Shop-girl 2008-11-21
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
I work out at a health club (cardio and circuit), but not regularly enough to achieve good results (at age 40+), so I was looking for a flexible at-home solution to augment the health club.
I'll give that the Bravo reality show "Workout" was entertaining and motivating (The Good). I'll give that reality shows in general can muck up their stars' credibility or image (The Bad.) I'll also give that the episode where Jackie cattily snickered about a client's cleavage was disappointing (The Ugly).
In protest, and becasuse I'd heard good things, I tried Jillian Michaels's "30 Day Shred"--but found her Level 2 style a tad abrasive and belittling. (If her routines are going to torment me physically, don't need to augment that with low self-esteem because I can't keep up with her grueling routines or burn that stubborn fat. Found myself cussing back at her on the TV...)!
So I revisited Jackie Warner's "Workout: One-on-One Training." Figured with a successful Beverly Hills fitness club and a rock-hard body at 40 (that my sister enviously insists is from surgery because no one over 35 looks that good without it), Jackie must be doing something right. I started with the 20-minute Core routine every morning, with the Upper-Body routine every other morning. (As mentioned in other reviews--there are three 20-min. workouts--core, upper body, lower body. I have lower-back and knee issues, so I shy away from high-impact lower-body routines.)
Bottom line: It works!
In 6 months: lost 8 lbs, 3" from waist, 2" from hips, 4" from ribcage, arms and abs more sculpted than 2 decades of health club. 6 months later, I still burn (adding ankle weights and a balancing disc for core + increasing weights for upper body keeps it effective.)
PROS: Schedule flexibility (quick 20 minutes daily, or all 60 3x/week); includes warm-up and cooldown stretches + beginning/advanced modifications; motivating, personable coaching (Jackie is encouraging, but sometimes forgets to address her at-home viewer-clients); fairly good job emphasizing good form throughout DVD; includes 1-minute cardio-burst moves (more effective than just the routines--just don't expect it to be a substitute for cardio workout--it isn't).
CONS: Moves fast, lack of clear instruction from one routine to next (example: stands up between modified plank and bicycles--both floor routines, so keep the remote pause/rewind handy until you learn the routines); doesn't emphasize good core form throughout core routine (i.e., press belly inward to spine, spine into floor); some routines change timing/don't keep time w/music; severe lower-back strain with some upper-body moves where you bend over with weights (bent-over rows, rear-delt flys, alternating one-arm row--try over exercise ball or bedside/sofaside to support lower back).
RECOMMENED? Absolutely! (Esp. for beginners/intermediate fitness-seekers.)
