Great Weighted Workout
The Great Weighted Workout is one of the best toning
videos I own. It is 80 minutes long and starts out with a
nice warm-up, some standing leg sculpting with
handweights, plies, lunges, squats. Then Karen and her
troupe (you will find some familiar faces here - from
other videos) continue with upper body. Don't be deceived
by the light weights (I use 3 lbs) - it is very intense,
fast moving, covers all parts of the arms and is 17
minutes long. You will definitely feel it. After the
upper body, she goes into an intense 30 minute lower body
workout - she puts an ankle weight on one leg at a time
so you know which leg you are working. She also uses a
bodyball but you can use a dumbell. I use 3 lb. ankle
weights with 3 lb. dumbell (I know she is using much
less, maybe 1 lb. ankle weights) - I find this very
intense - she covers outer thighs, inner thighs, quads
(unbelieveable), back of legs (never felt such intensity
from an exercise that looks so easy), and buttocks on all
fours with the weight on ankle and dumbell in the knee
(making it 6 lbs. if you go all out). This is followed by
a 15 minute ab section with one handweight which is very
intense. This video is a must for any advanced exerciser.
I have seen it in Sam Goody's and Collage carries it
also. Don't miss it. I'd like to hear from someone who
has tried it. It also has a relaxing cooldown and stretch
with a towel. Enjoy this video.
This is a super long tape (80+ minutes) but it's probably the best toning tape I've ever done. And since spraining my ankle a couple of weeks ago (I got knocked off my step in step class by someone going to the left instead of to the right) that's all I can do. Karen as usual, is a stickler for form, and looking at her, you just do what she says! She's got the most toned body I've ever seen on video. She uses innovative moves, working upper and lower muscle groups together, which I like (2 for the price of one!) Sometimes I think her movements are too fast when using weights, but I just slow down and do one for her two). I always start out with moderately heavy weights but have to drop down because of the intensity. This toning workout is not for the feint of heart. Definitely an advanced tape. Barbara Paola
80 minutes long chock full of every muscle group. Some interesting creative moves plus some tried & trues. A beginner could do 1/2 of the tape at a time. A great workout without using heavy weights. I liked the music, too. Amy Pfau
This is my all-time favorite toning video. As usual, Karen gives superb instructions on how to maintain proper form throughoutthe 85-minute workout. She even knows what angles or positions will help you "cheat" and warns you not to do those! The entire thing is done with weights, even the tough abdominal section which is one of the hardest I've ever done. The video also has a standing leg section that combines lower body work with upper body; a tough upper body only section; and a seated lower body workout. Although the weights she uses aren't terribly heavy (three pound dumbbells and ankle weights), the sheer fact that she doesn't let you rest for more than a few seconds means your muscles will be groaning after no time. Another thing I like about this video is we see a different, more care-free side of Karen. She jokes around more in this video than in some of herother workouts, which makes me smile even when my body is pleading with me to put down the weights! Carolyn Sproule
Tough is the one word that totally describes this! Whew! I've had this since it first came out way-back-when, and it still kills me. It's a total-body sculpting workout. You start with arms, then move on to legs and abs. The total length is an hour and 20 minutes. The arms are the real killers, even though the rest is not a piece of cake. With 5-lb dumbbells, you feel like you're dying. On the legs, I use only 5-lb ankle weights, even though I use 10 pounds for The FIRM and other workouts. Even with only 5 pounds on this one, I still end up exhausting my leg muscles. For the abs, Karen uses a body ball, but you can substitute dumbbells or no weight at all. The moves are done slowly and precisely, and you can really get a lot out of the moves this way. I would not call this workout "fun" exactly. There are other sculpting workouts that are a lot more fun. But this one is certainly challenging and intense. I give it an A. Annie S.
