Women's Health: Train for Your Body Type

I love this DVD! I own about 25 or so workout DVDs and after using this one for a few days it is now one of my favorites. I've really been impressed with the Women's Health work out DVDs. I own this "Train for your Body Type" and the "Wedding Workout" DVD. They're both customizable, so you can pick which sections you want to work on each day (for this video, cardio and abs or just legs and arms, etc). The cardio section is high intensity and only 22 minutes so it is perfect for those of us that have hectic work and/or home schedules (beginning exercisers may find it pretty tough however and will need to follow the modifier). You get a very solid cardio workout in a short period of time (there is lots of jumping so for those with bad knees you'd like have to follow the low intensity version). The weight sections of this workout also use innovative techniques to hit multiple muscles at once, allowing you to work out more efficiently. There are even mini sections of 5-7 minutes that feature either cardio bursts, yoga/pilates, or a heavy weight lifting section if you're looking to add a little variety to your work out.The "train for your body type" aspect is addressed by the DVD allowing you to select one of three body type workout options "curvy," "long and lean," or "athletic." Based on the body type you select the DVD will give you a seven day workout plan (alternating cardio, lower body, abs, etc. throughout each day). Of course you don't have the follow the plan laid out and can do any section of the DVD you please on any given day.This really is a solid workout DVD, and from what I've seen of other Women's Health DVD reviews the entire line is quality. In fact, I'm about to purchase the other WH DVDs that I don't currently own!

I love all of the Women's Health workouts (I own them all), but this one is fantastic. You're supposed to do the various different segments on different days to train for certain body types, but I usually do all the segments at once, because they are a fantastic total body workout when done together. Every segment impressed me, and was obviously designed to be as effective as possible. You will need some light weights (2-5 pounds) and a mat for this workout.The good:--The cardio segment (about 22 minutes) is FABULOUS! It's done in 4 "rounds" (circuits, really), and you do each circuit twice. The exercises in each round are varied in intensity. Inbetween each exercise you are jogging, so you are constantly keeping your heart rate up. This is one of the few cardio segments from a magazine workout that I have that truly gets my heart rate up to 70-80% of maximum and keeps it in that range the entire time.--The toning segments (upper body, lower body, and abs) are all great, too--very effective moves.--All the moves are very simple and require little coordination to follow them; however they are very effective!--High and low impact options/modifications are shown for each exercise.Needs improvement:--I wished the toning segments could have been a little longer (they run about 11-12 minutes each)--Jessica Smith is a good instructor, but is a little "wooden."The good outweighs the bad here; This is an excellently designed workout that a beginner (using modifications) or an advanced exerciser would enjoy. It is challenging, and it will push you (especially the cardio!). A great buy for your money!

This is a surprisingly versatile workout DVD and it can be customized almost endlessly. Other reviewers have already done a great job detailing what you're in for with this workout, and I don't have anything to add.My issue with this DVD, why I did not give it four stars that it should have, is that if you aren't sure of which body type you are, vis-a-vis this DVD, the instructor invites you to go to Women's Health Magazine's website and take their quiz. Since the production of this workout DVD, Women's Health Magazine has re-done their website, and there is no quiz anymore, or if it's there, it's impossible to find. This is not to say your success with this workout DVD hinges on a quiz you can't find to take, but if Women's Health is going to put out workout DVDs and advertise things on their website that are to be used as tools with the DVDs, they should keep these things on their website for longer than a year or so, in case someone buys this DVD a few years later.Other than this issue, this is a very good workout, especially if you're just getting started!