Results Fitness: 10 Days to a Better Body (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)...and I have over 100 excercise dvds now... Some women buy shoes...I keep myself motivated by trying new dvds...
so I have some comparison. :-)
CALORIE BURN: I wear a bodybugg to measure my daily calorie burn. Because of this, I'm also able to monitor exactly how many calories I burn during a dvd workout, and know exactly how many calories it burns per minute. Because a strength training dvd will also continue to burn more calories after the workout, I can also monitor the increase if there is one. I say this only so you'll know what I rate is based upon scientific measurement rather than perceived exertion. DANG! If you had to only own two dvds to make a difference in your body I'd choose this one and Jillian Michael's Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism to scorch the calories. The calorie burn was EXTREMELY boosted in this dvd.
CIRCUIT TRAINING: Studies have shown you'll actually burn more calories doing a circuit workout...meaning that you combine both cardio and strength training. Cardio will burn more calories during the workout, but strength training, although it burns less during the workout, will continue to burn calories long after the workout is over and will help build muscle--which also increases metabolism and utilizes more calories even while you are at rest. This dvd takes it to the highest level by doing heavy cardio and then allowing your heart rate to recover during strength, and then getting it back up again. Just like a car uses more gas when alternating slow and fast speeds rather than going fast all the time, it's been shown your body uses more calories doing the same thing. And keeping your heart rate elevated during strength provides that higher calorie burning benefit with toning which continues to burn more later. Very well done.
CUEING: I'm very picky about cueing. I want a workout rather than having to rewind my dvd and figure out what the instructor is trying to tell me what to do in a heavily choreographed but difficult-to-follow routine. There was no rewinding on this one. The steps and instructions were clear and it kept you moving fast without losing a step. A difficult thing to get right, but it was accomplished here.
SET: Boring. One of those studios made to look like a set...but that's fairly common in many dvds. No big thing. But nothing to make note of either.
MOVES: Impressive. Although the workout is combined into two circuit training sections of 30 minutes each (the first one works your legs, tush, and belly and the second your entire upper body and abs), you can combine the two if desired. I like that she added standing ab moves in that you are working your obliques (stomach muscles) while MOVING rather than on the floor so you get the cardio benefit as well. There were also some kickboxing moves which help speed up the calorie burn. Well thought out but nothing difficult to do or follow.
LEVEL: While the calorie burn is intense, a beginner could start here with very light weights and be able to do it at his or her pace and progress with heavier weights. Because you recover during the strength moves you won't wear out during the cardio. Too, a fitness buff will love it for the results.
TRAINER: There is only one, there are no backup people behind her as you'll see in many dvds. This means there is no "beginner level" person in the back if you are just starting out and want a lower impact trainer to follow until you progress upwards, but I think you can pull through even if you need to do less reps or slower movements. Both are possible. Her energy is good and her instructions are clear. I actually prefer to have more people behind the trainer simply for visual interest when staring at the same dvd for a half hour but no big deal.
SAFETY: The instructions are excellent so that you not only do the moves easily, but you do them so they are safe and effective. Out of all the dvds I have no instructor has ever told me to stare at a certain spot on the floor during balance moves in order to help you not wobble. I had previously done balance poorly and was wobbling again until she said this. BAM! For the first time, I mastered all balance moves in this dvd and my others. (Don't worry if you hate balance moves like me, there are few and you could do them with your foot on the floor til mastered, but it does help your core so I keep working at it.)
TIME CRUNCH: There are "10 Minute Solutions" dvds which are supposed to be used if you only have time to do a 10 minute workout. This burned twice as many calories in 10 minutes as those...so if you have a crunch on time, you might just use part of one of these workouts and do a cooldown on your own.
MUSIC: Upbeat and flowed with the moves.
EQUIPMENT: Although she recommends light and heavy weights, you can use the same weight the whole time if that's all you have...for example, sometimes I just use my 6 pound weights the whole time and if the reps get to hard to do I put em down and do the moves without em. If you have a light and heavy set, you are good to go, but will not be hindered if you do not.
ALSO INCLUDED: Inside the dvd case there is a booklet called "The better body meal plan" which is a 1200-1300 calorie per day diet by a nutritionist that also notes men need to add an additional 300-400 clories to the menu per day. It is 10 days of menus you can follow to lose weight with items that are easy to prepare and take a couple to just a few minutes of prep time, such as a chicken breast with salsa, brown rice, & broccoli for lunch, apple with peanut butter for a snack etc. As a weight loss coach myself I'd say it's a decent and protein and nutrient rich diet so, although I don't use her diet, I have no doubt it would work based upon its components ifyou want to take her challenge of a better body in 10 days.
NEGATIVES: As far as the workout and instruction goes, it was flawless and incredibly well thought-out for effectiveness and calorie burn. But I gotta say, one of the reasons I have so many dvds is because I hate being bored in working out. I think there were some additions they could have added to this dvd to make it less "sterile", like a class or back up trainers in the background, a less sterile set, etc but that's just if I had to add something...that's merely my own personal taste as someone else may find what I like "distracting".
CONCLUSION: This is one of my new favorites for when I need fast results. I'd suggest it as an addition to a fitness dvd collection no matter how large or small you want your dvd collection to be...it's a true result-maker.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should you look for others with the same great instruction, high calorie burn, cardio and strength training, you might try:
(in no particular order):
1.Body by Jake Total Body Workout
2.Jillian's Banish Fat, Boost Metabolim and her Last Chance Workout
3.Kathy Smith Build Muscle Shrink Fat
4.Crunch Total Resculpt
5.Star Trainers: Strength
6. Weight Loss Cardio Sculpt with Violet Zaki

