Five quick ab routines, each one about 10 or 11 minutes long, from five name fitness pros, including Rob Glick, Gay Gasper, Violet Zaki, Kendell Hogan and Kimberly Spreen.

Beginning exercisers and up — these short routines are not easy for any level (except perhaps you advanced exercisers), but they are taught well and the moves are not hard to learn for newbies. That said, those 10 minutes will seem awfully long if you are new to exercise. You will just need a mat for 4 of the segments. Hogan's uses 3 to 5 pound weights, although it is possible to do the routine without them.

When you work out with as many exercise DVDs as I do, you start collecting a mental list of your favorite instructors. So I was really delighted to find the Star Trainers series from Exercise TV, which features not one, but 5 instructors I really enjoy. This DVD focuses on abs (there are other Star Trainers DVDs for cardio and strength training). I'm a longtime fan of Rob Glick, and was happy to see him here. He starts off the segments with a simple but tough routine that really fatigues the abs. Gaspar's routine is just as tough, combining crunch variations and core work in her routine. Zaki's routine also involves a good portion of core work, and Spreen's really zeros in on those all-important stabilizing muscles. Hogan uses light weights for his routine, and you'll do a lot of twisting moves (expect both your obliques and intercostals to be sore the next day). The instructors also focus on some back work — important to balance out the ab exercises. Apparently Propel originally sponsored these workouts because each instructor gives the fitness water a plug when they introduce their segment. If that bugs you, just skip to the routine. There are often modifications for beginners, but none of these segments are easy — newer exercisers will just have to work their way up. The fun thing about this DVD is that not only are there 5 workouts, but there is a different personality behind each one. This is great to have around — you can slip in a quick ab routine after any other workout — or when you just have a few spare minutes during the day.

 

 

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