Has anyone tried the Tonique workouts? I thought they looked a bit silly when I first looked them up but they have gotten good reviews elsewhere. They are very different from cathe but I feel like I need a change. She seems to do a lot of bent over moves and I'm a bit worries about how these would affect my back. Any reviews would be appreciated. Thank you.
Tonique
- Thread starter aprilrain
- Start date
I love the Tonique workouts and have all of them. Sylwia is a machine. Very different than Cathe but very intense.
IslandRose
Cathlete
Yay a Tonique thread! 
I just bought Tonique Premier (i.e. Tonique Fitness) and Addicted to Movement from Mary at totalfitnessdvds.com Since it is my first time doing Tonique I have viewed the workouts a couple of times already and tomorrow I will start a three month rotation I made up with Cathe, Chalean Extreme, and adding those two Tonique workouts at least 2 days per week. For example, on Sunday I will do Tonique Premier squats and lunges with CLE Burn 1 and Monday I will do KPC (skipping the ab section) with Tonique Premier mat segment and on Day 6 I will *try* and do Addicted to Movement only (since it is around 78 mins I need to have a Tonique only day to do it). Sylwia uses 2 lbs dumbbells and to me that is like not using anything since I'm used to lifting heavy, but I will start with my 2 pounders and maybe work up to 3, but I'm not planning to go heavier because I will lift heaver on my non-Tonique workout days. If you go to Sylwia Wiesenberg's facebook page you'll see she's a fan of Cathe as well which is awesome. I was on the fence, but after viewing some clips of her workouts, reading the reviews on Amazon and VF, and finding out she's a Cathe fan, I just had to get those two to start. I got Femme Fatale, Born to Move, and Energy Mat on my wishlist. Hopefully they go on sale soon . A girl can only hope.
This is important to know. If you have back or knee issues I recommend you view the workouts a couple of times. You might need to add modifications or skip the workouts altogether and return them, remember not all workouts are for everybody. I know that the two I bought can be modified to my issues so I kept them. I have hundreds of exercise DVDs and I don't own anything like Tonique. There are threads on VF that give hints on how to get started, how and when to switch legs (for example sometimes Sylwia can spend 30 mins on one leg before switching and not everybody has the endurance for that), rotation ideas, etc. I am really excited to try Tonique. My body was begging for something different.
I just bought Tonique Premier (i.e. Tonique Fitness) and Addicted to Movement from Mary at totalfitnessdvds.com Since it is my first time doing Tonique I have viewed the workouts a couple of times already and tomorrow I will start a three month rotation I made up with Cathe, Chalean Extreme, and adding those two Tonique workouts at least 2 days per week. For example, on Sunday I will do Tonique Premier squats and lunges with CLE Burn 1 and Monday I will do KPC (skipping the ab section) with Tonique Premier mat segment and on Day 6 I will *try* and do Addicted to Movement only (since it is around 78 mins I need to have a Tonique only day to do it). Sylwia uses 2 lbs dumbbells and to me that is like not using anything since I'm used to lifting heavy, but I will start with my 2 pounders and maybe work up to 3, but I'm not planning to go heavier because I will lift heaver on my non-Tonique workout days. If you go to Sylwia Wiesenberg's facebook page you'll see she's a fan of Cathe as well which is awesome. I was on the fence, but after viewing some clips of her workouts, reading the reviews on Amazon and VF, and finding out she's a Cathe fan, I just had to get those two to start. I got Femme Fatale, Born to Move, and Energy Mat on my wishlist. Hopefully they go on sale soon . A girl can only hope.This is important to know. If you have back or knee issues I recommend you view the workouts a couple of times. You might need to add modifications or skip the workouts altogether and return them, remember not all workouts are for everybody. I know that the two I bought can be modified to my issues so I kept them. I have hundreds of exercise DVDs and I don't own anything like Tonique. There are threads on VF that give hints on how to get started, how and when to switch legs (for example sometimes Sylwia can spend 30 mins on one leg before switching and not everybody has the endurance for that), rotation ideas, etc. I am really excited to try Tonique. My body was begging for something different.
