Customer Reviews

Leslie Sansone - Walk Away the Pounds Express - Super Challenge

5 star:		(205)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The "Super Challenge" DVD is a great addition for in-home walkers. If you are a veteran of the Walk Away the Pounds workouts and you're looking for the next level of working out, this is your DVD.

Leslie uses steps that are easy to follow, this is not about aerobic dancing. The steps on this DVD are:
- Walking (of course!)
- Side Steps (single and double)
- Knee Lifts
- Kicks
- Kick backs (leg curls)
To add some variety to this workout, Leslie uses double side steps, double knee lifts, and even brings back the fabled 80's Grapevine.

The walkers on this DVD are sure to get you motivated. There are women in their 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, and even a man in his 70's. People of all ages and all levels of walking can use this DVD. If you're just getting started, only do the first mile.

The thing that I appreciated most about this DVD is that there are no exercise "extras" you need to buy to do it. There is no "stretchie", no weights, no belt, nothing but your own two feet (and sneakers). Not using extras makes this DVD accessible for everyone.

The music for this DVD is contemporary techno. There is even one song with a little Latin feel to it. The music continues to build in pace until you reach the third mile where you level off for the fourth mile. The pace at the end of the second mile into the beginning of the third mile gets very, very brisk. Hang in there for a great workout.

I have been doing the WATP workouts every day for about 6 months and am very comfortable with the 3 mile tapes, so I was excited to find the 4 mile super challenge, and a challenge it is! I also have a couple of her other 4 mile tapes and while they are a good workout, they don't compare to the super challenge.

You start out easily enough with the familiar warmup from her other videos, but once you're past that, be ready for a high-stepping, pulse-pounding walk in your living room! Once you get to the peak rate, you'll remain there for over a mile - by the time you're finished, you'll know you'be been burning off that fat. The music is great, very motivating, and she has incorporated a more involved stretching routine at the end that I really enjoyed. Highly recommended tape for anyone looking to push themselves a little further in a low impact workout.

Leslie Sansone finally came out with a walk that exceeds her 3 mile tape (which I worked up to being able to finish with ease after a few weeks.) It takes about 56 minutes to do the 4 mile walk, that is about 9 minutes longer than the 3 mile walk from the 1/2/3 WATP series, so there is a somewhat faster pace most notably in the second mile.

No weights or special devices are needed in this workout which is great. There is more attention to arm/upper body in this tape than in the 1/2/3 series. While there are no new "moves" per se, there are variations on the basics WATP steps in miles 3 and 4 which add interest and engage the muscles differently.

There is adequate warm-up and cool-down time. The weird hip-hop-esque music is the only thing I didn't love about the tape and even that changes to regular exercise music after the first mile.

I would *HIGHLY* recommend this tape to anyone familiar with Leslie's previous tapes seeking a greater challenge. It would also be suitable for anyone who wants to settle into a 1-hour in-home walking regimen even if they have not done Leslie's earlier tapes; viewers can always modify the intensity at which they walk or stop before the end of the tape as long as a cool-down is done.

TIPS for the true couch potato: if your TV has a "picture in picture" capability, once you watch this a couple of times you can workout to this tape while playing another program simultaneously. I used to not be able to finish the 1 mile and now I do at least an hour of in-home exercise to video tapes daily with the 4 mile WATP as one of my mainstays- it is so convenient. For any sedentary person who is on the fence about the WATP series- it feels so much better to be active than not. This program allows you to breath hard a sweat (if you choose to work at that intensity) without jumping around. You feel lighter, stronger and in a better mood within a few workouts. If you can force yourself to do it everyday for about 3 weeks, even if you cannot finish it or cannot work at an intensity where you breath hard & sweat, working out will at least become second nature to you, you'll look forward to working out and get a glimpse of some of the longer-term rewards like suddenly being able to advance much farther into the tape than you could just a day or two before, breathing easier at higher activity levels, breaking your first good sweat, clothes fitting a little looser. I cannot WAIT for a 5 mile equivalent at less than 60 minutes to come out!

Wow, what a great workout! The music is funky, the steps are easy and not complicated, no jogging, just the best walking tape out there. I love this workout! It goes by so fast and honestly I don't feel like I'm putting forth alot of effort but by the end of this tape, the sweat is dripping off my body and the ends of my hair. I feel so energized afterwards, not worn out and tired. I have been waiting a long time for Leslie to come out with something longer than the 3 miles and it certainly was worth waiting for. If you're not ready for the full 4 miles, just build up to it. She lets you know when each mile is completed. This is now my all time favorite cardio workout!

AWESOME.
I own nearly all of Leslies videos and have been walking away the pounds for 8 months now and have lost 84 pounds,quickly and easily and have so much fun doing it.
Please believe me,Leslie Sansone works,it really does.I just turned 40 years old and because of my commitment to these vidoes I am in better shape and have more muscle definition then I had when I was 25.
I have tried them all,believe me,and any and all of Leslie's videos are simply the best.
Try her programs,they are well worth the investment.

