The Biggest Loser: Volume 1

I love this video! I have lots of fitness videos on my shelf, but this is the one that I pull out the most. You create your own workout from 6 options: 5 minute warm-up, 20 minute low-impact cardio, 20 minute high-impact cardio, 20 minute strength training, 20 minute Boot Camp, and 10 minute cool-down/stretch. This video is made up of basic fitness moves--nothing fancy or new--but is incredibly effective. You will be sweating and groaning along with the Biggest Loser contestants that you're working out with. (I also really enjoy that--they look like normal people like me!) Even my slender husband likes to workout with me when I do this video. 4 stars!

This puppy ain't no walk in the park! I was expecting this to be something I did on easy days. I was wrong. Maybe if you did the workouts separately, but I did them back to back to back.

Ok, first you can choose 1 of 4 premixes or you can customize which is what I did. I did all 4 workouts. The setting is the "ranch" that they used for the television show. It is led by Bob Harper who act sort of like Billy Blanks without the counting. What I mean is he is always right in the camera trying to talk to you. Music was forgettable.

The first workout is called "low intensity". It is 25 minutes long plus a 5 minute warm-up. It starts out with jumping jacks. It then goes to kickboxing, lunges, and squats. He uses alot of pulses like when Cathe does "low ends". The second section is called "high intensity" and it is 25 minutes also. The first 10 minutes is all high impact aerobics using ski jumps, football runs, and high knees. Intervaling up and down. The rest is kickboxing.

The third workout is Strength and Sculpt. It is 20 minutes long. I used 8 lb weights and felt good about it because Seth used 10. It alternates upper and lower body then ends with a killer ab section. It ends with your favorite and mine - planks. The 4th section is "bootcamp".The section is also 20 minutes long. It is the hardest section alternating cardio and weights. It uses alot of jumping jacks, tuck jumps, and alot of pulsing on the weights. After I did the 4 sections, I skipped the 20 minute stretch because it was 11:30 at night and cutting into my beauty sleep which I dearly need. I consider myself an advanced exerciser and if you do all sections like I did, I would say this is an advanced workout. If you do 30 mins. or 20 mins. a day, it is probably a solid intermediate. But, I am humbled. My legs and arms are killing me. My only complaint was the exercisers weren't ever on the same leg or arm. That bugs me, but it probably doesn't most people. I also love great music and I can honestly say I don't have the faintest idea what the music was so it must have been bad. Grade A-