Customer Reviews

10 Minute Solution - Carb and Calorie Burner

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As someone who depises cardio, this is the perfect workout for me. In fact, it has me so spoiled, I can't bear to do any of my previous workouts.

I love it because it doesn't waste any time. By minute 3 I am sweating. And with 5 different workouts, it's hard to get bored. Michelle is an excellent instructor, and knowing it will be over in 10 minutes motivates me to work harder.

My favorite is the third workout which uses pylometics. The first one is also great and a great add on to other workouts. I also enjoy the fourth bootcamp style one (it also works your abs). The last one is more toning than cardio and great for those time crunched days.

That said there is little instruction as to proper form, really no warmup and little cool down, and moves very quickly in order to maximize time. Therefore it may not be the best for beginner exercisers.

This is a really good workout that will have you sweating bullets. If you're familiar with the "10 Minute Solution" series, you know that this is a series of 10-minute workouts that you can do consecutively to create a long 50-minute cardio blast session. Something about that setup really appeals to me - I think it's because it's easier to push through to the end of each segment since you can keep telling yourself it'll all be over in a few minutes. And it's easier to willpower yourself to do the next segment too because, hey, it's only 10 minutes. It really does make it seem to go by faster than if they called it "The 50 Minute Solution" and didn't break it up into segments.

The flip side of the 10-minute format is the time crunch. This workout does not waste a single second - even for things that deserve a little extra time like stretches. It also doesn't go into a lot of detailed instruction, so unless you're already pretty familiar with what proper exercise form looks like, this may be a little too advanced.

The workout starts with two relatively manageable workouts that get your heartrate pumping, followed by a third that involves a lot of high-impact hopping around. Even though modified versions of the exercises are explained, if you need to avoid high-impact because of joint problems, this is probably not for you. The fourth workout is pretty tough too, and the fifth one, "Metabolism Booster" incorporates some light dumbbells in a weight-lifting segment that will keep you burning calories after the workout is over.

I really like the instructor - she's attractive and fit, upbeat and cheerful without irritating me. You could do this video over and over and not get sick of her, which of course is the backbone of any successful home workout video.

I also recommend this workout to those who have a small space at home to workout - I remember those days when my workouts were a little too big for my college apartment.

I have to admit I'm a teensy bit annoyed that this DVD is called the "Carb and Calorie Burner" - as if there are exercises that specifically burn carbs as opposed to just calories in general. I feel like they're catering to our carbophobic nation. But I can't hold it against them - I love the 10 Minute Solution and am confident that they will be able to help me burn copious amounts of carbs. :)

Being a new mom, I sometimes can barely make it through a 40 minute workout on any given day; so this DVD is great because you can pick and choose what kind of workout you want, according to priority. Be prepared to do a lot of jumping, squats and planks. If you can do all five segments, you will work up a major sweat!

This is dvd provides a bunch of cardio options, from lower impact, higher impact and "cardio sculpting." While there are obviously five different segments, depending on the sequencing and the number of segments you choose, you can get even more variety. For example, a "lighter" workout could start with Slow and Steady Burn and then move onto the Carb Killer/Kickboxing segment, while a more intense, circuit/interval workout could be had by combining the other three. I would, however, recommend starting out with the Slow and Steady Burn segment if time allows because it has the longest ramp up to intense activity. Dozois does include a brief warmup and stretch segment in the first two minutes and a very brief cooldown in the last thirty to forty seconds, you probably want to warm up a little longer before you jump into, say, the Bootcamp segment.

My favorite segment is the Metabolism Booster- I can still feel my heartrate going up even though we're using weights, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pace was such that I could switch my weights for the different segments. So while anterior deltoids get five pounds, I could heavy up to my eights or tens for most of the other work and even my fifteens for lat rows. No pressure though- you can still get a great workout using your threes and fives. This is also a cool little section because she's using a bunch of functional moves, even though this isn't marketed as a "Functional Fitness" workout.

My next favorite segment is the Interval Burn/Bootcamp. It also uses sculpting moves, but done at a faster pace and without weights. The first half is three or four circuits of fast paced leg work (four exercises in each), and then we move to the floor for challenging upper body and abdominal work. My heartrate was up there throughout, maybe even more so than in the weights segment.

The Carb Killer/Kickboxing segment was fun, but I was hoping for a slightly faster pace. She teaches the usual punches and kicks, then puts them together for a very brief combination. This is still fun, but it's definitely got an upper body emphasis.

Slow and Steady Burn is a nice little segment, more than an extended warm up, but not enough for my heart to be my only workout, unlike the first two segments I mentioned. This is classic aerobics-class cardio, with more step touches, v-steps and the like. It does get your heart-rate up, but again, probably won't be enough cardio for most people.

