Your abs will be absolutely screaming by the end!

Fusion 50-DVD4

Fusion 50 takes the traditional Fusion class and makes it even more intense.  The first 30 minutes is all cardio using light weights followed by 15 minutes of toning focusing on glutes, hamstrings and abs.  Expect to see moves like one armed burpess (yep, they went there) and one legged tricep kickbacks.

 

Equipment:

• Light weights (1-2 lbs)
• Resistance band
• Ball
• Plates or Gliders

Thoughts:  The cardio portion is tough and you can’t wait to get to the toning section.  The toning section is then really tough and you wish you could go back to the cardio section!  I really like the cardio in this DVD.  It was one of my favorites in the series.  I also loved the barre class inspired exercises during the toning section, which are common in the Fusion classes.  It’s the shortest of the five DVDs but it is really tough!

 

Bata Barre-DVD5

Bata Barre combines  30 minutes of Tabata moves with 30 minutes of Barre moves. You start out with intense cardio and follow it up with intense toning.  This total body DVD will have you sweating in the first few minutes and then crying for mercy as you lift and tighten in the second half.

 

Equipment:

• Light weights (1-2 lbs)
• Resistance band
• Ball
• Gliders or plates
• Chair to act as a ballet barre

Thoughts:  The cardio was easy to follow but not easy to do!  This DVD is tough but mentally you can get through it because you only have to do each segment for a short period of time.  Short and intense is the name of the game.  Like MILF, you could split this DVD up into two segments if you only had 30 minutes to workout.  Tabata is a really effective way of getting in intense cardio and barre classes are my favorite way to tone. 

 

Final Thoughts:  What I love about this DVD set is how incredibly challenging it is.  I am a huge fan of working out at home but you can easily fall into a rut and not challenge yourself.  The Fusion Fitness Dream Body Cardio series will challenge you every single time you pop one of this DVDs in and if you are consistent, you will take your fitness to the next level.  I absolutely loved each of these DVDs.  Each had a slightly different focus and feel but each delivered on its promise of an intense and effective workout. Even though this is a cardio series, you definitely get strength and toning with these DVDs as well.  My favorites were MILF and Bata Barre but there is something for everyone here!

 

 

Fusion Bump

Fusion Bump is not part of the Dream Body Cardio Series but it is a fantastic workout for the expectant mother.  Based on the traditional fusion style, this class offers cardio, toning and stretching for moms-to-be.  It is specifically designed to help moms maintain their fitness during pregnancy.  Please note that this is an advanced workout and a pregnant woman should not attempt this if she is new to fitness.  It’s a tough DVD and was challenging for a non-pregnant woman, like me!  

 

Each of the Fusion Fitness DVDs has the option of choosing music or no music.  If you choose the no music option, you can create your own playlist to go along with the instruction like I did in this video.  It’s so awesome to be able to switch up your playlist while doing these moves.  Enjoy!

 

 The Dream Body Cardio Series costs $129.99 for five 50-60 minute DVDs.  Fusion Bump retails for $29.99.  You can purchase them here.

 

Readers, have you ever tried Fusion Fitness?  Which of these DVDs would you most like to try?  

 

* Fusion Fitness sent me the Dream Body Cardio Series and Fusion Bump for review purposes.  All opinions expressed herein are my own.