DVDs - can they really work?

jellybaby84

I live a 25 minute drive from my gym (and that is the nearest) and work very long hours so getting to the gym becomes a real challenge in busy times.

I have a lot of home gym equipment but I like classes and get bored.

So I looked at DVDs.
Now, I don't know if the problem is a) my front room size (average bur not massive), b) me finding it hard to follow the moves on the screen, c) me refusing to pay more than around £5 from chairty shops or ebay for them or d) DVDs being crap but I cannot get a decent workout from them.

I've tried things like Martine McCutcheon, FAME Dance, Pump it Up etc and nothing - I can't feel anything or get my heart rate up.

Opinions on the benefits of DVDs?
Recommendations of any really good ones?

stephcorona

I have been doing the 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels and have seen great results with it and the only thing you need is some hand weights. Also if you look on here a lot of people have seen great results from it as well. I have lost not only weight but also inches.

luv2ash

I live a 25 minute drive from my gym (and that is the nearest) and work very long hours so getting to the gym becomes a real challenge in busy times.

I have a lot of home gym equipment but I like classes and get bored.

So I looked at DVDs.
Now, I don't know if the problem is a) my front room size (average bur not massive), b) me finding it hard to follow the moves on the screen, c) me refusing to pay more than around £5 from chairty shops or ebay for them or d) DVDs being crap but I cannot get a decent workout from them.

I've tried things like Martine McCutcheon, FAME Dance, Pump it Up etc and nothing - I can't feel anything or get my heart rate up.

Opinions on the benefits of DVDs?
Recommendations of any really good ones?

I don't go to a gym....DVDs are all I do.........The gym is way overrated and overpriced.

MissJennaBelle

Try and look up Jillian Michaels dvds on Amazon/Ebay. I can say that I have a couple of her DVDs and they offer a great variety of workouts which are fairly easy to follow and can push you to challenege yourself. I have a limited amount of space available to workout at home but these DVDs are perfect for me!!

Sophronisba

Try Cathe Friedrich (www.cathe.com). These are the hardest workout DVDs that I know of--if Intensity doesn't get your heartrate up, nothing will!

You do have to have equipment (mostly weights and a step). But it's a one-time investment and it's worth it, to me, not to have to drive to the gym every day.

theresa122

When I was using dvds all the time , I saw great results with The Firm dvds..

JustMichelleB

I don't go to a gym. I own a treadmill, so I either run indoors (or outdoors, weather and childcare permitting). and I do DVDs several times a week, was doing Jackie Warner workouts, now doing P90X. It works.

artvandalay

I agree. Jillian Michaels DVD's are cheap and they really give you a great workout! I am sore after them, but they really make you feel good!

Between DVD's and my treadmill I only workout at home now.

JesaGrace

I live a 25 minute drive from my gym (and that is the nearest) and work very long hours so getting to the gym becomes a real challenge in busy times.

I have a lot of home gym equipment but I like classes and get bored.

So I looked at DVDs.
Now, I don't know if the problem is a) my front room size (average bur not massive), b) me finding it hard to follow the moves on the screen, c) me refusing to pay more than around £5 from chairty shops or ebay for them or d) DVDs being crap but I cannot get a decent workout from them.

I've tried things like Martine McCutcheon, FAME Dance, Pump it Up etc and nothing - I can't feel anything or get my heart rate up.

Opinions on the benefits of DVDs?
Recommendations of any really good ones?

Do you have a Marshall or TJ Maxx...I hear you can get some great deals on DVDs......plus Jillian and Bob DVDs are at WalMart for under 10 dollars......and YES, they work....IF you use them.......you get out what you put in......

jenbk2

You can also look up workouts online. Running basically cost no money either.

mizpaden74

Michelle Dozois Peak Fitness Challenge. It has a bunch of HIIT. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=142551612482781&oid=157677410949258&comments that's a link for a preview or go to peakfitchallenge.com LUV.

