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What do I look for when I review exercise DVDs? Probably what everyone else does: the workout must be effective, well taught, safe — and preferably, fun. Fun is important for home workouts — if you aren't enjoying yourself, you'll find any excuse to avoid exercising. If the instructor's personality is grating or the routine is too repetitive or it's not the type of exercise you enjoy doing, you're not likely to pull out that particular DVD again. I examined all this criteria to decide which exercise DVDs made YourExerciseDVD.com's Top Ten list for 2008.
You'll find this year's list a little lopsided, since there were an exceptional amount of great toning and strength training DVDs in 2008. A lot of Pilates DVDs were especially good this year too. While a lot of cardio DVDs were fun, most of them weren't all that challenging and I felt that they didn't give you enough calorie burn for the time spent. And I was also not all that impressed with the majority of Yoga DVDs this year. Yoga workouts blossomed in the early 2000's, but they seem to be going through a transitional period right now. Yoga will make a comeback, but on this list, you'll only find one Yoga DVD and one cardio DVD.
Without further ado, here's the list:
- Results Fitness: 10 Days to a Better Body
This circuit-style blend of cardio and weight training worked me hard, but instructor Cindy Whitmarsh was so friendly and likeable that we had no idea she was doing it to me. Each of the two workouts on this disc were just 35 minutes long, but not a second was wasted, so you got maximum muscle fatigue in minimum time. While I didn't test the claim that this DVD would give you a better body in 10 days, this combo of classic, effective exercises and athletic, energetic cardio could certainly do it.
- Power Body: Strength Training With Rob Glick
I've been a fan of instructor Rob Glick for years, and he's one of the leaders in the fitness field. On this DVD, he used all his creativity and experience to come up with an excellent hour-long intermediate-to-advanced strength-training workout. Glick hits literally every muscle group here, and he uses a step platform to increase the intensity and work your lower body muscles from several different angles. Only the fittest among you will make it all the way through this workout without a break; for those of you who have yet to get to this level, there are modifications and a couple of natural breaks for you to grab your water.
- Tracey Mallett: 6-Minute Quick Blast Method — Total Body Fat Burner
Mallett's book, Sexy in 6, is geared for a feminine audience, but her workouts are definitely not wimpy. Keeping in mind that most women have busy schedules between kids, home and work, she offers up this workout in 6-minute, quick circuit segments and set up a pre-programmed guide so you don't even have to think about which segments to do on any given day. If you've got the time, you can do all the routines for a solid hour of exercise; if you have practically no time, you can still fit in one. The other exercisers in this video are Mallett's students, each of whom had fantastic results from this approach, so in addition to being effective, the DVD is inspiring.
- Strong Body, Ageless Body
Erin O'Brien isn't a familiar name in the exercise DVD world, but it should be because her instruction on this 43-minute strength-training workout is so good. When it comes to exercise DVDs, personality counts a lot (if you don't like the instructor, you'll turn her off), and you're almost sorry when you and O'Brien come to the end of the workout. I say almost because you'll probably be too sore to go any farther. O'Brien's focus is training your body for everyday life, but she knows life can be tough so she doesn't go easy on you. But she also takes time to be playful and she'll help you get through those last few, difficult reps. For functional fitness, you can't beat this DVD.
- Women's Health: Perfect Body Workout
One of our favorite workout women of 2007 — Amy Dixon — started 2008 off right with this extended workout. A little over an hour long, you get intense athletic and kickboxing-style cardio, toning moves for your whole body, including 12 minutes of tough core work — plus there's a bonus 10-minute Yoga-inspired stretch and you're gonna need it after Dixon is done with you. Dixon is an amazing coach. She cues well, is tough and warm at the same time and she makes you want to come back for more. This DVD really is a perfect body workout.
- 10 Minute Solution: Dance Off Fat Fast
What made this cardio DVD rate when the others didn't? 1) The choreography is fun; 2) The steps were easy to learn; and most importantly 3) It was snappy and I broke a sweat. Intensity-wise, a beginner can go for it without being overwhelmed, but an intermediate exerciser can do it on a lighter day without feeling like she wasted her time. Instructor Leah Sarago gives you some great, retro routines that include swing and disco and there's also a nice sculpting segment. As with all the 10 Minute Solution workouts, you have the option of doing one routine, programming in multiple segments, or going for all five of them for your daily exercise fix.
- 10 Minute Solution: Pilates Perfect Body
The 10 Minute Solution people have another winner here with this Pilates disc. If you think you've seen it all when it comes to Pilates, Suzanne Bowen will throw you quite a few surprises here. Each segment has a different focus — either a certain body part, overall flexibility or a full-body, ballet-inspired routine — and they are all challenging. Even the arms segment is tough, even though it uses no more than 3-pound weights. This workout works best for intermediates, since the more familiar you are with Pilates moves, the better your results will be.
- Total Core Pilates With Jules Benson
Jules Benson is another great Pilates DVD instructor. Benson adds a unique spin to many traditional moves and works your core from every angle. Your abs get a great workout, but so does you back, your legs and just about every other stabilizing muscle. Plus Benson's such an engaging instructor that she makes the time fly by. This routine is nearl an hour long, but it feels shorter, even while you're trying to squeeze out the last rep of the moves. Benson is a new discovery for me, and her other DVD that I reviewed this year, Step and Core Pilates, is also fantastic — it's two workouts in one: step aerobics and Pilates, and it definitely gets an Honorable Mention here.
- Element Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners
Ignore the "weight loss" in the title — it's an exercise DVD marketing ploy. This is a great Pilates DVD, period, no matter what your scale says. The instructor is best-selling Pilates author, Brooke Siler, a veteran pro who has put together a part-mat, part-standing routine that's incredibly well taught. Unlike other "beginner level" DVDs, Siler keeps things moving along so that more experienced Pilates enthusiasts (or those who have done the DVD more than a few times) won't get bored. The standing routine is both a warm-up and lower body toner, that gets you ready for the well-paced mat routine. If you're not ready for the more advanced DVDs from Bowen and Benson, this is the one to get.
- Element: AM & PM Yoga for Beginners
It seems like Yoga DVDs have been divided into two separate categories: those shallow workouts from fitness instructors who picked up Yoga as a sideline and heady routines from serious Yoga teachers who spout off complicated Sanskrit names and surprise you with a bunch of props that are necessary to do the workout. Here is a Yoga DVD that has the best of both worlds, and the faults of neither. Elena Brower is a Yoga teacher who is authentic without being esoteric, offers clear instruction and gives you two routines that are appropriate for beginners through intermediates. Each segment is around a half hour long, one more energizing (A.M.) and the other more relaxing (P.M.). This DVD became my go-to Yoga DVD in 2008.
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