Prevention Walk Yourself Fit
Reviews from VideoFitness
I love this workout as an alternative to Leslie Sansone. This is more choreographed, more energetic, and more varied in the moves.
Each has the same warm up and cool down. No chaptering- hitting the chapter button on your remote will just take you straight to the cool down. The workouts use different footage - some moves are the same from each workout, and some moves are different.
The CARDIO workout is one and a quater miles at a steady state.
The TONING workout alternates weight and walking segments for 1 mile.
The ACCELERATED workout is intervals of 3 minute moderate intesity and 1 minute higher intensity (jogging, skaters, shallow squats, football fast feet, etc.) for 1 mile.
Other moves in the workouts include salsa, kick ball change, basic step, strut, high knee walk, foot stomp, and clock taps (tapping at 12, 3, and 6 o'clock).
I like Chris. She is energetic, motivating, and I didn't have any problems with her cueing.
DVD Review:
The DVD has 3 workouts (separate chapters for each workout):
Accelerated workout
Body-shaping workout (uses weights)
Cardio workout
The set is bright and there's 4 cast members, including Michele Stanten. i have a hard time watching Michele because she almost appears a bit uncoordinated. I noticed this in Prevention 3-2-1 workout. Michele is the fitness editor/columnist for Prevention Magazine.
Workout #1:
more like a high-low aerobics workout in that there's more variety in arm-movements (compared with Leslie Sansone). Lots of side to side movements. However, it has more walking than say, Michele Dozois' Walk Yourself Slim which tends to be more of a hi/lo floor workout. Chris tells you how far you've walked (quarter mile intervals); for example, at 7 minutes, it's already a quarter of a mile, and the BPM is 148. Some of it toward the middle is high impact (in out, in out car tires feet). Total distance is 1 mile. I was slightly below the 70% level and next time i think i'll add weighted gloves.
Workout 2:
1) walking warm-up
2) standing movements with light dumbbells
3) walking without weights; There's also messages that indicate the distance you've walked (half mile at the 10-min mark, 132 BPM).
4) standing toning segment (at around the 11 min mark.
5) walking without weights the 4th body shaping segment (at 14 min, she says its 3/4 of a mile.
6) weights with yoga stances are used in the standing position (warrior) for about 2 min.
7) Then walking without weights.
8) At 17 min, she picks up the weights again. The segment ends at 18:44, and she says "you've completed 1 mile" which is about right.
9) Cool Down is about 4 minutes.
Workout 3:
without weights; Chris says in the beginning that you'll go for 1.5 miles for the entire workout (this must include the warm-up and cool down). Mostly the same moves as workout #1 except at a faster pace (140 BPM); quarter mile at around 6:10. My heartrate averaged slightly below the 70% level for this workout - i think next time i'll add weighted gloves. Duration wise, it's slightly longer than the other 2 workouts.
Music on the DVD is fun - pop/dance mostly.
The Audio CD workout:
comes with the DVD workout - both are sold as a set on 2 separate discs in one DVD keep case. The audio workout is not a "rehash" of the DVD workout - it's a completely different workout altogether. durations are shown as mintes:seconds. BPM = beats per minute. Neither the CD cover nor CD label have a description of the tracks; i got the descriptions by listening to Chris's verbal synopsis and tracks by viewing the file structure using Windows Media Player. BPM were determined by tapping my finger and counting the beats.
Track 1, 0:46; Chris describes the program
Track 2, 5:02; 108 BPM warm-up
Track 3, 9:22; 120-128 BPM moderate steady pace walk
Track 4, 9:15; 140-138 (starts at 140, ends at 138 BPM) vigorous steady pace workout
Track 5, 16:11; 124/132 (3 min at 124 BPM, then 1 min at 132 BPM) about 4 cycles
Track 6, 17:04; 138/156 (3 min at 138 BPM, then 1 min at 156 BPM; advanced interval walk
Track 7, 15:33; 108-140-108 Pyramid walk (starts out moderate, gradually increases speed, then back down the pyramid
Track 8, 5:00; cool down
Music on the CD is instrumental and has a variety of styles, but mostly electronica/jazz/rock guitar. in track 3 (?) there is one segment that sounds a little blue-grass, but has a quick beat.
