Bipasha Basu's Love Yourself - Beginner's Workout Review (Part 1)

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 This week I am going to share my very first review of a workout DVD called "Bipasha Basu: Love Yourself" with you. An epitome of health and fitness, Bipasha Basu is an extremely gorgeous woman and a renowned Bollywood actress. As a shameless Bollywood lover, I have always been a fan of her glamorous personality and acting skills but after using this DVD, I consider this actress to be my source of fitness inspiration. While there were other Bollywood fitness trends catching our attention in the past few years such as the famous "Size Zero" mania, I personally commend the fact that unlike those shallow fitness standards, Bipasha Basu opted for compiling something practical like this DVD to help her audience grasp the concept of being healthy in a real true sense. For those who aren't aware, this was Bipasha Basu's debut workout DVD released in 2010.


"Bipasha Basu: Love yourself" was my first ever workout DVD in life. Somehow the idea of a glamorous Bollywood actress doing a workout was quiet intriguing. I remember having spent hours watching this DVD over and over again wondering if I would ever be capable of doing it myself. But believe you me, this is that kind of workout that will make you say: I wish I had started this earlier!

First look & contents - Beautiful packaging in a feminine pink and black color scheme with impressively fit images of Bipasha Basu on the cover. The program offers two different workouts classified as Beginner's Workout and Advanced Workout. The extra features on the DVD offers an insight on Bipasha Basu's personal fitness quests, making of the DVD/behind the scenes and interesting reviews from prominent Bollywood celebrities. Dianne Pandey, a celebrity nutrition and fitness expert not only provides healthy advices in this feature but is also sharing the workout space with Bipasha Basu through the entire program.

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Bipasha Basu: Love Yourself - Beginner's Workout:

Entire duration of the program: 25 minutes.

Warm up duration (Included): 5 minutes.
Total workout duration: 18 minutes.
Cool down duration (Included): 2 minutes.

Trainers: Bipasha Basu and Dianne Pandey.
Equipment required: Exercise mat and a set of .5 kg dumbbells.

Warm up Exercises overview:

Regular squats

Squats with heels up and hands out

Side stretches

Torso stretches

Rotators cuff warm up

Shoulder rolls

Back stretches and chest stretches

Shoulder stretches on both sides

Sideways hip swaying

Hip rolls clockwise and counter clockwise

Arm swings

Torso side stretches

Hamstring stretches

Forward bends

Image credit: Google

Warm up review:

The warm up for both the beginner and the advanced workout is alike. This is a perfect warm up routine based on 14 exercises for those who have never  previously challenged their body. While most of the exercises are fun, it's possible to find one struggling with the squats in the beginning. It will be good to remember at this point as a novice that  such struggle with squats will help you evaluate your lower body strength and capacity. Focus on a good posture during squats ensuring that your knees stay in line with your toes. Breath consciously through out the warm up.

Workout overview:

BB Strength moves

Chest presses and crunches

Military presses with wide squat 

Static lunge with kick backs

BB Burn Routine

Shuffles and jumping jacks

BB Ab Drill

Ab crunches

Double clams with Namaste

BB Strength moves

Static squat with W/V's

Dumbbell rows

Static lunge with Bicep curls

BB Burn Routine

Cross punches and Jump rope

BB Ab Drill

Plank

Side planks

WATER BREAK

Pelvic Thrusts

Doggie Kicks with both legs

Inner thighs lift with both legs

BB Burn Routine

Shuffles and jumping jacks

Cross punches and Jump ropes

BB Ab Drill

Windmills

Workout review:

This 18 minutes workout is a routine based on the concept of interval training. As you can see in the break-down above, the entire workout is divided in sets targeted at upper body strength, core strength, lower body strength and bouts of high intensity cardiovascular activity. The consistent reminders to breath properly and maintain a good body  posture by keeping abs tight and hips tucked in are extremely important and must be paid attention to. The idea is to flow from one exercise in to another without resting in between. However for those feeling out of breath or fatigued, Bipasha Basu suggests jogging in place and drinking some water. While the workout is already focused on fitness beginners, the modified version of plank to be performed with the support of the knees is very useful for those who find regular planks too strenuous at this point. Dianne Pandey's definition of ab crunches with hands on the chest is spot on. 

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Remember the rule for squats through out the routine as this program is meant to strengthen your knees and build up your endurance for the Advanced workout awaiting ahead. Keeping knees slightly bent throughout shuffles, jumping jacks and jump ropes will avoid unnecessary strain effecting your knees. 

The goal is to continue with this program for a month before proceeding to the advanced version however, there is no need to rush with it. If you are struggling with squats or doing modified planks, give yourself the margin of few days before you start counting your days towards the Advanced workout. Give yourself up to 10 to 15 or as many days you need  with modified versions and taking time to understand the right body posture and breathing pattern for each exercise. During these days, focus on avoiding too many resting breaks in between the routine. Your day 1 should only start when you can perform the entire routine in the given time range and with regular versions of the exercises.

