Customer Reviews

Denise Austin - Pregnancy Plus Workout [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I have used this video through my first 3 pregnancies, and now that I'm expecting baby #4 am really enjoying the benefits of it! There are some interruptions which can be annoying, but I like to sip my water through the workout, and this affords me the opportunity. I also have the Kathy Smith workout, and it is more for moms that are looking for a longer, more intensive workout. The pregnancy workout on Smith's video is 45 minutes, where Austin's is only 30 minutes, and adequate for getting into and staying in shape. It is very low impact, and Denise Austin does a great job of encouraging her viewers!

Denise Austin keeps it short and simple. The prenatal workout is easy, more suited for moms in the third trimester or those who were not following a fitness program prior to pregnancy. My favorite prenatal workout is the more recently released Leisa Hart's Fit Mama, but this one is okay. My main problem with Denise's video is that she frequently interjects the routine to demonstrate the proper technique. In Leisa's video they show the demo side by side with the workout. Here is a summary:

PRENATAL WORKOUT:
INTRODUCTION (6 min) - A pregnant and young-looking Denise asks "her doctor" questions about pregnancy and exercise. This section also features ACOG guidelines and a summary of what to expect in her video.

WARM-UP (6 min) - Cool Motown music! Denise and two other pregnant women workout on a wooden floor set with two floating (?) windows in a fake sky. Denise cuts into the routine to demonstrate a plie.

LOW-IMPACT AEROBICS (15 min) - Moves are very simple. After 2.5 minutes she interjects to show a proper grapevine move. Takes heart rate 3 times. Bicep and tricep workout seemed too short. Denise doesn't always cue well, and her participants stutter step from time to time.

ABS & THIGHS (5 min) - I really felt it in my thighs! Abs routine was quick.

STRETCH / COOL DOWN (3 min) - Denise leads you through "active relaxation" which is basically lying down on a pillow.

INTERLUDE (3 min) - Meet Denise's first child Kelly and babies of two participants. Denise poses post partum questions to doctor from introduction.

POSTNATAL WORKOUT:
INTRODUCTION (4 min) - How do Denise and her crew look so FIT so soon after giving birth (all 3 have flat abs). The high energy classical music sounds cool.

AEROBICS (9 min) - Denise has a new attitude just like the music said, but her moves are not necessarily new.

FLOOR WORK ( 9 min) - Denise shows how to check for the separation of the rectus abdominal, which I thought was very helpful. Includes Kegels, pelvic tilts, crunches, buttock lifts. I was hoping Denise would share secrets on how to flatten postbaby abs, but the ab routine was disappointingly short.

Though the workout in this video is adequate - it will get your heartrate up, and the exercises are easily performed during pregnancy - I found it harder and harder to face turning it on every morning. Denise Austin's workout is interrupted three times to show pointers on proper form. These pointers could be better given at the BEGINNING of the workout instead of interrupting the flow of the routine, or these pointers could be explained without stopping the workout. Another annoyance is Denise's habit of starting new moves without first telling viewers what she is about to do. Viewers could get used to this after having seen the workout a few times, but for the fact that her repetition counts vary. In an alternating sequence of forward glide-steps and backward marching steps, I counted 4 to the front each time, alternated with 10 steps to the back, then 6 to the back, then 8 to the back. To make it even more difficult to follow, the cameramen tend to focus on the students in her class when they are out of step. To top it off, Denise's normally high-energy style has been transformed in this video to a caricature of cheerleader-like giddiness. This is without a doubt the most annoying video I have ever used.

I used this video throughout my first pregnancy and have started to use it with my second as well. I found the 30 minute time frame to be just the right length -- both when I was working full time during my first pregnancy, and now that I have a toddler under foot during my second. I tried a few other videos and kept comming back to this one as the only one that was interesting enough to do several times a week. This time around I am alternating it with a pre-natal yoga tape.

