Exercise DVDs - the good, the bad and the ugly

[speedymama]

On the exercise thread, it was suggested that a separate thread reviewing exercise DVDs would be a good idea so I thought I would start the ball rolling with my faves and my pet hates.

Faves -
Taebo, especially, Everybody get ripped and Abs and Glutes work out. The advanced workout on Everybody get ripped is, imo, one of the best workouts I have ever done because by the end, every part of my body has had a workout - heart, legs, arms, voice box, sweat glands - you get the picture!

I also have Taebo Energise but I'm still getting into that one.

Davina Macall's Power of 3 and 3 x 30 minute work out. I do enjoy both of these and surprisingly, I don't get irritated by her pointless witterings. The workouts are intense, targetted and effective. They really work.

10 Minute Solution - Kickbox Bootcamp by Keli Roberts. This is great for people who are short on time. There are 5 sections - basic, legs, arms, abs and cardio - all 10 minutes long and designed to maximise intensity.

David Kirsch's Sound Mind Sound Body - Ultimate Fitness Boot Camp - I really enjoy this one because it is only 43 minutes long and it combines cardio with weights so it is like circuit training.

Sounds great Speedy

Well, I did the Tae Bo Everybody get ripped advanced Workout, and found it very tough, but it is a brilliant workout in good ole Billy style. Definately worth it

I bought the Urban Dance DVD off Ebay and it is wicked! If you like dance routines, can pick up steps easily and like urban music, this one is for you. I really enjoyed doing this, even though I had to keep rewinding it in order to master the more complicated steps. The trainer is really engaging and the two guys in her crew, really throw themselves into it - they are so expressive in their moves! The girls in the crew are not so animated so that is probably why they have been relegated to the backrow.

There are 5 sections, obligatory warm up and cool down (though the trainer does seem to forget sometimes that we have a left and right side!). The dance routines are split into slow, medium and fast pace. With each successive routine, the moves become more complicated so if you have two left feet, you may struggle with this. By the time I reached the fast pace routine, I was drenched in sweat.

Fortunately, you do not require a lot of space or props for this workout. Plus if you master these moves,the next time you go dancing, you can impress everyone with your hip moves. You'll be the most fly person on the dance floor.

I would definitely recommend this to people who like to dance.

Did the Tae Bo everybody get ripped Basic Workout on Saturday and it is a very good basic workout.
IN my collection it is the only basic workout with floorwork, and as it is a basic workout it is more achievable.

Thanks for the recommendations ladies .

I am going to get TaeBo 'Everybody get ripped' and Nell's 'Ultimate Challenge'.

Was going to get 'Pilates Abs' one, but have never done pilates and could do myself an injury apparently.

Is there plenty of abs stuff in the other two I mentioned ?

Also, is the Davina 3 30 minute one good ? Was thinking it might be good for the days when I want something a bit gentler ?

With the Davinas three 30 minute workouts I only like 2 of the 3 workouts. I really love the Pump section and the core, but am not so keen on the Cardio Box....can't really explain why I don't like it, though, lol!
However, the Pump section espeically is a really good workout when all you have is 30 minutes. It really does give you a full Body workout and does, just like the Power of 3 one, give you fatburning sections within.
If you haven't got Davinas Power of 3, it's worth having a look around to get the Box set, I got mine from Amazon, but know that Asda does it and others surely aswell, and I paid for the Box set about £0.50 more then I would have paid for a single one, so, you can't loose, really

Theodores, I bought Pilates Essentials to learn the basics about Pilates because I don't feel I am benefitting fully from the Abs DVD. The others have plenty of tummy exercise so you don't really need Pilates Abs. Agree with 3andnomore, get Davina's boxset as that is excellent value for money.

3andnomore, funnily enough, I have gone off cardio box too. I think that compared to Taebo, it is really poor and dull.

lol speedy, I think that is what sort of puts me off....hence me expecting not to really like Kate's Cardio Combat, so, was pleasantly surprised I did like it...but dispite my growing collection Davina and Billy Blanks are still my regulars so far...who knows, maybe I will be able to add Kathy Smith to that, the reviews on Amazon were marvelous for that DVD But will let ya all know once I have done it

looks like Amazon still got the offer on
link

I have never tried an exercise dvd at home - thought I might have a go - have read all of your recommendations with interest - but are there any that focus particularly on saggy tummies?

Tae BO is really good for the abs, as it has usually lots of kicks that are great for the lower abs and your waist, etc....and the Punches are also good for waist and tums. It's great cardio work, too!
Once you get into Tae Bo, there are specific abs and gluts workouts, which are a killer.

Nell McAndrews and Davinas also do have good abs sessions.

Quattcentro, for the tummy you really need a three prong attack. Just focusing on the exercising the tum is only one strand. You need to burn fat and diet also. Like 3andnomore said, if you do the cardio and toning workouts on the DVDs we suggested plus watch what you eat, your midriff will shrink. I speak from experience.

