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The Abs Diet for Women Workout |
 The Abs Diet for Women Workout(GT Media) 2008 What is it? A 55-minute workout that is targeted for abs, but which also includes cardio and full-body strength training. Jessica Smith instructs. Who is it for? Advanced beginning through intermediate exercisers. Nothing fancy going on here, although it helps to be a little familiar with Pilates and Yoga. You'll need one or two pairs of 3 to 5 pound dumbbells and a mat. What to expect: If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: getting great abs is a full-body proposition. You can't just do a bunch of crunches and think it's gonna work. You need fat-burning cardio so you can actually see the hard work you've been doing (otherwise, that six pack will just be covered by a layer of flab). You also need a more general strength training routine to make sure your body composition (i.e., the muscle versus fat ratio) keeps bulges at bay. This workout gives it all to you in just a little less than an hour. After a super-quick warm-up, Smith gives you about 12 minutes of ab exercises in two different sections; the second, more challenging routine includes some standing work in addition to the usual mat exercises. Next up is a 17-minute cardio interval routine. While it was very effective and made me sweat, I had mixed feelings about it, since all we did between intervals was jog in place. That wasn't very interesting and I found my mind wandering. The intervals, which were pyramid style (the first was 30 seconds, the second 45 seconds, the third 60 and so on), were basic sports-style moves. Anyone who has issues with choreography or who isn't into dance moves will probably enjoy this; to me it felt like all work and no fun. Next up is a circuit routine that was about 14 minutes or so. While Smith recommended 3 to 5 pound weights, you may want to adjust this, depending on your level (I used 8 pound weights for the back and triceps exercises, for example, since those are my strongest body parts — I probably could have used the heavier weights for the lower body-only exercises too). Circuit routines are always nice, since they keep your heart rate up while you're doing your strength training. Finishing up were a quick Pilates session and an ending Yoga stretch. The Pilates routine was pretty basic, and Smith did not really say much about form or breathing, so unless you are familiar with Pilates, you won't get a whole lot out of it. The Yoga segment was a nice ending stretch, although I gave my triceps and shoulders a bit of extra attention afterwards, since I didn't think the poses hit these muscle groups from all angles. Overall, this was an effective routine, although not terribly imaginative. If you really don't care about having a bunch of creative stuff in your workout (I admit I'm jaded, since I love choreography and do so many different exercise DVDs), and you just want results — fast! — then this DVD will do that for you.
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