Video Fitness

Hit the Spot: 10 5-Minute Target Toners

Denise Austin

A useful addition to the lexicon of " short on time" weight workouts. Most moves are nothing an experienced exerciser hasn't seen before, but they are brisk and efficiently executed by Denise. There is a definite yoga influence which was nice and added a touch of something different. For instance, you do warrior pose to work the inner thighs.

Leg work includes some ballet moves like the "attitude" and plies, plus balancing work and one-legged squats.

Bicep and tricep work includes compound moves, where your left tricep and right bicep are worked simultaneously, and visa versa. Back work consists of bent over rows and the superman. You also do standing chest flies and shoulder press.

Abwork included planks, side planks and bicycle.

She has two background exercisers who don't particularly seem thrilled to be there, and she doesn't interact with them much. I don't remember much about the set, nothing was striking about it (no great scenery or particularly well-decorated "room.")

Is it a must-have? Not if you already have some similar stuff like 10-Minute Target workouts, 8-minutes or Tight on Time. But if you like Denise, are a true vidiot like me and can never get enough of decent "fast" toning workouts, it's a good addition.

Instructor comments: Denise is very mellow in this workout, which is a good thing. I don't suppose she'll ever do a workout without saying "No more underarm flab, no more underarm sag," but I guess you gotta have your signature sayings. Regardless, I've always admired her veteran status and she always seems to genuinely enjoy what she's doing. If the eyeball-bulging hyperness that Denise sometimes exhibited in the past was your main turn-off from her, then you might actually like her in this one.

acey

9/18/07

I should start this review with the full disclosure that Denise Austin is not my favourite instructor ever. She seems nice, but I just never bonded with her instruction style. I got this dvd because the format (numerous mix and matchable short workouts) appealed to me, and it sat on my shelf for two months before I tried it.

That said...I actually plan to keep this one. Some of the sections are much better than the other, and I am not sure any of it is really intense enough or comprehensive enough to be one's sole strength training program. But she has some unique moves in here for things like hip flexors and rotator cuffs that I liked, and a few Callanetics-type tiny movement things for the lower body. These would be nice add-ons to work the body in a slightly different, more 'functional fitness' type of way.

Her cueing leaves something to be desired (she will often start doing a move before saying what it is, so you ave to watch the screen carefully and think on your feet) and I still don't think she will ever be my preferred instructor. But these little mini-routines do have some moves worth keeping, and they'll make some nice add-ons---for now. If I find after a few more months that I am not reaching for it, or that I am but am not getting appreciable results from the work I'm doing, I am not so loyal to Denise that I wouldn't trade or sell this in a heartbeat.

Instructor comments:

Joanna

3/19/2008



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