Favorite Workout DVD''s?

[monarch64]

What is your favorite workout DVD? I''m bringing this up because I''m not an avid at-home workout fan, but I would like to incorporate some at-home fitness DVD''s into my current fitness routine. I would much rather wake up early to go down to my basement and work out in the winter than get up and go to my gym and work out in the mornings...

I''m thinking I would like to try Zumba, the NYC Ballet workout, and possibly (dare I admit this?) Carmen Elektra''s stripper workout. Also, yoga and Pilates for home workouts...please advise, lol!

 

[anchor31]

Funny you should ask, because I bought one just last week!

I took Ashtanga yoga (Power Yoga) classes over a year ago and loved it! I haven't been able to take classes since and motivation soon started to lack, so I finally decided to try to DVD route. And I love it!

I bought Mark Darby and Nicole Bordeleau's "Ashtanga Yoga Primary series - All levels". It was made by Studio YogaMonde in Montréal and the routines are offered both in French and English. It contains the primary series (90 minutes workout), a short form (30 minutes) and a short practice (10 minutes), as well as Ashtanga principles, teacher's tips and "Darby's routine" (advanced).

I love it because they offer variations in the asanas (poses) and it can be used by beginners as well, or in my case, people really out of shape. Ashtanga is a very rigorous form of yoga, but I feel really great afterwards! The instructions are very well given, I almost feel like I'm back in the classroom.

I don't know if they sell it in the States though, which would be a shame. (If they don't, of course)

 

[ladykemma]

i have and actually use the NYC ballet workout.

 

[Mara]

girl i''m telling you, do the lizzie c bootcamp...it''ll kick your butt!

 

[JCJD]

I not only staved off the freshman 15, but lost about 20 lbs my freshman year with Tae Bo (yes, Billy Blanks, a blast from the past!). I''ve also done Denise Austin''s power kickboxing, but it hurt my knees.

Now I have Fat-Burning Workout For Dummies, with Gay Gasper, which is great! I also have Yoga Weightloss For Dummies. If you''re really familiar with some of the common yoga poses (sunflower, warriors, the sun salutation asanas, etc) then this might be a good choice. She goes through the asanas pretty quickly so you get more of an aerobic workout than you would in a "normal" yoga class, but it''s not as intense as, say, bikram.

 

[dani13]

My two favorite workout DVD'S are- believe it or not- Cindy Crawford's 2 workouts she put out years ago. One came out in like '94 (I think)- its called, "Shape your Body,", and the other , "The Next Challenge" came out in '97-98? I have to say whenever I use them on a regular basis, I immediately see results- I lose wt/inches quickly. I am an avid exerciser, so I am really picky about my workouts, but when I feel like doing at at-home workout, I pull these babies out....I think both of them are great, but warning: they are NOT for the weak. Take your time to build up your stamina, or you wont be able to walk the next day.

I just bought them both on amazon.com for $11 bucks each (I previously had the VHS), so I wanted to update to DVD...

 

[monarch64]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Currently I have zero workout DVD''s, just a couple old VHS tapes, like Tamilee W''s Buns of Steel, LOL! (Although it really is a good workout, I no longer have a VCR and I grew tired of her perm and mall bangs a long, long time ago.)

Mara, I will print out LizzieC''s bootcamp workout this week. I know you are a huge advocate, so I will try it based on that, he hee.

I tried a Zumba class today at my gym and it was so fun. It was a good-enough cardio routine that I would do again, except it''s only offered on Tuesdays while I''m at work...today was a one-time special type thing. I did find some DVD''s online on the Zumba websites--has anyone tried them?

Everything else posted here sounds great! I will check out the suggestions this week and order a few to try.

 

[turtledazzle]

You may want to check if your public library has exercise DVD''s ~ a great way to check out a video to know if you like it before purchasing it. I do this a lot. Netflix also has some.

There are also a few websites I like that offer reviews of fitness videos: http://www.videofitness.com/reviews/ and http://www.collagevideo.com/cart/default.aspx
The second site is cool in that you get to see a short clip (of poor quality) of the video as a preview.

For at-home exercise that doesn''t require lots of special equipment, I second the Tae Bo recommendation. Those can be some great workouts.

 

[ellaila]

Date: 10/15/2006 11:03:00 PM
Author: monarch64

Mara, I will print out LizzieC''s bootcamp workout this week. I know you are a huge advocate, so I will try it based on that, he hee.

Wait, how do you get LizzieC''s bootcamp workout? Is it posted somewhere on PS? Link??

 

[lovelylulu]

i really enjoy the winsor pilates series. I have about three videos and think they are all fantastic. i hope to join a pilates studio at some point, but for right now, especially with my hectic work schedule, i like the home videos immensely!

 

[Mara]

here's lizzie's bootcamp...she teaches this at her local place and she recently said she added jump rope in, so if you feel creative....go with it! when i do it, i add in a bit of extra cardio like extra punches and kicking from my kbox class...and i also do things like 'on all fours leg lifts' as well for the bootie area. keeps it from getting boring. i watch TV when i do it, like my fave tivo'd cheesy shows, passes the time and before i know it, i did the workout and am upstairs taking a shower!

