Workout DVD fanatics - please share your routine

Rhia55

I do Kathy Smith's kickboxing workout every other day, and her Lift Weights to Lose weight on alternate days.

I lost a lot of weight about 10 years ago doing her step workouts, and her weight lifting, and I like her. Eventually I'll probably switch to something more intense like Taebo or Jillian Michaels, but these two are enough for me right now.

Cwilliams8676

I'm doing beach body's Brazil butt lift

paulaann67

I love Leslie Sansone DVD's !! They are walking dvd's.

Imanido

I also do all my workouts at home at night, because of the kids. I loved Zumba, a couple of work outs that I found online kept me going, you burn a lot and because you are dancing it doesn't become boring.

After I decided to the weight lifting and I did all Jamie Eason's Life Fit Trainer online (well, I am now about to finish it). The 12 week program is free, with all the videos for all the exercises really well explained and the diet to go with it as well. Because I don't have the chance to go to the gym I just look for alternatives to the exercises and do them with dummbells (in front of the TV watching my favourite program, does that count as working with a DVD? LOL ;-) )

contingencyplan

Power 90/Rockin' Body hybrid, p90x, chalean extreme. Attempted insanity, injured myself in week 2.

do you mind if i ask why you don't think they work well? I'm genuinely curious about your experience!

The Power 90/Rockin' Body hybrid worked the best out of all of them. Of course I did it during a time when I was bound to see massive results from doing -anything- at all because I was still very much obese at the time.

It's not that I didn't see results from them, it's more or less that they're naturally inefficient programs designed around isolation training. They kind of have to be because most people don't have enough weight lying around the house to be able to do compound lifting programs in the privacy of their own homes. The bottom line is that with compound training (which requires a lot more weight than what a simple set of dumbbells can offer) you can see the same VISIBLE results in your body with fewer workouts per week, less time per day invested, and having greater strength gains to boot.

After a while of doing these beachbody programs my body continued to change in ways I could see in the mirror and I continued to lose weight and gain visible muscle but I wasn't really getting much stronger. At least, not in ways that translated to real world applications or actually being more athletic. I got frustrated with the idea that I looked much stronger and fitter than I really was, plus I HATE the idea of having to do crunches and planks because I know they're extremely inefficient and borderline worthless ways to work the core, so I broke down and got a gym membership. I started monopolizing the squat rack going through a full body barbell routine that consisted of only doing 5 exercises, 3 times per week, and for cardio I used a jump rope at home. Doing that I saw progress quicker than on any of the BB programs while seeing my strength and athletic gains increase by leaps and bounds. I eventually got tired of the fact that you always had to wait in line to use the equipment at my gym, though, so that didn't last forever. I started looking for ways to produce the same effect at home. And I found them in the form of any of the following pieces of equipment:

-Suspension trainers - I bought a $90 jungle gym XT which basically is a home device that allows you to modify EXTREMELY advanced (as in gymnast-level) bodyweight exercises to any fitness level. Doing the workout included on the poster, which only took 20-30 minutes in my own home to complete, 3 times a week while doing jump rope for cardio, I saw more progress than doing anything else I have ever done.

-Kettlebells - They stimulate the muscles in the same way compound training does, but with less equipment needed. More cost-effective.

-Sandbags - My latest fitness love, I bought it from Ultimate Sandbag and going through the workout routines on the posters I'm seeing great strength gains in a short period of time while burning a ridiculous amount of calories in my strength workouts (all compound, no isolation AT ALL)

The bottom line is that BB workouts are long and inefficient because they're based around making use of dumbbells, which forces you to do isolation training. They don't do this because it's the best way, they do it because they're trying to write programs based around what you most likely have at home. But the fact is if you would be willing to turn around and spend that $130 you just dropped on DVDs instead on a piece of small, compact, home equipment such as a suspension trainer or a sandbag system, and simply follow the instructional materials that come with it, guarantee you'll see better FUNCTIONAL results than doing any BB workout, in less workouts per week, and in less time per workout. I think the success I've seen so far is proof of that.

CoachReddy

that's interesting and frankly, you're probably RIGHT. but i think the thing that's so great about BB programs is that you don't have to create some sort of program for yourself to follow. What you're suggesting is great for someone who's committed to their health and fitness, and doesn't need someone cheering them on, telling them what to do, and laying out a plan for them. For MOST PEOPLE though, who are going from zero to working out, Beachbody programs are honestly one of the best options, not just because of the programs but because of the support structure.

And I think Tony Horton's programs like P90X and P90X2 ARE actually focused on functional vs. visual. doing pushups on 4 medicine balls absolutely helps with your real-life core stability. the more advanced, recent programs like these and Insanity: the Asylum, really do help with athletic performance. Olympic athletes have used Asylum as part of their training regimens.

So while yes, I agree with you, I think that some programs are better at what you're suggesting than others, and they're a great option for someone just getting into fitness for the first time.

Monisfit4life

I am currently mixing Turbofire with Les Mills Pump, but soon I will move over to Tapout XT. In December I plan to purchase Les Mills Combat. I can't wait.

fiberartist219

I like ChaLean Extreme and Turbo Jam. You can save money by buying them used and for ChaLean, I just resistance bands rather than weights. The DVDs can still be expensive, but they were worth it for me, because they were effective workouts that I felt motivated to keep doing for awhile.

I also have several yoga DVDs that were useful for me at a time when I was having a lot of problems... It was a way to exercise even when I felt sick for years at a time.

Honestly, if you're worried about cost, start with some cheaper DVDs, but once you try the nicer ones you'll see why they are more expensive. I've seen a lot of cheesy workouts out there, or workouts that only include a few routines. If you're going to really benefit from it, you'll want to find one that features a pro that you like and a set of workouts that do different muscles or different movements. If you do the same track too many times, you won't benefit as much as if you had a bunch of workouts that you can rotate through.

rmqt

Oh yeah, the used book website half.com has a plethora of dvd's super cheap, starting at 75 cents.