My least favorite segment was the Power Blast, only because between weak ankles and a second floor condo, impact makes me nervous. I would have liked some lower impact alternatives to be mentioned but, again, the ten-minute format limits what you can alternatively instruct.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this workout and have to stop myself from overusing it. This is fun and flexible, and I think beginners through high-intermediates will really enjoy this.

If not, then you are like me, and maybe you shouldn't buy it :)

I have some experience in dance and following exercise routines, and I felt the she went way too fast for me. I am sure if I did the video every day it would seem fine, but unless you are comfortable flailing around and being confused until you remember the steps, you might find this video a little difficult. Also, I didn't seem much difference in any of the 10-minute segments. All I know is that each one was all about the squats - and while they are effective, it is also boring. I like a lot of variety, which is why I like exercise videos with broken up sections like this series.

A good feature of this DVD is the "personalized workout", common to all of these DVDs. Using the menu in the beginning, you can select which 10-minute segments you would like to do and in which order.

I might try this one out again, but probably not. I usually use the Prevention Fitness Systems: 3-2-1 Workout and the 10 Minute Solution - Kickbox Bootcamp DVDs instead.

This is an awesome workout, time flies, you work up a good sweat and feel very challenged. The instructor is energetic and her cueing is excellent. The set is bright and the music is upbeat, very good production quality. The dvd is great because you can set up your workout in any order you want (which is wonderful for a busy mom of two toddlers like me!). I highly recommend this as well as the 10 Minute Solution Pilates dvd.

The 10 Minute Solution Carb and Calorie burner consists of 5 10 minute workouts designed to burn carbs and calories. The first three workouts (Slow and Steady Burn, Carb Killer and Power Blast) are cardio workouts with built in warm up and cool down the next 2 (Interval Burn and Metabolism Booster) focus more on target toning but are still fast pased.
Slow and Steady Burn- A cardio workout with many unique and easy to follow moves that is anything but slow.
Carb Killer- This is my favortite the workout uses basic kickboxing moves to blast away fat.
Power Blast- This is a challenging workout Michelle Dozois gives you three different routines with 4 exercises in each in between each routine is a 30 second break which to me is the only problem because I have to keep jogging in that break or my heart rate goes down.
Interval Burn- This segment deffinatly takes you back to the basics you squat, lundge and crunch to tone your whole body.
Metabolism Booster- The more muscle you have the higher your metabolism, Michelle uses light hand weights to scuplt your body and build muscle.
I personally liked this DVD. The instructor Michelle Dozois knows what she's doing and motivates you without acting fake. My only problem is the warm up and cool down included in every section it brings your heart rate down and it takes a while to bring it back up again (to avoid this I run in place doing the warm up and skip the cool down and go right to the next segment) if you only do 10 minutes then how it is, is fine. The workouts are easy to follow (I am a fairly a advanced athlete) and they get you sweating, overall I think you should bye this DVD.

I felt that the instructor was great, however, because it is divided into 10 minutes segments, it is very difficult to put a few segments together. Each segment has a warmup and a cool down, and so it is too choppy if you need a good ongoing workout. My heart rate would go down and I would try to do my own moves to keep it up, but it was distracting having the continual warm-up and cool downs for each segment.

This would probably be good for a beginner, or for someone who isn't interested in combining the segments. A few of the segments were way too jumpy for me--hard on the knees.

And it was also a bit strange not having any other people in the background. The instructor is all you see in this big room. Pretty room, but she looks a bit lonely.

This is a great workout as a whole (or more than one segment at least). Michelle Dozois (Shape dvd's) is energetic and enthusiastic without going overboard. She is motivating and cues very well. The five segments are Slow and Steady Burn, Carb Killer, Power Blast, Interval Burn and Metabolism Booster. The thing I like about this is that you can customise your own workout or do them in order. There's great music to also keep you motivated and give you a good workout routine. The only problem is that you really should do a minimum of two workouts in a row or you won't get as much benefit as possible. One segment is fine on it's own if you are topping up from another routine you do. But overall, I think everyone will like this because it's great if you are short on time and because you can mix it up, it doesn't get boring. I love it.

I like this video. I love that you can customize your workout and do the segments you want to in the order you choose. I feel like the intensity doesn't come often enough up and stay there long enough. Some of the moves are really fun but the cueing is just ok and could be a bit better.

I do not recommend this workout at all for someone new to exercise. There is absolutely no instruction as to proper form which could result in some serious injuries. Additionally, people with joint and knee problems should look elsewhere because this is definitely high impact. Suggestion for the next program your own workout would be to make a warm up and cool down (both a bit longer)seperate selections and allow people to choose them once so you're not bringing your heartrate back down every 10 minutes.

As far as aerobic videos go, it's a pretty good one (compared to what's out there when you don't have an hour to exercise!) and I'll use it often because of the time I don't have to workout!