Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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76 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Feel the Burn and Become the Biggest Loser!, January 10, 2009
This is a great workout that can grow with you as your strength and stamina develop. This workout is probably too intense for the true beginner, but would provide an excellent workout for the advanced beginner to intermediate exerciser. There are 3 separate workouts (called Levels) that progress in difficulty. Level 1 lasts 20 minutes and consists of an interval workout that mixes cardio with strength moves that work the upper and lower body simultaneously. Level 2 is 15 minutes and has more challenging moves such as squat thrusts, jumping pushups, tricep dips with a leg lifts and one-arm pushups. This section has some high impact moves, so be prepared to jump. Fortunately, Heba and Vicky show low impact versions, so you don't ever have to jump if you don't want to. Finally, Level 3 is 10 minutes and focuses on strength moves to really exhaust the muscles and add definition. A warm-up and cool-down are included. The stretching section is excellent. Bob doesn't really do the moves, but he coaches and helps the contestants maintain proper form.
You can customize your workout by selecting which levels you want to do and the order you want to do them at the beginning of you workout. You can do each level once, more than once or not at all. Or you can choose the Maximum Results program which has preset selections based on how many weeks you've been doing the program.
Equipment Needed: Hand Weights, Resistance Band, Medicine Ball (however the band and ball are optional and the moves are also shown without them)
Things That Could Be Improved: My only complaint is that sometimes the contestants performing the workout don't always demonstrate the best form, and will sometimes randomly do their own thing. Your best bet is to follow Allie if you want to do the move correctly. Heba shows modifications to make the workout easier if you are just starting out. The moves are simple and easy to follow, so you can do this workout even if you aren't super coordinated.
Overall: This is a great workout that will really improve your fitness level and help to build strength and agility. It uses proven techniques such as interval training and plyometrics, and Bob is a motivating instructor. This is how they really workout on the ranch. Enjoy and hope you get great results!
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41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As always, Bob motivates and creates a truly effective workout!, December 28, 2008
I not only own the other Biggest Loser dvds, but do my daily workout from a selection of about 100 dvds. Still, this was a "must have" to add to my collection...as that was my first thought after doing it.
I've always found Bob to be one of the best motivators. He doesn't just do a move that you follow and move on, he shows you as a coach how to do it correctly so that you gain maximum benefit from it.
This dvd is both cardio and sculpting and this creates maximum fat burning...you'll burn lots of calories during the cardio portions, then the sculpting will help you increase muscle mass which, thereby, increases your metabolism and burns even more calories even while you are at rest.
Even if you own the other Biggest Loser workouts, this one adds new moves, new people, more variety and great results.
I typically rotate all my workouts so that I have constant variety from my collection but I found myself continually going back to this dvd time and again and back to back.
Therefor, it needed to recieve some accolades via Amazon...Bob succeeded once again with a "must have" workout that all can do!
And, on that note, it should be noted whether you workout daily like myself or you are just beginning, he has moves for either class of fitness persona. You can follow along with the easy program, or go full steam once you improve...either way, the moves are easy to follow and produce rapid results.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Review from a PT and a NON-BL Watcher: Excellent Workout!, July 6, 2009
I'm a physical therapist, so I am extremely critical of exercise videos, and poor form/instruction makes me crazy. I've also never seen the show Biggest Loser, so I didn't know any of the participants here and I didn't really know what to expect. But I do like working out at home sometimes and this video got great reviews, so I gave it a try. I echo the great reviews: This is an excellent workout, both challenging and well put-together, and the instruction is top-notch.
The Cast: This workout is led by Bob, who I take to be a trainer from the show. Bob manages what very few do: he is likable without being syrupy, and motivating without being obnoxious. His form is perfection that makes my PT heart sing, and his instruction and cueing are perfect as far as safe and effective form. He makes me want to watch the show. Working out with Bob is Ali, who I think is the season 5 winner and who has form as close to perfect as a non-professional gets. When Bob's talking, watch Ali for form. There are also Bill (S4 winner?) and Bernie (at home winner - whatever that is) - they both have good form and Bernie is charming. Michelle is in 2 of the 3 segments - she has very good form herself, second only to Ali. The last 2, who thankfully are not in every segment, are Vicky and Heba. Heba is often the demonstrator of the modified form of an exercise and I think this is a HUGE mistake. (It's why I give 4 stars instead of 5.) Her form is dreadful, in almost every exercise and position. Please don't watch her! Having modifications is crucial, but they should NOT be given to the least fit person to demonstrate - they should be given to a very fit person who can demonstrate safe and perfect form to the beginners who are likely following the modifications. Bad call on that casting.
The Format: A very nice and easily customizable menu. There is a 5 minute warm-up, a 20 minute Level One, a 15 minute Level Two, a 10 minute Level Three, and a 5 minute cool down. You are meant to do Level One for 2 weeks, then add Level Two, and then add Level Three 2 weeks after that. It's nice plan though a beginning exerciser would probably be best served staying on each level for 4 weeks before increasing. Of course you can do whatever you feel like doing / have time to do each day. My pre-teen son, who wants to start using weights, does just the Level Three - a few times a week. (He has no need for anything else as he is an active athlete.)
The Exercises & Equipment: Level One is no walk in the park - and it may be out of reach for the very unfit. It's a challenging mix of low impact cardio (one high impact spot - modification for low impact given) and work with hand weights. I would advise someone new to exercise to do this level for at least 2-3 weeks without any weights, before attempting to add weights. Level Two is very hard - it uses hand weights (and a medicine ball though this is optional) with a mix of squats, lunges, pushups, tough ab work, and exhausting plyometrics. It's a GREAT workout! Modifications are always given but still I would call this workout intermediate - advanced. Level Three is pure muscle work using hand weights or a resistance band. It's well put together, hitting every major upper body muscle group. In my opinion, though this is not stated anywhere, Level Three is the only place where it would be appropriate to use a heavy hand weight, as you are doing specific and slow sets on each muscle group. The first 2 levels move along pretty fast, and there is some repetitive work, so my professional advice (to women) would be that nothing heavier than 5lb dumbbells (most people should keep it at 3 lbs, beginners could use 1 or 2 lb weights) should be used, or you could potentially aggravate your shoulders and/or develop a tendonitis.
Bottom Line: Excellent workout, both in terms of effectiveness and of structure, with great cuing and a likable coach. Downgraded from 5 to 4 stars because of the poor form shown in the modifications.
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