Which workout dvds to buy?

[leahintexas]

I am new to working out at home with DVDs. I bought a couple of Leslie Sansone walking DVDs a couple of months ago, and more recently, The Firm Super Cardio Mix and a stretching DVD. Then I found this site and, although I haven't spent a lot of time here, I have tried to figure out what the difference is in these options. :confused:




Original Anna Benson Workouts
WHFN FitPrime (and what does WHFN stand for?)
WHFN Kick****
G-Force 1 and 2
IndiePrime
RootLock

I had heard of The Firm before, but was terrible at aerobic classes, so never tried them before -- I worked out at health club with the machines or jogged or walked. I am now 53 yo and stay home with kids (homeschool two of three kids) and working out to the DVDs is great! But I have no experience with what I need to choose.

I had heard the original Firm are better than the newer ones, but now I am wondering if some of these would suit me better. They seem to be for older women...like me.

Seems like I need to figure out a good rotation, too.

Any guidance would be appreciated....in the meantime, I will continue to explore the forums as I have time. Thanks!

[Ginger]

Hi Leah,

Welcome to Fitnessfavorites.com. I don't have time to answer your questions right now, but given a day or two will do so to the best of my ability...or maybe someone else will chime in first, but either way, welcome.

[leahintexas]

Thanks for the welcome!

I just skimmed the Fat Burning White Paper:
http://www.heartzones.com/_pdf/FatBurningwhitepaperreposted8305.pdf

and the thread, "Everything Heartrate Training Thread." (Some links don't work, including the one trying to get here: http://www.heartzones.com/index.php. I think the problem is the link is written as www.heartzone.com (http://www.heartzone.com) (without the "s").

It seems like maybe I need to get a heart rate monitor.

For Christmas, I got a scale that gives me body fat percentage. It is 37%! Way too high!


There is so much to learn. I look forward to learning with you ladies!

[Lori]

Hello Leah!
glad you found this site!
WHFN stands for Women's Health & Fitness Network.
when you say you've read that the old Firm's are better than the new ones, that would be any & all that are sold here.
I would highly recommend the WHFN Fitprime 6-pack & the WHFN Kickb.utt 6 pack series. they are wonderful & will probably turn out to be your favorite dvds. & they also come with a rotation.

once you have tried these out, you will probably want the all the rest of the dvds sold here!

another recommendation would be the Firm Boomer's dvd Vol.6.

feel free to ask any more questions. your also welcome to jump right in on our daily chat in the "Fitness Favorites Partners Inspiring Each Other" thread. (under "General Fitness" also)
it's 4 of us gals, who are around the same age as you. we go from any topic you can think of. we'd love a new voice in the group.

have a Happy New Year!
Lori

[leahintexas]

Thanks for the welcome. I will check out the other thread.

Also, thanks for the recommendation on what to buy -- I will look at those.

[leahintexas]

I noticed one six-pack is on sale now. I wonder how long it will be on sale.


Does the other one go on sale from time to time?

[Ginger]

When you see original Anna Benson workouts, as Lori said, think of all the workouts you see here and FIRMs from 2001-ish or earlier. I believe in the store, the original FitPrime releases are listed under that heading though.

WHFN productions are beautifully done. I think you can see clips of these, as well as, most of Anna's workouts on youtube. If you are looking for a deceptively effective workout, check out Indeprime. (It doesn't look like it should leave you feeling sore, but it is does.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti7pryud0Ks&feature=related

G-Force workouts use the rebounder...both are good workouts, but I prefer GF-1 out of the two.

If you are looking to try things, look at video clips. Descriptions and reviews are nice, but a clip is worth a thousand words. http://www.fitnessfavorites.com/board/images/smilies/smile.gif

Also, you might want to try your local library before buying. Our library system has a lot FIRMs. When I first started using them, I was able to test them before I bought them. I have 2 left feet and would not buy them unless I knew I could do them with being frustrated. I think that is why I like so many of Anna's workouts, effective and generally doable.

...and btw, the Boomers workout that Lori mentioned, one of my favorites along with FIRM Vol. 2 and JustRight Weights, Cardio and Yoga. I also really like videos featuring Heidi Tanner.

[leahintexas]

I worked out at health club with the machines or jogged or walked. I am now 53 yo and stay home with kids (homeschool two of three kids) and working out to the DVDs is great! But I have no experience with what I need to choose.