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YES, YOU CAN SEE CHANGES IN YOUR BODY IN JUST 10 DAYS! This DVD and Meal Plan are your shortcut to a better body. The DVD features two 30-minute workouts that alternate short bursts of fat blasting cardio with intervals of muscle conditioning. The first workout will give you leaner legs, a tighter tush, and a flatter belly. The second workout will sculpt your entire upper body and tone your abs. These interval training workouts are the secret to changing your body in the shortest amount of time. Combine them with the Better Body Meal Plan and get ready to celebrate the new you: stronger, slimmer, and totally sexy.Better Body meal Plan: Get ready to eat to lose! Use this meal plan to lose weight and stay satisfied with 10 days of meals and snacks that fight fat.About the Trainer: Cindy Whitmarsh (www.cindywhitmarshfitness.com) is a NASN and ACE Certified, has a BA in Corporate & Community fitness/nutrition, and has over 18 years experience in fitness and nutrition. Her passion is helping others to make dramatic health and body changes for life! “For people who want to lose weight superfast, here’s a plan that works.” – Fitness Magazine




"Cindy Whitmarsh leads two complementary interval workouts: one upper-body and one lower-body. The workouts are fast-paced with lots of variety and no slowing down between segments. Each interval lasts just one minute. The cardio segments feature athletic-style moves at varying intensities, including higher-impact jogs, jacks and jumps. Toning sections use body-sculpting classics such as squats, lunges, push-ups and planks. Requires two sets of dumbbells." - USA Today

