Five short strength training routines, each one a little over 20 minutes long, from five name fitness pros — Rob Glick, Gay Gasper, Violet Zaki, Kendell Hogan and Kimberly Spreen.

Advanced beginning through intermediate exercisers — the moves, for the most part, are done fairly quickly, so you should already know what you're doing. You will need 3 to 5 pound dumbbells — a tad lighter than your usual weights because of the fast pace, although you may want to have a pair of heavier weights on hand in case you have the time to switch to something a little more challenging. You will also need a mat for Gasper's workout, if you are working on a hard surface.

I'm going to warn you right up front: these segments were originally taped for a website and digital cable show called Exercise TV, and you will have to deal with some annoying advertising. Personally this does not bother me  — I fast forward through the blurb at the beginning or use the time to open a window or turn on the air conditioner, since I know I'm going to sweat. And a little over halfway through, when the instructor calls for a "water break" and everyone grabs a bottle of Propel, I do the same (I've been drinking Propel for years — too bad no one's paying me to hype it). So honestly, just ignore the ads, because these strength-training workouts are really great if you're an advanced beginning exerciser who's a little short on time. You get five different workouts with five different instructors, so there's a good amount of variety. The general focus is on functional fitness (which is the best kind  — not only does your body look great, but your muscles are also built to be used). Within that frame, each instructor has his or her own take  — the always-fun Rob Glick has more of a lower body focus; Gay Gasper has you doing both standing and mat exercises; Violet Zaki adds lots of twists and some balance work; Kendall Hogan offers up a solid round of compound moves; and Kimberly Spreen keeps you moving so that your heart rate reaches cardio level while you're strength training. Most advanced beginners will find that one of these routines is fine for their muscle-building dose for the day, and they'll still have time for cardio or ab work (there are separate Star Trainers discs for both cardio and abs); intermediates might want to do two segments. The only downside to these routines (other than the ads) is that there is little or no stretching at the end, so make sure you tack on a few minutes for a full-body stretch. That aside, five workouts plus five different pro instructors plus one DVD equal a great value.

 

 

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