As I write this I’m feeling something less than the perfect picture of health and fitness: I’m traveling for work, and nothing does in a diet quite like 24/7 access to room service. After a long day of standing around a tradeshow booth smiling vacantly at people, the notion of chocolate cake being delivered to my king-sized bed at 10 PM is just too tempting to resist.
As soon as I get home, though, I plan to get back in the swing of things diet-and-exercise-wise, and since January is traditionally the time of year when most of us re-visit our health goals, I thought I’d share my favorite workout DVDs with you guys. I prefer the accountability and challenge of an exercise class, but it can definitely be challenging to find the time to get out of the house and to a gym. Sometimes it’s all about jumping around the living room like a dork in order to work up a sweat, and for those times, here are my go-to videos:
30 Day Shred. You’ve surely heard the buzz about this DVD: it will kick your butt seven ways from Sunday. The best part? It’s 20 minutes long. You can do anything for 20 minutes, right? You can do this workout, and I promise, you’ll see results.
Turbo Jam: Upbeat, not boring, and highly effective. I like the Punch, Kick & Jam DVD, and also highly recommend the Turbo Sculpting strength routine on the 5 Rockin’ Workouts DVD.
Hip Hop Abs. In a word: FUN. I love the instructor, and I even love trying to pretend like I’m not the worst dancer this world has ever seen.
10 Minute Solution. I just got this one, and while it’s a little on the boring side, it gives you a ton of great ideas for how to make the most of a fitness ball.
Crunch Boot Camp. I don’t love this DVD but it’s a great strength workout. 30 Day Shred is much better, but it’s nice to occasionally mix this one in for variety.
Tae Bo. Billy Blanks is one scary-looking dude, and the music and production of these DVDs isn’t the best — still, there’s a reason this workout has been so popular: you’ll definitely sweat and be sore afterwards.
Do you have any workout DVDs you’d recommend? Please share, I’m always looking for new ones!
Any of the Jari Love “Get Ripped” strength DVDs, except the original “Get Ripped.” They’re intense, but they are VERY effective. I guess my favorite is “Slim and Lean”– it seems to cover all the bases best. I don’t think the original DVD is enough of a workout, but it would be ideal for anyone just starting strength training.
Each is about an hour long, and you need several sets of weights or a barbell with multiple plates. You might also want a step, since some of her lunges use it, but I don’t have one and get an awesome workout. You can use a fitness ball for all the chest flyes and presses.
Anne | January 8th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I just got a KettleBell DVD. Its a Russian instructor and while the DVD itself is sort of boring (something Goddess - I forgot the actual name), I’m really excited to try workouts with KettleBells. I’ve heard/read so many good things about them. This lady (sqwigg.com) swears by them. She had bought a “book” of work outs but I need to be able to SEE movements so I got this DVD to try them out.
Anyway, IF you try KettleBells and IF you find a good DVD please share. They make you feel killer strong and work your core at the same time.
And, by the way, I have 30 DS — because of you. I have TurboJam — because of you. And I just ordered Hip Hop Abs — because of you. :o) My body adores you. (I’ve lost 25 pounds so far.)
Lola | January 8th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I love P90X. Since it’s a whole set of cardio+strength DVDs & you do something different everyday, it doesn’t get boring. My husband and I started our second round Wednesday, after a year hiatus from fitness, and boy, is it tough! The downside is it’s a whole program, so unless you have 6 days/wk for 12 weeks, forget it. You can do some DVDs on their own I guess, but you won’t get the results they promise. Following the dieat would greatly help my results : )
Brownie | January 8th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I totally agree with Anne’s comment - I was gonig to say the Jari Love Get Ripped series - great videos!!
Tabitha (From Single to Married) | January 8th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
The 30 Day Shred DVD is on sale for $8.49 on Amazon right now! What a deal. I just ordered it…I’ll let you know what my fat body thinks about it.
Karla E. | January 8th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Ditto Brownie’s P90X suggestion. I only use some of the DVDs, though. I don’t use the upper body ones, because I do all my weight stuff to Jari Love. But I do love P90X for the cardio and ab stuff: Kenpo Karate, Cardio X, Plyometrics, Ab Ripper and Core Synergistics (is that even a word? blech).
Another awesome thing about P90X? Deliciously porn-y offhand comments. Quote from Kenpo Karate: “I’m jackin’ and travelin.”
Anne | January 8th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I just had a baby 9 weeks ago and started the Tracy Anderson Method Post Pregnancy dvd at week 6. I do keep to a scheduled workout, and do some exercise every day. Following this DVD, I know without a doubt, my skinny jeans will be fitting by the time my baby is 3 months.