I liked this audio better than Debbie Rocker's audio CDs. My all-time favorite audios are the ones from Kathy Smith, especially her WalkFit 3-CD set and her Steady Strides from Project You.
Chris allows you time to listen to and get into the music. she provides a few cues between the times when the music either speeds up or slows down. I thought Kathy Smith gives a lot more cues on form yet at the same time, wasn't chattering non-stop (Debbie Rocker chatters non-stop). Leslie Sansone's audio, "Walking for Everybody Advanced" surprisingly has very little chattering from Leslie ~ you'd expect the opposite!
For this workout, it's best to play the CD or download it into your MP3 player so that you can skip to the cool down when you're ready.
I liked this set as an alternative to Leslie or even George/Petra.
: DVD: Chris is motivating to me. I can see how some people might be annoyed by her perkiness (not as perky as Denise Austin, though). She is encouraging which is nice. Calls to her cast members every so often while facing the front (as if on cue).
CD: Speaks clearly, provides just enough form tips throughout the workout, but fortunately, does not jabber non-stop. Motivating tone.
Am I the only one who thought that the Cardio and the Accelerated workouts on this DVD were too much the same? Okay, so the Accelerated program had 3 minutes low/moderate intensity and 1 minute high intensity. But the four combos were the same in each with the difference being the high intensity (Accelerated workout) vs a TIFT (Cardio workout) to fill that minute or so of space.
Her cueing was lacking in some places, notably the V-step at the end of the 'stroll' walk--sometimes she cued it and sometimes she just completely skipped over it.
Camera angles were annoying at times. I know this is basic choreography, but it would be nice to see her feet when she's teaching a new move.
The Body Shaping was different, but I'm not going to do it because I really don't like compound moves. It seems a little more functional fitness than traditional strength training.
There are positives to the workouts, too, of course. There was quite a bit of walking, but in between it had something more innovative than Leslie's usual basic four. The music is instrumental and pretty good, not exceptional, but you can hear it.
The workouts have more variety than your average Leslie walking workout, but I was definitely disappointed that the cardio workouts were virtually the same thing. I wouldn't have bought the workout if I had known this.
I do like Chris Freytag. She is cheerful and personable without being overly perky. I don't think I would call her 'chatty,' but she does add a little more to the workout than just the cues. She does try to explain most of the exercises she is cueing when they first come up.
The DVD has three workouts on it.
CARDIO - Steady state walk aerobics for 1.5 miles, 22 minutes. This DVD has a mile meter at bottom of screen as all three do. More energetic than a Leslie workout. Somewhere between Madeleine Lewis and Tami's Cardio Blast. Good motivating music. This DVD also has an AUDIO SETUP: Music and instruction or Music Only.
ACCELERATED WORKOUT - Very energetic more like Tami's Cardio Blast and Leslie's 4 Mile Super Challenge. It is recommended to wear crosstrainer shoes due to the many lateral moves on this DVD. This workout includes 1 minute intervals of high impact moves. This workout is 1 mile, 20 minutes.
BODY SHAPING - This workout is done in intervals of 1 minute weighted segments. If you are working upper body you are also moving lower body. With the exception of triceps. Chris did not move lower body. This workout is not like Leslie's Power Walking. However Chris keeps the intensity up by doing compound moves. This workout is also not like Madeleine's Get Moving where she does the whole walking and then at the end does the toning segment. It is a little of aero walk and a little of toning w/compound moves. This is a 1 mile workout for 20 minutes.