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The Firm: Ultimate Fat Burning Workout (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)I know that there are a lot of long-term, die-hard Firm fans out there, but I'm not one of them. However, through trial and error, I have acquired a few Firm workouts that I like and use regularly. I had high hopes for this particular workout, as it seemed to combine many things that I enjoy, including moderate-length cardio, 4-limb work, kickboxing, and some functional fitness moves as well. I do feel that this DVD provides a solid overall workout, but some aspects left me feeling a bit disappointed. The workout includes an 8-minute warm-up, 23 minutes of cardio, and an 9-minute cool-down/abs segment, coming in at just over 40 minutes total.
Instructor Allison Davis begins starts off with the warm-up, which felt overly long and boring to me. Admittedly, the moves were pretty typical Firm offerings--eg, march, in-out march, step-touch, back cross, hamstring curl, step squat, knees up, kick front--but it would be nice if the Firm did something different for a change. About 3 minutes into the warm-up, you perform a very brief series of moving stretches. After this, I was thinking that the warm-up was over, but instead, Alison introduces some new cardio moves (v-steps, calf pumps, low jacks, and hops), and THEN, she actually goes back and repeats all of the original warm-up moves! The way this opening sequence was structured just seemed to make the warm-up drag on and on.
Luckily, I enjoyed the workout itself significantly more than the warm-up portion. Alison moves into the first segment of 4-limbed cardio, which lasts about 5 minutes. She suggests 3- or 5-lb. dumbbells; I used the latter but found that they were a bit heavy for some of the upper body moves. She introduces a sequence which is repeated 3 times total, going slightly faster each time: squat with overhead twist press, knees with french press, forward lunge with lat rows, front kicks with forward press, side lunge with upright row, side taps with biceps/triceps press, and finally, rear dip with biceps curl (staying on the same leg each time through). During this segment, my heart rate stayed up, and I enjoyed the functional nature of many of the moves (ie, twisting and bending, similar to what you might see in one of Tracie Long's videos). Next comes a floor cardio segment. This section was okay, but again, it felt rather repetitive, especially because Alison teaches in an add-on "take it from the top" style. She begins with a chasse and samba, gradually adding in a cross step, press foot, pivot, and v-step. Given that this section is 6 minutes long, the simple above sequence is repeated MANY times.
Another 4-limb section follows using the same format as the first 4-limb segment. Exercises here included travel squat with alternate upright row (which felt awkward), front lunge with delt flye, side leg raise with punch, side lunge with lat row, front-side-front step with medial delt raise, and then finally, a rear dip/biceps combo working the other leg. As with the first section, this sequence is performed 3 times total (approximately 4 minutes). The final segment (and the longest at 8 minutes) is cardio kickboxing. I love kickboxing and did enjoy the punching and kicking included here, but I would've preferred more variety and interest in the choreography. The moves included a shuffle with an inner side kick, knee-kick, alternating knees, jabs/uppercuts, jab-cross-knee, and a front kick/punch. It would've have been great if this segment had included some rear/roundhouse kicks, more punches, a few additional combos, and a few additional combinations.
I found the final cool-down to be rather odd. It starts with about 2 minutes of aerobic cool-down work which includes samba with a heel lift, side leg extension with a body wave, squat/round back, and side touch with pull down (as I did throughout the entire workout, I found that the arm movements felt a bit "fussy" here). Then you pick up one of your dumbbells for about 3 minutes of standing abs work. I usually really enjoy working the abs this way, but I found the moves here (twist with knee lift, plie with 1-hand overhead press, plie with twist) to be a bit awkward. The sequence is repeated once on each side. Next comes a 2-minute final stretch; this actually has some nice lunge work, including a side reach and twist. But then inexplicably, the workout ends with 2-minutes of push-ups/plank work--why not put this before the final stretches? I definitely didn't like having to do additional strength work after I had already warmed down (there is only a quick down dog and deep breaths to finish).
The best thing about this workout was that I was in my target heart rate zone for a very good portion, close to 35 minutes. For virtually this reason alone--and also because SOME of the moves were actually fun (just too repetitive)--I will keep this DVD, at least for now. I would recommend this workout to someone who doesn't mind a lot of repetition and who is looking for a basic but fairly intense floor cardio workout.
UPDATE 4/26/07: This workout has grown on me over time. I've found that if I skip the warm-up, the remaining routine feels much less repetitive, and I get a strong cardio workout in under 30 minutes. If I could change my rating, I would upgrade to 4 stars.

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The FIRM Ultimate Fat Burning Cardio DVD DESCRIPTION A workout sure to deliver calorie burning results from FIRM master instructor Alison Davis.