Lisa Nolan | January 8th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
My favorite is Yoga for Weigh Loss Beginner & Beyoned. It has two levels of workouts. One level is for beginners and one has some more challenging poses once you are comfortable with the first level.
Lori S. | January 8th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
I love the videos by Self Magazine. I’ve randomly found a few at Ross/Marshalls for only $5.
La La Lollipop | January 8th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
I’m also a recent fan of 30 Day Shred. I usually shy away from cardio workouts b/c I apparently have no coordination so can never follow along with the fancy footwork. But this one is totally easy - well the moves are easy (jumping jacks, pretend jump roping ,etc.) , but it’s quite a workout. I have yet to make it past level1.
I’m also a fan of two DVDs by Women’s Health - Total Workout in Ten and Train for Your Body Type. Total Workout in Ten has 4-5 different workouts, but the upper and lower body strength training are my favorite (there’s also a great “bonus” ab section on the ball).
The Train for Your Body Type might be my favorite DVD. It’s broken into individual workouts that include a warm up and cool down, so in total about 20 minutes for each one. The cardio is also great on this one - similar interval style as 30 Day Shred.
Christine | January 9th, 2009 at 3:11 am
How much floor space do you actually need for the Shred? Ours is very limited, so I tend to steer away from these dvds. I need something called the “Compact Space Shred”.
Karen | January 9th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Awesome suggestions, guys! I just bought a P90X DVD, can’t wait to try it out.
Karen: you don’t need much space at all. I have a super tiny living room and I can do it fine in there. If you can take a step forward and backward, that’s about all you need.
milkandcookies | January 9th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
@KAREN: My living room “space” is about 5′ by 8′. I can do the Shred. Well, I can turn it on and follow along and die and puke up my spleen in that space. In fact, I bet I could do it in less space.
I am 5′9, roughly 160 lbs - so not a teeny little dainty thing in that 5′x8′ area being voluntarily beat down by Jillian Michaels!
The ability to do the workout in a small space is most excellent.
Krissa | January 9th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
For the 30DS do you need weights? Because I don’t have any and don’t really want to purchase a set. If so, can I do it without the weights?
Dynamita | January 12th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Dynamita: yes, ideally you should have some hand weights. They don’t cost much and are pretty easy to store — I use 5lb weights I bought at Sports Authority for maybe $7.
Linda | January 12th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Anyone know how to skip the intro on the 30 Day Shred and go right to the workout menu? My DVD blocks me from FFing or skipping the part about Jillian wanting to be my personal trainer and I don’t want to have to look at it every time I use it.
Also? Just FYI-Target also has it online for $8.49 but in the store it is $14.99. Shipping is like $7 on the online one so it’s a wash. Unless you buy from amazon-it qualifies for supersaver free shipping if you can come up with other qualifying stuff for the $25 min.
books | January 13th, 2009 at 12:54 am
Books: I HATE THAT and I don’t think there’s any way around it. I tend to put in the DVD and hit play, then use the intro time to get changed into my workout gear.
milkandcookies | January 13th, 2009 at 5:08 am
Brian Kest yoga.
How to Party with an Infant | January 13th, 2009 at 6:14 am
MnC-Our workout room is in the basement so it’s a matter of remembering to run down there first. Last night was only day 2 but I forgot, of course.
My plan is to do this while the baby is enjoying his pre-bed Baby Einstein (am parent of the year!) so I literally only have just slightly more than 20 minutes, and I hate wasting part of it on the intro.
My solution for the nights I forget was to jot down the elements of the warm up so I could do that during the blathering, then ff the warmup when it comes up…every second counts!
books | January 15th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I am curious how long some of you did the Shred before seeing results. I am at a good weight but really want to tone. I ran a half-marathon in November and am training for a whole one but this DVD is still kicking my ass!!! I’ve been doing it at least three times a week since Christmas and don’t see much difference except I was able to move up to Level 2 (holy hell). Should I try doing it more? How often did you do it at first?
Debbie | January 18th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
I just launched dothemod.com - a new online tool that is essentially a customizable workout DVD! I would love to have people in this group try it out!
DoTheMod is a modular system that provides a library of short video workouts - “mods” - and tools for assembling them into longer seamless workouts. Workouts are played online. They can be a few minutes long, one hour long, or somewhere in-between. Workout history is kept, making it easy to track past activity, and to replay favorite workouts.
DoTheMod is always there — any time, anywhere, rain or shine. Busy moms love the flexibility, business travelers love the ability to maintain a consistent workout routine, and everyone absolutely loves the workouts!
I am very interested in feedback — public or private. Please visit dothemod.com to try it out. I can be reached at merav@dothemod.com. Thank you!
Merav | January 25th, 2009 at 11:30 pm