Not too intense workout for my wife?

brentbarrie
brentbarrie Posts: 532 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My wife wants to start doing a workout that's not too intense like Insanity is. She wants to work on her mid section and her upper body without getting big manly arms. She liked the Hip Hop Abs when she saw it on tv. Are there any others?

Thanks

Replies

  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
    I think that almost any cardio program would work like hip hop abs. I think those hip hop ab people do more than just cardio though, to look like that. But she should start wherever she wants to start, and remember that having a calorie deficit is what is most important.
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
    Pretty much anything by Jillian Michaels. She uses low weight high rep. Most of her DVDs you can find on YouTube. If you want something to plug into the DVD you can pick up her more popular ones at pretty much any big box store for under $10.

    30 Day Shred
    Ripped in 30
    Yoga Meltdown
    Kickbox Fast Fix
    6 Week 6 Pack

    It's a huge list. These are some of her more popular titles.
  • squirrelzzrule22
    squirrelzzrule22 Posts: 640 Member
    My wife wants to start doing a workout that's not too intense like Insanity is. She wants to work on her mid section and her upper body without getting big manly arms. She liked the Hip Hop Abs when she saw it on tv. Are there any others?

    Thanks

    Want to give you fair warning that people are going to jump down your throat about "big manly arms" so I just thought I'd put it nicely: you can mention to your wife that her arms won't get big because she's female and doesn't have loads of testosterone and it sounds like she's not lifting super heavy so just so she knows- that should not be a concern of hers because its honestly not going to happen. :)

    A less intense workout many women see success with is Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. In general a lot of women like her videos. They are not as intense as P90X or Insanity and there are modified versions of most movements. And if Jillian seems too "manly" to her tell her not to worry- the woman's career is fitness, it won't just accidentally happen to your wife!

    Hope this helps!
  • bonniecarbs
    bonniecarbs Posts: 446 Member
    They gave very good information for your wife.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Don't do drugs.

    That's my advice.

    Bulky arms avoided.
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    My wife wants to start doing a workout that's not too intense like Insanity is. She wants to work on her mid section and her upper body without getting big manly arms. She liked the Hip Hop Abs when she saw it on tv. Are there any others?

    Thanks

    Want to give you fair warning that people are going to jump down your throat about "big manly arms" so I just thought I'd put it nicely: you can mention to your wife that her arms won't get big because she's female and doesn't have loads of testosterone and it sounds like she's not lifting super heavy so just so she knows- that should not be a concern of hers because its honestly not going to happen. :)

    A less intense workout many women see success with is Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. In general a lot of women like her videos. They are not as intense as P90X or Insanity and there are modified versions of most movements. And if Jillian seems too "manly" to her tell her not to worry- the woman's career is fitness, it won't just accidentally happen to your wife!

    Hope this helps!

    Nicely done Squirrel!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    sex?

    you're welcome
  • mltdown
    mltdown Posts: 311 Member
    sex?

    you're welcome

    ^^^ this I mean you can always include push ups and sit ups and stuff ;)
  • tlynnest
    tlynnest Posts: 112
    sex?

    you're welcome


    Lol! :blushing:
  • zmeplay
    zmeplay Posts: 28 Member
    sex?

    you're welcome

    Did you talk to my husband? He said the same thing last night hahaha (nice try)
  • JJordon
    JJordon Posts: 857 Member
    Chalean Extreme aka CLX. Strong enough for men, made for women.
  • brentbarrie
    brentbarrie Posts: 532 Member
    sex?

    you're welcome

    Best idea yet!

    Thanks everyone for the input, it's much appreciated.
  • FP4HSharon
    FP4HSharon Posts: 664 Member
    A lot of ladies (and men) love, & get good results, w/Zumba.
  • chefwrx
    chefwrx Posts: 59 Member
    How about lifting weights? It's a LOT more fun than doing mindless calisthenics for hours on end, and the results are usually far more compelling.
  • KAYRRIE
    KAYRRIE Posts: 201 Member
    Zumba, Zumba, Zumba. I can't do Insanity either and Zumba is both fun and keeps me off the floor. You can go at your own intensity too.
  • sugaree1202
    sugaree1202 Posts: 184 Member
    Chalean Extreme aka CLX. Strong enough for men, made for women.

    ^ agreed - like a previous poster said, women won't get bulky lifting heavier weights because we don't have testosterone in the same levels as guys do. Chalene's workouts are also really fun and motivating. TurboFire (another Chalene Johnson program) is also good for abs and upper body especially if she uses weighted gloves and is cardio based opposed to strength training but CLX still gives you a good workout. TF is pretty intense, but it's fun and over quickly. Swimming freestyle laps is also good for arms and abs.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I like Jillian, but Denise Austin has a Boot Camp video that is good and slightly less intense than 30DS or RI 30. Also Shelly McDonald's Caribbean workouts are good. You can get them cheap on Amazon.
  • scrapjen
    scrapjen Posts: 387 Member
    ... I actually followed a post on Pinterest and found some online workouts I've quite liked. http://www.fitsugar.com/fitness-video ... they have a bunch of 10-minute ones (longer ones too)
  • Jmchao
    Jmchao Posts: 27 Member
    There's Power 90, which is sort of like the precursor to P90X. I am 100 pounds over weight and can't run to the front door and back, but I can manage to get through these workouts. It's like P90X in that it varies each day strength, yoga, cardio. Workouts are about 30 minutes on average. Worth checking out!
  • Soxgirl97
    Soxgirl97 Posts: 44 Member
    I have had a lot of success with Biggest Loser Power Walk and Power Sculpt. I was incredibly out of shape when I started and I couldn't handle Jillian's 30 Day Shred. I found the Biggest Loser DVDs to be challenging but not impossible for me as a beginner.
  • GnomeLove
    GnomeLove Posts: 379
    I have Just Dance, and pretty much just hop around my living room like an idiot for 30 minutes. It's a good workout for me. I do yoga also, and walk my dog up and down a 1.5 mile hill.
  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
    I've been using the You Are Your Own Gym book/ap. I like that I don't need to go to the gym, it's all body weight excercises so I can do it anywhere. I hate dealing with dvds and find it so boring to repeat the same program again and again. With YAYOG you do repeat the excercises for several workouts, but because the ap is more or less just a timer that keeps track of reps, I'm able to multitask and watch mindless television at the same time.

    There is also Body By You, which is the same program but tailored specifically for women and it is only about 20 minutes a day 3 times a week and she would be able to start off with very basic excercises and work her way up. It seems a little less intimidating and even less of a time commitment, YAYOG is 20-30 mins 4 times a week.
  • shirleylmartin
    shirleylmartin Posts: 68 Member
    I would say TurboFire; cardio, kickboxing, zumba, all in one program. I've done it and I love it!
  • feelinggreat140
    feelinggreat140 Posts: 18 Member
    Before I had my knee replacement I was dealing with a lot of added weight (I have lost 56 + pounds). When I first started back to exercising, I used Pick Your Level Pilates - watched it on Netflix instant streaming. It was a go place to start because you could choose Easy, Middle, or more Challenging workouts. Not sure if you mentioned she was just starting out but this one was a great start out for me as I had been sedentary for awhile.
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
    30 Day Shred level 1 find it on youtube

Categories