Rating: 
Summary: Overall, fun and thorough workout
Review: I consider myself an intermediate exerciser, and found this workout to be great for days when I want to do some fun workout. The aerobics are fun blend of basic steps. Her cues are very good and the choregraphy very easy to follow. You will really sweat! Her workout models look like real people, with different body types. I liked the fact that Minna didn't talk too much like a cheerleader (I can't stand Denise Austin style). She is likable and motivating. The toning section is well thought out. The booklet(sample diet mene)was good too. Pretty practical and no nonsense. Overall, a good choice for high beginners to intermediates who want a fun workout that includes both aerobics and toning.
Rating:
Summary: A workout you have time to do!
Review: Last New Year's I bought a bucketful of exercise DVDs after extensive research reading reviews such as these - but most of them I did once or twice and relegated to the "okay but not really what I'm looking for" pile. Both of Minna's DVDs (this and "Balanced Blend"), I'm happy to say, reside permanently in slots 1+2 of my DVD changer... The Toning segment is the best, concentrated short workout I've found - it's easy to find time for a 30-minute workout! The moves are easy to follow, and the cueing is excellent (with the exception of one girl in the background who throws you off when the editor cut in some B-roll). You can use the same handweights throughout, without needing to switch weights. The best part is that each exercise flows seamlessly into the next, without those long-winded pauses in between to explain what you're about to do. I would have liked a few more minutes of ab work as there are no obliques (35 mins would still be a quick workout), but if you're looking for a maximum full-body toning workout that's fun (i.e., it's over before you know it), then this is it. The Cardio segment isn't my favorite, though it does help that you can just wiggle your hips and wave your arms to the fun music and not really have to concentrate too hard - just do something similar and get your heartrate up! (And it is a nice change from Minna's five million squats in the Fat Eliminator routine on Balance blend, which is also a great 30min toning routine but quite grueling at times!) Both segments on this DVD feature girls in the background that look like they are enjoying themselves (without any annoying "whooping" sounds a la Donna Richardson). And Minna's personality is about the best there is; always a pleasure to listen to and watch.
Rating:
Summary: Favorite Cardio Workout
Review: This has to be one of my new favorite cardio workouts. The DVD is divided into a cardio workout and a toning workout (which I haven't tried yet). I wanted a cardio workout that would be fun and a little different. There are some salsa moves, mumbas, etc. that are really fun without being too difficult. Even my husband jumped up and started doing the workout with me and thought it was fun although he did say he was glad the guys at work couldn't see him! I found the moves pretty easy to follow yet I worked up a good sweat. It doesn't even matter if you're doing all the moves correctly as long as you're moving and having a good time. I love Minna in the fact that she's cute but not so bubbly she drives you crazy. I would highly recommend this video.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Investment
Review: Minna's Emergency Workout is aimed at people who have an event they would like to look good for and claims that you will see results in 6 weeks. This tape can be used by anybody. The tape is divided into two workouts: a 30 minute cardio workout and a 30 minute toning workout. The cardio section is great fun. Minna combines traditional aerobics moves (like grapevines, V-steps, and jumping jacks) with dancier moves (like salsa lunges, mambos, and cha chas). This helps those of us with two left feet feel like we're dancing while not overwhelming us. Minna's cuing is excellent and she is upbeat without being overly perky. Her two assistants look like their having fun, and I definitely have fun and sweat when doing the workout. The toning workout uses multi-muscle moves to target common problem areas: abs, legs, butt, and arms (for example combing front lateral raises with stationary lunges). One of Minna's strongest points is that she explains the moves and proper posture. She also cues very well and prepares you for changes. Included with the video is a 6 week intensive care diet planner which has a sample workout schedule, fit tips, menus, success tips, and nutrition tips. Minna's program is very sensible. It covers cardiovascular fitness, weight training, and good nutrition which are essential for creating a healthier, confident you. I've only started the program but I feel that it is a program I can stick to and that will help me get the results I want.
