Five 10-minute workouts, each with a different focus — cardio, toning, or flexibility – plus a “bonus” 10-minute kettlebell workout. Amy Dixon instructs.

Intermediate exercisers — these routines are quick, intense and you should be ready to work. You will need a mat and one or two pairs of dumbbells, somewhere in the 3 to 10 lb. range. You can also use dumbbells for the “bonus” kettlebell workout, if you don’t have a kettlebell (but it will be so much more fun if you use a kettlebell!).

I love Amy Dixon — she puts together workouts that are athletic and challenging, but which still contain a hint of grace and femininity. Perfect for non-jock women like me, who love cardio dance but often find it lacks intensity, and who are bored by more tomboyish workouts. Dixon works you hard but unlike certain other instructors I won’t name (although the initials JM come to mind), you don’t hate her for it. Dixon wants you to feel good about your efforts, and her coaching style is positive, powerful and upbeat. But this is only the beginning of why this exercise DVD is great. Each 10-minute workout has a different focus — cardio, upper body, lower body, abs, flexibility (Yoga), you know, the usual — but the choreography and moves are very fresh and fun. You use your muscles a little differently in these very active, non-static exercises. They’re great for functional fitness, strength and toning — yes, they cover all the bases. And the kettleball workout is a fab bonus, and while there is a modifier using regular dumbbells for the moves, this routine will make you want to go out and get a kettlebell if you don’t already have one. The only caveat is that if you’re not going to do the Yoga workout along with any of the other 10-minute segments, make sure to take a few minutes to stretch out all the muscles you worked, because you will have worked them very hard for just 10 minutes. I cannot recommend this DVD enough. It rules.

 

 

A 43-minute Yoga routine that includes several twisting poses. Eva Barash instructs.

Intermediate Yoga enthusiasts — you should feel comfortable in all the standard Yoga poses before doing this DVD. You will need a mat, and if you are less flexible, a pair of blocks.

There are pros and cons to the “living room Yoga” concept. Pro: it gives the DVD a cozy, comfortable feeling, since Barash is teaching in an actual living room. Con: occasionally you get living room-type production, for example the muffled sound every time Barash goes into an inverted pose (they should have thought of a better way to mic her). The camera work is nice and unobtrusive, which almost, but doesn’t quite, make up for the uneven sound. As for the workout itself, Barash is a pleasant instructor, knowledgeable and straightforward, with no mystical, airy-fairy speak. Even when she uses the Sanskrit terms for the poses, her presentation is grounded. In spite the title, you don’t get a whole session full of twisting poses — this is a balanced workout that includes warm-up poses, Sun Salutations done both quickly and more mindfully, and standing and floor poses, some of which are twisting poses (revolved triangle, reclined leg twists, etc.). This is as it should be — Yoga is about union and balance and one aspect of it really shouldn’t overshadow the overall routine, in spite of what you see on some of the DVDs that are out there. While this isn’t a mind-blowing Yoga workout, it’s good, it’s a little different from other Yoga DVDs, and you get a half-hour asana tutorial in addition to the workout.

 

 

I’ve gone mostly traditional with this year’s lineup — you’ll find just one Pilates and one Yoga DVD, and they’re both beginner’s workouts. But the cardio and toning DVDs I’ve chosen are so creative and fun that’ll you’ll find this list anything but boring.

I’m going to start with my favorite DVD of 2009:

A couple of years ago, Dixon popped up on my radar as an up-and-coming DVD instructor. With this group of six 10-minute workouts, she’s more than realized her promise. Each segment focuses on a different area — toning for upper body, lower body and abs, cardio, Yoga, and an extra-fun “bonus” kettlebell workout — and Dixon makes every minute count with fresh moves that challenge your muscles in slightly different ways than classic exercises do. And that bonus workout — yes, you can use dumbbells, but I can almost guarantee you will want to go out and buy a kettlebell! If you have the budget for just one new exercise DVD this year, make it this one.

It’s rare to see a veteran fitness coach focus on making great beginner’s workouts — usually they’ve been pros for so long, they’ve forgotten what it’s like to barely be able to walk a few blocks (if they were ever that out-of-shape to begin with). That’s what makes Petra Kolber so special. She can certainly put together complicated choreography, and make you sweat and work hard, but she can also dial it down and make a newbie-friendly DVD like this one. Even if you’re really out of shape, you can do this workout, as long as your doctor gives you the go-ahead. Kolber keeps the steps simple, the impact very low, and the intensity just right for people who are starting an exercise program. If you’re a touch beyond the beginning stage, check out Kolber’s 10 Minute Solution DVD, Dance Off Belly Fat; she adds more flair and raises the intensity for advanced beginning through intermediate exercisers.

