Low intensity makes a high impact - exercise video reviews

American Fitness, July-August, 1994 by Nancy Gillette

Kathy Smith: Secrets of a Great Body, Lower Body Workout Vol. 2

The solid consulting team of Madeleine Lewis and Jerry Robinson have come up with another video that will be a big seller for Kathy Smith. This 30-minute tape focuses on "low rep/overload" for the buttocks, hamstrings, hip abductors and adductors, quads and what they call "front" and "back" calves. No weights are required, just a chair.

The warm-up is strictly a limber--no stretches. Modify the head position in the side-lying position to all the way down. If you have knee problems, take it easy and modify by shortening the range of motion--especially in squats and lunges. This workout offers unusual positioning and long levers which overload the muscles quickly. Keeping the torso stabilized throughout, as Smith demonstrates, will enable the safest possible workout for beginning through advanced exercisers.

Kathy Smith: March to Fitness

this simple marching and stepping, low-impact 30-minute workout is a good way to introduce aerobic dance to first timers. A bit of style is added through music and '60s, Latin and '90s dance moves. Though it may be boring for anyone who's been around the block, March to Fitness is suitable for novices.

For best results, hold the static stretches in the warm-up for at least eight to 10 seconds and pay more attention to the back stretches presented, which could be inadequate for beginners. Also lengthen the cool-down stretches to 20 to 30 seconds each.

Smith's professional and easygoing manner saves this otherwise low point in her extensive workout video library.

Stormie Omartian's Better Body Workout

Backed by four principals, Stormie Omartian leads a safe, solid program for the novice to intermediate exerciser. Beth Sanden co-choreographed the video.

A standard warm-up is followed by a 28-minute, low-impact cardio section, six minutes of toning exercises and cooldown stretches--all clearly marked. Voice-over is used for the entire video, causing a lack of interaction between principals. Not seeing any mouths moving appears artificial, but was probably a good production move since it allows for more extensive cueing and transitional talk by Omartian. The video's final moments offer encouragement and body care information.

Tanya Tucker Country Workout

Tanya Tucker is wonderfully friendly and approachable. The music is fabulous--Tucker's own--and the feel is folksy, low budget and down-home. Too bad Tucker isn't leading the workout.

Lisa Rice, her trainer, leads the warmup and high/low-impact aerobics. Rice rarely gives alignment or safety cues, and doesn't offer the current fare of progressively built combinations and patterns. The music's bpm is too fast for the selected moves, so the offbeat movements are a real distraction. However, the cool-down, abdominal and hip abductor and adductor exercises are led in a professional manner. Overall, the high-impact tape is safe, as long as you can correct your own alignment and posture rather than following Rice's.