Power Yoga - Total Body Workout
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Retail Price: $14.98
Amazon Price: $9.49
I purchased the Power Yoga:Total Body Workout DVD three years ago and, although I own many yoga DVDs, I have used this workout for quite a few times. “Power Yoga” is, as advertised, an excellent, total body workout — albeit not one for beginners — with just the right amount of instruction and no irritating “pep talks” or celebrity prattling: in other words, real yoga.

Element: Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners
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Retail Price: $14.98
Amazon Price: $8.49
The first chapter of Element’s Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners includes some standing work that allows the body to open in lateral flexion, rotation and extension. Additionally, you warm the body with some strength from Pilates-style planks/push-ups. The matwork is a beginner/intermediate level and provides wonderful abdominal exercise. With proper attention to form, your body should respond with this one quickly, not to mention it is such an enjoyable form of movement.

I have many yoga dvds but I needed to do more cardio. For me a good exercise DVD has to have a good instructor, manageable segments, and something fun. Regular aerobic dvds bored me to tears. Then I saw an infomercial for Hip Hop Abs and thought it’d be a good all around workout to get you moving, break a sweat, and have fun at the same time.

Let’s start with some background: The Biggest Loser is a US-made reality TV television show broadcast in many countries. It centers around overweight contestants attempting to lose weight to vie for a cash prize.


I am a big fan of ‘The Biggest Loser’ and find that Bob Harper (the trainer in the show) is quite the inspiration. This is my first Biggest Loser DVD after being a diehard fan for all of the TV seasons. I must say I thought that this DVD wouldn’t do much for me but would a good way to mix up my daily work outs of running at least 5 miles a day and lifting weights. The day after I did this DVD work out, I was so sore I could barely move without it hurting. By the end of the work out I was sweating like crazy!



Anyone who watches The Biggest Loser can tell you that Bob is no easy trainer, but the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga DVD is great for people that want to try yoga for the first time. It is very easy to follow, starting with a 5 min. warm up, and 3 different levels, and a 5 minute cool down.


Each of the yoga levels shows you a “modified” way of yoga for beginners and for those more advanced, Bob will show you a different, more advanced way. I was truly surprised at myself that I was able to do it. It gives you a great workout and I love watching the past biggest losers doing yoga along with me. If you have never tried yoga and want to, try this video!


I’ve taken a fair share of yoga classes and I have to say this DVD is incredibly fun! I consider myself somewhat a beginner and found this workout challenging during the first week, and as time went on and I moved up in levels, the workouts remained challenging and engaging.

The Tracy Anderson Method Mat Workout DVD
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Retail Price: $27.95
Amazon Price: $29.95
The Tracy Anderson Mat workout method comes with some hype… after all, this is the celebrity trainer who helped Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow look great. Tracy Anderson was also featured on Oprah so she’s famous in that regard. On to the review..The mat workout dvd is 1 hour long.That includes Tracy’s introduction at the beginning and interviews with Gwyneth and Tracy at the end. The workout itself is 45 minutes, including warm-up. This workout has a gorgeous balletic feel to it and just makes you feel graceful after working out.

The first part is a standing leg series with plies, etc and the upper body work is done with very low weights. The second part is on the floor and includes lower body exercises as well as core and abdominal work. It’s beautifully filmed and the music is perfect for it.

Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred
Overall Rating:
 
Retail Price: $14.98
Amazon Price: $8.49
I have only done this workout a few times but already I feel the difference. The workouts are only 20 minutes each so although they are tough you know that you are almost done so you can push through it! It consists of a lot of jumping, so prepare for sore calves! Jillian is incredibly motivating. It goes by very quickly. I know everyone says its short but really it flies by faster than any other workout I do or have done. I get bored easy and it is over before I can talk myself into blowing off the workout or quitting early. I also feel like I get an effective workout for my time.


There are three levels to this workout and the intensity of these goes up according to the level you chose. The set up for the workout is 3 minutes of strength with combo moves, 2 minutes of cardio and then 1 minute of abs. You repeat this 3 times with different exercises and moves for all three sections. It’s hard but effective and you can see results such as endurance after only a few workouts. I like that your are getting the maximum results in a short block of time.


I love the fact that there are three separate levels to this workout system. I can start with level one and move on to two and then three when I’m ready. They don’t try to jam three levels into one workout. Jillian gives you plenty of instruction along the way to make sure you are doing the exercises correctly. I watched the level 1 first it and it looked like it would be pretty easy. However, when I actually tried it, I got my ass handed to me. It was I-N-T-E-N-S-E! I sweated more in that 20 minutes than I ever do at gym. I’m completely sold on this and can’t wait to see the results.