Strong Body, Ageless Body with Erin O'Brien (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this on a whim actually. I didn't know of the instructor Erin O'Brien, but wanted a new workout. I ended up picking a great dvd here. It's toning done standing and done on the floor and it works out almost every muscle in your body.
Erin is a great instructor. She explains everything so well by telling you why you are doing what you're doing. She cues well and so you always know what's coming up. You can do the basic move that's demonstrated, or the tougher variations which is shown in a separate square in the corner of the screen. That's a great feature in itself so you can progress easily and move up when you're ready. All you need is some weights and you're ready to go. Even though she's not totally well known, I highly recommend this workout to everyone because almost anyone can follow it, and it will compliment any of your cardio workouts you might already own.

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An efficient total body workout for a stronger, leaner, more flexible body You know it. Regular strength-training is essential to keep you looking and feeling young. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest. Strong muscles protect your heart, your joints, your back, and your bones. Whether you’re looking for a way to get started or looking for an efficient, effective way to kick your home workout up a notch, this program is for you. Hollywood trainer Erin O’Brien invites you into her home for a 45-minute routine that works your arms, legs, and core. She combines upper and lower body exercises to keep things moving and get your heart-rate revved. Use hand weights if you have them, soup cans if you don’t. If you can’t keep up at first, that’s great! You have something to work toward—and a healthier, trimmer body to look forward to.Erin O’Brien has been working as a personal trainer and group exercise specialist for 15 years in elite fitness clubs both in New York City and Los Angeles. She holds several certifications, including one from the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.

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Men's Health: The Belly Off Workout - The Body Weight Routine (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Since making the decision to live a healthier lifestyle, almost a year ago I have amassed quite the collection of workout dvds. Being able to workout at home keeps me on track because it eliminates the excuses that keep me from going to the gym or for a run; no personal training appointments to miss, inclement weather, etc. After doing this workout just once, I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorites. It reminds me of a group fitness program that I participated in earlier this year that gave me fantastic results, both in terms of pounds and inches lost.
The current description of this workout leaves a lot to be desired so here's my attempt at breaking it down:
* Warmup (8 min)
* 2 minute drill: series of 8 cardio moves done for 15 seconds each to elevate your heart rate
* Bodyweight Circuits (5 mins): challenging strength training moves
* Bodyweight 100 (8 mins) different sequences of toning exercises. For instance, you might do squats, pushups, & mountain climbers, then repeat the sequence before moving on to the next sequence.
* Power of 10 (10 mins): Just when you think the workout is over (or that you can't go on) the instructor challenges you to do a series of 10 cardio and toning exercises for 30 seconds each.
* Cooldown (11 mins)
Pros:
* The workout left me sweaty.
* I felt it the next day.
* David Jack (the instructor) is really likeable and not overly chatty (when he speaks, it's to explain the exercises or to issue brief encouragement).
* David does the entire workout with you. I also liked that you could tell that he was pushing himself throughout the workout (I hate it when I feel like the people on the tv are just breezing through a workout... especially when I'm still doing the beginner modification lol).
* As far as modifications, there are beginner, intermediate, and advanced moves for most of the exercises that are done. So you should be able to get quite a bit of mileage out of this dvd.
* The dvd has a menu so that you can choose to do individual parts of the workout when you're pressed for time. I can see myself using the drill or Power of 10 to warmup before going out for a run and the Cool-Down after.
Cons:
* There were a couple of times when I found myself wishing that the instructor would count off the reps (especially when doing mat work).
* There were a LOT of pushups in this workout! Pushups work a lot of muscles at once so I understand why they were there. I couldn't do any more after a while so I grabbed my dumbbells and did chest raises and chest flys instead of idly waiting for those sections to be over.
Oh, and I should mention that I am a woman... so don't let the "Men's Health" in the title scare you away from this excellent workout dvd.

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Studio: Gaiam AmericasRelease Date: 02/09/2010Run time: 45 minutes

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Beachbody Power 90 - 2 DVD Set with Tony Horton (The 90 Day In-Home Boot Camp for Total Body Transformation) Review

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(More customer reviews)Power 90 is a 90 day program for men and women designed to transform your booty from NOT to HOT! The system includes 2 DVD's, a transformation tracker (paper calender to record your progress), descriptive booklet and guide to healthy eating.
To begin the program you record your weight and measurements. Then push play with Tony the instructor in your DVD player. You alternate between circuit days and cardio/abs days. The circuit days include exercises such as heavy pants, push ups, one arm triceps, bicep curls, back flys, lunges and more. The cardio/abs day includes kickboxing, leg raises, ab work and more. As you progress you move from the first DVD to the progressively harder second DVD. One very nice feature is each session is only about 30-40 minutes long. As the Beachbody company says from "power to shower in under an hour". Another great feature is the use of a sidebar on your picture screen. As you complete each exercise the color changes so you can view your time and progress.
Tony the instructor is a peppy guy with a sense of humor but not overdone. He is accompanied by a man and a woman in each set. Cueing is good with modifications suggested for those who need it. You may do the workout with free weights or purchase bands from the company. The bands are heavy duty and in my opinion make the workout much more difficult but may put strain on the back.
A simple diet guide is included in the program. Called "Michi's ladder" it suggests good foods to select from and eat most of the time. This is a simple brochure and more information is needed. To transform your body exercise is very important but what you eat counts A LOT! Not enough attention is paid to this.
Beachbody also recommends supplements which they sell of course. They claim that these will enhance your workout and help you achieve the body of your dreams at a much more rapid pace. However, when I checked into it, I found the studies they had done were limited and incomplete. Many of the ingredients are unproven. I would think twice about purchasing them. A "commercial" for the supplements is included on all Beachbody tapes.
I checked out the website over a period of several months and found a number of people who were happily shrinking in size and weight or gaining muscle. Many posted their pictures. Conversely, I also saw many who posted pictures and slowly faded from sight dropping out of the program, leaving their "befores" but no "afters" for all to see in cyberspace!
I really think the exercise program can be very effective, but it is repetitious. Day after day you will for 90 days be doing the same thing. But its a boot camp. For those who want to kick a** and don't mind repetition - this may be the ticket. Those who want to try it should also check out the free message boards at the companies beachbody.com web site.
Others may want to go with something simpler. Whatever you do, if you opt to go for it..stick with it a while before you post those "before" pictures just in case you never make it to the "after" stage!

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Two DVD designed to Sculpt, Sweat and Ab Ripper!

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