How can I find some great exercise DVDs?

December 19, 2008 11:57 AM

How can I find some great exercise DVDs?

I'd like to get some exercise and yoga DVDs for use at home. My weight is fine; I just want to tone up a lot, especially my legs. I'm picky, though. I have a bad back so I can't do crunches or pilates-type moves. As a runner, my knees are too sensitive for a lot of squat moves. I can't be jumping around a lot because the noise will disturb my neighbors. Finally, I want a challenging pace and I want to feel THE BURN the next day.

There are a million DVDs out there, and it's hard to compare one to the next. Sometimes I will read reviews on Amazon, but it is still pretty hard to tell if a particular title will appeal to you. Sometimes the description is misleading, or you buy it and realize that the instructor is annoying or the pace is too slow.

First of all, I'm looking for recommendations for specific DVDs you'd recommend. Also, for tips for HOW to find the best workout DVDs. In other words, web sites that have great summaries of different titles?

posted by mintchip to health & fitness (6 comments total)

Don't have any recommendations, but you could check for the DVDs you're considering at your library, and try them out?
posted by asras at 12:18 PM on December 19, 2008

When I was thinking about doing something similar, I figured the library or some kind of zip.ca membership would be the best way to check out a wide variety of titles before committing.

I was too lazy to actually do this, however, so I can't verify if the plan is actually a good one.
posted by girlpublisher at 12:54 PM on December 19, 2008

Collage Video is an online store dedicated to fitness DVDs. Their staff actually does all the videos they sell, and their favorites are marked as Staff Favorite. Each video is marked by what type of exercise it has, level of fitness required, etc. There are also links to reviews from the major fitness-oriented magazines, as well as customer reviews. A terrific site.

There is also Video Fitness, a site about fitness DVDs. They have an active forum with a lot of diehard fitness fanatics.
posted by thread_makimaki at 1:36 PM on December 19, 2008

How about the New York City Ballet Workout.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 4:18 PM on December 19, 2008

Netflix has a fairly large selection of workout videos. If you try the one-DVD-at-a-time plan, you can go through one workout after another, until you find the right one. Then, you can buy it on Amazon, knowing that it's a worthwhile purchase.

It's also a good option if you tend to get bored with the same routine, or just simply want variety.
posted by invisible ink at 7:27 PM on December 19, 2008

One you should look into is Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Kicked my ASS. And I have crunchy knees, so I just skip over the squats.

Also, on her radio show, she swears by Collage Video. And I swear by netflix.
posted by damnjezebel at 6:18 PM on December 20, 2008