Low Impact Aerobic Workout

I'm working through dusty bunnies & virgins, starting at beginner level, due to too long of a hiatus. I'd been high intermediate/low advanced, but have slipped back a long way, hence going with beginners to avoid any dread factor.

My computer spat this one out for me to do, so I did. No dread.

Given that it's quite old - mine has been converted to DVD from VHS - I expected it to look dated, and it did, almost humourously so - leopard skin leotards, big hair and all.

The workout as I found it was tediously easy, slow, at SUPER beginner level......... for the first few segments. It would actually be great for a true beginner as the moves are simple, cueing excellent, and she gave constant form tips - she spoke very quickly with something like "hips under, stomach in, back straight, shoulders down, breathe!" quite a few times, amongst other specific form comments, which was good.

I used light wrist weights, and by the 4th segment they'd caught up with a bit and it didn't feel quite so ABSOLUTE beginner any more.

For a one-off 'dust off a dusty' workout, I immersed myself in the cheese, imagined I was back 'in the day' and had a pretty good time by the end of it.

It'll probably be another few years before I do it again, but when it does come around, I won't avoid it.

This is a ±46-minute workout from 1986 (not to be confused with the shorter, more recent tape in Jane Fonda’s Personal Trainer Series which has a similar title).

This was my first workout video when I started in 1996, and I still use it occasionally. It is a low impact workout - you have one foot on the floor at all times. It’s very thorough, and is great for beginners/intermediates. If you’re just starting out and can’t finish the whole tape, it’s easy to break down into segments. More advanced exercisers can add wrist weights, as Jane herself does. The workout starts with a 6-minute warming-up and stretch, followed by about 30 minutes of aerobics. For the most part, the choreography is easy to follow, with no complicated dance steps, but it’s varied enough to prevent boredom. The workout finishes with a relaxing 10-minute stretch. I really like this stretch, and until I purchased some longer stretching programmes I sometimes used to do this part of the tape alone.

I really love this video! I do it every morning before work, (and supplement it a few times a week with Jane's Yoga workout)and I can't imagine my day without it! The workout is pretty intense for a beginner -- I used to get red faced and have trouble "having a conversation" -- something Jane requests twice during the workout to make sure you're not overexerting yourself -- but now I chatter away at her when she asks. The workout is a good balance of legwork and upper body -- there is a great deal of arm movement, way more than I've seen in other videos -- so I really feel like I've accomplished something when I finish. I personally enjoy the antics of the "accidental workout guest" -- a man who wanders in and stays to try the workout. Not only is he comic relief, but in the beginning when I had a lot of trouble with getting through the tape (due to my lack of aerobic health, not the tape), at least there was ONE person on the screen that wasn't doing better than me! One of the biggest things for me about this tape is that Jane only works each group to the point where you think you can't keep doing the maneuver, and then she changes to an 'opposite' move -- so your muscles can relax from one move while performing the next set. This really helped me keep going in the beginning! I also really like the cool down at the end. The stretching feels so good after that workout, and it's a good way to get focused and ready for the rest of my day. Grade: A++

This video is very low-impact, and the moves are slow and controlled. It's great for me now, because I had foot surgery a couple months ago and I'm not supposed to get up on my toes or make quick moves. But I used this video before my surgery and liked it. Beginners can work out without wrist weights, but intermediate and advanced exercisers will probably need the added resistance to increase their heart rate. With so many arm movements, you even get a little toning benefit (unless you've had oodles of weight training). The music is a gas. Some of the songs are twangy country dances, and one of the frequent moves is "chicken arms." I like those second only to the "monkey arms" in one of the later songs. "Chicken turns" are also silly and fun, as is "Drive a Big Truck." A running gag throughout the video is that a fellow accidentally came to the workout and added some funky, energetic moves as well as some "Squawk squawk" noises during the "chicken" moves. It's a diversion, but if you don't like "whooping," this video's definitely not for you. The best part of the workout is Jane's stretchout at the end. She's the best at making you feel totally loose and relaxed at the end of a workout. Too bad newer videos seem to skimp on this part of the workout. This is an "A" workout in my library.

This is perhaps in the top 5 of her best workouts. I do this with the first Workout and start it at the aerobics time of the first Workout because there's only 1 minute in the first. The moves are easy to follow, yet energetic and heart-pumping to every level of fitness. The added option of wrist-weights adds more intensity and muscle. The aerobics is great, not too long or too short, and is very fun. The stretching at the end is probably the best stretchout of any stretch segment in the Jane Fonda series. The moves require flexibility at most times, but they are very relaxing and very helpful. This tape is an instant A+.