Customer Reviews

Bob Greene: Total Body Makeover

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I love Bob Greene's books and watching him on Oprah so just purchased this DVD as it was advertised as a full workout to get in shape but with bonus information. He barely talks at all about getting in shape and some of it is repetitive. On the workout itself I was expecting a get in shape program with lots more info from him instead its lunges...lunges and more lunges and I agree with the previous review about the camera being on him and not on the woman working out. I found this DVD workout boring and the 8 workouts are all the same more lunges!!!! wont be using this again.

PROS: The exercises are excellent, and the DVD is designed to move progressively, with each week's exercises becoming more challenging.

CONS: It takes a few times to get the exercises exactly right. The camera is often focused on Bob Greene more than the person who is actually doing the exercise (she's often out of frame). Instead of watching her do the exercise, we frequently see him smugly telling her how many more to do. Also, there are times when she is doing the exercise wrong, but we don't know until he corrects her (more than halfway through). Maybe he was too busy hamming it up for the camera to really be watching.

I really enjoyed all of Bob Greene's books, but he really annoys me in this DVD. I'm going to continue to do some of the exercises from the routines, but I am skipping the DVD.

I must say that I LOVE this DVD. The workouts are fast paced and progressive. Bob can be overly happy that there are a few more reps left but I love that he is there coaching me on - he's got the best "no nonsense" approach. I also agree with the other reviewers that there are a lot of lunges (in all directions) but my legs look the best they ever have! I saw results in the first two weeks! It encouraged me to stick with the 8 week plan. (Giving up my wine in the evenings was the hardest)

Kudos to Bob Greene for rounding out his 8 week makeover with some very solid fitness. I've lost over 20 lbs in the 8 week time frame and use the last two workout as my maintenance routine. This one for me is definitely a keeper! It kept the promise of making my body over in 8 weeks... can't say the same for other products that I have tried. 10 min workouts - worked for me.

I know this video has gotten a lot of negative reviews because of Bob's lack of direction, but at the end of the day all I care about is whether or not the exercises work, and so far my butt has never looked better! No complaints here!

I have always enjoyed listening to Bob Greene on the Oprah Winfrey show so I thought that this would be an excellent DVD. I expected some cardio accompanied by strength training and stretches. The eight week segments each lasted approximatelly ten to fifteen minutes and consisted mainly of squats, lunges, and crunches. As you continue progressing through the eight week shape up segments, he creates complicated arrangements of more squats, lunges, lifts, and squats. Sometimes the exercise was so elaborate that the movements felt awkward and I began to dread doing the segment. Another problem is that each segment begins rather quickly with the demonstrater doing the exercise full tilt. There is no explanation of how to do the exercise or how heavy a weight to use and a lot of the time the camera focused on Bob instead of the demonstrater. Sometimes the exercise was so elaborate that you would have to watch for a bit before you could perform the exercise. I continue to use the DVD because I hate wasting my money, but I am to the point of filing this DVD under G.

Love this DVD. The workout is easy to follow for an out of shape beginner like me. The food and diet advice is pretty familiar and sound. Easy to follow instructions, no complicated foot work or movements that may throw out your back or pull a muscle. I highly recommend it for those who haven't exercised in a long while.

The video is super fun and motivating. The exercises in particular are pretty unique; I have never seen a workout video quite like this one. The exercises are really creative and effective.

Despite all the negative reviews I decided to purchase this DVD and I am so glad that I did. I do agree with some of the comments, namely that the camera is focused too much on Bob and not the person doing the exercise and also poor cueing. That being said, this is a top notch workout DVD from one of the best in the business. Bob Green has been around for a long time and in my book, experience does have some advantages. The DVD has eight separate workouts that are short but effective and incorporates all 3 areas of a good workout, strength, flexibility and balance. The exercises range between 10-20 minutes each. This is especially helpful for someone with a busy schedule who needs a quick but effective workout in the mornings before work or evenings after work. The exercises are progressive which makes it adaptable for beginners through advanced. There are some traditional lunges but also plenty of new moves which keeps the workouts interesting. There is also plenty of variety which keeps the muscles guessing as muscles tend to adapt if you do the same repetitive exercises every day. There is also a feature in the DVD that allows you to customize your routine by combining a group of exercises. Included as a bonus is a booklet and a brief video session about food and nutrition and the role this plays in weight management. Finally, there are also brief tid bits that Bob recites before each workout which provide inspiration and encouragement. The DVD is not perfect. I recommend watching in its entirety the specic workout the day before doing the workout to compensate for some of the bad photography and cueing. Overall, however, the benefits of this DVD far outweigh the cons. Given the expertise, variety and adaptability, this is an exceptional workout DVD and a valuable addition to any exercise video library. I hope that Bob will do another workout DVD soon.

I BOUGHT THIS TAPE -- DO NOT NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT, BUT IT GOT ME INTO SHAPE, AND GOT RID OF MY BACK PAIN! I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER!

Bought this after a free 1 week workout and really got into it before leaving for a 2 month visit with my daughter and new grandbaby. Looking forward to resuming when I get back home and that tells you its worth because there are few things I am looking forward to vs. staying here and holding baby forever. :)
Seriously, the workouts are not time consuming for those who have little time and they get harder gradually. I really like the variety in the ab exercises. Since I haven't finished the DVD I should come back after my return to exercise. I did get to the 4th week and I could feel the work being done.