Good Exercise DVD's you'd recommend...

[Satellitegirl]

Thought I'd start a thread for some good exercise dvds people would recommend. I bought 2 the other day. It's been so hot outside that I do not feel like walking in the heat just to get some exercise.

I went for the dance videos to exercise to, and I was really surprised how sore I was the next day. The first one I bought was Dancing with the Stars Latin workout. Cheryl and Maks lead the dances. It's very fun, and my hips/butt/legs definitely felt the burn with all the changes of direction, but it was still fun and not overly difficult.

I also bought The Pussycat Dolls workout. I figured it would be fun and silly to try, and also have some pop music instead of the generic aerobics music.

Years ago I was a fan of Cindy Crawford's workouts, but today those kick my butt. They were hard to do when I was a teenager and in great shape, let alone now. lol

What are some other suggestions?

[Hedwig]

good idea for a
thread. .
I am currently using the dvd from David Kirsch from his ultimate New York Body Plan. that is really really hard and evev though I am reasonably fit there are times when I lie on the stability ball ready to pass out.
so a good training imo.

another dvd I can highly recommend is the New York
City ballet and yes I only realised right now that they both have New York in their names. it is a great different workout and i just luuurve it.

[FunnyBut]

Years ago I was a fan of Cindy Crawford's workouts, but today those kick my butt. They were hard to do when I was a teenager and in great shape, let alone now. lol

What are some other suggestions?

My friend had one of her workouts. The first few times she tried it , she accidentally kicked her Golden Retriever. From then on , as soon as Cindy (aka eville dog-beater priestess) came on, the poor dog scrunched himself into the lamp table.



As far as old exercise videos, I lurved Freedanse, it was based on Flashdance and featured Jennifer Beal's dance double in the movie, Marine Jahan.

[Twilight1]

I love Jillian Michael's ones. Her workouts are fab and work your body all over.

[Prancer]

First, I must promote one of my favorite sites: http://www.videofitness.com/

If you like dancy aerobic DVDs, look through these: http://www.videofitness.com/faves/faves-floor.php

I like the Paula Abdul and Donna Richardson ones listed there--be warned, the choreo isn't easy in either one (Donna Richardson's choreo never is). If you're just starting out, I'd work up to those two.

If you are looking for something a little simpler, I like Tamilee Webb's Fit to the Hits Motown and Rock, which are much easier and fun to do:

http://www.videofitness.com/reviewsd...ew.php?id=1125
http://www.videofitness.com/reviewsd...ew.php?id=1126

And I have to put in a plug for MaDonna Grimes, because I went to high school with her and she was a dancer even then (and even then wasn't the best at cueing, but is so nice you figure it all out):

http://www.videofitness.com/reviewsd...iew.php?id=921

And if you have a lot of time to look, there are plenty of dancy/floor aerobic DVDs to go through here: http://www.videofitness.com/reviewsd..._cat.php?id=12

The VidFit people are primarily fans of Step Aerobics, so there is a heavy emphasis on Step DVDs on the overall site. If you use the indexes, though, you can find all kinds of DVDs--floor, stretch, yoga, cardio, whatever.

[Satellitegirl]

The first few times she tried it , she accidentally kicked her Golden Retriever. From then on , as soon as Cindy (aka eville dog-beater priestess) came on, the poor dog scrunched himself into the lamp table.

poor pooch. That cracked me up though. I accidentally booted my parent's dog who decided to cut in front of me when I didn't see him while exercising this past weekend.

ETA: Thanks for all the links, Prancer. Lots of choices. There are a ton of work-out videos out there. The Paul Abdul one would be fun I bet.

[Stormy]

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred will kick your butt. It's not a long workout, less than 30 minutes total, but it's effective and tougher than it first looks.

[Badams]

the best dvd's i have ever bought, and i have a lot, are the p90x ones. it's a great workout i think. especially the plyometrics! i hear insanity is great too, but i don't have that series...yet. p90x also comes with a nutrition guide and an easy to follow workout schedule. one drawback is that the workouts are sort of long, an hour for most and the yoga is 1.5 hours. and it's sort of pricey.

[Bev Johnston]

The first few times she tried it , she accidentally kicked her Golden Retriever.

At first I read that as accidentally killed her Golden Retriever. So glad puppy is okay. My dog tries to get in on the act when I exercise at home, so I put her outside when I work out.

Cathe Friedrich had a show on FitTV that has some pretty difficult routines. She actually has workouts for all levels. Her website, where you can purchase dvds, is: http://cathe.com/

[Southpaw]

I work out almost exclusively with Cathe and have never been stronger in my life. When I was younger I had that stupid idea that the older you got the weaker you got. Nuh uh. I'm in much better shape at 40 than I was at 20. And I see a difference between me and the kids my age. They're all starting to complain about aches and pains and being tired and feeling old....I'm not.

I credit Cathe's weight lifting DVDs with giving me a nice solid position in my camel spins.

The only thing with Cathe is that she uses a variety of equipment in her DVDs so it takes a bit of an investment up front. I use a step, a 40 pound barbell, assorted dumbbells, a stability ball and a band. The money I spent on these things have been well worth it, though, because the results are undeniable.

[Twilight1]

P90X should be done after you have been on an exercise program for awhile and are in pretty good shape already but I do agree that one is amazing!!