The choreography is low impact for all three workouts. In the Accelerated workout it has 1 minute hi-impact moves. The choreography for all three workouts is the same but with different changes mixed in. For ex: In the Cardio 1.5 mile workout after the 3/4 mile different choreography is mixed in. Also in the Body Shaping 1 mile workout different choreography is mixed in.
This DVD is chaptered for these 3 workouts and the EXTRAS at bottom of this review. However if you only wanted to do one workout without the warm-up you'd have to click on the workout and forward fast through the warm-up. You'd have to do this for all 3 workouts. When one workout finishes it automatically goes back to original screen for you to pick a new workout or not. Except for the last workout. When it ends the credits come up.
The warm-up and cool-downs are the same for all three workouts.
The Body Shaping workout I would say should not be used as your total toning workout. It only has 1 minute of toning intervals. 1 minute of toning w/light weights for me is not considered a good strength workout. However, it is a different type of interval workout and is good to change up workouts now and then.
The CARDIO & ACCELERATED workouts can be made more intense or they can remain low impact. For the exception of Accelerated which has 1 minute intervals of high impact. Again as we all know from other workouts you get what you put into it. Up the intensity or not your choice. This whole DVD is good for not stressing joints. In the warm-up and Body Shaping portion it does include some lunges for those of you who do not wish to do these.
This DVD includes a TARGETED GOALS SECTION. Which includes the following:
GET STARTED
LOSE WEIGHT
FIRM UP
GET FIT
BLAST OFF A PLATEAU
Which ever you pick it will give you a whole week of what workouts you should be doing from this DVD. So you get a different rotation for each of the above goals.
Also the DVD includes SMART WAYS TO LIVE WELL: BONUS SEGMENTS
INCLUDES: 4 MOVES TO BEAT FOOT PAIN
DO YOU NEED NEW SHOES?
PERFECT YOUR WALKING TECHNIQUE
This DVD also comes with an AUDIO CD which is 77 minutes. It comes in the same package as the DVD not packaged separately. The CD contains additional walking workouts.
This is an outdoor CD. However I guess you could get on your treadmill or elliptical and do this. If I had to compare it I would compare it to a Kathy Smith walking CD. I only own two of Kathy's I can't say about others.
The CD has 3 programs: You can create your won customized workout.
10 MINUTES STEADY PACE (MODERATE & VIGOROUS)
Chris gives tips along the way on your pace and breathing and gives encouragement she does this for all the workouts. This Steady Pace has two workouts within it: A moderate walk and then a vigorous walk. You choose which one you'd like to do or do both. The moderate has jazzy music the moderate has a pump it up feel.
16 MINUTES INTERVAL WALK (BEGINNER & ADVANCED)
The beginner cosists of 3 minutes of moderate walk and 1 minute of higher intensity walking. The advanced consists of 3 minutes of moderate and 1 minute of high vigorous walking. Again jazzy type music.
15 MINUTES PYRAMID WALK
This is the challenge walk. You progressively increase the pace. It speeds up every 2 minutes. Then in fast walk mode you speed up for 1 minute until you reach 4.5 miles/hour. Then you work your way back down in 1 and 2 minute intervals. At this time you can repeat the programs or create your own customized workout. So the CD consists of 5 programs if you played the whole thing and did beginner & advanced, moderate & vigorous workouts together.
COMMENTS:
It is a well structured DVD. It has many uses for many moods. Easy to fit into an existing rotation or use the ones they provide. Very well made and the music is energizing no volume problems in this one. The total workout time for the DVD is 62 minutes.
This workout I would rate as beginner-intermediate. The only sections I will use will be the two cardio ones. I would only use this on a day in which I was unable to do my regular cardio workout. Or I was not feeling well or just needed a lite workout due to soreness. This workout would definitely not help me reach my goals of cardio or strength gains. But I keep it because I feel everyone needs to have a lite workout around for when we are not feeling at our best. This fits that bill.
Chris is a very motivating instructor.