As I mentioned earlier, my friend Lindsay (who I hope is drunk on a beach in Mexico right now!) was kind enough to send me her very own copy of the Brazil Butt Lift DVD set which includes a ton of stuff (including a measuring tape!) and I cannot wait to try it out! I found this really informative video review on Youtube that you should definitely check out if you are interested in this program! I will of course have a full review when I get back from the beach!
I have had the pleasure of owning Jillian Michaels' awesome DVD 30 Day Shred for over a year now, however for as long as I have been doing it I have yet to progress past level 2. The idea behind the 3 levels is that as each level becomes less difficult you should move onto the next level, however level 2 has always been a bit of a challenge (chair squats and v-flies are like an impossibility to me for some reason) so I have always been a bit anxious to advance to Level 3, which one would assume is more difficult than level 2. Well last night I wanted to shake things up a bit and I advanced to Level 3... and loved it!
I had read that level 2 is the worst, and not necessarily in a hard way, but that it just isn't all that inspiring. After completing level 3 I totally agree! What I loved most about the dreaded Level 3 was that it uses alot more plyometrics (which I thought I hated!) but makes it so much more interesting. Many of the moves are actually quite simple (jump squats) but you can REALLY feel them! Speaking of feeling it, my obliques and inner thighs are sore today! I haven't been sore like this in a minute so I know it is working! I'm actually looking forward to doing this again tomorrow night! I almost never look forward to my strength training routine!
Whew! Ok, so today was the first time that I used my latest DVD purchase, Get Extremely Ripped 1000 by Jari Love. Now I had never heard of Jari but apparently she has a cult-like following and people seem to really enjoy her workouts, my interest was piqued so I ordered her DVD about a week ago. Lets get down to the review, first I'll start with the good:
• The moves are TOUGH- The main reason people by a DVD is because they want a challenging and intense workout, and this definitely delivers! I was sweating buckets going thru the moves on this, it is more cardio-intensive than anything else and your heartrate will be thru the roof! The bursts of weight moves are challenging and I found myself having to use 5 lb hand weights for a few of them! Basically it goes through one weight move followed by a series of increasingly more difficult cardio moves outlined by levels. Level 1 being the easiest, followed by 2 and then 3 being the most difficult. Beginners are encouraged to remain on Level 1 throughout the duration of the cardio interval.
• The dumbell weights are highlighted - Something I find kind of annoying in some DVDs are that I never know how much weight they are using. Obviously if they are using a 3 lb weight and you are using a 10, they will move faster and take longer to get fatigued. In this, the amount of weight each person uses is clearly outlined, I definitely appreciated that! For most of the DVD there is a range of 8-12 lbs, what I like about Jari is that she recommends using heavy weights.
• Use of fitness blurbs and calorie info - Another thing I really liked was that factoids about the benefit of that particular move or cardio interval were highlighted throughout the DVD. Also, a rough estimate of how many calories are burned per minute for the cardio moves definitely helped to keep me motivated.
• Lots of modified moves - Jari offers up a variety of modifications so that users of all fitness levels will be challenged. The more advanced version utilizes a step (which I haven't seen since the 80's) and which I found could be easily utilized using the first step of my stairs. Don't worry if you don't have a step because she also says you can hop during most of the moves to get a similar effect.
• Fast Paced - There is a lot going on in this DVD and many transitions, so you never get too bored. However some of the cardio intervals seem never ending and a bit repetitive, there is a neat little timer that pops up when there are only 30 seconds left. It definitely helps to push thru knowing you only have a short time left!
• Jari is Upbeat and Informative - Jari is definitely encouraging throughout the workout and she is knowledgeable and consistent about proper form. It is clear this was designed for people of all fitness abilities and Jari definitely wants everybody to benefit from her workouts, which was nice to see. She has 5 other people with her demonstrating the moves so there is atleast one move for every level of fitness, and lots of eye candy for both men and women!
• Good Warm Up and Cool Down- The warm up was definitely interesting as she utilizes a lighter set of weights with them, which I thought was pretty neat, followed by a more basic stretch. The cooldown is nice and long and Jari goes thru much more intensive stretches which felt good.
So as you can see, this is overall a really good DVD, however, there were a few negatives...
• Ambiguous Instructions - Jari is definitely upbeat and knowledgeable, but some of her direction is a bit ambiguous and I felt like there were several occasions were I spent more time trying to figure out what the moves were as opposed to actually doing them. There isn't as much direction with a few of the moves as I would like and the set (which I'll address next) isn't exactly doing anybody any favors. Not knowing how to execute some of the cardio moves had me gyrating in a way that made feel like the leader of the gayest marching band in town (which has a time and place, but not when I'm trying to burn calories), but I digress.
• Weird Set- Most fitness DVDs I have used have a really bright, clean looking set, this one however has a very weird, dark, dungeon-like set, think "Cher's bedroom". The darkness of the set can make it difficult to figure out certain moves, which again, add to some of the ambiguity I encountered.
• Cheesy Outfits - Aside from hottie Mark who was in basic black, the outfits were a bit cheesetastic. Jari had on a black/leopard print bra top and pants while the other women had on MATCHING leopard/black outfits. I would have liked to see some varying outfits to atleast make it easier on the eye to distinguish one woman from another.
Overall, I'd give this DVD a solid B, the varying levels of difficulty and new moves will definitely make a worthwhile addition to any fitness library. There are also enough workouts on here to meet a variety of needs, whether it be time or finess level. While a brighter set and perhaps some less corny outfits would help they are definitely not a dealbreaker. Click here to purchase the DVD!
Whew! I just got finished with my first attempt at Jackie Warner's latest DVD "Personal Training With Jackie". Now I say "attempt" because I could barely finish this thing and had to take more rests than I would have liked. This is one SERIOUS workout! Now I love me some Jillian Michaels but Ms. Warner is giving her a run for her money. The basic premise of the DVD is that every major muscle group (back, quads, glutes, arms, etc.) are given their own segment on the DVD, each one lasting five minutes. That segment is broken down into 3 workouts with a fourth "power burn" (aka HELL) workout at the end of each segment which is basically a rapid fire of all the workouts for the segment.
What I liked most about this DVD was the pacing, just as you were about to keel over in total agony the workout is switched. Each workout is one minute long which is just enough to feel the burn and bring you to the point of muscle fatigue. The pace is fast enough to keep you invested and knowing that each workout is only one minute definitely helps to ease your mind as your muscles are literally burning! I also really liked how motivational Jackie is during the DVD, it was nice to see her doing all the routines right along with us and telling us several times to "go to that place in your head", which actually really helped me.
What I disliked most about this DVD was the pacing. I know what your saying, "wasn't that your favorite part?!". Yes. Yes it was. However... the transitions between workouts can be a little quick, and you will find yourself switching out your weights often so it can be a bit difficult to make that switch with such quick transitions. Also I noticed that Jackie's counts were off in several spots, saying that there were only "four left" but only actually getting through three moves before finishing. So as long as you follow the guides everything should be fine.
All in all I would give this DVD 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is challenging enough to keep me motivated in hopes that I will be able to keep up with Jackie soon but not too challenging that I feel as if I am unable to do most of the moves. There were only about 3 moves during the entire DVD that I struggled with, but that was more due to total muscle exhaustion as opposed to actual inability. I would recommend this DVD for people with a moderate level of fitness. All that is needed is a variety of hand weights (I used 3, 5 and 8lb dumbbells throughout), however many moves can be modified using no weights at all. Click here to purchase this DVD!