[Wyliefan]

New York City Ballet Workout 1&2
Denise Austin Body Makeover Mix

[Wiery]

Chalean Extreme-Can be pretty intense but you can modify movements and/or lower weights if needed. It's similar to the P90X, but the workouts are in 30 minute increments. These dvds are for people who are already pretty fit-I'm a runner, 30-50 miles per week, but I hadn't done weights or plyometrics in several years. The "aerobic" workout uses plyometrics, and anaerobic intervals. You'll need dumbells or fitness bands since these workouts are weight/strength training-oriented. You can buy them new or used on ebay.

I'm currently trolling ebay for the Insanity workouts-I'll let you folks know how intense they are-I've heard they are very difficult even for extremely fit folks.

There are a lot of different workouts, downloads, and other resources at exerciseTV store: http://www.exercisetv.tv/store/p-170...FRebnAodnjWW7A

Thanks for all the recommendations!

[Bev Johnston]

I work out almost exclusively with Cathe and have never been stronger in my life. When I was younger I had that stupid idea that the older you got the weaker you got. Nuh uh. I'm in much better shape at 40 than I was at 20. And I see a difference between me and the kids my age. They're all starting to complain about aches and pains and being tired and feeling old....I'm not.

I credit Cathe's weight lifting DVDs with giving me a nice solid position in my camel spins.

The only thing with Cathe is that she uses a variety of equipment in her DVDs so it takes a bit of an investment up front. I use a step, a 40 pound barbell, assorted dumbbells, a stability ball and a band. The money I spent on these things have been well worth it, though, because the results are undeniable.

I honestly thought all workout shows/videos were a joke until I found FitTV and Cathe's show. I think it's called "Cardio Blast", but the show isn't all cardio; it also includes several interval weight workouts as well as some circuit training and stretching. I used to teach step aerobics and I used her show to liven up my choreography. She has some steps that I have never seen before in all of my years of working out/teaching.

Glad to meet another Cathe fan!

Actually, if you have FitTV, it's really worth checking out. There are several other exercise programs and other shows that focus on health concerns. And you don't have to buy dvds to enjoy it!

[Satellitegirl]

I do have FitTV...and a DVR....I'll have to record some and check her out.

[myhoneyhoney]

The Firm's Cardio Sculpt This is my all-time fave workout. I lost almost 20 lbs about 4 years about with just this DVD. It helps if you have the Fanny Lifter but you can use regular stepper (some even use those Rubbermaid step stools) and some hand weights. I used 3,5, and 8 lbs. I started doing this work out 2 weeks ago and already see good results!

If you want straight cardio I love Billy Blank's Tae Bo Cardio Circuit 1. This sucker makes me sweat buckets!

[Bev Johnston]

I do have FitTV...and a DVR....I'll have to record some and check her out.

I just checked the FitTV website, and it looks like they aren't calling it "Cardio Blast" anymore. Actually, that's good because it wasn't all cardio. It also looks like it's not on daily anymore, but there are some shows on next week. The website said 12pm and 7pm. I assume that's EST, but I could be wrong.

Also, FitTV has the All Star Workouts series. I saw that they have a Bosu workout with Bosu inventor, David Weck, coming up this week. If you have access to a Bosu, he gives you lots of great exercises that you can do on them. There's also a ball workout on this week that I am going to check out.

[Southpaw]

I love Cathe's step choreography because the moves are fun, easy to learn, and she doesn't linger long enough on a pattern that you end up getting bored. Just when you're about to get bored she changes it up. She used to be a gymnast and a dancer so she's got the natural athletic/artistic blend that we figure skating fans lurve and it comes through in the choreography.

I started out with her Basic Step DVD and now I'm doing the IMAXes and Body Blast. Her DVDs come with a lot of different premixes so you get a good variety of workouts even within the DVD.

I also own STS but I haven't made the commitment to that yet.

[Prancer]

ETA: Thanks for all the links, Prancer. Lots of choices. There are a ton of work-out videos out there. The Paul Abdul one would be fun I bet.

The Paula Abdul one IS fun (a little out of date on the music now, but fun), but it's also a lot tougher than many people expect. Karen Voight was the fitness consultant on that one; it really IS a workout, even though it's presented like a party.

[Rock2]

P90X should be done after you have been on an exercise program for awhile and are in pretty good shape already but I do agree that one is amazing!!

I have it and completely agree. I'm not new to the gym and I found these a challenge.

I'm assuming most of you in this thread are ladies, and let me give you one big tip. Cut your refined carbs out and you'll really notice a difference. Chips, pretzels, crackers, sugar filled drinks (that's almost everything), white bread, regular pasta, cake, pizza dough...

Yes there are a million fat loss nutrition tips but really this one is the biggest one that can help you. Women are notorious for low-protein/high carb diets and this works against you more than lack of exercise.

I remember someone telling me once that I could either eat a few slices of pizza or I could run at a VERY brisk pace for an hour. I chose to do neither The point is that I realized that unless you're reeeeeally pushing it with an exercise program (e.g. P90X five times a week, one hour a day), you have to control your calories and cut refined carbs in a big way or you're just working against yourself and will get not much for results. A few food mess ups and you negate that work you put in.

Hope that helps