Denise keeps it simple, but varied. Unlike some more "serious" workouts, the movements are fun to do and I don't find myself wishing to get on to the next set. The workout is not particulary strenuous, so may not be challenging enough for the very physically fit. I am reasonably fit, but can get my heartrate up by putting some energy into it. I don't find the two explanation breaks to be a problem. After a few viewings, I just continued to exercise through them. Bottom line: a great video for busy moms who don't mind (or can get past) Denise Austin's perky-cheerleader style.

This is the ultimate. I developed gestational diabetes with both my pregnancies, and this video helped me control my blood sugar without having to go on insulin. It is so nice that Denise is pregnant at the same time. I did not wind up puffy in my legs/feet, face, or elsewhere. Even though I was doing it every day, I never got bored. In fact, I looked forward to seeing Denise every day. I would recommend this for any one. She is easy to follow, and offers informative medical information i.e. interview with an MD, info about pulse rate, etc. The only depressing thing is in the post-baby work out. She and the other two women looked like they had never had a baby, it was a real let down when I didn't look like that four weeks post-partum! All in all, though, GET THIS VIDEO!

I workout to this video every morning, 5 days a week and it feels great. A former runner, I thought the workout at first was too easy, but as I go through the aches and pains and awkwardness of pregnancy, it feels just right. It also helps me to be consistent - 30 minutes is easy to fit into my morning. I also love Denise and her encouraging comments - it puts me in a good mood. There are two excerpts on form that I either fast forward through or just keep moving. I highly recommend this video during pregnancy.

With my first pregnancy, I never worked out, got very big and had a difficult time getting back in shape. For my second pregnancy, I bought this video and did it almost every day. The results were AMAZING! I did not gain as much weight, I did not have swelling in my legs or face, and I am in my regular clothes 7 weeks postpartum! I am now doing the postpartum section and have never felt better. Denise is very friendly and helpful and I look forward to doing these excersises. They are very low impact and feel great. I would highly recommend this tape to anyone. It was a lifesaver for me!

I bought this video during my first pregnancy and, unfortunately, didn't use it often enough to notice the results. Now, two months into my second, I have been doing this light workout every day for a couple of weeks and have definitely noticed that I am feeling more energized and in a better mood that I did before I started. The workout is a half-hour of light aerobics and stretching exercises that will just plain make you feel good! It isn't too taxing and has the American College of OB/GYN seal of approval. The nice thing is that it is easy to fit this into your day, being only 30 minutes long. It also includes a 20-minute post-partum workout intended to help you with your recovery. I never used that portion of the tape either, but you can believe that I will with this baby! My only complaint is that in the middle of some of the workouts, it goes to a full screen explanation of the moves that you are doing, interrupting the momentum of the exercise. Other than that, this is an ideal way for expecting mothers to increase their energy and well-being.

For someone who has a very poor exercise regime record, this was a great way to get myself back into some sort of routine! But - if you're planning on doing it every day or two, it gets very repetitive and boring. I'm not sure if it was Denise or my pregnancy hormones, but I really started hating her, the unmoving hair, the permanent grin and the little pep talk... So - a great introduction to fitness when pregnant, but be prepared to move on pretty quickly. If only there was something to move onto...

Of course there are some people who will find a reason not to give 5 stars, perhaps the perky instructor, or the level of intensity was too much or not enough, but you don't know until you try right? Well I think that Denise offers great advice on the safety precautions during the workout, and also offers valuable tips for pregnancy which I found useful, (like kegels.) She wasn't too perky for me, like others said, which didn't bother me a bit. But the workout is a little too easy but not everyone is advanced in their present fitness state and if this is you, then this workout is well put together, very knowledgable, and Denise has a quite sweet persona. If your worried about jumping up and down, or have bad knees, a beginner, then this workout is great. I tried Kathy Smith's pregnancy workout which was more intense and suited my current fitness level and worked my legs and buns (where I needed it) real well. If your intermediate/advanced, then I'd try Kathy Smith, it will definitely keep you in shape. Denise on the other hand offers a great workout for beginners, which was too easy for me. Like I said, if your a beginner then this is a great tape!