Denise Austin - Hit the Spot:Trim & Tone Trio Gold

Buy This Item Denise Austin - Hit the Spot:Trim & Tone Trio Gold by Live / Artisan  Available from Amazon  $19.98  on 11-24-2008     Denise Austin's <I>Hit the Spot: Trim & Tone Trio Gold</I> contains three workouts:<p> <B><I>Hit the Spot: Totally Firm</I></B> This 40-minute 1997 video presents fit and lean Denise Austin on a beach leading you and her two assistants (one man, one woman) through a muscle endurance and strengthening workout with weights. Depending on your level, you might choose weights of one to 10 pounds. You want your muscles to fatigue after Austin's 13 to 18 controlled repetitions of each exercise. This workout is more challenging and more technique-oriented then most of Austin's. Austin switches muscle groups nonstop until you've worked all your major upper- and lower-body muscles. She gives plenty of technique and alignment tips so that you know how to do each exercise correctly. You'll need a bench or some kind of platform for some of the exercises. You can grow with this video--as you get stronger, use more weight. <I>--Joan Price</I><p> <B><I>Hit the Spot: Sizzler</I></B> This 1997 beginning-level, interval-training workout alternates intervals of three and a half minutes of aerobic exercise with one and a half minutes of strength training, so your heart rate stays elevated for a total of 31 minutes. The aerobic segments are simple steps, repeated frequently. Some are high impact (jumping and jogging), and although Austin has two assistants, neither demonstrates low-impact alternatives, which would have given beginning and overweight exercisers more options. The strength segments also could have been designed better. The first strength interval works the shoulder muscles, which are small (especially in women) and fatigue easily, so they are therefore usually worked later in a workout. Another exercise that Austin says targets the chest really doesn't, because it's done standing where gravity puts more of the load on the shoulders again. The shoulders get their third interval later on, so your shoulders are likely to be tired, while the larger muscles of your chest and back get minimal work. After the interval workout, Austin does eight minutes of standing leg and abs exercises, then finally a stretch. <I>--Joan Price</I><p> <B><I>Stretch and Flex</I></B> Relaxation is key in Austin's <I>Stretch and Flex</I>. This 30-minute session stages a calming and restorative routine of limbering and lengthening poses that have the possibility of relaxing both body and mind. Austin presents this class in a low-key manner, using a soft voice to deliver informative directional cues. Participants familiar with yoga will find a comfortable cross-section of yoga postures throughout this format. A broad range of people can enjoy the dual benefit and applicability of this exercise style because it is slow and safe (yet effective). All major muscles of the body are given attention through overhead extensions of the arms, deep lunges, and forward bends. Transitions from pose to pose are exact and fluid, without being overly challenging or ineffective. New Age music plays in the background and a peaceful aura exudes from the light-colored surroundings on the set. Repeated performances of this session would lead to increased flexibility and muscle elasticity, which can speed metabolism and stave off exercise-induced injuries to tendons and joints. A light warm-up (for example, a 10-minute walk) would complement this class well, allowing participants to hold stretches longer and move deeper into each pose. Overall <I>Stretch and Flex</I> would be a welcome accompaniment to any fitness regimen because of the terrific attention to safety. <I>--Olivia Voigts</I> Reader Reviews This 3 video set includes "Sizzler", "Totally Firm With Weights", and "Stretch And Flex". By rotating these videos you get a cardio workout, strength training, and stretching. It's neccessary to include all of these categories to keep good health. I adore the videos as well as Denise Austin, an incredibly motivating instructor. Just make sure you have dumbells, a weight bench, and some sneakers, and you can have a healthier mind and body!

Denise Austin - Hit the Spot:Trim & Tone Trio Gold Available from Amazon Price: $19.98 Updated on 11-24-2008.

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