ISO Great Workout Videos

[RUSTYSMOM]

Hi Everyone, this is my first time venturing into this board. However I have been prying for a while and you all have motivated me to finally get back on track with exercize - Thank you!!! I have several peices of exercise equipment at home which is great however I am looking for new diversions. I recently purchased a couple of Denise Austin videos as well as a Cundy Crawford one. Have any of you used videos that you have been very happy with? Thanks!

[kwormann]

I really like Kathy Smith. I have one on DVD that has aerobics, weights and yoga with a separate section for warm up and cool down, if all you have time to do is stretch. It is GREAT!

Kim

[Sandy1]

The Firm Videos are great; they incorporate both weight and aerobic training, and all tapes are geared to suit all levels of exercisers. Also the Cathe tapes are very good, particularly her strength videos (but not for the faint of heart). I try to alternate tapes (I have about 75 of them).
I too am a Kathy Smith fan, and I also have some Jane Fonda tapes that are old fallbacks. My favorite solely aerobic tapes are the Keli Roberts ones; she's wonderful & the cueing is great.
Have fun..
Sandy.

[BeckyM]

I personally have found the Billy Blanks Tae Bo tapes to be fun and a great workout. The "Basic" Tape is about a 20-25 minute workout, complete with warm-up & cool down sessions. It's great for when you have a short period for a workout and want something that will get your heart rate up.

The "Advanced" tape is really a hard workout, but if you're in fairly good shape, you should be able to get through it. That one is an hour long, and it includes some glutes & abs work at the end. The first time I did that tape, my rear end was really stiff for the next couple days. But I'm getting better, and I actually can tell those muscles are becoming more toned.

One of the main selling points for me on these videos is that I have actually been motivated to get out of bed EARLY in the morning to do them! That is not a normal thing for me, so I'm amazed that I've actually been sticking with it. I think part of that is that I am seeing results and also that the workouts are fun. They're also not too complicated, so you don't have to worry about remembering particular step sequences or getting out of sync with the instructor.

Good luck -- I know there are tons of tapes to choose from!

[m4star]

I am a big Denise Austin fan. I use her Pilates and Yoga tapes and really love them.

Best of luck!

[pammy]

Kathy Smith, absolutely, hands down is worth the money you spend on her tapes. Check out your local video store, they may have one or two of her tapes you can try before you buy. Be careful with the Cindy Crawford tape, I remember reading somewhere (this was a year or so ago, can't remember the source) that some of the moves on one of her tapes were actually dangerous and could easily result in injury. Many tapes are reviewed and rated by fitness magazines such as Fitness and Shape. I'm not sure, but you can probably do an internet search for the ratings and any safety comments. I also like Karen Voight videos.

[ChristinaK]

Check out www.videofitness.com. (http://www.videofitness.com.) There are consumer reviews for tons of videos and they have a very active forum there. If you post there giving information about your fitness level, etc., you will get good recommendations for exercise videos.

Personally I like the Firm, Cathe Friedrich, Gin Miller, and Kathy Smith.

[SusieO]

If your library offers video tapes, you might want to check some out. It's a good way to find videos that suit you without the $ investment. I do the same thing with cookbooks. Library first for a preview, then to Amazon for a purchase.

[RUSTYSMOM]

Thanks very much for all your great insights. I am really getting into these videos and it is nice to have a selection to choose from. As always your input has been very valuable.

[hhcowgirl]

If you are interested in yoga at all, I recommend the yogazone tapes with Alan Finger. His voice is so calming, those videos make me want to lie down and take a nap!