IslandRose
Cathlete
Oh my! I did Tonique today for the first time. Wow! I just wanted to try the mat segment of Tonique Premier and see if the reviews were true. I think the segment is 17 mins or so, but even without weights my butt and thighs were on fire. I now want one of the mat workouts. Oh well... But which one?
But which one?
With Born to Move, it's important to know that workout 1.1 on that workout is 80 minutes long and the first 40 minutes focus on one leg and then she switches and repeats all the moves for the next 40 minutes on the opposite leg. I often just make this a 40 minute workout by alternating legs after 15 reps of each move. 1.2 is about 30 minutes.
IslandRose
Cathlete
I would like to get Born to Move, but it is precisely the length of workout 1 that is stopping me from buying it. That is a great suggestion thanks.
I'm getting one of the mat workouts next to substitute for my low impact workout days, but BTM is on my wishlist.I would like to get Born to Move, but it is precisely the length of workout 1 that is stopping me from buying it. That is a great suggestion thanks.
Not to enable while BTM 1.1 is long, the other sections are shorter. 1.2 is 30 minutes and 2.0 is an hour long and there is a great dynamic stretching/floor work section as well.
CeciFifi
Cathlete
This thread prompted me to pull out Born to Move. I've barely done this one. I really like Premier and can do it all the way through sans stopping. This one has too many bending moves for me like switch kicks, squats with weighted arm stretches etc. . I have some lower back issues. That said, I just scroll through the segments I don't want to do (which makes things choppy for me), hence my review. I am wondering if there is anything close to Premier. I like tonique. it's a nice change and reminds me a bit of Jari's endless rep work only without the hollywood bright lights and dark sets.
I am pretty sure Tonique 2 is the most similar to Premiere.
IslandRose
Cathlete
I read on Amazon that workout 2 (the one that's approx 52 mins) of BTM is very similar to Premier with lots of squats and lunges I just bought it so I can't confirm that.
PS. Funny you mention Jari. Im doing one of her workouts today.
IslandRose
Cathlete
You enablers!!!! Hehehehe!
I just bought BTM since I was going to get Energy Mat anyway. I think that both will fit nicely in my current rotation. Energy Mat can substitute any low impact day, BTM workout 2 can substitute a circuit day, workout 1.2 a short cardio, and the longer 1.1 can be alternated with ATM (one week ATM, the other week BTM 1.1) or I can make 1.1 shorter following your suggestion of switching legs every 15 reps. I'm hoping that doing Tonique with Sylwia at least twice a week along with Cathe, one day of Jari, and Chalene will shock my body and make some visible changes for the summer. *crossing fingers*I've read that people who have back problems use their step to put there hands on (or use a chair) during the bending over motions so they don't have to bend down so far. Have your tried that? That may help. None of her new workouts are like premier. All the new ones have a lot of plank type moves.
I did addicted to movement today and I have to say this is my favorite. I love the set, Sylwia looks beautiful, and it's the perfect blend of standing and floor work. I recommend this one and her downloads as my top tonique picks!
IslandRose
Cathlete
I can't wait to do Addicted to Movement. I will do it on Wednesday. It has great reviews everywhere.
Agreed! Ever email I've ever sent her I've received a response.
IslandRose
Cathlete
Today I had a short Hiit workout scheduled and decided to add the Express workout from ATM after I was done. Wow, what a challenge! Since it's only 16 mins it can be added to pretty much anything. I think it works great after any of the Hiit workouts, since they are less than 30 minutes and the total workout time will be about 46 minutes. Tomorrow I will have a little more time to workout so I'm doing ATM's main workout. I'm finding out these videos work amazingly well with Cathe's. I'm thinking the Express workout and a couple of X10 segments might be a nice combo as well.
IslandRose
Cathlete
I did the main workout from ATM today. Wow! It is insane. I definitely agree with your comments. Sylwia looks beautiful and I loved the voice over with her positive comments, "Smile", "I want you to succeed", etc. I thought I was strong, but boy oh boy, Sylwia showed me I wasn't
I can't go as low as her in some moves, lift my leg as high as she does, and I definitely cannot do that workout without hitting the pause button to drink water several times. I used 2lbs dumbbells and I never thought that weight amount was going to be challenging enough. Yes it was! At least I have room to grow with this workout. I know with practice I'll gain more endurance. I really liked it. Very unique style.