Please recommend workout dvds that aren't lame.

January 11, 2011 4:20 PM

Please recommend some good workout dvds - ones that aren't lame. I'm looking for both cardio and strength training. More specifics inside.

Without having really high expectations, I'm looking for workout dvds that aren't based on or linked to a fad or fad-diet, that don't make overblown promises of a perfect body, that aren't too short or too repetitive or too boring and that don't have perky, superficial models or leads. I want a serious workout cardio-wise, and my strength level is beginner.

I've enjoyed the yoga booty ballet series. It's a tiny bit flaky, but the dance is fun. Any recommendations in that vein are appreciated, as are other recommendations for good, solid dvds.

Oh - I'm female and 30.

posted by kitcat to Health & Fitness (22 answers total)

It's been a while since my wife's picked up new ones, but we both were impressed by Cathe at the time; she had some serious workouts there.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 4:28 PM on January 11, 2011

Check out 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. It's got three levels intensity that you can build up to (or not, depending on your ability/desire), but even at level 1, the 20 minute workout is no joke.
posted by jenny76 at 4:31 PM on January 11, 2011 [7 favorites]

Make that levels OF intensity...

Me fail English?? *sigh*
posted by jenny76 at 4:31 PM on January 11, 2011

P90X is exactly what you want.
posted by munchingzombie at 4:51 PM on January 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Definitely Cathe. Check out some clips on YouTube or on her website to get a sense of what the workouts are like but they are quite tough, not repetitive, and certainly not fake or overly trendy. I've never done ballet booty so can't comment on whether they are similar. Also, some of Cathe's old workouts show for free on FitTV if you have it.
posted by notcomputersavvy06 at 4:55 PM on January 11, 2011

Two sites that might help: Collage Video (video previews available) and Video Fitness.

Also seconding Cathe videos. They are advanced, but you can always do the workouts with lighter weights than they use, and modifications are shown as well. Especially recommended for beginner: Push Pull.
posted by JanetLand at 4:59 PM on January 11, 2011

30 Day Shred is good. I like the 10 Minute Solution Pilates DVD series -- each one contains multiple 10-minute workouts that you can string together or do individually. Also, this is a really old one, but I still love Jennifer Kries' The Method: Perfect Mix which is a combination of yoga, dance, pilates, and strength.
posted by chickenmagazine at 5:03 PM on January 11, 2011

Nthing 30 Day Shred...it's a serious workout, doesn't require a ton of space or coordination, and will really make you sweat. Plus it's only 20 minutes, so great if you're short on time
posted by elquien at 5:11 PM on January 11, 2011

seconding munchingzombie about P90X. Run time of most of the work outs is one hour though.
posted by oblio_one at 5:26 PM on January 11, 2011

From the P90x people, I have also been really enjoying Insanity. I hate the P90x host, so YMMV.
posted by gregglind at 5:40 PM on January 11, 2011

I also came to recommend 30 Day Shred. It might seem a little like it is linked to a fad because the woman who does the video (Jillian Michaels) is one of the trainers from The Biggest Loser. But she doesn't really mention the show at all, and it's a great workout. She's not perky, really -- actually, she seems like she will come to your house and punch you if you don't work hard enough. I like her.
posted by k8lin at 5:43 PM on January 11, 2011

I thought 30 day shred was boring and generally lacking as far as body strength goes. I remember way too much lunging type activites for breaks. It was a decent cardio workout at first but is pretty easy after a week.

I think if you have to go the video route p90x is the best one since it is so adaptable.
I know some women that really liked the beach body insanity too but I don't have any personal experience with that one.
posted by zephyr_words at 5:50 PM on January 11, 2011

Also from Jillian Michaels, No More Trouble Zones is kicking my ass these days. It is about 45 minutes and almost totally strength training. You can easily break it up into two workouts if you prefer. I have been doing it twice a week for a few months and can definitely see and feel that it works. I do it in addition to a moderately challenging running schedule. I am morbidly curious about p90x (I watch the infomercial at least once a week when up in the middle of the night feeding baby Hushpuppy), but I am not sure I can really dedicate 6 hours per week to workout videos. That might make me insane.
posted by Hushpuppy at 6:20 PM on January 11, 2011

Not a DVD, but: we use a bunch of Gilad's Total Body Sculpt shows DVRed from Fit TV.