McGee’s MTV Pilates has long been a staple in my workout library and I’ve been wondering why she hasn’t made more exercise DVDs. It was a pleasant surprise to see her again in 2009 with a couple of new discs (the other is the more advanced Weight Loss Pilates). This may be the best Pilates DVD for beginners ever — McGee’s instructions are easy to understand, precise, and she’s got a friendly, supportive persona. Plus, there are several different routines here, each one a little more complex than the one before it, so it grows along with you.

What can I say about Rodney Yee that hasn’t already been said? His approach to teaching Yoga is poetic, intuitive and inspiring, and now he and his wife, Colleen Saidman (whose style is slightly more grounded, but just as wonderful), have put together a fantastic DVD for people who are new to Yoga. With an excellent 40-minute tutorial and two mini routines, one for morning and the other for evening, this is a great, inexpensive investment for anyone who wants to develop a regular Yoga practice (and this means all of you, because there’s no better way than Yoga to keep your muscles, joints and spine supple).

If you read my reviews with any regularity, you know I have a testy relationship with my Denise Austin DVDs. Her saccharine persona and poor cueing really get on my nerves, but more often than not, I wind up grudgingly admitting that she has put out a pretty good workout. This time around, she has something that’s more than “pretty good” — it’s great! There are two 20-minute workouts on this disc, plus a 6-minute “bonus” ab routine, and they are built for results! They are very time-effective; one workout is based on interval training for maximum calorie burn and the other uses kettlebell-inspired exercises (once again, no kettlebell is required, although I did use mine). I did not expect such sophisticated routines from Austin. As usual, you’d better have some exercise experience under your belt so you can keep on top of Austin’s cues, but you will not regret spending your workout time with her.

I hate the whole “bikini body” workout idea — to me, it implies a girly workout that will probably only produce middling results. Well, Dominique Hall apparently didn’t get that memo, because she’s created a really challenging workout that is geared towards getting you a serious bikini body. She takes an interval-training approach and slows it down to a moderate pace, which ironically makes the exercises harder (no momentum moves allowed here!). Then she adds a couple of sculpting routines and finishes you off (literally and figuratively) with an athletic, full-body cardio session. Fitting your body into a bikini takes effort, if you want to turn heads. Get started now with this DVD and you’ll have the best bod on the beach.

Amy Bento is a super pro instructor with a cheerful (NOT cheerleader-ly) attitude, and I love her, but sometimes she makes me nuts because she makes really difficult moves look so darn easy! That woman is just too fit for her own good. Each of these 10-minute workouts is completely different from the others on this disc. You want cardio kickboxing? Sculpting? An ab routine that doesn’t bore you to death with crunches? Bento has ‘em, and more. And she makes every last minute fun (no matter how much you’re sweating). This is an excellent DVD for Bento to rest on her laurels for a while; at the moment she is right on the verge of giving birth (if she hasn’t already by the time you read this). How much do you want to bet she bounces back right away? After all, she is the closest thing the fitness world has to Superwoman.

This year, the 10 Minute Solution people have come out with a number of DVD “kits,” which include a simple piece of equipment to ramp up the workouts. I’ve enjoyed all of them so far, but this one spent the most time in my DVD player. It gives you both cardio and some sculpting, and Jessica Smith’s energetic, upbeat instruction keeps you engaged. The equipment you get here is a pair of weighted gloves, each weighing about 12 ounces. The gloves are probably a great addition to many other cardio workouts out there (think Leslie Sansone’s walking routines, for example), but every time I slip them on, I also wind up reaching for Smith’s DVD because I have so much fun with it, and it really gives me a workout.

My final two favorite DVDs couldn’t be more opposite if they tried — which means they’re great to do in the same week! Talk about keeping your body guessing.

A number of fun cardio dance workouts came out in 2009, but this one sticks out for me because it keeps a good pace all the way through, while sporting some pretty nifty moves. This is thanks to the 17-minute step guide that’s separate from the workout. You can practice the 10 key moves here (flashy as they are, they’re really not all that complicated, but there is a small learning curve). This way, the actual workout doesn’t have to slow down while you trip over your feet for a few passes — it’s full speed ahead! Plus I love Bethany Lyons’ energy. If she taught classes near me, I’d be there in a flash!