Rating:
Summary: It works as hard as you do
Review: I got this DVD because I already had Minna's Optimizer DVD and her TotalMix workout, both of which I really liked. I like Minna as an instructor quite a bit. She doesn't do the whoops and hollers that other video instructors do. I am NOT the cheerleader type, so I can do without the perky motivation. This workout is great for me. I almost wish I'd needed it to get ready for a big event six weeks down the road so I could tell you how effective it was that way. Instead, it serves an integral part in my ongoing workout schedule. I like it for two reasons. 1) I tend to focus more on weights than cardio, and the first half of this DVD is a fun and brief -- but effective -- cardio routine. Sometimes I do it alone, but when I have time, I group it with other routines I'm doing to ensure I get as much cardio as I should during the week. 2) The second half is a very effective weights routine that's great for when I want a total-body toning workout rather than spot toning, such as with Tamilee Webb's "I Want That Body" (which focuses separately on arms, buns and abs, rather than a comprehensive, overall workout). The backup girls are much better this time around than in Minna's Optimizer, not that I worry too much about what the secondary figures are doing. (Pay attention to the blonde backup girl in Emergency, though; she's a worse dancer than even I am!) If you hate dance workouts, this one might not be for you, however. Me, I really liked it. I don't dance usually, so it's kind of taught me a few moves I didn't know before. It also makes the workout fly by. I have no desire to stand still and do marches or steps or anything like that. But if you throw together a dance routine, 30 minutes flies by in a snap for me. I hope Minna puts out another video soon, one that complements the work she's already released.
Rating:
Summary: A workout that's actually fun...
Review: I love this video, particularly the cardio segment. I find that most aerobic workout videos fit one of two extremes. The moves are either very simple and repetitive (and therefore become boring after a few sessions) or the choreography is so complicated and intense that you spend more time in frustration than you do actually working out. Minna has managed to find the happy medium. The cardio routine is complex enough that it will take you two or three workouts to get the moves down perfectly, but they're so much fun, that you'll actually look forward to doing this workout. Her instruction is encouraging and clear and her back-up instructors are energetic "real" women, not waifly supermodels. The toning section of the video is also very benefitial, in that you work a maximum number of muscle groups in a short amount of time. Some of the toning moves are tricky at first, but you can really feel the burn once you get them down. I have often avoided workout videos because they make me feel silly, but this is a solid workout that leaves me feeling strong and motivated. Definitely worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite!
Review: This is by far my favorite exercise video I've tried thus far. The first 30 minutes is a cardio segment that is actually fun to do and is over before you know it. Minna is one of the few aerobics instructors who is actually pleasant to watch and follow and doesn't even annoy me in the early morning workouts. The second 30 minutes are a great toning exercise and putting the two together makes for a workout you can be proud of. Highly recommend it!
Rating: 
Summary: Salsa and the City
Review: As a Brit, I was unfamiliar with Minna - and I can't believe how much she is like Carrie from *Sex and the City*! Anyway, a daily home exerciser, I wanted some American DVDs to add to my collection, and this was one of those I chose. Of course it isn't a miracle cure - though I bet it would work miracles for those who don't usually work out - but it is fun. The 'dance' cardio isn't at all difficult to pick up if you know one foot from the other, and even made me break a sweat; the toning (my weakest point; give me cardio or Pilates any day!) did the job for me without leaving me bored as you move so quickly from one position to another. Minna was likeable, the two girls behind her had enviable bodies (though one couldn't dance for toffee), and I thought this a really good buy for my lighter exercise days. Another good job, America!
Rating:
Summary: I Love It
Review: I love this video. I was checking it out from the library constantly and I had to buy my own. It has a lot of variations on common exercises that are interesting and fun.
Rating:
Summary: Unique, Fun, and Effective
Review: I don't think I've ever enjoyed a workout this much. I don't get tired of it. If you love to dance, you will love this. Music is motivating. Exercises are effective. Stay low impact if you have problem knees. Instructors are good; Minna is the best. She's funny, professional, and motivating. First 30 mins is all aerobic. Dancy moves as well as traditional jumping jacks, marches, and grapevines. Second 30 mins. is all toning upper body and lower body. Both traditional and unique exercises and sufficent reps. Great abs workout, too. Nothing but accolades for this video. Please buy it.
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