I have about 10-12 of Leslie's work-out DVD's. I also have a basement shelf full of other work-out DVD's - Abs of Steel - Richard Simmons - Tae-Bo - Pilate's and many, many more. I'm 48 almost 49 years old, and I have been looking - for most of my adult life - for in-home work-out videos that didn't hurt me, showed quick results and didn't bore me to tears after about a week or two of using them.

Leslie's unique low-impact work-out is a dream come true for me. I am totally uncoordinated - so the very fast paced work-out videos always left me in the dust. The slower ones like Pilate's were a tremendous work-out that left me totally exhausted, but with no cardio work-out. Who wants to go for an intense cardio work out after 45 minutes of intense strength training?? OK - some people may say, "ME!" But not this couch potato! I HATE to work out - always have, but know it's essential to good health. Leslie's work-outs are so easy to follow. She has her basic steps that she incorporates throughout all of her work-outs that I have and a three year old could follow the basic steps.

I bought the set of Walk Away the Pounds Express DVD's and it came with the stretchy. You don't even need the stretchy with this WATP Express 4 mile work-out and it still amazes me how fast these routines go! But you will have a TREMENDOUS strength and cardio work-out!

I was a total unmovable couch potato from November 2005 prior to Thanksgiving until early March 2006 due to a mysterious chronic joint pain problem that left me with daily headaches and migraines (thought to by Fibromyalgia). So I was utterly out of shape. A doctor treated me with steroids and by early March - the pain had gone away. So I was ready to move again and chose Leslie's Walk Away the Pounds Deluxe Edition 2 DVD pack. I started with her first and very basic work-out and even though I hadn't lifted a finger to exercise in all that time - I was only slightly sore in the upper part of my body the next day.

This was with a sprained ankle that had just begun to heal and a hyper extended opposite knee due to favoring the ankle and coming out of the shower and slipping on water. But because Sansone so carefully warms up and the work-out is so low impact (especially her beginner ones) and she also allows you to modify any movements - I was able to gradually work up to her 2nd DVD and third in the series and then wanted to move on.

So I bought Walk Away the Pounds Express 1 & 2 and Walk Away the Pounds Express 3 in a set and then added WATP Express 4 shortly thereafter. For variety I also now use WATP Walk and kick - 33 minutes and I swear you'll be kick-boxing, working up a tremendous sweat and LOVING IT. I can't believe I AM KICKBOXING! It goes so fast as most all of her work-outs do!

I also - for variety -- use WATP Walk and Jog - I NEVER jog - I always hated to jog as it would hurt my ankles and my lungs would feel like they're on fire. But I jog with Leslie!

Just read the reviews for each one and see which ones are or aren't for you - but I'm telling you - without changing my diet in any significant way - it is now May 26th and I've lost 12 pounds and two pant sizes and could squeeze into a size 4 again! That may not seem much - but I'm very petite, 5'2", and small boned (ring size 4 ½). So three or four pounds on me is a pant size. My arms are toned, my stomach is much flatter, the "tire" around my hips has melted away. I also feel GREAT - and have much more motion to a once stiff neck and other joints that were still pretty stiff due to no exercise for so long.

And I WANT to do her work-outs. I look forward to them every day! But you don't even have to do them every day; I do them about four or five times a week.

If you've tried them all and believe me - I know where you're coming from - try Leslie. A gorgeous young, fit runner in our church borrowed one of the early DVD's of Leslie's from me and she LOVES it and is going to buy all of the WATP DVD's because she said she's so sick of just running on the treadmill!

Vary your work- out - and get healthy - get numerous Leslie Sansone DVD's but if you're a beginner - do what I did and get her set. Start with the basics - and you'll be so surprised how fast you'll be moving on up to her longer more challenging routines.

What's also great about her work-outs is - if you don't have time that day to do her longer one - you'll STILL get a great fat-burning work-out with any one of her shorter videos like Walk and Kick or Walk and Jog. Get her DVD's today and begin a life of fitness!

I have been using the Walk Away the Pounds Express, 4 Mile walk for exactly three weeks now. I do the workout every morning Monday through Friday. I'm 26 and my fitness level is such that I can get through the Taebo II Advanced workouts without hyperventilating. However, I was concerned about my knees from all the kicks and squats in Taebo. I also don't like going to the gym, esp. living in frigid-cold Boston. I decided to give the WATP 4M a try.

At first I was concerned that it would be so low impact that it would not really benefit me much. But after the first time I did it, I knew that it was not a walk in the park. I felt so buzzed and energized that day.

Having done it for three weeks, I am now beginning to see my body becoming more toned and tight. I keep looking in the mirror at myself. Also, my muscles have been slightly sore, so I know it is working!