I realized that this makes it sound like I have been working out lately, and that isn't true! For the last 15 years, I have been very hit or miss with exercise, mostly miss. I am five to 10 pounds overweight and my weight has been fairly stable, but what has been ...hmmm, interesting... (but dismaying, too) is that my body has changed so dramatically over the last couple of years, even with the fairly stable weight. I have lost muscle and gained fat. Ack! And since fat weighs less than muscle, I know that I have put on more weight than the scale shows. So I expect that as I get in shape, my scale may not show much difference, but that body fat percentage should go down.



I am still learning the moves on Super Cardio Mix. That is exactly what I am not good at, but I decided to just do certain segments until I get better at them. I really and truly thought that I would not be able to do the dvd because I could get no where near doing them correctly the first time I tried, but I am getting better. (It's still pretty pathetic!) Now I try to think of that as part of the challenge. I know there are some who can do this stuff right away, but not me!


Seems like home exercises have lots of exercise dvds. I probably won't be able to do that due to budget concerns. I did order the Kick**** sixpack -- it was a good price. If others go on sale, I may be able to add later.


Now I own three Leslie Sansone walking dvds (two use weights), Beginner Stretch by Tami Lee, Super Cardio Mix, and Crunch Boot Camp. With the new ones, I'll have 12. I guess I'll need to figure out a rotation. I am hoping the Kick**** will have some guidance in that area. (I really wanted to get IndiePrime or RootLock, but those will have to wait.)



I have gotten a few from the library. I had Ab Sculpt from the Body Sculpting trio - is that right? -- and I liked that.


Thanks for all the encouragement and good advice. Sorry to ramble so much!


Leah

[Ginger]

12 workouts should get you going. I think the KickB-u-t-t-s may come with a suggested rotation calendar. You can alternate your others as you please for variety. Let us know how you like them. http://www.fitnessfavorites.com/board/images/smilies/smile.gif

[leahintexas]

12 workouts should get you going. I think the KickB-u-t-t-s may come with a suggested rotation calendar. You can alternate your others as you please for variety. Let us know how you like them. http://www.fitnessfavorites.com/board/images/smilies/smile.gif

The Kick**** arrived! I am so excited. And they did come with a rotation.

But now I have another question. In the first one, Strong Bear, the instructor says that the step should have your thigh parallel to the floor and I think recommends a 14 inch step. I do not own one that high. I had been using a (stable) step stool, but when I measured it, I found it was about 9 or 10 inches high.

I don't know what to get. I checked Craig's list in my area and saw that someone was selling the Transfirmer system (the step and four DVDs) for $40, but I don't know how high that is (and it may not even be available any more).

I am confused by the different things that are available and the different advice as to the best height. By the way, I am 5' 3-1/2 inches, so not really short, but shorter than average.

Thanks so much!

Leah

[annette b.]

Hi Leah and welcome. I echo what everyone else has said! I also think you will like the Cross TRainers series, Firm Strength/Firm Cardio.

I would get the TF system because of the steps. One is 6 inch and the other 8 inch to make it 12 inches. I use a 12 step, 14 is a little high for me. I hope you can get the TF, not a bad price and you use for other workouts!

I spent the last 2 weeks on the sofa watchin' college football, needless to say, I have gotten back in the grove, starting on Monday with the 90 Day Rotation. Please come and join our support groups!

[Lori]

Hey Leah.
sorry late on replying to your ? about the height of your step.
you probably figured out by now yourself, that the 9" is plenty high enough. (especially for your height).
in time if you feel you want a taller step like the 14" recommended.
I would go the route of purchasing the Firm's fannylifter. the purple & blue box that separates. google it & you can find it priced reasonably pretty much everywhere. amazon or FirmDirect, for starters.;)

the taller the step, the harder the workout. there is no shame or it isn't written in blood that you have to have a 14" step. the beauty of these workouts is, you don't even need a step if you don't want to use one.
your 9" or 10" is perfectly fine.

[annette b.]

I agree with Lori, you can also find Fanny Lifters with dvds at TJ Maxx and/or Marshalls. I saw a few a few weeks ago. Also try thrift shops, Goodwill, Craigslist and garage sales. I have both the FL and TF. I still need a 4" wooden step.

[leahintexas]

Thanks for all the information! It is a great help. I thought that I shouldn't start until I got the higher step, but now I know otherwise.



I am checking on the Craigslist posting, but it is old, so it may not be available. On the other hand, the price was good but maybe not great, so maybe it is.

I think I will join you all on the other thread...but I may not be able to post daily.

Leah

[Lori]

good luck on the Craiglist's, Leah.

14" step is pretty advanced. hard to do. you'll find 9" plenty tough enough.

you can pop on over & post whenever you want. you don't have to post daily. whenever you feel like it. one of us are usually there daily. not everybody posts every day.
jump right in! don't be shy.