Personal experience of Bipasha Basu's Beginner's workout:

I would rate this beginner's workout 5 on 5 on the basis of my personal experience with it. But here are few warnings to consider first: Be very conscious of  your knees positioning during the entire workout to avoid any possible knee injuries. I have learned from my mistakes of rushing the workout capacity of my body, wearing wrong shoes and bad posture. I had to take a month's break to recover from these injuries. 

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Once you understand the concept of right posture and proper breathing, proceed to continue with the exercise using .5 Kg dumbbells and modified versions of exercises. Stick to this routine for the minimum of 15 days to get your body to ease into the standard moves. Use your option to pause as many times as required to master each move so it comes naturally to you by the time you are finally prepared to launch your 30 days workout challenge in perfect form.

Notice that BB Burn routines are followed by core strengthen exercises such as ab crunches, double clams with namaste, planks and side planks. This placement of these moves helps you effectively target the fat area around the core alongside tightening the muscles if done in continuity. If you are taking time to catch your breath after each BB Burn routine, you will need a little more time to adjust to the intensity of this workout and build your endurance. Proper shoes and a well cushioned exercise mat must be used to conduct this workout.

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I started over with this program after my knee recovery by doing it for 5 days without any weight and no squatting. During the next 5 days I slowly eased into squatting with .5 Kg dumbbells and modified versions of planks. It took me around 10 days this way to finally perform the ab drill right after the BB Burn routine without any pauses. I must tell you that I could already sense some toning in my arms and hips in these few days.

When I was finally able to glide through the entire routine with regular planks and no extra breaks, I continued for 25 days with .5 Kg dumbbells. Being cautious for my knees, at this point, instead of proceeding to the Advanced workout, I redid the beginner's workout for 30 days with 1 Kg dumbbells. Over time, this routine will turn into a low impact workout for you as your endurance will build up. To use this routine for your maximum benefit, it's a good idea to switch from .5 kg to 1 kg.

The workout is followed by a cool down routine of two minutes.However, remember to understand this moves beforehand as there are no narrations in this section and the moves are switched without any instruction. If you don't get to understand the moves in the cool down routine, don't worry! You can walk in place in moderate to slow pace while breathing deeply focusing on your stomach. This serves as a good cool down activity for many. Eventually do try to perform simpler cool down stretches like quad stretch, back stretch, butterfly and child's pose.

I have came across a lot of reviews mentioning that the music on this workout DVD is not so much fun to which I agree. However, for those who are motivated, this shouldn't be a huge distraction. You can also switch from English to Hindi version of instructions as well as change the standard "love yourself" soundtrack to the funky Bollywood dance songs featuring the Diva herself.

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Overtime, the ultimate purpose of running this video in the background would be to keep track of time. I usually mute the video, playing whatever I like in the background and use the visuals as an indication to switch exercises. Trust me, you will be able to understand the whole routine soon enough to be able to perform it with the clock ticking the seconds away without the video itself. But for someone like me, running the video is a way to center my focus. 

This is my Go-To workout without a doubt. When compared to other famous 30 day challenges, I found this program to be practical and customized to the needs of a beginner in true sense. While Bipasha Basu is new in the fitness Industry as a Trainer figure, she has managed to pull off a perfect routine understanding the challenges of someone who is tight on time, expense and endurance. She claims in the feature section that she does not consider herself to be a conventionally qualified trainer but this DVD is the essence of her own fitness challenges and lessons learned over the years. This admittance of hers will make you feel like you can relate to her. She is literally out there "bringing sexy back"!

Overall, this workout helped me change my approach towards weight loss and fitness in a positive way. It taught me to love myself and pay attention to my body, joints, endurance and breathing practices. My endurance evolved dramatically and I moved on to other DVDs as well but I keep coming back to this one for at least 10 days a month to relax my knees and joints.

Remember to take one off day each week as you perform this workout. That rest day is very important to give some much needed break to your newly activated muscles. Without this rest day, it's possible to end up injured or sore and the body can also go in the shut down mode and may resist the affects of the workout. This can hinder your weight loss process. Making healthy choices, one at a time, will surprise you with great results from this routine. And do NOT forget to drink plenty of water on daily basis.

If you were on a look out for a good workout to start with or to restart your fitness journey with, this is the workout you were looking for! Effective, time-friendly and result oriented with such a gorgeous trainer motivating you through out.

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Do visit this blog again to read my upcoming review on Bipasha Basu: Love yourself - Advanced workout and many more. If you find this review useful or have any questions concerning this workout routine, please comment below. We will be happy to hear from you.

Disclaimer: All the workout reviews and/or fitness advices on this blog are based on my individual experience. I am not a qualified fitness trainer. Always consult your doctor before starting any diet or workout routine. Any advices here are not a substitute in any way for professional medical advice. The DVDs mentioned on this blog were purchased by us. We are not sponsored by any organization. We do not support piracy in anyway!