Product Details

• Actors: Minna Lessig
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Parade Video
• VHS Release Date: November 21, 2000
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000053V6O
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,252 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Fitness > By Instructor > Minna Lessig

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Minna Lessig, a former Ms. Fitness USA and N.P.C. National Fitness Champion, leads this 30-minute circuit-training workout, which alternates 2.5 minutes of aerobic exercise with 1.5 minutes of muscle training in six 4-minute circuits. You'll keep your heart rate up and tone at the same time. The routine will appeal to exercisers who want to get the job done without dance or frills. The aerobic moves are athletic: scissor jumps, kicks, punches, and jumping jacks--nothing dancier than a grapevine. (No low-impact modifications are shown for the jumps.) The muscle intervals include controlled moves such as lunge variations, squats, plies, and push-ups. You don't use weights, but you'll fatigue at least the lower-body muscles though sheer repetition.

An extra "targeted toning" section at the end adds 15 optional minutes of light weights, traditional floor work, and abs. One cautionary note: many of the exercises that could be done standing or in a lunge position are, instead, performed kneeling on one or both knees, making these exercises uncomfortable or impossible for older exercisers or those with knee problems. --Joan Price

Product Description
Video Description In just 30 minutes you'll burn fat, increase muscle tone and sculpt the body you've always wanted! This eas to follow circuit training program alternates effective fat burning cardio and target toning exercises for a leaner, stronger body. And...the spicy Latin music will keep your body moving for the best workout ever!

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was expecting, January 7, 2002

By	"rma910" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

I own the Minna Lessig Strength and Grace workout and really enjoy doing that video, so I thought I would enjoy this one too.

Unfortunately, I didn't.
She should be called "Knee-na the Lunging Princess!"
This whole video is lunge after lunge after lunge. The first 3 circuits (both the strength and cardio portions) are ALL lunges. If you have bad knees, or knees that get sore easily, avoid this video. I had to modify every exercise, even in the cardio portions of the circuits, which included Jumping lunges!

On a good note, I did like the fifteen minute bonus weight training portion at the end of the video, which had some excellent ab work. I also liked the one circuit that focused more on punches and shoulder strengthening.
I hope this was helpful!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty amazing, October 23, 2004

By	Viktoria (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

I don't think I've ever given any other workout tape five stars (not even in those reviews that only exist in my head), even though there ARE ones I keep going back to... but I actually LOVE this tape. First of all, Minna is adorable. She is so blessed with natural charm and the fact that she usually runs out of breath by the end of the cardio parts will just make you love her even more... for not making you feel like a total loser simply because you're sweating like crazy after only a couple of minutes. And you SHOULD be prepared for some serious sweating; like, remember those scissors jumps from elementary school? I almost forgot they can get SO lethal! Yes, Minna uses some of the basic-basic movements on this tape, but she must be using them in the right order and at the right intensity, because you'll feel really, really worn out by the end. Okay, at least I do and I like to think I'm in a pretty good shape.
There's also a 15 minute set of targeted exercises at the end of the tape, where she uses a couple of light handweights, but if you don't have those, you can easily use those heavier ashtrays you have at home.
Oh, the girls in the back are great choices, too - there's this really skinny one, a not-exactly slim one, a pretty muscular Asian girl that has this very cute smile on her face all throughout the workout and an approaching-middle-age lady. They are just all real cute AND natural, so you won't feel ashamed of your body only by looking at them.
Great people, great set of exercises - I absolutely recommend this one.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eliminate Fat, Build Muscle w/ Aerobic/Toning Circuits, August 9, 2004

By	blueyed puella (CT, USA) - See all my reviews

Workout Description: about 25 minutes of aerobic / toning intervals (toning focusing mainly on lower body with some upper body and minimal ab work) with 3 minute warm-up and 3 minute cool-down stretch followed by "bonus" 15 minutes toning (buttocks, arms and shoulders, and abs) for a total of 45 minutes
Workout Level: high beginner to mid-intermediate
Instructor: Minna Lessig (Certified instructor, fitness correspondent for various TV programs, and contributing writer for several fitness magazines; 1997 Ms. Fitness USA Winner). Minna's cueing is very good, and she explains the moves well, although sometimes I wish she'd give just one more pointer or point out the muscle worked every time. She's very professional, encouraging without being too hyper or chatty, and she obviously knows her stuff, both in terms of the routine and fitness in general. I personally like this "girl next door," although some people don't find her on screen personality warm enough. She works both sides evenly and expects you to mirror her moves.
Class: 4 young women of various body types
Music / Set: The instrumental synthesizer music is very beat-driven, although not exactly "the spicy Latin music" promised by the cover. The interior set is very bright, with hardwood floors and back wall lit with various bright hues (pink, blue, etc.)
Equipment Needed: sneakers; dumbbells (your choice of weights) and mat for 15 minute bonus toning segment only
Caveats: This workout is designed by and for those with healthy joints. Pay attention to your technique, particularly with the squats, lunges, and plies. Your knee should never go past your toes in any version of either exercise. You may want to put a pillow or folded blanket under your knee for the kneeling portion of the 15 minute bonus toning. If your knee still bothers you, these exercises can be done while standing (assuming you know the proper form).
Additional Comments: You do not need a lot of space for this workout. You should be able to kick to each side (front & back, side to side) without hitting anything.
This is a circuit training program, alternating 2 minutes of toning with 3 minutes of high impact cardio activities. The toning is primarily lower body, with minimal upper body, and uses your own body for resistance. This interval-like training is a great way to increase your cardiovascular activity because you can really push yourself during the cardio portions and then recover during the toning. The aerobics moves are pretty basic and use the muscles just worked in the strength portion. While this isn't the most exciting program, it is effective, particularly for 30 minutes. The 15 minute bonus has approximately 5 minute of exercises for the buttocks, 5 minutes for the arms and shoulders, and 5 minutes of ab work (mostly crunches and variations on the crunch).
This was one of the first exercise videos I ever bought, and I still use it 2 years later. I credit Minna with taking me from a "beginner" to an "intermediate" level of exercise. Now that I'm fully at an intermediate level, I find that I need more abs and upper body work, so I often add on Tamilee Webb's I Want Those Arms and maybe I Want Those Abs or Pilates. I also like to alternate Fat Eliminator with Karen Voight's Burn & Firm, which is a much more upper body-focused circuit training routine; I find the two complement each other well.
By the way, this is one of the few exercise videos my boyfriend will do, even with its pink background, all female cast, and somewhat frequent references to "burning calories." He thinks it's one of the most solid, effective fitness programs among my ever-growing stack of videos.
If you purchase this program on DVD, you will also get Minna's Strength & Grace, a workout that fuses some of the toning moves from this video with yoga- and Pilates-inspired moves.