Customer Reviews

Denise Austin - Fat-Blasting Yoga: 21 Days to a Yoga Body [VHS]

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

This is a great video ! I honestly HATE working out, but I LOVE yoga. I already had a wonderful yoga video, but it was too long of a work out to fit into my schedule. I like the way this one is broken up into 3 short workouts. I like the way Denise keeps her moves simple, but effective. This video is EXCELLENT for your back. You feel pain free and thoroughly stretched after these workouts. I think Denise Austin is a sincerely sweet and motivating person. I recommend her videos to anyone who wants a realistic workout that you can stick with. As far as the stability ball, a large kids' ball works great.

This is Fat-Blasting yoga, it is not traditional yoga. The box clearly states that the poses are performed "in a flowing style to increase the heart rate, boost metabolism and burn calories and fat." If you're looking for a DVD to teach you the traditional poses and breathing techniques, this is not the one. If you're looking to lose some weight and gain some flexibility, this is an excellent choice.

My goal when I set out three weeks ago was to lose 50 lbs by next summer, and by alternating this DVD with Denise's "Pilates for Every Body" (along with a better diet), I have already lost 10 lbs. It is difficult to give an overall loss, because these programs build muscle, which, of course, weighs more than fat. Suffice it to say, I have a very defined waistline again, my stomach has flattened out considerably, and I can see definite muscle tone in my arms and legs.

I have had a difficult time in the past sticking to exercise programs, but I now find that I start to feel a bit sketchy if I haven't worked out by around 7 p.m. This workout is fun, and I found early on that you can do your own slight modifications to the poses until you've gained the flexibility to do them the way they are taught. I look forward to working out every day, and I especially enjoy "Yoga Days." After three weeks, I am more flexible, more balanced and more focused - and did I mention, lighter?

One complaint: I'm certain that in the Balancing Stick series, she has you doing one leg twice and the other leg four times, and I'm not sure she's consistent with count on other exercises. Once you get familiar with the workout, though, you can adjust for that.

Denise tends to say "This is my favourite," for several stretches or moves. This is not as annoying as funny, when you realize that she really loves what she's doing. She's very motivating, and she seems to realize that not everyone is at her fitness level.

Incidentally, I have suffered knee, shoulder and back injuries through gymnastics, and I find that this video does not aggravate those at all. I recommend, however, purchasing a stability ball if you're serious about this workout. It really takes the pressure off your back when doing things such as situps and double-leg stretches.

I bought this DVD hoping to improve my general fitness, balance and flexibility, but it's turned out to be more of an exercise in frustration (pun intended).

First, I find Denise's voice and continuous pep talk annoying. She has an overly cheerful style that can quickly become irritating, especially when she coos something like, "This is my favorite stretch!" or, "Yea, YOGA!"

Second, I find the exercises too difficult and the moves too fast. For example, she has you balancing on one leg while swinging your other leg -- definitely not for the uncoordinated.

Third, she doesn't do much explaining of the exercises -- hardly any, in fact. I guess you're supposed to be able watch her carefully while trying to follow, "Down dog, up dog! Down dog, up dog, down dog -- aaand up dog!"

Finally, she doesn't suggest any alternative moves or strategies for those of us who aren't up to her level of balance or flexibility. Figuring out that I'll need a chair to hold onto lightly while doing the one-legged exercises was easy, but actually using the chair is difficult because she changes moves/sides so often. She doesn't give you time to perfect the positions or work on your stretch in case you aren't able to reach your big toe (or whatever).

I'm not totally giving up on the DVD, but I'm not very happy with it. If I had it to do over, I'd choose something else.

Yoga is apparently supposed to be a way of relaxing your mind and body. This DVD does not do that. It is not even real Yoga. But as someone who is out of shape, do I really care? What I want is some form of exercise - ANY form of exercise that I can do regularly, as in general, I am keen to find any excuse to run away from exercise.

Denise appreciates that there are only so many minutes in a day, and after a lifetime of putdowns, her praise and encouragement is helpful - sometimes cheesy and worn out, but helpful.

I am the sort of person who needs to be told 'You can do it!' and 'I'm proud of you', I believe Denise is sincere in her encouragement. If you don't need this sort of praise, you will probably find it irritating.

I don't mind that there are no instructional guides to how to do the poses - since that would stretch the length of the workout beyond a length of convenience. In one of her other DVDs, she says 'I recommend that you watch the entire workout before you try it for yourself, since you're not always going to be able to see your TV set', and this is what I do now as a habit with any of her DVDs.

There are three workouts, and I can clearly distinguish where each workout begins and where it ends.

The first is 30mins of 'Cardio Conditioning', but really this is more like aerobics based on Yoga poses - it is NOT yoga.