I’m not sure why I never reviewed Jackie Warner’s One on One Training With Jackie DVD. I remember doing it and thinking that Warner was a good, solid instructor with a good, solid workout. I just wasn’t all that excited by it. But there was no way I could forget to review her Power Circuit Training DVD — it kept me coming back for more, even though a couple of moves are murderous (hello, Arnold Presses! My shoulders aren’t accustomed to your brute power!). If you’ve been doing sculpting DVDs for a long time and are getting bored with the same, tired moves, Warner has some pleasant surprises for you. Well, you may not think they’re pleasant at first but trust me, they will grow on you. Even those confounded Arnold presses! And even if you go for one of the 15-minute quickie workouts instead of the full 42-minute Monty, you will feel like you did something fantastic for your body.

I’ve given you my 10 best — now get to work!

A 41-minute low-impact cardio dance workout that includes a bit of light toning in its final segment. Bethany Lyons instructs.

Advanced beginning exercisers who have a flair for dance. There is a 13-minute “step guide” for ten of the moves, and you should definitely spend time there first, since many of these moves involve out-of-the-ordinary combinations.

This showed up at just the right time — I’d been getting a great assortment of sculpting workouts, but my library of cardio dance DVDs was starting to feel tired and same-old, same-old. I was so excited to finally have some new dance choreography that I threw the disc on without bothering to refer to the step guide. Fortunately, I’ve been doing cardio and aerobic dance DVDs for years or else I would have been pretty lost. As it was, this workout kept me on my toes the entire way through, and I loved every minute of it. I loved it even more the next day when I went back and learned the steps properly with the help of the step guide. So don’t copy my mistake — do the step guide first. Lyons teaches you the important moves there. In the actual workout, you’re expected to know the moves already, and she does not slow down for you lazy people who didn’t study the steps before doing the workout. This makes for a fast-paced workout, unlike some other DVDs where they go into half-time (and so does your heart rate) to learn the moves. You’re always on the go here. The first two routines are all fun, sexy, hip-swinging dance steps; the third is a dancer’s-style, light toning segment with lots of plies, squats, tendus and other graceful moves. You may remember Lyons from her Crunch Yoga Body Sculpt workout. I liked it, but thought Lyons was a little too energetic and lively for a Yoga routine. Here, she is totally in her element. She is the perfect cardio dance instructor — fun, upbeat and she generally cues well. Wanna dance without sacrificing calorie burn? This one’s for you.

Two strength training/ cardio workouts — an interval routine and a kettlebell-inspired dumbbell workout — each about 20 minutes long, plus a 6-minute “bonus” ab fat-blaster. Denise Austin instructs.

Intermediate exercisers. Good form is a must with these moves and Austin is not the most precise instructor. You will need a mat and one or two pairs of dumbbells, probably somewhere between 3 to 5 lbs. (these exercises are fast-paced, so you will want to go a little light). You don’t need a kettlebell for the second workout, but if you already have one and know how to use it (I did), go ahead — but you will still need dumbbells for some moves.

I’m not sure why this DVD is called “Boot Camp.” True, these workouts definitely do the trick when it comes to sculpting and fat burning, and they are more athletically-based, but there is nothing in the music, or Austin’s persona, that smacks of “Drop and give me 20!” Even when she’s giving you a killer workout, Austin has to be one of the girliest DVD instructors around, and she talks to you like she’s your mom or your cheerful, slightly spacey girlfriend, not like your brother’s scary drill sergeant. But honestly, the title to the DVD is about the only part of it that doesn’t ring true — short as they are, these workouts are some of the best Austin has made. If you regularly do both of them, plus the “bonus” ab routine, you will definitely see results. If you only can fit in one 20-minute segment, it will be time well spent because you hit every muscle group, and good! The two workouts are very different. The first routine is an interval workout, alternating cardio with strength training moves, and the second uses kettlebell-inspired exercises, but with dumbbells. I actually have a 7-pound kettlebell, so I used that instead for much of the workout, which was fun. At one point you are jumping around a bit with the dumbbells, and some of the exercises consist of controlled momentum moves, so you may want to go a bit lighter than your usual weights. The short ab routine also uses weights, and again, you can substitute a kettlebell (if you have it) for the dumbbell. This DVD is a little different from your usual workout, so if you’re looking for a way to change up your routine while still keeping things moderately intense, give it a try.

 

 

One 42-minute circuit-style sculpting workout, and four 15-minute quickie workouts, three targeted and one whole-body. Jackie Warner, celebrity trainer and star of the TV show Work Out instructs.