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Jari Love: Get Extremely Ripped 1000 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have all six of Jari's previous workouts, so wasn't sure how different this one would be, but I'm really glad I got it. The focus of this workout is interval training, where Jari has you alternate between three minutes of cardio, followed by 1-2 minutes of strength training.
The cardio interval format is complemented by compound moves with the strength-training exercises; it's so nice to have both combined in one workout since they are the two best ways to burn fat. As far as intensity goes, it seems like Jari's hardest workout so far. If you liked Get Ripped 1000 and Get Extremely Ripped, you'll like this one. It has similar exercises as those two previous videos, but enough new moves to make it worthwhile. I'd describe it as a combo of those two previous workouts: it has the cardio intervals of GR1000, combined with more of the compound moves from GER. The other thing that makes this one really tough is that there are no rests between each exercise; the workout moves from cardio right into strength training each time, so your heart rate stays elevated throughout the workout.
To do this workout, you will need various weights of dumbbells. A step is optional, but it will really make the workout more intense if you have one.
As another reviewer mentioned, a really nice bonus of this workout is that you can do one long workout (about 75 minutes total, including the abs and stretch), the two thirty-minute workouts, just the cardio intervals, just the weight-training sections, or just push-ups and abs. It's nice to have the options broken down so much.
The abs section consists of planks, side planks, and crunches.
Workout one consists of the following exercises:
--Warm up
--Alternating Knees
--Side Squats w/ Biceps curl
--L-Hops
--Regular/Prone rows
--Squat with Arnold Press
--Monkey Jumps
--Triceps Extension with Leg Abduction
--Jacks
--Anterior Raise with Knee Lift
--Basic Step
--Chest Press and Flyes
--Cooldown and stretch
Workout two consists of the following exercises:
--Warm up
--Charleston Lunges
--Dead Lift and Biceps
--Basic Step
--Pendulum Lunge
--Wide Squat with Unilateral Raises
--Toe Touches
--Side Squat/Lunge with Triceps Extension (right)
--Lunge Hops
--Side Squat/Lunge with Triceps Extension (left)
--Speed Skater
--Alternating Lunge with Lateral Raises
--Push-ups and Abs
--Cooldown and stretchJari's most recent workout before this one (Get Extremely Ripped) met with some negative feedback since the set on that video was really dark and it was hard to see some of the movements. Jari and her crew have rectified some of those grievances on this newer one: the set is a bit brighter (although it's still pretty dark, so you might not like this one if GER's darkness bothered you) and it's easier to see what all of the exercisers are doing. Jari's form is also better in this one, and she doesn't make any negative comments about the background exercisers. (Those aspects of GER didn't bother me, but I know that they bothered some people.) The "tribal feel" to the music and clothing are also nice; I really liked the music, and there were only a few songs that I had heard before on other workouts.
Another nice feature that was also on Get Extremely Ripped is that each segment ends with a timer that counts down the last thirty seconds of that segment. I also liked how Jari has more background exercisers working out at different levels: she has a modifier for beginners, plus exercisers for more intermediate and advanced exercisers, too. If you check out Jari's website, you can also purchase a PDF file that gives various rotations using all seven of her DVD's.
Overall, this is a nice addition to my rather large video collection. I really like Jari's down-to-earth, motivational style, and I can tell that I will be doing this workout a lot!
UPDATE ON 10/9/09: I did Get Extremely Ripped (the video right before this one) this morning, and the set is definitely lighter and brighter on this newer workout. It's the same set that they are on, but it's much easier to see what the exercisers are doing on this newer workout. So if the darkness on GER bothered you, it shouldn't as much on this one.

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Are you ready to burn 1,000 calories, chisel your entire body, and shed fat--all in one hour? Get Extremely Ripped! has been scientifically tested and proven to do it! Using interval training--the best and fastest way to lose weight--you'll burn off fat, calories, and carbs to reshape your body completely. The program takes you through threeminute hardcore cardio circuits followed by one minute of targeted strength training, so you'll keep your heart rate elevated and all your muscles pumping the entire time. This method of training literally converts your body into a carb-burning, fat-melting machine by revving up your metabolism for hours--even after the workout is done! From beginner to advanced, these exercises have modifications for all skill levels, helping anyone achieve Ripped success! Developed by medical professionals and Jari Love, this workout is designed to burn calories directly from your carbohydrate stores, producing the most effective weight loss possible. A great extension of the original Get Ripped! workouts.