The second workout is 15mins of 'Strength Conditioning', although it is more like resistance training using your own body weight as resistance instead of weights. I find this difficult, being quite a heavy person, but I hope that the more I do the workout, the better I will get at it.

The final workout is 'Core Conditioning', an abdominal workout using a stability ball. I haven't been able to do this workout yet without falling off the ball, but I am getting better, and hope that the more I stay at it, the more I will get out of it.

Like I said, I wasn't bothered about whether it was actually Yoga or not, I just wanted a form of exercise that I could stick to. This has fulfilled those requirements for me, and as far as I'm concerned, thats all that matters.

I am 48 years old and was beginning to feel stiff in the muscles and joints. I told myself to become accustomed to getting older gracefully. Then I began Denise Austin's Fat-Blasting Yoga workout and I regained my flexibility. Plus, I lost the fat on my stomach that often creeps on with age and toned my hips, thighs, and arms. I also lost 10 pounds and have more energy. The workout is not too strenuous. I never even do the whole hour, usually just one of the workouts of about a 20-minute duration. Denise is in her 40's also, so I found that encouraging. Like Denise says, "If you rest, you'll rust." Buy the DVD and get moving!

The thing you have to remember and know about Denise Austin is that she is a fitness expert. She is not a certified Yogi. She uses different exercise techniques to appeal to the millions of Americans who purchase fitness videos. So she makes a wide variety of workouts to appeal to everyone's tastes and keeps up with changing fitness trends. If you want a Yoga workout or a meditative experience, get either Baron Baptiste, Rodney Yee or take a class at your local gym/studio. But if you want a convenient, effective Yoga-influenced workout, get this video. You will achieve results. This is a positive review that I hope reaches those people who are expecting a Yoga experience when they read the words "fat-blasting." HELLO! With that kind of title, one should know that this will be more of a athletically oriented fitness regime as opposed to a slow-paced, stretch and strength Yoga practice.

This is my absolute favorite video! I don't understand why so many people are complaining about this video. It works! You really do get your heart rate up, and I feel very relaxed afterwards. I love Denise Austin! She's a very sweet person and she's really motivating. She really does care that you get in shape and she gives you good information. My butt has never been so firm! My legs are more toned than ever and the last part with the ball is really great for my waistline. I have Winsor Pilates, The original susan harris Firm workout,taebo...nothing compares to this video! I'm definitely buying more Denise pilates/yoga tapes and I tune into her morning show. Get this video, you won't regret it!

The thing I love the most about this video besides the fact it's a great workout, is that it's divided into three sections. The first part is about 30 minutes of Yoga. I had trouble making it through the yoga workout the first time I tried it, but after about 2 weeks, I noticed significant improvement in my strength, balance, and endurance. The second and third parts are about 15 minutes each, focusing on strength training. An exercise ball is used in the third section. This video can be done all at once, or a section at a time depending on your schedule. All three are excellent workouts and you will feel sore the next day! Those of you who are familiar with Denise Austin's style will not be surprised, or let down, by this video. For those of you who are not familiar with Denise, I recommend simply watching the video through once so you get the idea of the routine. Denise tends to change moves quickly without a lot of notice and you may find that difficult at first. Once you've done the workout a few times, it's easier. I had no Yoga experience when I first bought this video, but I had no trouble learning the moves. I was surprised at how much "work" Yoga is, and pleasantly surprised to see definite results in a few weeks. This is a good workout, for Yoga beginners and for the more experienced too!

If you love yoga and you need a challenge, this one is for you! It is definitely not for beginners, though. If you're new to yoga, you may want to try a beginners yoga video and get used to the poses as well as learn the poses by name because Denise really moves through them in this video! It is great workout and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves yoga and wants to break a sweat. You definitely feel results after your first work out. It's also great how the video is split into 3 parts for the days you are running low on time. One little note, the 3rd part requires a stability ball for best results. Happy exercising!! :)

I was very disappointed by this DVD. It's definitely not for beginners--there is no instruction whatsoever. The chapter entitled "Introduction to Yoga" consists of Denise talking about yoga, but gives no demonstrations or intructions on technique. Also, the description of the DVD on the back of the case says that there are three different workouts: one 30-minute and two 15-minute. In actuality, you must choose from 10 chapters:
1. Intro to Yoga
2. Cardio Conditioning
3. The Warrior Series
4. Balancing Stick Series
5. Tree Pose Series
6. Strength Conditioning
7. Twist and Stretch
8. Core Conditioning
9. Obliques
10. Focus on Abdominals

Again, this is NOT for beginners. When you choose a chapter, you are just thrown into a workout, without any instruction (i.e. "Let's begin with a warrior pose"). Having never done yoga before, I have no idea what a warrior pose is. If you are a beginner, I recommend Yoga Journal's Yoga Step by Step.