Leisa Hart: FitMama - Prenatal Workout (Pregnancy)

There are two long (~20 minute) workouts and 2 shorter (less than ten minute) programs on the DVD.

The first workout is the best one on the DVD, in my opinion, and the theme is salsa/mambo dancing. Although this workout is relatively easy and fun, I was disappointed that Leisa Hart didn't go into a longer warm-up and warm-down. As a first trimester pregnant woman, I feel the warm-ups and warm-downs are even more important to my health and safety when working out.

The second workout is awful, in my opinion. It's entitled "Yoga Fat-Burn" and attempts to combine aerobics with yoga poses and stretches. Many of the positive reviews related to this program were apparently from women that had not tried yoga before or did not understand the purpose of yoga. Here are the negatives I found with this program:
-Incorrect positioning during stretches that place strain on certain parts of the body (most notably, the knees)
-Inconsistent and counterintuitive (if you have performed yoga previously) breathing suggestions
-Despite suggestions for modifications (depending on your trimester) during some movements, Leisa Hart does not demonstrate mastery of yoga or understanding what places stress on the body. Most notably, she attempts a modified triangle pose stretch that includes side bending aerobics. This movement is not beneficial and risks strain.
-Use of yoga props would be very useful in some areas of this program, but Leisa Hart does not mention modifications using yoga bricks, etc.
-This program is also sorely lacking adequate warm-up and warm-down phases.

The last two short programs focus on stretching and breathing. Although some of the stretches are yoga-based, Leisa Hart's approach is once again faulty. For example, during a single-leg stretch (amazingly she discovered the use of a yoga prop - the yoga strap for this move), she tells women to pull themselves forward using their arms, instead of bending from the waist and using their back muscles. This suggestion not only defeats the purpose of stretching and working muscles simultaneously, but risks strain. She also does not perform some stretches that would provide maximum benefit (e.g. bent leg instead of straight leg during a floor-based side bend).

If some of the warm-up/warm-down stretches in the short programs were added to the beginning and end of the long programs, I would have a higher opinion of this DVD. As currently presented, with sloppy yoga approach and poor organization, I would highly recommend women try another DVD for pregnancy fitness. Although I will keep the DVD, I have chosen to only practice the first long program, the salsa/mambo dance sequence.

For pre natal yoga practice, I highly recommend pregnant women consider "The New Method Pre Natal Yoga" DVD (I bought The New Method Pre & Post Natal Yoga 2 Pack DVD Box Set). Although there are some old age concepts (e.g. practicing squats for traditional birth position, some chanting, etc.), Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa does a great job explaining the role of body, mind, and the relationship between the two during yoga exercises and childbirth. See my review on this product for more information.