The workout consists of lots of walking in place, some front kicks, side steps, a grapevine, knee lifts, and leg curls. There is also a little upper body work (lifting your hands above your head and such). While doing it my breathing gets a heavy at times, but I can't say that I work up a tremendous sweat (esp. not as much as a Taebo workout). Because it is so easy to do though and doesn't kill me everytime I do it, I have been able to wake up in the morning and do it consistently. Whereas with other videos that were much more strenuous, I would skip days because I just didn't want to go through that pain. In the long-run because it is something I can do consistently, I know I am getting better health benefits.

WATP 4M has helped my mood stay elevated, it has firmed me up, it keeps me from getting tired in the middle of the day, I sleep more restfully at night, I think more clearly, my endurance has strengthened, and it helps my self-image because I know I am doing the best I can to take care of my body. I have noticed a drastic difference in all these things since I started doing it every morning.

I find 10% of what Leslie says during the workout to be annoying. I find the other 90% of what she says to be motivational.

I highly recommend WATP 4M to someone who wants to begin incorporating exercise into their lifestyle. This is definitely that kind of video. While not the most strenuous exercise video out there, it is something you can stick to doing.

Money-wise, I'm not sure why someone would buy the 1 mile, 2 mile, and 3 mile walks. Why not just get the 4 mile walk and work up to as many miles as you want to do? But hey, that's just me.

While I enjoy working out at the gym on the cardio equipment, there are some days where I just don't have time to drive there and back *and* have time to workout. This DVD is a great alternative!! Not only that but it helps to include variety each week, rather than doing the same routine all the time. Having been introduced to an older video in the Leslie Sansone series, I was excited by the fresh music and the new look. The great thing about this program is the versatility-any fitness level can do it! You can increase or decrease the intensity based on your own comfort level. You can also choose to work up to 4 miles, doing only a mile or two. When I first heard about it I thought, "why would I want to walk in place??" That's what I pictured...but walking is really only part of it. You do walk in place, but you also walk forward and back (if you have the space), sidesteps, little kicks, knee lifts, and arm movements. This is a great way to get started on a workout program (and you can continue it as you increase your fitness level)...you can workout at your own pace, in the comfort and privacy of your own home, no matter what the weather or your time constraints. With this video there is NO excuse not to exercise regularly!!

Combined with a sensible eating program, I lost 15 pounds in two weeks using this DVD and two other 3-mile and 4-mile workouts by Leslie, 3 Mile Super Fat Burning and Weight Loss Walk. I used them six days a week and the pounds just melted way. I couldn't believe it. I used a pedometer with this and I actually did go 4 miles.

I believe the success of these workouts is based upon their simplicity. There are only four basic steps:marching(walking), kicks, leg curls and high knees. For variety, Leslie sometimes doubles the moves or travels short distances. Another bonus is that the DVD does not require a lot of space. I could do the entire workout in my tiny dorm room with no problem. It was easy to get started and stick with the program. Additionally, my knees sometimes bother me so it was nice to have good low impact workout that was easy on my knees and back.

Another caveat of this program is that there are no high impact moves, so you're never so sore that you can't workout the next day.

Leslie is very encouraging as an instructor. She cues well and her counting is always right on. The only drawback, and I wouldn't throw it away because of this, is that she laughs just like Fran Drescher (the Nanny) and talks almost constantly. However, you soon get used to it and after using the DVD consistently you can just play your own music and put her on mute. The music is very techno and kept a good pace to keep you motivated. The scenery includes a regular exercise studio and the people exercising with Leslie are of all different ages and sizes. It makes you think if that Grandma can do it, I can't dare sit down.

Overall I highly recommend this video for its' efficacy. You will see results! Just get off that couch and get moving! :)

I got this DVD prepared for the annoying chit chat. I was expecting the silly laugh and the nonsense discussion. I was expecting a challenging workout, and this has certainly been that. It is challenging! One reviewer said it didn't bring up her heart rate? That's a mystery to me unless she's already an aerobic powerhouse and should be doing her own videos. LOL

This is kind of challenging for those of us with less coordination - it requires the ability to walk and chew gum, in a way...doing backward kicks and arm lifts at the same time - that's a challenge for me, a natural clutz. But my heart was pumping and I was sweating before the 2nd mile. You do require more free space for movement with this workout than with the other one I have, the Three Mile Ab workout. You are taking two to three steps forward, sideways and backwards on this one, whereas with the Ab workout, you only need about two steps on each side of you and space in front of you for kicks. If you have very limited space to workout, this one may frustrate you - I recommend the Three Mile Ab workout for that.

The only thing I am upset with is the format of the DVD. I bought the DVD because I didn't want to have to fast forward to the spot I wanted - I wanted to have a menu or something...to be able to skip to the cool down if I wanted to finish before the end of the workout. Nope, still have to fast forward! No menu!! DVD in my opinion is nothing but a compact video tape. LOL...it is less bulky than the VHS, but I wanted the convenience of chapter selections.

Incidentally, the Three Mile Ab workout DVD, unfortunately, is the same way.

Anyway, the cruddy DVD format is why I gave 4 stars instead of 5. If storage space isn't an issue, there is no difference between the DVD and VHS. :(