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Shape: Best-Ever Hollywood Workout (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Shape: Best-Ever Hollywood Workout focuses on sculpting/toning. There isn't any cardio, and it lacks variety. The background music is like elevator music. Gunnar Peterson is calm, friendly, and gets to the point. The basic, simple moves are great for the beginner exerciser. Gunner demonstrates the move first, then you start the repititions. The low repititions made me question the effectiveness of this workout, then I woke up sore this morning?! I did all 4 programs using the custom workout option. Continuous play - this may be the first time Shape has made this option available. When bought new, the dvd comes with a slip to mail in & receive SHAPE magazine 1 yr free.
TWO THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:
1.This is a SCULPTING workout, no cardio.
2.This was effective for me because I did all 4 programs in sequence.
The only things you need for this workout are dumbells and a mat. Gunner offers modifications for beginners.
The DVD is broken down into 4 programs:
*Total Body Toning 20 min.
*Power Burn 20 min.
*Amazing Arms11 min.
*Lower Body Blast11 min.
I'll do my best breaking down each program, please leave a comment if you have any questions =)
1. TOTAL BODY TONING
WARM UP - 4 minutes
Arms swing foward, then back, then across. Shoulder stretches followed by spiderman stretch, hip flexor stretch, hip opener & IT band stretch (great stretches!). Inner thigh stretch, then roll up. *these moves used in cool down*
- SQUATS
- PUSH UP with ROWS (use dumbells)
- BICYCLE CRUNCH
- PLANK POSITION hold one leg up towards end, then alternate to other leg
- HIP RAISE with CHEST FLY
- CRUNCHES
- SQUAT with dumbells, RAISE WEIGHTS UP (shoulder press) & PRESS UP ON TIP TOES
- HAY BALER - Side lunge with weights down, bring leg in, turn at waist & press weights out at eye level
- WOOD CHOPPER with 1 dumbell
- SIDE CRUNCH
- SLOW MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
- DIAGONAL BACK LUNGE with TRICEP EXTENSION (dumbells)
- SQUATS while holding dumbells above head
COOL DOWN - 2 min.
2. POWER BURN

WARM UP - almost 3 min. *mainly same moves (leaves a few out) as TBT, adds hamstring stretch/inner thigh stretch*
- FULL SITUP w/ STRAIGHT LEGS
- WOOD CHOPPER CRUNCH (use dumbell)
- WOOD CHOPPER STANDING (use dumbell)
- SQUATS with dumbells - pull dumbells up under arms while pushing up on toes
- JUMP SERIES - up & down, side to side, single leg, narrow feet up & down, ski jumps
- SPLIT LEG SQUAT using dumbells
- SPLIT ARM PUSH UPS
- SQUAT - push up, press up with rotation (dumbells)
- CRUNCHES - crunch alternated with cork screw crunch (one dumbell)
- REACHING LUNGE with LATERAL RAISE (dumbells)
- CURTSY LUNGE with LATERAL RAISE (dumbells)
- BICEP CURLS with BALANCE CHALLENGE - single leg (dumbells)
- SUPERMAN using one dumbell
- CLOSE GRIP PUSH UP
- KNEE-INS while in plank position
- SEATED TORSO ROTATION w/ dumbells
- SUMO SQUAT - up & extend (one dumbell)
COOL DOWN
3. AMAZING ARMS
WARM UP - arm circles, shoulder stretch, side stretch. Grab Dumbells =)
TRICEPS
- Tricep extensions
- Tricep kick backs
- Close grip pushups
BICEPS
- Bicep Curls w/ balance challange
- Side Curls - arms at 90 degree angle
- Hammer Curls
SHOULDERS
- Lateral Raise
- Arnold Press
- Rear Delt Raise
- Half Press alternate w/ Full Press
Then Gunner does curls, tricep kickbacks again & lateral raises again.
COOL DOWN - same moves as warm up
4. LOWER BODY BLAST
Start with hamstring stretch, inner thigh & hip stretch,then spiderman stretch, quad/hipflexor stretch & IT band stretch.
- Squats
- Hip bridges
- Hip bridge with single leg, opposite heel to ceiling
- Squat Hops
quick stretch
-Slightly bend standing leg, opposite leg floats - reach down to touch ground.
-Cursty squat, touch ground
-Squat with reach & extend (on toes)
COOL DOWN Stretch- quad/hip flexor, IT band & calves
The positive aspects of Shape: Best-ever Hollywood Workout include; Gunner has a calming effect, no tricky movements/choreography, no cardio (for those who dislike cardio), because he switches between floor & standing exercises - the time goes by quickly & the customize workout option. A long lasting workout since you can increase the weights as you progress with these multi-muscle exercises.
The reason I gave it 4 stars is because it was bland & the movements were basic. I am not a low key type of person. I love unique workouts with challenging moves....I get bored too easily. Power Burn sounded like it would be somewhat tough, but it just got my hopes up - Power Burn is a little misleading. BUT, I did wake up sore after doing all 4 programs.
As a mom of three young children, I don't really have the time to workout for an hour in order to get results. I do highly recommend this for beginner & intermediate exercisers, the 20 minute segments will be sufficient plus you can tack on one of the 11 min. workouts. You'll feel it the next day =)

