Workout DVDs

My favorite workout vids are Richard Simmons (he's the only instructor I've seen that has some obese folks in the workout, making you think, hey, if they can do it, certainly I can too!), most notably Sweatin to the Oldies 3. It really gets my heart rate up.

that's actually one of the nice things about the biggest loser dvd's... that it is the contestents huffing and puffing along with you
 
i really dig cathe friedrich. she's serious, but fun and motivating.
 
I like dvds because you can choose when you want to do them.

My favorites:

YOGA: Bryan Kest's Power of Yoga

PILATES: The Gaiam series, particularly Pilates for Beginners (Anna Cabàn is a fantastic Pilates instructor!)

CARDIO: MTV Grind Workout with Tina Landon

CARDIO & STRENGTH: Tone it up! with Kirsty Anderson (resistance bands, good moves, good music, good cueing)

I also have some Tae-Bo videos, which are ok but they have poor rhythm and poor cueing IMO; a belly dancing video, Winsor Pilates, which is one of the most poorly executed Pilates videos IMO, especially considering it's so famous; and Yoga Booty Ballet, which is kind of fun but not totally me, so I'm looking to swap it - anyone interested?
 
DVDs

I thought I would throw in my two cents here since I am a big fan of home workout DVDs. They are cheaper and more convenient than the gym and there is something out there for everyone.

The very first one I ever got was Power 90 from BeachBody dot com and I still love it. It is basically the idea that you work out six days a week, alternating cardio with strength training. All you need for the Resistance workout is dumb bells or some stretchy resistance bands.

They start you out at Level 1-2 and you get used to all the moves. Because the Cardio starts out with stretching, then some Power Yoga which is a cool way to get in a few vinyasas a few times a week. Then you go into low-impact and high-impact aerobics, but the greatest thing is Tony Horton (the trainer) constantly tells you to Modify if you need to. If you can't do high impact, that;s okay just keep on moving. If you feel good, he motivates you to go further.

The music is not too bad AND there is an option to turn it off anyway. There is also a countdown timer which is cool you know how long you have left. Also in the Cardio part you do kickboxing and punching. And the water breaks and stretching are built in. At the end of Cardio you work your abs. The Cardio 3-4 is about 50 minutes and the Sculpt 3-4 is 40 minutes. So both are under an hour.

We also have P90X and Yoga Booty Ballet by Beachbody and they are great. I'm telling you, even though they cost a little more, Beachbody makes the best fitness DVDs hands down.

I have tried Denise Austin and I cannot do it.
I tried Tae Bo and I don't like it.
I think Kathy Smith's DVDs are terrific.
My wife does Leslie Samsone's Walk Away The Pounds and I think those are terrific.

I recently bought the Biggest Loser DVDs and the first one is better than the second. The 2nd one has a lot of weird workout stuff, IMO, and no option for an automatic workout. The first DVD will either let you use their preset workout plans OR create your own. Bob Harper and the cast are LOTS of fun to workout with. Also the extra features like the "inspirational stories" are cool.

This morning I tried the new "Dancing With The Stars" Cardio DVD and I had to turn it off, I felt ridiculous. There's only so much estrogen I can handle, and I draw the line there...
 
Thank you for sharing the info about all these workouts!! I had the idea that you HAD to have dumbells for Power 90, but now that I know that you can also use resistance bands, I'm definitely going to get it! I agree BeachBody has a lot of good DVDs. I also wanted to try TurboJam, that looks like fun :)

Thank you also for mentioning The BIggest Loser workouts, I was wondering about those because I really liked the trainer (Bob). What equipment do you need for those videos?
 
I really like P90X and Power 90 as well. I had amazing results with P90X and I continue to work out to them even after 2 years. I have also used the other programs such as Slim In 6, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs and, yes, even Yoga Booty Ballet (I was finding my inner goddess, I guess). I think that these programs give the best overall instruction while maintaining the fun factor. Combine that with the over all support you receive from the Million Dollar Body community and Coaches, and it is fail proof. Let me know if you would like to know more about my story and see some of my results. I actually did well enough to make it into the P90X informercial.

Take care and Keep Pushing Play!
Robert - MDB Coach
 
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I am LOVING Davina McCall's DVDS at the moment, think they are both fab, and that is coming from someone who HATES exercise and has been through tons of DVD's before finding these and they are great!

Im still mega unfit, so find them tough at times, but they aim all the exercises at different levels, one of the instructors, Jackie, will always take an easier route, and often they remind you if your finding it tough walk for a while. I think this is great cos it doesnt make me feel a failure when im dying of unfitness half way through!!

K x
 
Hey guys!! About 2 months ago I purchased Tae Boh Get amped and it's amazing! I thought that turbo jam was intense but once i started doing these workouts I feel like Turbo Jam is a warm up. It's very effective. I've lost about 15 pounds doing it thus far and am still very much into it. It's all about what you put into it, so if you work hard, it will work. I love it!
 