gooberr4

i've tried p90x and insanity but Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred is the best. It's short, not boring, and it gets your heart rate up AND you see changes very fast. I still go to the gym 4-5 days a week but its nice to switch it up

jabaa91

i have the Claire Richards fat attack dvd, came out 2 years ago i love it! i do agree they get boring though. have a look on www.play.com if you're from the uk they do great deals

bakersduzin

I only use DVDs as well - I used to belong to a gym, but I got bored there easily and it just wasn't worth the money. Beachbody.com has some great DVD fitness programs, although they can be a bit pricey. I've seen them on amazon and ebay for cheaper, so that might be worth a shot.

starboardzor

I wasted thousands on my gym membership, but never actually got results until I went the DVD route. I used to have this perception that DVD workouts don't work, that they were just one fad after another that duped people out of their money. Since I picked up P90X and have seen people's results on here from various DVD workouts, I've definitley been proven wrong. I'll never pay for a gym membership again.

louiseei

Agree with others about the 30 day shred, I've also used some Davina Mc Call ones which are good, and you can often pick up on ebay for £5 - the 3 3o min workout has a couple of good ones in, but I'm getting better results from the shred, probably because I'm doing it every day.

princesslmc2

I've been using DVD's for a year. I'm personally a fan of the Beachbody DVD's.... TurboFire, ChaLEAN Extreme, P90X, Hip Hop Abs - though the first two are my all-time favorites.

Check out a local library for some to test out before you buy!

bex22mcn

Ditto the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred - I did it for 10 days a couple of months ago and had amazing results - then I fell down the stairs and hurt my knee/ shoulder but an back on it now. Her moves are simple yet get your heart rate way up. Plus they are in 25 minute sections so easy to fit into your day.

I also tried the MoS DVDs and whilst I liked the music the people just annoyed the living daylights out of me!

My friend swears by the Davina DVDs - maybe give them a try?

krisvtx8777

I would say they work! I've lost 47 pounds doing mostly DVD's I started out with just light exercise Leslie Sansone walking DVD's. Now, mostly just Jillian Michaels workouts. I alternate between about 4-5 different Jillian DVD's. I do 25-45 min about 5-6 days a week. I work out in my bedroom and my space is very small. It's just enough room to do what I need to do. But it works just fine.
I like working out at home, then I never have an excuse why I can't.

wiggleroom

I only use DVDs and I have had great success. I have 30 day shred, but my preference is The Firm workouts. (Favorite instructors: Allie, Allison, Rebecca, Kelsey. I CANNOT STAND Emily.)

realrayne10

I use Jilian Michaels 30 Day Shred and Leslie Sansone's 3 mile Boot Camp. I also do Zumba when I get bored. I have the Jackie Warner DVDs but they are still too much for me to handle yet.

Bootzey

It's about how much effort you put into it

MelissaL582

I don't go to the gym, I have 2 little ones still at home. I workout to Leslie Sansone fat burning dvds. I love her long dvds and it gets me sweating all the time. The Biggest Loser Power Walk and Cardio Max are pretty good too.

frannyannemum

If you have Sky TV, there is a fitness channel. I sky+ some of the exercise routines so I don't always do the same fitness regime. I also mix between Natalie Cassidy and Davina MacCall's fitness DVDs. Together with walking about 3-4 miles a day they work for me. I have lost 34lb in 5 months.

I agree, the gym is overrated and overpriced. I use to be forever at the gym before I had children, just not able to do it anymore.

Barelmy

You can also look up workouts online. Running basically cost no money either.

Apart from a sports bra. Do not run without a sports bra.

You can get some decent ones off eBay for under a tenner.

CeleryStalker

Heck ya DVDs can work....the hard part is finding one that inspires you to actually pop it in the DVD player and do it. LOL :laugh:

Seriously tho, I know a lot of people love 30 Day Shred so I went out and got it. I apparently am not one of the people who loves this video, LMAO! Nor do I love all the other videos I have........

Except for my latest addition, for which I need to thank MFP for exposing me to. That would be beachbody's ChaLEAN Extreme. I think the reason I love this DVD series so much is that it's not an aerobic workout. It's 99% strength training. On top of that, the chick who runs the video is just awesome. She's fun, motivational, peppy....not in the usual, annoying way that most women present themselves in these videos. She's just an all around awesome chick who I'd probably enjoy knowing in real life.

