New crop of workout DVDs reviewed

From the
Chicago Sun-Times

Time for a total workout

With the summer’s cute tank tops, mini-dresses and short-shorts, many of us need workouts that tackle everything at once.

Some of the newer workout DVDs now out seek to do just that. I like that all three of them also had choices of doing a full hourlong workout or shorter segments when you’re stretched for time. We gave a few of them a try:

“Get Extremely RIPPED! Boot Camp,” (jarilove.com, $14.99): Canadian fitness instructor Jari Love, with a killer six-pack mid-section and an obvious love of tanning beds, brings a bunch of really muscular, fit people onto a dark stage with really bright floodlights and proceeds to drag you through killer sets of reps in 18 different exercises “tracks” that combine cardio and strength moves.

The moves are really, really challenging — so much so I worried I might hurt myself. I would not recommend this DVD to a beginner, and at points some more instruction would be helpful.

On the plus side, Love takes you through so many of the same reps over and over — it could seem a little boring, but if you’re the type that doesn’t like to have to learn a new move or step every minute when you’re trying to keep up with a workout DVD, you’ll like this just fine. However, for my money, I’d go with either of these two DVDs:

“Kristi Yamaguchi Power Workout,” (amazon.com, $16.99): Though the celebrity attached to this is Olympic gold medal skater and “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Kristi Yamaguchi, this really is an Erin O’Brien workout DVD. That’s OK. O’Brien is one of my favorite DVD workout instructors. (O’Brien’s “Complete Pregnancy Fitness with Erin O-Brien” and “Strong Body, Fit Body” are great). Yamaguchi and O’Brien take you through 10-minute cardio/strength segments that are challenging but fun and move quickly. The shoulder and triceps exercises had my upper body feeling like spaghetti by the end, and I loved the blend of weighted chest exercises and ab work at the end.

“Angie Miller’s Crave Results,” (angiemillerfitness.com, $19.95): I love “Crave Results.” I love it because people of a variety of fitness levels can get a great workout. Step class enthusiasts will like this DVD because Miller uses a step to increase the intensity of the workout (this assumes you have such equipment at home) though the workouts are shown without the step as well.

“Crave Results” beautifully blends strength moves with and without weights, such as bicep curls and lunges. Miller starts off slow so you can get the hang of the moves before picking up the tempo. And she’s one of the best DVD instructors I’ve seen so far at constantly reminding you to tighten your abs, stand up straight and relax your shoulders, all of which can decrease the chance of injury and lead to a better workout. “Crave Results” will definitely be a go-to in my fitness regimen.

Tammy Chase is a local free-lance writer.