A 40-minute full-body toning workout from fitness expert Denise Austin. It claims to be two 20-minute workouts, but there's no distinct division between the first and second halves, other than Denise grabbing a stability ball. You could feasibly use this as the cue for the second 20-minute routine.

Advanced beginning to intermediate exercisers — you need to know a little bit about form to execute the moves properly. It also helps if you are familiar with working on a stability ball. You will need 3 to 8 lb. dumbbells and a stability ball.

While this workout has the same title as Austin's book, the exercises here are really only a taste of what the book offers. Nevertheless, this routine is a very effective full body workout and it does target the same areas that the book mentions — your arms, abs and legs. Austin doesn't let up for a minute — she goes from exercise to exercise, alternating between body parts, but keeping you just under the fatigue level. When you're done you feel that you've worked out but you don't feel like your body is trashed. For the first 20 minutes, the exercises are done with weights, and the second 20 minutes uses both a stability ball and weights. There's really no distinct ending and beginning between workouts — you have to create your own by turning off the program — but if you're fit enough and have the time, you can certainly do the whole routine. Because of how quickly the exercises are presented, it helps to be familiar with them already. This is especially true for the stability ball exercises, since the element of balance comes in (if you've never done a one-legged squat with the ball, you will definitely need to practice a bit on your own). Austin occasionally errs a touch on form — in one Yogic, Warrior-style pose, her knee is nearly hanging past her toes — and her perky, chatty enthusiasm isn't for everyone, but this is really an excellent workout for those who are still relatively new to a fitness regime. It's even good for those who have been at it a while — they just need to use heavier weights. The only real downside involves the ending stretches — they're way too short and there's really nothing to stretch out your upper body (you do quite a bit of upper body work during the routine). As long as you remember to continue stretching for a few minutes after the workout, you should see some nice results with a minimum amount of soreness.

 

 

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