ETA...the #'s are the minutes you do the exercise and also here's a quick definition of certain things, aka jack and jab is a jumping jack then a jab (like a punch)...bicycle is where you are on your back moving arms and legs like riding a bike. if i am not QUITE sure what an exercise is, i just improvise..hehe. i have done enough taught classes to know what creates the burn!!

 

[Cailet]

I actually ordered some off a tv infomercial.

The company is called Beachbody and they have a ton of different styled tapes - most of them are great!

I am currently doing the Turbo Jam workouts and they are super fun (well as much fun as you can having jumping around and working your butt off!). Great music - lots of different body shapes/fitness levels doing the workouts. And they aren''t the usual moves you get on other workout tapes so it makes for a good change of pace.

I also have Slim in 6, Power 90 and Yoga Booty Ballet
They can be a bit pricey directly from Beachbody so I usually wait for sales or buy on Ebay -- that or get them as Bday/Christmas presents.

I get bored really easy so I need a HUGE library of tapes to pick from to keep me going!

 

[bookworm21]

I would stay away from the Carmen Electra striptease fitness videos. I bought them and I don''t like them. You don''t really get a workout, and it''s rather boring because you have to go through the same moves COUNTLESS times.

Someone else mentioned the Cindy Crawford workouts; another friend of mine swears by them, and I bought one of the vids. It did give me a good workout (I was sweating), so that may be worth a try.

I think I want to get the LIzzie C. bootcamp now, I''m going to look for it.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 10/16/2006 10:35:00 PM
Author: Cinderella
I would stay away from the Carmen Electra striptease fitness videos. I bought them and I don''t like them. You don''t really get a workout, and it''s rather boring because you have to go through the same moves COUNTLESS times.

Someone else mentioned the Cindy Crawford workouts; another friend of mine swears by them, and I bought one of the vids. It did give me a good workout (I was sweating), so that may be worth a try.

I think I want to get the LIzzie C. bootcamp now, I''m going to look for it.

Thanks for the tip on the Carmen Electras...I had read that before about them in reviews. I thought maybe it would be a fun break from the normal "workout" though, so I may try to get a discounted copy online.

LizzieC is a poster on PS/fitness instructor in real life....see above where Mara has so kindly posted her workout!

 

[diamondfan]

I got the dancing videos after seeing Dancing with the Stars results on people''s bodies! I cannot tell you how it is, I have been using the elliptical more, but cannot wait to try them. They are with two couples...

 

[akw94]

I love the Billy Blanks videos. There are tons of them. My most recent purchase is Cardio Circuit II which is fast paced and has an Upper Body portion, Lower Body, then Abs -- then each of the three again, then a full body workout portion. It''s about 45 minutes total or about 35 when you stop before the full body workout portion.
You can go to Amazon.com and find a ton of videos, Billy Blanks or others. The last two I bought were VHS tapes and only $.80 each. Wonderful!! These are older ones of his but I like them all.

Good luck finding ones you like!

 

[monarch64]

So far this week my first DVD purchase was a "Pilates for Life" 20 minute workout...DH and I found it at Borders while we were there the other night. I will be trying it tomorrow. His physical therapist told him to wait 2 weeks until he attempts it, and she said she will be working with him on some of the same types of moves in the meantime so his body can start to get acclimated to stretching, etc.

Mara, I got through about 30 minutes of Lizzie C''s boot camp, WOW. I did it last night because we just switched our satellite provider and I was tired of figuring out how to work the remote, lol. So I put on one of the music channels and got through the first half of the workout, then did some stretching, and my arm weights for maintenance. It''s now a goal of mine to be able to get through the whole thing! Sweat-o-rama, LOL!

 

[moremoremore]

Walk Away the Pounds 3 mile

It's awesome...Maybe not for the uber-fit LOL...But great for people who want it to be painless in all respects and do low impact but still get a great cardio work-out. Lesley Sansone does them...I can't jump around b/c I'm in a 5th floor coop...so this is great

 

[Mara]

hehe monarch, I know it can kind of kick your butt at first, the cool thing is that you can add to it or switch it around as you feel more comfortable with it. I like it because it also gives me that bit of muscle resistance training with weights and stuff...that I don''t typically get from kickboxing etc. I haven''t worn the HRM while doing it but I''m curious about how many cals it would burn depending on the level of difficulty.

 

[february2003bride]

The second Cindy Crawford DVD is awesome! I lost 30 pounds in 2 *months* 5 years ago just eating healthy and using her video 4 times a week. Right now I''m doing an exercise outdoor condition class 2x a week and the Cindy Crawfod video 2-3x a week. I''m not looking for instant results again (I''m still breastfeeding my 13 month old so I think my body holds on to weight more) but I''m trying to lose the sese last 20 pounds from back to back pregnancies. Ugh.