At home workout videos

Hey I just wanted to find out from people who have used the at home excercising programs if they really work. I can't afford a gym membership and I would love to be able to do stuff while i'm at home. I'm also wanting to pick up a dancing video.But I want to know before I buy.
Are they effective?
 
hey stephybean!

yea i had the same deal, so i went to good old youtube, and searched
8 minute abs because i had seen the infomercial one morning, so i thought i'd see what others thought of it. Its quick and very easy to use. just go to youtube, search it up, no purchase and you dont have to log in either. You can do it in the morning or at night. i do it right after breakfast.

you might be sceptacal, but i was too. i've been doing it for about a week and a half, and my abdomain has changed quite a bit. I'm not sure what your targeting, but if its your core, go for this, its effective.

i dont know about a dancing video, but i've heard good things about turbo jam
 
go to

there are several programs on there. I personally used the slim in 6 a couple years ago and it worked. they also have a p90x program that is awesome as well.

From what I have seen of most at home videos, most of them do work. The problem is that a lot of people do stick with them, get easily distracted being at home, etc.... Exercise is exercise.

Find something that you like and stick with it. you will get results.
 
I like them, too. I don't like the Firm video's at all though. They are long and it's lifting 3 to 5 lbs weights. Not for me. I'd rather lift as much as I can 5-6 times than lift 3 lbs over and over and still not be fatigued. The cardio portion can be pretty good in them, but it's not often worth going through the whole video for.

The Walk away the Pounds series are AWESOME. Pick those up for the cardio if you can. I wouldn't part with mine over nearly all the video's I have. I also like the bellydancing video I have. Then Zumba, I'd recommend them, but they are hard to follow. They don't give timely directions and don't explain all the moves. But I sweat anyway even if it takes me a minute to catch up.
 
I like them, too. I don't like the Firm video's at all though. They are long and it's lifting 3 to 5 lbs weights. Not for me. I'd rather lift as much as I can 5-6 times than lift 3 lbs over and over and still not be fatigued. The cardio portion can be pretty good in them, but it's not often worth going through the whole video for.

The Walk away the Pounds series are AWESOME. Pick those up for the cardio if you can. I wouldn't part with mine over nearly all the video's I have. I also like the bellydancing video I have. Then Zumba, I'd recommend them, but they are hard to follow. They don't give timely directions and don't explain all the moves. But I sweat anyway even if it takes me a minute to catch up.


I love Walk Away the Pounds and credit Leslie with my weight loss so far...120 pounds gone! What are the actual names of her videos you use? I do most of my exercise outside but I am getting a little nervous about the colder season. I would like to get some of her longer 3-5 mile tapes.
 
I have the 3 mile one. My sister has the one mile and two mile that you can do either together or seperate. I'd like to get another one of hers though. And I like the feel of her video's, too. They're not too fast and not too slow. And she explains what's next before it happens. She just seems really down to earth. I like that.

Congrats on the 120 lbs!!! That's awesome!
 
good fitness dvds?

Ok so i havent been getting to the gym lately cause the kids are sick/im sick...etc. Anyways i am looking for a fun exercise dvd to do at home....any suggestions? I really like a dance type but please tell me what you all like!

Rena
 
Newbie here! First post wahoo!! I am also looking for a good workout DVD and am very tempted to go with one from beachbody but I have one question. I live in a tiny city apartment and don't have a lot of room to be doing crazy aerobic exercises - I can probably move 5 feet one way without hitting the couch and 5 feet the other way without hitting the wall. Am I out of luck with the beachbody dvds? If so, anything else you recommend that doesnt involve too much side to side movement? thanks in advance!
 
And don't forget....

Morning,

Turbo Jam and Taebo and all the popular DVDs/videos are super! But, if they're too much for you intensity-wise, there's also Richard Simmons. His workouts were the very first ones to which I was able to actually (gasp!) dance (I was 168+ at that time). It's utterly awesome for the mental 'feel good about yourself!' aspect.

My favorites were Sweatin' to the Oldies III and Disco Blast Off.

Enjoy,

Barbara
 
Hi Y'all,

Joanna Hall's "Drop A Dress Size" DVD, is quite good.
You should get good some results, even if you don't lose weight at first you should feel the difference in your clothes.

Each section is about 10 mins long, so it is great for people who do not have that much time during the day.
For example the routine below:

Mon: Bust Legs Tummy (Abs)
Tues: Bust Bum Tummy (Abs)
Wed: Legs Tummy (Abs)
Thurs: Bust Legs Tummy (Abs)
Fri: Bust Legs Bum Tummy (Abs)

Plus if you do 30 mins of Areobics x 3 during week (or treadmill workouts etc), you should see some results.

Hope that helps!
 
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