Thank you lots - have ordered the Davina DVDs - love going to the gym but never have time - hope this will work better.

On diet front - have been working on that already - radically cut down drinking and have been to weightwatchers - have lost around 25lbs - sadly all from my norks though.

I did WW too after having my DTS. I'd put on 4.5 stone. Plus I was approaching my 40th and did not want to partake of middle age spread. I lost all the weight thankfully and now I just want to be fit and firm.

Speedy, how did you manage weekends? I mean not eating.

Gosh - all this talk of Tae Bo brings me back - a few years ago I got into his workouts and they are definitely the best fat burning and toning workouts there is. I got out of the way of it after dd2, but picked up one in a bargain bin in Sainsburys the other week. I will get back to it, and yeah - Billy is hilarious, I just want Shelleys bod though

Yeah, Shelly's Body is amazing....I mean, some may call her to skinny, and I suppose in a way she is on the very slim side, but she is so toned and those abs....wow...sigh....she is a real inspiration ...I mean, you look at her and think if I only get some of that muscle tone I would be pleased as punch, lol!
I can't get over the fact though, that she is Billy's Daughter....I mean, obviously I am aware that just because one parent is black you don't have to look black at all, but often you can see it a bit. I truely hadn't a clue she was a daughter until I read it somewhere and thought, even then, that person was taking the mick....!
I used to not like her much, I must admit (green eyed monster and all that, I suppose, lol), but after reading some stuff about her on the website and how greatful people are to her aswell as Billy, well, it changed my view!

I had assumed she was adopted?

I'm black and my DH is white and we have twin boys. One is brown with brown eyes and brown hair and the other is fair with fair hair and blue eyes! So yep, she is probably his natural daughter. I love her body too..

In the most recent DVD, Ultimate Bootcamp, she looks as if she has filled out a bit but she still has an awesome body!

Quattrocentro

When the twins were babies, DH and I did no socialising at all at the weekend. Our lives consisted of changing nappies, feeding and collasping on the sofa when they were napping. TBH, I actally did not have much of an appetite because of exhaustion. So I did not find weekends too much trouble in terms of eating and drinking. We also ate a lot of salads.

If anything, I have more trouble now so I tend to have less points during the week to compensate for the weekend and at the moment, it works. Also, when the DTS were about 7 months, I started running again - only about 1 or 2 miles and I found that really helped to speed up the weight loss.

How much more weight do you want to lose?

Thanks speedy. My children are a bit older than yours I think, which is why I have the problem at weekends. Losing another stone would see me back into a 12, then I'll stop.

It's funny how weight grows on you. In my head I was thin because I had always been thin, then one day I woke up and realised I was a size 16 and my BMI had just clicked into overweight. In reality I had been overweight for some time because I am built skinny naturally.

So another stone will do it. Am hoping to lose it by September. Am relying on Davina to help me get rid of it!

Speedy, kind of cool really, for you to have twins that possibly look like chalk and cheese, as they say
Think is in mixed race relatioship you really will not know what their colouring will be like. Got a friend who's mum is white the Dad is black, they had 4 Kids, and they all look different and are different "shades", from really dark to one ebing very pale with red hair and blue eyes...it is one of those things...
(here is hoping that nohting I said is seen as politically incorrect, really don't mean to offend anyone, but sometimes I know I do, out of sheer ignorance, because I really don't know if mixed race is pc, etc...)!

Looked earlier at my new DVD the Kathy Smith one, and it does sound fabulous, 3x40minutes workouts, 1 upper body with warm up and cool down, 1 lower body with warm up and cool down section and 1 cardio/Interval training one again with cool down and warm up.
Will try to do them all over the next few days.

No worries 3andnomore. I use the term mixed race because it is more palatable to the alternative which I still hear and hate with a passion - half-caste. Yuk!

Yeah !!!

I have just bought :

• Nell's Ultimate Challenge
• Taebo Everybody get ripped
• Davina's Power of 3 & 3x30 minute workouts (boxset)

Can't wait for them to get here !! Can't believe i'm this excited .

Think I will start with Davina....

Wise move. Let us know how you get on and post your review too.

Theosmum, let us know how you get on

I have done 2 sections of my Kathy Smith's Superslimdown circuit so far, so will review those for now.

Done the Peak Fat Burning section:
It's more a usual aerobics workout, i.e. little routines...however, they are little and easy enough to remember....!
Certainly started sweating. Still prefer my usual DVD's, but this will be a good one to add versatility into my workout routine.

Upper Body workout....must say, I don't think it will do that much without doing some sort of cardio with it. The exercises are very well explained though, which is a positive.
You will need a chair, and something to prop your upper body up (they have a wedge pillow for that) and weights of some sort.
I did enjoy the exercises, just missed some cardio with it!
Both workouts are 40 minutes long.

When I have done the lower Body workout I shall review that, too!