Well, folks, in case you hadn't noticed, it's winter. Winter brings shorter, colder days and it brings my workouts inside. So, instead of walking and running outside, I'm all about the workout dvds in my basement. Right now I'm working from my existing stash, but each year I add a few to the mix so that I don't get bored, so I'm gearing up to buy a new one or two.
In the meantime, I thought I'd share a couple of dvds that I have in the rotation right now that I think are worth a try. As I type this my entire body is sore from this week's round of workouts, thanks to Jackie Warner. That seems a good sign, so here are a few thoughts on the two workout dvds I've been sweating to...
First, a few words about Jackie. She's famous for her Bravo TV series Workout. Which I have watched a few times a long while back. She has an incredible, muscular physique. Watching her makes you want to try harder so you can look like her. (Even though I'm not actually delusional enough to think I'll ever look like her. Doesn't matter.) I actually think she's mildly awkward on screen but I let that go for two reasons: 1. I think her workouts feel very close to an actual personal training session with a trainer. And 2. She does a good job of pointing out form and gives good info on what muscles you're working and why (like a personal trainer often does). Now, on to the workouts...
Jackie Warner: Xtreme Timesaver Training
Here's what I like about this dvd: 1. It's 30 minutes. I typically can only give over 30-40 minutes to working out each day. So this works for me. 2. It works upper body, lower body and core. 3. It works them all at once. Which means each exercise is efficient. It also means you get cardio while you're doing weights because you're working multiple muscle groups at once. 4. It makes me sweat. And there are times when I'm actually panting because I'm working so hard. (It also could be that I'm a bit out of shape right now.) But it leaves you feeling like you had a good workout. 5. She offers modifications to make each exercise easier or harder, so it can grow with you. 6. It reminds me of workouts I've done in the past with an actual live personal trainer. Which I like. The only real negative, as I see it, is that Jackie lacks the onscreen charisma of a Tony Horton or Chalene Johnson making it not quite as "fun". But I can forgive her that. (I kind of feel the same way about Jillian Michaels...sometimes she can be so awkward.)
Jackie Warner: One-on-One Training
This dvd is broken down into three, 20 minute workouts: 20 minute lower body focus, 20 minute upper body focus, and 20 minute ab focus. As I mentioned, 60 minutes ain't gonna happen for me, so I recently did the upper and lower body workouts one day, and then the ab workout along with a 20 minute Turbo Jam workout the next day. On this dvd Jackie works out with some of the trainers from her SkyLab training gym in California. (Note: They all have bodies that make you want to train harder...but they also all have perfect form because they're all actual trainers, so it's great for making sure you're doing the moves correctly.) As with the other dvd, I really felt like these workouts were similar to workouts a personal trainer would put you through. And they left me SORE. I couldn't even keep up on the ab workout. It was seriously tough. (Full disclosure: My abs are also seriously out of shape right now.) All in all: good stuff.
Okay, folks, that's all I have to say about that. Remember, a lot of times you can try checking these out from your local library to try them out before you buy. Though I'm pretty sure that you can get Xtreme Timesaver Training for about 5 or 6 bucks from Amazon at the moment. Now, if you have any favorite workout dvds, please share! I'm hoping to pick up some new ones soon, so I'd love any recommendations you have.
Until next time, happy sweating!
In the meantime, I thought I'd share a couple of dvds that I have in the rotation right now that I think are worth a try. As I type this my entire body is sore from this week's round of workouts, thanks to Jackie Warner. That seems a good sign, so here are a few thoughts on the two workout dvds I've been sweating to...
First, a few words about Jackie. She's famous for her Bravo TV series Workout. Which I have watched a few times a long while back. She has an incredible, muscular physique. Watching her makes you want to try harder so you can look like her. (Even though I'm not actually delusional enough to think I'll ever look like her. Doesn't matter.) I actually think she's mildly awkward on screen but I let that go for two reasons: 1. I think her workouts feel very close to an actual personal training session with a trainer. And 2. She does a good job of pointing out form and gives good info on what muscles you're working and why (like a personal trainer often does). Now, on to the workouts...
Jackie Warner: Xtreme Timesaver Training
Here's what I like about this dvd: 1. It's 30 minutes. I typically can only give over 30-40 minutes to working out each day. So this works for me. 2. It works upper body, lower body and core. 3. It works them all at once. Which means each exercise is efficient. It also means you get cardio while you're doing weights because you're working multiple muscle groups at once. 4. It makes me sweat. And there are times when I'm actually panting because I'm working so hard. (It also could be that I'm a bit out of shape right now.) But it leaves you feeling like you had a good workout. 5. She offers modifications to make each exercise easier or harder, so it can grow with you. 6. It reminds me of workouts I've done in the past with an actual live personal trainer. Which I like. The only real negative, as I see it, is that Jackie lacks the onscreen charisma of a Tony Horton or Chalene Johnson making it not quite as "fun". But I can forgive her that. (I kind of feel the same way about Jillian Michaels...sometimes she can be so awkward.)
Jackie Warner: One-on-One Training
This dvd is broken down into three, 20 minute workouts: 20 minute lower body focus, 20 minute upper body focus, and 20 minute ab focus. As I mentioned, 60 minutes ain't gonna happen for me, so I recently did the upper and lower body workouts one day, and then the ab workout along with a 20 minute Turbo Jam workout the next day. On this dvd Jackie works out with some of the trainers from her SkyLab training gym in California. (Note: They all have bodies that make you want to train harder...but they also all have perfect form because they're all actual trainers, so it's great for making sure you're doing the moves correctly.) As with the other dvd, I really felt like these workouts were similar to workouts a personal trainer would put you through. And they left me SORE. I couldn't even keep up on the ab workout. It was seriously tough. (Full disclosure: My abs are also seriously out of shape right now.) All in all: good stuff.
Okay, folks, that's all I have to say about that. Remember, a lot of times you can try checking these out from your local library to try them out before you buy. Though I'm pretty sure that you can get Xtreme Timesaver Training for about 5 or 6 bucks from Amazon at the moment. Now, if you have any favorite workout dvds, please share! I'm hoping to pick up some new ones soon, so I'd love any recommendations you have.
Until next time, happy sweating!
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