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Trainer and creator of Core Secrets, Gunnar Peterson shares his formula for keeping his celebrity clientele fit and red carpet ready. Gunnar incorporates his exclusive muscle confusion methodology to challenge your body and get the most from your workout in the least amount of time. His varied pace sequencing is applied to all his moves which not only tones the entire body, but burns calories simultaneously. DVD INCLUDES: 4 Express Workouts Total Body Toning (20 mins) Power Burn (20 mins) Amazing Arms (10 mins) Lower Body Blast (10 mins) Customize your own workout optionBONUS: Workout tips from Gunnar Peterson

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Kelly Coffey-Meyer: NYC Body Sculpting Workout Review

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(More customer reviews)Kelly Coffey-Meyer is a high-energy instructor who offers fun workouts which blend more traditional exercises with unique, interesting twists. NYC is a 54-minute full body strength workout which uses two sets of dumbbells (light and heavy) plus an optional step; Kelly works out in a bright studio with two background exercisers. For the most part, the workout follows a specific pattern: Kelly targets a single upper body muscle group with several exercises using weights, moves on to an unweighted lower body interval, repeats a second set of the upper body moves, and concludes the series with slightly different lower body exercise. Overall, Kelly moves very quickly through the workout--the lower body exercises in particular are performed quickly enough to keep your heart rate in an aerobic zone.
Kelly begins with a 4-minute warm-up that includes basic aerobic moves and ends with dynamic stretches. The first muscle group is back, and Kelly begins with traditional 1-arm rows. More unique are the alternating shoulder blade pulls (palm up, thumb moves to the back) and the back raises with slow lowers. For lower body, Kelly does a side squat and rear lunge off the step; after repeating the back work, she does just the rear lunge, moving into a double-time count. The next exercise group biceps, starting with hammer curls that lower to the side. Kelly then does half bicep curls high and low, adding a 1-arm move to both. The leg series is a side step with a curtsey dip, adding a knee raise to work the obliques. The biceps are repeated, and then it's a side-to-side step with a rear lunge.
Moving to lighter dumbbells, Kelly starts the shoulder work, beginning with a circling lift overhead. She then combines shrugs with an upright row and finishes with a butterfly elbow lift and overhead press. The leg move is a wide squat with a knee lift to the side and then the back; after another set of shoulders, the leg move changes slightly to an around the world leg lift with rear lung. Next comes triceps: French press, elbow touches, and dips with pulses. Then, straddling the step, you do a plie squat, this time keeping the weights in your hand; to finish, you repeat the triceps and then perform the plie squat with the opposite leg forward. Kelly conclude the standing work with an additional move for the legs, a bent-over squat with hands on the step.
The workout then moves to the floor (lying on the step/bench) for chest work, which includes pullovers, wide grip bench presses, flyes, and close grip bench presses. Kelly then does a series of abs work with basic crunches before repeating the chest moves. She finishes this series by moving the dumbbells to hips for pelvic raises to target the glutes/hamstrings. She then moves to the floor for additional abs work. These moves were more Pilates-like and thus more challenging: Kelly starts with a 4-count crunch but then does knee tuck-ins (adding rotation), roll-ups, and half roll-downs with a twist on the end. Moving to side-lying position, she does a short but tough series of hip/outer thigh work on both sides, then repeats the floor abs series. Finally, Kelly concludes the workout with a very short (about 3 minutes) stretch on the floor, first lying for the lower body and then seated for the upper body.
The Main Menu of the DVD offers the following options: Introduction, Start Workout, Workout Options, Coffey Mixes, and Credits. The Workout Options is basically a chapter list (Warm-up, Standing Exercises, Chest to Lower Ab's [sic], Chest to Glutes, Abdominals to Outer Thighs, More Ab's [sic] and Stretch). The Coffey Mixes menu offers several shorter premix options:
Expresso [sic] Mix (no warm-up, 1 set of all exercises, stretch)
Latte Mix (warm-up, 1 set of all exercises, stretch)
Mocha Mix (warm-up, upper body, abs, stretch)
Capucchino [sic] (warm-up, all legs, abs, stretch)
Overall, I enjoyed this workout very much. I did have a few minor issues with it--eg, I thought that the triceps were overworked, and I didn't like the first abs series of basic crunches--but in general, I found the moves enjoyable, and I felt thoroughly worked out by the end. Kelly is a fun yet no-nonsense instructor; I give this workout a final rating of 4 1/2 stars, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, especially for intermediate-level exercisers.

