DVD Reviews
DVD Reviews
A Hip Hop Home Workout To Make You Cooler
No longer will I scour the profiles of the men of New York on OkCupid during those long lonely nights; I have found a remedy to my loserdom, and it comes in the form of an exercise DVD. Hmm, that sounds a little creepy lame but I assure you I am a total badass now, thanks to Dance Off the Inches: Cardio Hip Hop. I would even go so far as to say that this is the most fun I have ever had doing an exercise DVD in my history of doing exercise DVDs. I know, that's a big statement, that's what I'm trying to tell you—this one is awesome.
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DVD Reviews
10-Minute Solutions Rapid Results Fat Burner
Given the current "total body workout" craze, there aren't many "all cardio" DVDs coming out anymore. SO, I was excited to give Rapid Results-Fat Burner (RFFB) a shot. There are days when I need to sweat, but I don't feel like getting strong. Sadly, as previously noted, 10-Minute Solutions DVDs are kind of a crap shoot, and RFFB falls on the "less than stellar" end of the spectrum....
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DVD Reviews
Bust a Gut with Body by Bethenny by Kristin
I’m going to swallow my snarky, self-righteous pride right here and say that I loved Body by Bethenny, the exercise DVD via Kristin McGee and Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel. I literally laughed out loud, and not in the LOL sense, but in the "there was audible noise coming from my mouth with the slight twinge of merriment at multiple points during said exercise experience" sense. "Boob-to-Knee Pose" and "Darth Vader breathing" have never felt so good.
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DVD Reviews
Non-Terrifying Yet Very Effective Abs DVDs
It's officially spring, which really means only one thing to me: in approximately three months I will most likely be seen in a bathing suit, in public. I'm pretty sure most of the general public is too self-absorbed to notice my ab definition (real or fake), but I notice. Thus, every March, I pull out the ab-centric DVDs (it's that or the Captain's Chair, and I'm afraid of the Captain's Chair). After years of testing, these are my favorites:
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DVD Reviews
The Best Prenatal Fitness DVDs
One of my friends done got herself in a family way and came asking for some DVD recommendations to stay in shape. Sure, I've never had a bun in this oven, and don't plan on one anytime in the near future, but that doesn't mean that I don't own prenatal exercise videos. What? That's weird? People send me DVDs, I can't help it if sometimes they're for the more procreationally inclined.
Disclaimer: Since I'm not pregnant I can't really assess how these would feel if I were, but I did eat a really big meal before each video to test out its gentleness on the ole tummy. The sacrifices I make for science... Without further ado, my top picks:
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DVD Reviews
The Uncanny Effect of Exhale's Core Fusion Body Sculpt
Most fitness DVDs imitate the group exercise experience. There's a teacher and students, and you're just another class member, except you're in your living room. But not the Exhale Core Fusion Body Sculpt DVD. This DVD has no teacher. Or rather, it has two teachers, Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito, the co-founders of Exhale's Core Fusion program, but neither of them talk onscreen. Each takes a turn giving disembodied, off-screen voiceover directions while onscreen their bodies silently carry out the commands. It's like eerie puppet theater. You'd think it might help that their own voices are bossing their bodies around, but the division-of-the-self effect actually makes it weirder. I'm not sure what the DVD's producers hoped to accomplish with this "innovation," but I really hope this isn't the start of a fitness DVD voiceover trend.
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DVD Reviews
10-Minute Solutions: Knockout Body
I have a girl-crush on Jessica Smith, my latest DVD teacher. She may actually be my favorite ever on camera exercise teacher. 10-Minute Solutions DVDs are usually a crap shoot. Some are great, some are awful. Jessica's Knockout Body is damn near perfect: 50 minutes of total body conditioning. Aerobics, strength training, and stretching. Oh, and it comes with its own weighted gloves. More on those later, though. This girl is great at queuing and she doesn't have that shrieking condescending "You're doing great!" attitude that so many spandex clad instructors spout at the camera. Oh, and her abs are drool-worthy.
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DVD Reviews
Action Hero Babe "System" Gets Early Raves
While we're on Hollywood... Valerie Waters trains people like Uma Thurman and Jennifer Garner. She invented fitness "hits" like Red Carpet Ready and "I Want My Bikini Body." She's got a new one. It's called "Action Hero Babe." Fitness DVD? Forget about it. This is an eight week "fitness system." You get a book, various logging forms, and gear. You might even be able to pay on the installment plan, but it's unclear actually where to buy the thing. Somehow, though, fitness junkie blogger Skwigg got her hands on the system, and she actually loves it. She geeked out on printing the forms, schedules and recipes, and sticking them all in her Action Hero Babe binder. Of the vidoes, she says, "It was easy to imagine myself as a celebrity client getting one-on-one instruction. The video production was very nice, the mood was light and fun. I'm surprised at how much enjoyed it."
If you started on Halloween, you'd be an Action Hero Babe by New Year's. Just saying.
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DVD Reviews
Freshly Squeezed by Tracy Effinger
I will bet you $5 that Tracy Effinger doesn't eat cupcakes — she's not that kind of girl. I'm guessing she's more raw steak, flax seed, and protein powder. This woman is jacked. And, I hate to say it, but I judged her DVD by its cover. Which means I avoided it for a long time. But I can now report that Squeeze-Lower Body Challenge is a top notch addition to your DVD collection, and I plan to play it over and over again until Tracy leaves me for someone who eats more protein.
The workout is hard and simple: 30 torturous minutes, and all the equipment you need is a pair of dumbbells, and a chair. And, well, your ass. Your ass does a lot of heavy lifting. At its core, this DVD is a combination of lunges and leg raises. Five sets, to be precise: Dead lifts, Plies, Lunges, More Lunges, and Leg Lifts. Stuff you know you should do, but usually don't. If you are one of those naturally crushes yourself in workouts without adult supervision, well then, don't waste your money. If you like a little visual stimulation, and someone to make you do things the hard way, this one's a keeper.
Toughness aside, my absolute favorite thing Tracy does: She takes a water break! The lack of hydrating time in exercise DVDs generally means I spend alot of time pausing and rewinding to the exact moment of my last squat thrust. Thanks for watching my back Tracy!
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DVD Reviews
Pilates in the Home
Meet Kristin McGee, a tall blonde beauty of a Pilates instructor whom I really wanted to hate for all those reasons, but who turns out to be kind of stellar. Her exercise video is called Pilates for Beginners -- more or less like every other Pilates video on the market -- but it's one of the best I've ever taken. And I've taken hundreds. This is Pilates "mat," (no machines required), and McGee eases you into each position step-by-step, until miraculously you find yourself perfectly aligned, mid-routine. My one gripe about McGee is that she's a bit light on the breathing cues. Breathing is key to Pilates, as in yoga, but save for one section, McGee glosses over the breathing instructions. Still, if you’re new to Pilates, and want to experment in the safety of your home, (fantasizing privately about the lean ballerina you will someday be), McGee is a wonderful teacher with whom to start.
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