The DVD series stretches across several disks and comes with a three month schedule, instructing you to do certain workouts on certain days. I kid you not, I was seeing differences in my body after the very first workout. Now I'm a week in, and I have noticed muscles I've never seen before. This will be odd sounding, but I noticed last night when I was having a coughing fit (thanks, seasonal allergies), that the muscles on my stomach don't seem to come up as one big muscle anymore....I could feel tiered muscles instead....you know, like what you see when people have 6-pack abs?? Granted, I've got a blubber layer masking those muscles, but it was very exciting to be able to feel those specific muscles underneath the chub for the first time in my life, and I'll take any small signs of progress, I'm not picky, LMAO!



The moves in these dvds are simple. I am by no means a dancer, so many (ok, all) of the aerobic videos I've done left me standing there trying to figure out what the hell these people are doing with their bodies, rather than being able to follow along. That's not the case with Chalean Extreme, and probably another reason why I love these videos so much.

The set is kind of pricey, but it's well worth it in my opinion, because I'm actually LOVING the series, and I'm DOING the videos. I've easily got triple the amount of money I spent on this set wasted on other, cheaper videos, sitting on the shelf collecting dust.

shulaw

hate teh gym tried it and it wast for me now i just work out at home and go to zumba twice a week ( i love zumba ) , i use a mixture of dvds and stuff for the wii , and so far im likeing the results. i use JM 30 day shred and billy blanks tae bo

drjennelle

i lost 30lbs doing ONLY dvd workouts - ranging from 20-mins to 60-mins roughly 6 days a week - the weight came off in less than 6 months, losing 1-2lbs a week (as recommended) and i NEVER got bored and TRUST me when i say there was a SIGNIFICANT amount of sweat pouring off my body as well as a serious increase in heart rate

the only workouts i have ever really REALLY loved, look forward to, and stuck with for years, are Turbo Jam, Turbo Fire, and Chalene Extreme. Turbo Jam is a combination of martial arts, kickboxing, and hip hop/ dance moves - it's freaking awesome :happy: Turbo Jam is the program i used to lose the 30lbs, that's all i did until roughly a year and a half later when i "upgraded" to Turbo Fire, which uses the same fundamentals as Turbo Jam but with a major kick in intensity and tempo (and therefore, calorie burn and heart rate haha). both the Turbo programs come with strength training, but it's not the main focus, they are more cardio based programs. i got Chalene Extreme (CLX) because it's intense strength training with the same trainer from the Turbo workouts (Chalene Johnson, who i ADORE ). now i still workout 6 days a week, still from 20-60mins, doing Turbo Fire for cardio and CLX for strength and i have kept off the 30lbs as well as gotten stronger and way more toned!

sooooooo..... long story short (hehe :laugh: ) dvd workouts are the bomb digitiy if you ask me! i'd recommend NOTHING else in fact! what's better than rolling out of bed at 6:00 am to enter your own personal gym (i.e., living room, guest bedroom haha) with no worries about what you're wearing, who else is there, if you have to wait for a machine, etc - and all you have to do is PUSH PLAY! :happy:

TheGoktor

Why not get a subscription to LoveFilm, then hire a few to see which ones suit you best? Since there are no limits on how long you can keep the DVDs for, you can give each one a thorough testing!

Rae9911

I have been using Davina McCall's Power of 3 and Body Buff and I am pleased with them plus I sweat like a pig whilst doing the DVD so feel like I have worked out hard, In 4 months I have lost 19lb but for 2 of those months I could not excercise because of Foot Tendonitis but for the last week have been getting back into excercise. Did by the 30 Day shred but I found that the next day I could hardly move so will give that DVD a miss for a while until the body feels it can cope with it.

MsFitnFabulous

I faithfully use Leslie Sansone's walk away the lbs series. I love the easy moves and she makes it go fast, which is even better.