About 20 minutes per (if you fast-forward through the ad-breaks); a mixture of cardio and strength; he's not perky, although he does fall just on the right side of a-little-bit-cheesy.

He's big on squats and lunges. But squats and lunges are good.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:37 PM on January 11, 2011

I came in to say the 10-Minute Solution videos too ... they have them for all different kinds of workouts. I like to be able to mix-and-match the different segments to prevent boredom.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:40 PM on January 11, 2011

Another vote for Cathe - my wife (very fit, about your age) has become a hardcore "Cathlete". :-) She says that the workouts are challenging and they incorporate both weighted strength training and cardio components.

One thing she really likes is that on many of the videos there are "premixes", where you can go to the DVD menu and say, "I want to do a full-body strength workout and cardio", "Cardio only", "Strength only", "Cardio and upper body" ... lots of combinations depending on what you want to work and how much time you have.
posted by jdwhite at 6:47 PM on January 11, 2011

Bob Harper's "Yoga for the Warrior" is pretty intense, without him being all screamy.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 7:01 PM on January 11, 2011

DEANTE dance system is really fun. Minna Lessig's Optimizer balanced blend is good too. I recommend previewing the videos online to see if it looks like something you'd like - and you can usually find them from half.com for really cheap.
Neither dvd is as intense as a Jillian Michaels' one, but they're still good, solid workouts.
posted by Neekee at 7:09 PM on January 11, 2011

Another vote for P90X. Yeah, the guy never shuts up, but he's not too cheesy or self-promotional, and the workouts really are good ones. I'd go for the Lean version of the program if you want more cardio.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 8:21 PM on January 11, 2011

I love Jari Love. The workouts are pretty hard, and the video talent have good form and are aesthetically pleasing. And nth-ing P90X--it's a great program that is well put together and easy to get motivated by; at first I loved Tony Horton (the trainer) but by day 60 I was completely sick of him, (note you can often find P90X and other DVDs from that company for a reasonable price on ebay). Also, a little different, but I like Tracy Effinger's Squeeze Stronger. The video work and music are more "arty" than the usual workout video, and her workouts are pretty solid.
posted by gubenuj at 9:06 PM on January 11, 2011

I just started trying out The Bollywood Dance Workout and Bollywood Burn. They're really, really great, especially if you already enjoy flaky, fun dance sessions.
posted by troublewithwolves at 9:16 PM on January 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

The only workout videos I can stand lately are Jillian Michaels' (and I really hate the way she talks and laughs and yells, and the fact that she stops and talks and makes the other ladies do the exercises while she just rests, but her workouts are SOLID interval training--you can feel yourself get progressively stronger and can feel your endurance increase). I particularly love Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism because it has some really fun kickboxing stuff incorporated, and also the 30 Day Shred, as others have mentioned. 30DS has 3 levels, so you can increase the difficulty/intensity as you get stronger.

I don't know if this is weird because I'm not really part of the target audience of people who are looking to lose a very large amount of weight, but I LOVE the Biggest Loser workout videos too (Cardio Max, 30 Day Jump Start, Last Chance Workout, and they have lots more). They're tough, but the people in the videos seem to do the routines pretty easily (they're contestants from the show who are still in process of losing weight, and no one is so ridiculously ripped that you wonder how it's possible that they even exist, like in Jillian Michaels' videos and pretty much all other videos), and it makes me all pumped up to try harder. Contrary to the show itself (which I don't watch because it's too weird), the workout videos aren't all about getting "perfect"--they're definitely a lot more encouraging than most others.
posted by so_gracefully at 10:54 PM on January 12, 2011