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N.Y.C.: NEW YOU COMING - A BODY SCULPTING WORKOUT WITHKELLY COFFEY-MEYERNamed as FITNESS Magazine's "Best DVD for Head to Toe Body Sculpting",Kellly Coffey-Meyer's NYC (New You Coming) is the ultimate sculptingworkout! The mission is to achieve maximum caloric output while toning anddefining all muscle groups for a leaner physique. To achieve this goal,multi-setting with lighter weights, constantly moving from upper to lowerbody exercises and focusing on hips, glutes and abdominals, is a sure wayto ensure there's a New You Coming! If you are looking for a no-dread,no-nonsense sculpting workout that burns calories and increases muscledefinition, this is it. It's one workout no `body' should do without.Expertly cued by Kelly Coffey-Meyer, NYC features energizing music, andvery smooth transitions. The first section intermixes upper-body dumbbellexercises and bench-enhanced lower-body toning. The second segment is alsofast-moving - featuring weight-room-style floorwork, usually lying on thebench to improve body position. Both parts maximize effectiveness byalternating upper and lower-body exercises within a multi-set structure.The DVD also has pre-programmed shorter options. Requires two sets ofdumbbells and a step. Running Time: 55 minutes

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Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have all of the non-BL Jillian Michaels workout dvds and was thrilled that my UPS guys beat the snow to deliver this new addition today. It does not disappoint!
Here's the skinny: 7 six minute circuits, no weights, no equipment. Just you and some free space to jump around (you don't even need that much space; trust me, I live in a tiny NYC apartment and am completely able to do all the exercises). Each circuit is made up of a set of exercises performed twice before moving on to the next circuit: full body engagement, plyometrics and some serious core work mid-way through. But the focus is really on getting your heart rate up and Jillian delivers (my husband walked in after I was done and said he'd never seen my face so red before -- so beware! It's a tough enough workout that you might not look stunning immediately after; you can save the stunning for the beach this summer!)
Now, I should mention I have done JM's 30 Day Shred and love love love love it. There's no better way to get in a thorough workout in 22 minutes. This is not The Shred. There are many familiar exercises, but it's a much longer workout and the intensity is modulated to make it possible to keep going for the full 45+ minutes of the workout. I was intent on getting through the whole workout, so I can't speak to what the experience would be like for a beginner. But, the dvd is broken into chapters that split at each circuit, so theoretically, you can progressively build up as your stamina increases. I imagine I will have days when I'm pressed for time and just want to hit 3-4 of the circuits, and the chapters are designed to allow me to pick the ones I most like (or hate! depending on how tough they are!)
Also, I find Jillian's style to be increasingly more mature with each new dvd. No joke, she's a tough cookie -- that hasn't changed. But her instruction is more precise and her explanations of why certain exercises are paired together is really helpful. I find that knowing why things are good for me (even when they're so hard) is powerful motivation. Oh, I should mention I have very bad asthma and doing these workouts has helped boost my heart strength and capacity to grab more air with each breath. It's silly, I know, but I finish feeling like Mighty Mouse!
I'll update in the comments section with any thoughts or problems I encounter as I incorporate this workout into my regular schedule. But in the meantime, I'm a very happy customer!

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Fire up your metabolism with TV's top trainer, Jillian Michaels, and lose big with her fierce formula that adds strength and ab moves to dynamic cardio for increased fat loss. This 40-minute circuit workout blasts your heart rate with challenging intervals to turn up the burn and peel off the pounds. Whether you're just getting started or ready for a hardcore workout, this program will ignite your metabolism and incinerate fat to reveal a ripped, lean body!

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