Customer Reviews

Leslie Sansone's Power Walking System

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you are a veteran of Leslie's Walk Away Workouts, this DVD will be a good challenge for you. The DVD consists of three parts:
- Power Walk - 3 Miles
- Power Firm
- Ask Leslie

The Power Walk segment runs for 45 minutes. The moves in this segment are all moves that will be familiar to veterans - side steps, knee lifts, kick backs, kicks, and of course - walking. Leslie adds a little variety by using double side steps, double knee lifts, and side lunges. The workout is intensified by using hand weights. Leslie and the walkers use 1 or 2 pound hand weights (you can substitute dumbbells or the Walk Away Weights here). Upper body moves are used continually throughout the workout. Leslie has you doing multiple sets of the French Press (for triceps), bicep curls, and lateral raises. It is an intense 3 miles, that will get your heart rate up. However, the music is great only if you are a fan of synthetic 80's music. For example, she uses an 80's inspired version of the William Tell Overture.

The Power Firm segment is a short segment that works the lower body exclusively. This strength training segment targets the outer and inner thigh, back and front of your legs, and your "rear view." If you are new to strength training in the lower body, you're sure to be sore the next day.

The Ask Leslie bonus section is cute, but predictible. The section consists of questions. When you select a question with your DVD player, Leslie gives a short answer. One of the questions, for example, was "What is the best diet?" Leslie answers, "why the Walk Diet of course!".

All in all, this is a well-rounded workout for Advanced level walkers. Combining upper body, lower body, and cardio walking makes for a thorough, all-over workout. If you can ignore the dated aspects of the music, you will get a good workout here.

I would have given this workout 5 starts, but the music was cheesy and Leslie's voice is sometimes annoying. I have never been able to get my heart rate up enough while walking for it to be considered aerobic, but I was able to with Leslie's workout (I know because I was wearing a heart monitor). All the movements are simple and effective. You don't have to think all that much, which is really good for those days when you really don't feel like working out and don't want to have to concentrate. I used regular 2lb dumbbells and they worked out just fine (Leslie and her girls use weights that they wear on their hands). I think this would be a great workout for pregnant women. Overall, I'm very impressed with this exercise DVD and its price:-)

THIS DVD (BY UNICORN STUDIO/LEISURE ENTERTAINMENT) HAS A LOT OF GLITCHES WITHIN THE ENTIRE WORKOUT AND IT IS RATHER ANNOYING. I HOPE GOODTIMES STUDIO RELEASES THIS DVD IN THE FUTURE.

This 3-mile in-home walking workout is fabulous. In addition to the three miles of walking/kicking/side-stepping/etc., she incorporates upper body work using one- or two-pound weights. I love every minute and every mile of the workout and look forward to doing it every morning. The reason I rated the DVD as 4 stars instead of 5, is that it has technical flaws. Every 5 minutes, literally, it jumps. I have read other reviews of the DVD and they mentioned the same thing. My daughter and my sisters all have the same workout DVD and all are flawed in exactly the same way. It's a mystery why Leslie Sansone would release it that way, but flaws and all, it's a wonderful workout.

I love this DVD! I've started doing it everyday and the workout is so good! Since I've pretty much memorized all the moves, I put the DVD in my laptop and do it while I watch TV in the living room. It goes by so fast and I can't believe I've actually walked three miles!

The Power Walking System by Leslie Sansone consists of Power Walk 3 miles, Power Firm and Ask Leslie. The Power Walk is typical Leslie fair. Sidesteps, marches, small kicks etc. She adds light handweights during the walk to increase intensity. You are told when each mile is completed so you can end your workout at 1, 2 or 3 miles. It's a nice workout and the handweights make it even more effective.

The Power Firm is a series of leg exercises. Leslie herself uses 2.5 pound weights. Since Leslie is pear shaped and already has a larger lower body than upper body I wonder why she elects to use the weights. To decrease body size in your lower extremities you are better off using less weight and more repetition. If you want to bulk up these muscles add weights.
Leslie leads you through standing leg exercises, inner thigh and outer thigh work - a short simple routine.

Ask Leslie consists of short questions and answers with Leslie.
Overall I really like the walk but agree with other reviewers, that the DVD skips in about 10 places and this is very annoying.
As you are walking suddenly the DVD will pause and then resume. It does as one reviewer notes breakup the rhythm of the workout.

Overall if you can put up with the skipping, the Power Walk walking workout is a good one and the Power Firm workout a nice bonus.

This DVD is one of Leslie Sansone's earlier efforts and isn't worth the money unless you simply want to add to an existing collection of her workouts for a slight change in routine. Because it is an older release, it is of very poor quality - the picture is grainy, the sound is poor, and (with my copy at least) the DVD skips a bit. The routine is sprightly, though, and has a few moves she doesn't often use anymore in her later DVD's. This routine also has a good upper body workout as part of the walk. All in all, if you can only pick up one or two of her workouts, you should try for some of the later 3-mile releases. Get this only as an add-on, if that.

I might not should rate this since I don't actually have this set. I have the 3 Mile Power Walk only, but did order the Power Firm also. I really like this workout. I noticed that several other reviews have talked about the poor quality of the dvd. Mine is vhs format and I have used it for about 3 years now and it's been pretty good. I do, agree, though, that the break in the miles is a little distracting. There is not continuation of miles like in the Walk Away the Pounds series, there is a definite stop in music between the first and second and second and third miles. I don't have any gloved weights so I just use the weighted balls or sometimes just do the workout without any weights. Mile two is my favorite because of the music and pace, and it's classic Leslie with a decent warmup and cooldown period. I would be cautious about buying the dvd from what I have read by several other reviewers, but my vhs tape works just fine.

You may as well pick up the cheaper VHS, because that's as good as this looks. They just made the chapters fall every five minutes rather than at logical intervals. The DVD producer should be ashamed.

I am new to exercising and I found this one to be easy enough to actually stick to. However, it's very repetitous.
My favorite is still Denise Austin's Indoor 2 Mile Walk. I'm so out of shape right now that this is a good "easing my way back to loyal exerxcising" with Leslie. Denise's is pretty intense and for the moderate exerciser to give you a good sweat.