I have never done this video all the way through before. It's eighty minutes, which I COULD do but I like to do upper-body one day, lower-body the next, and also I've read that doing more than 45 minutes of weight-training at a time is a waste becasue after that time testosterone levels go down, especially in women who have hardly any testosterone anyway. So I do the warm-up and arms portion that lasts about 40 minutes on one day, and my own warmup and the legs portion on another day. The arms portion (which is a bit of a misnomer on my part, as there are lower-body mover here, too) go pretty fast, so I stay with 3-pound weights. But I definitely feel it. The lower-body portion is done on the floor, and has side leg-lifts, donkey-kicks and work for the quads. Karen uses a body ball for some moves but I use a dumbell. I just don't GET body-balls- they seem like they'd be really hard to hold, and no better than dumbells. The abs portion can be done with a body-ball or dumbell (guess which I use!) and I think it's pretty effective (though for my money you can't go past Firm Five-day abs for abdominal work). The music of this video is fairly non-descript, and the set is just a room. I'm big on atmosphere in videos but this is a great workout so all is forgiven. Emily H
I'm sure someone else did a very through break down of this tape as it seems to be very popular with VF'ers. I find the upper- body weight section frustrating-it moves too fast for heavy weights and when I use light weights I don't feel anything (except in the rotor cuff which seems to be Karen's favorite muscle to work-how many exercises does she have where that seems to be the only muscle that's working?) As for the leg and ab work-it just doesn't "do it" for me. Give me the FIRM parts videos anyday-at least the scenery changes so I have something to distract me while my abs are burning! Finally-this video seems dated. The music and outfits are so late 1980's-and I think this tape was made in the 90's! This one, ladies and gentlemen, is headed for the exchange! Instructor comments: Karen does cue very well, but I just can't get into her tapes. To me, she always seems robot-like. I have never found her very motivating. In addition, on this tape she asks the particpants to make noise (she says something like 'I can't hear you!') and this leads to some irritating "whooping". I will never understand why producers of exercise tapes feel that home exercisers enjoy hearing other wise sane people yelling "Whoo." Believe it or not, that's not what motivates me to buy a tape! :)
Elizabeth
Other reviewers have done a great job of describing this video so I will just offer my opinion. I consider myself to be an advanced exerciser (I do cardio 4-5 times a week 45-60 minutes and strength train 3 days a week) and this tape is a great advanced workout using the low weight, high repetition concept. Most of my strength training comes from using the Firm, Cathe, or heavy weights at the gym so this workout was a very welcome change of pace for me and just as tough as any other heavy weight training workout. Because you do use light weights, there is hardly any rest between the sets so you do work your muscles to failure (at least I do). The first time I used it, I was very sore in places I have not been sore in a long time, mainly my quads, hamstrings, and shoulders. I know some have said that the reps are way too fast and they do not like using light weights but I find if you do concentrate on the muscles being worked and you do all the reps your muscles will be worked to the point of feeling fatigued. If you are an intermediate/advanced exerciser I think you will enjoy this tape. Especially, if you are used to using heavy weights and are looking for a way to get off a plateau or just change your routine. Instructor comments: Karen has a distinct style that is all her own. She is very knowlegeable about fitness and I find most of her workouts to be excellent. She is great at giving form pointers.
Tiffanee Saunders
Just a short review before I trade this. I thought this workout was okay. It's a nice thorough workout and the DVD is well chaptered. However, I find that I don't use it very much. Actually, I've had it for 9 months and have used it once. Instructor comments: When I first started workout out I really liked Karen a lot. She's got a nice straightforward personality. I find her a lot more relaxed in this workout. She seems to have more fun with the really tough workouts! Megan
I had this workout on video for quite awhile. I kept coming back to it, doing it again and trying to like it. Overall, it’s a well-done workout. I felt it after doing it. The problem for me was the dread factor I felt in doing it. It seemed to go on and on and on. Instructor comments: She is an excellent instructor. She clearly explains how to do the moves. Laura S.
I am an advanced exerciser but recommend this to exercisers at all levels. As far as equipment goes, you'll need one ankle weight. Start at 1 lb. I now use 3 lbs and that's plenty. You'll also need either a dumbbell or a small squishy weighted ball--the kind that usually shows up for $5 or less at TJMaxx. This workout is pretty much the only instance where I think the ball is better than a dumbbell. I've worked my way up from a 3 lb ball to a 6 lb ball. But if you want to prolong the life of your ball, don't use it as a pillow or cushion the way Karen occasionally does--I broke my 5 lb ball that way. Instead, when she does those moves I use a $1.50 child's play ball, which is far more comfortable anyway. Instructor comments: Karen gives the best form pointers in the business, right when you need them. It's as if she can see you and knows precisely what you're doing wrong. She gives the form pointers as you're doing the exercises, so there is zero wasted time here. Because she does not use her workouts as an opportunity to crack jokes, they can be used again and again without becoming annoying. dianairene
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