Intermediate exercisers and up. Warner works you hard and doesn’t give you a break. The transitions between exercises are quick, so you will have to be on your toes, along with already having good form. You will need two pairs of weights (I used three pairs), from 3 to 10 lbs., and a mat.

If Warner’s celebrity workouts in real life are anything like what you find on this DVD… it’s a lot tougher being a celebrity than it looks! These circuit routines are built to wring fatigue from your every last muscle fiber. In between warm-up and cool down, the 42-minute workout is divided into three parts: lower body, upper body and abs. Each part consists of three mini segments geared for a specific muscle group: thighs, hamstrings and glutes for lower body; chest, back, and arms and shoulders for upper body; and upper and lower abs and obliques for the abs section. For each muscle group, there are three exercises, each of which you do for a minute (and by the end of that minute, you are probably begging for mercy), then to wind things up, you do a “Power Burn,” where you cram all three exercises into one muscle-exhausting minute. Whew!

 

Warner has picked out sophisticated exercises, some of which will be familiar to most exercisers (deadlifts, for example), and others that only more advanced exercisers will find familiar, such as the Arnold Press, a shoulder exercise that even with lighter weights is murderous. The 15-minute targeted workouts each consist of the segments for one body group, and the 15-minute full body workout takes the toughest move from each muscle group segment for a quick, but highly effective routine. You will definitely need at least a couple pairs of dumbbells for this DVD because the same weight that challenges your chest, for example, will be too heavy for those Arnold Presses, and if you are advanced, you will want to hold weights while you do the Sissy Squats (squats, standing with your heels on top of a pair of dumbbells). Only get this DVD if you are willing to work very hard — and you will appreciate the fruits of your labor.

 

 

Three short jazz-based dance workouts, running from 18 to 20 minutes apiece, plus a 13-minute “bonus” ballet workout. Jennifer Kries instructs.

Beginning and advanced beginning exercisers. The moves aren’t complicated, but you should enjoy dancing and feel comfortable in your body. They’re very low impact workouts.

Although these three workouts are very basic, with long warm up segments and simple dance steps, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They run more like an actual dance class than a cardio workout at a gym, and those with any Pilates or Yoga practice will appreciate the precision of Kries instruction. The workouts are divided into beginning, intermediate and advanced, and they are all really the same routine, just a little harder each time. The first routine is good for everyone to learn how the moves flow, but those with exercise and/or dance experience will move onto the intermediate and advanced workouts after one passthru. Also included is a basic ballet workout, included as a bonus — again, this is more like a dance class than a traditional gym workout, and it’s meant to build grace, flexibility, muscle control and balance more than merely to get your heart rate up. The better you understand your body and core strength, the more you get out of this DVD, so in reality, the more experience you get (especially in Pilates), the better these workouts will be for you.

 

 

A selection of five 10-minute workouts that cover everything from cardio kickboxing to sculpting to Yoga. The versatile Amy Bento instructs.

Intermediate exercisers — these workouts are fast-paced (out of necessity — after all, you only have 10 minutes), so you should be an experienced exerciser. You will need a mat and one pair of medium-light dumbbells, around 5 lbs. or whatever weight is appropriate for you.

I love spending my workout time with Amy Bento. She is lively without being too perky, and a total pro when it comes to cueing and putting together a great workout routine. She has really outdone herself with these five quickie workouts — each one takes a different exercise approach, and you can do one a day (if you’re going through a busy phase), or you can do them all for a full workout that includes sculpting, cardio and flexibility. “Flat Blasting Intervals” is a creative blend of strength training moves and fun, one-minute cardio bursts. Half of “Belly Fat Burner” consists of standing exercises with a dumbbell, and the other half is a nice selection of mat exercises that don’t rely on your usual, boring crunches. In “Lean Body Sculpt,” Bento uses compound moves to wring the most out of your brief workout time. “Cardio Kickboxing,” as its title implies, is pure cardio, and you do need to be familiar with kickboxing to get the most out of it because Bento tosses together fairly complex combinations. “Power Yoga” is a nice, basic Vinyasa series based on Sun Salutations. Like all 10 Minute Solution DVDs, you can program several segments together in any order you want, do one workout only or just go through the whole thing. For a Bento workout, this is moderate; she has other, more advanced DVDs, and I found her 10 Minute Solution: Hot Body Boot Camp was tougher (in fact, it was so hard I didn’t enjoy it that much). 5 Day Get Fit Mix splits the difference between being challenging and being too much. It’s fun that you’ll feel the next day, and one of my most highly recommended DVDs of 2009.

 

 

 

Obtained via: publicist