Customer Reviews

Personal Training with Jackie: Power Circuit Training

5 star:		(171)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For Power Circuit Training with Jackie, you will need a mat & two sets (heavy + light) of weights. Jackie's system focuses on form, function & fatigue. Circuits are 4 minutes each. The targeted body part is worked in three 1 minute exercises. The last minute is what Jackie calls "Power Burn" in which all three exercises are combined to fatigue the muscles.

On the main menu, there are 5 options to choose from:

- 15 minute Total Body Circuit
- 15 minute Abs only Circuit
- 15 minute Lower Body Circuit
- 15 minute Upper Body Circuit
- 40 minute Total Body Circuit

Here's a breakdown of the 40 minute Total Body Circuit:

Warm-up - 2 minutes
light jog, side to side taps, squat kicks, chain breakers (elbows up-open/shut)opens up the chest, back stroke & trunk twists

Circuit 1 - Quads
*Sissy Squats - these are done with your heels on your weights. You can choose to add intensity by holding weights
*UFCs - drop down to one knee, then other knee, up one knee, up other knee (I've also seen this in one of Jillian's workouts)
to add intensity on this move, stay in the squat position
*Front Lunge - hands on hips or hold weights for extra intensity

Circuit 2 - Hamstrings
*Deadlifts - use heavier weights, go past knees and come up with a pop
*Bridge Extensions - in bridge position, alternate kicking legs up
*Reverse Plank - these are a killer - talk about BURN!!!

Circuit 3 - Glutes
*Front Squats - weights held up in front of chin while squat through heels - she moves fast!
*Ski Lunge - side to side lunges, constant motion - felt the burn =)
*Squat Kicks - squat with alternate leg kicks

Circuit 4 - Chest
*Chest Press - Jackie does an excellent job explaining form for this
*Reverse Fly - open up then squeeze and twist up (like you are trying to touch your elbows)
*Alternate Press - alternate pressing each dumbell up

Circuit 5 - Back
*Wide Row - squeeze shoulder blades together, resist going down
*Renegades - feet together, alternate each arm - really working the back!!
*Dumbbell Pullover - One dumbbell, drop behind head and pull up - resist against weight pulling you down

Circuit 6 - Bicep/Tricep/Shoulder
*Close Grip Hammercurl
*Straight Arm Kick Back - tri's are burning with this!!!
*Arnold Press - weights together palms facing you, then open and up - great shoulder exercise

Circuit 7 - Upper Abs
*Straight leg crunch - holding one weight
*legs straight up in the air and crunch
*Tall Sit-up - still using one dumbbell to help propel you up

Circuit 8 - Lower Abs
*Reverse Crunch
*Tummy Tucks - keep back arched while pulling knees up and out, leading with chest
*Single Leg Jack Knife - opposite hand touches opposite toe

Circuit 9 - Obliques
*Sumo Squats - touch elbows to knees
*Windshield Wipers - legs at 90 degree angle, drop side to side
*Side Planks - pop up using obliques

Stretch - a bit under 2 minutes
Knee Cross Over, pull leg into chest, sit up in straddle position - reach for each ankle to stretch hamstrings, stand up balance on one leg & bend opposite leg up to stretch quads, clasp hands in front and pull back for chest, & straight arm stretch for shoulders.

Jackie does an excellent job throughout describing proper form. The circuits are short, but intense....if you don't feel the intensity, use heavier weights. I love this because she moves quickly, gets to the point and moves onto the next circuit - no boredom here =) My only complaints are; stretch at the end seemed too short and I wish there was one more bicep/tricep/shoulder circuit b/c arms are my trouble spot. Everything else I felt was worked adequately!

Holly Perkins is the only team member in this I recognized. It was pleasant to see her new team, the group in her first video were a bit too over the top for me. I recommend this for all levels since it offers modifications for making it easier or harder! Well Done.

This is a DVD for people who hate to work out. I'm an avid exerciser, but I can't say I love it. I work out because I have to to stay in shape. I do know that my body feels lousy if I don't work out, so I know I need it.

Anyway, this DVD is a godsend. The time just flies by. It is very fast paced but you know you are getting a good workout because you CAN FEEL THIS the next day and the day after and the day after....

I am a Jillian Michaels fan and I gotta say, Jackie gives her a run for her money here. Tons of bang for the buck, and all under 45 minutes! She hits all the major muscle groups and teaches you about them along the way, which ones are fat burners etc. Each circuit is about 4 minutes, you do three exercises, then the "power burn" which is the 3 exercises done all at once right after the other without stopping. I won't go into the exercises, as another reviewer has broken them down for you.

I know what you're thinking--do I really need ANOTHER workout DVD? Well if you're considering getting this DO IT!!!

These exercises are NEW--well to me they are, and I have an extensive fitness DVD collection. A few I have seen before but the majority I haven't. I even have jackie's first DVD and this new one blows that one out of the water. Gone are the cutesy, baby-voiced trainers, all made up. Now Jackie has REAL people working out with her and she does the work too. occasionally she does stop to check out form and educate you but she does every exercise with you. This is no nonsense folks. I do have to say, since this workout is a little condensed, the warm up and cool down leave a little to be desired. So if you like an extensive cool down after working out, pop in a short yoga set or something. Also, this is strictly strength, no cardio or cardio bursts, just some light joggging and jumping jacks in the warm up. So if you are expecting cardio you won't find it here.

And funnily enough, Jackie does a version of Jillian's "Surrender" from her No More Trouble Zones DVD. Jackie calls them UFCs here. However Jackie does them without weights, and I can actually do them! They are not hard on the knees at all! So if you guys are having trouble with Jillian's "Surrender" try it without weights. Believe me, you will still feel it!
As much as I love Jillian, I have to say I haven't popped her DVDs in since I got jackie's--it's that good! Granted once my body adapts and I don't feel it as much the next day I will probably add more Jillian back into my rotation.

Sorry to compare the two so much in this review but they are both very similar in their styles and if you're unfamiliar with Jackie, I want to give you a similar example.

All in all, a great workout and fast paced. And since it's about 40 mins long, it's not something you dread doing. You will not get bored with this and I bet you will feel it the next day. Thanks Jackie!

I've been working out regularly for over 10 years now. I've always hated work out DVD's. They can never hold my attention and I'd much rather go to the gym and take a class. Unfortunately, my erratic work schedule has changed, not allowing me to make it to the gym for my favorite classes. Now I work out at home. Tired of the usual work out routines I've been doing, I decided to give this one a whirl. WOW!!! After about 2 months of doing it I am noticing changes in my body that I haven't seen...EVER! I'm tone and cut in places that I never thought I would be. I'm a hard critic and can be pretty cynical, but honestly, this DVD works. As usual, it won't happen over night, and you should be watching your diet as well, but if you stick with it, it will happen. You should check it out and give it a try.

I cannot stop doing this DVD! I am pressed for time - but I find Jackie gets right into the workout and sculpts / tones every part of my body - so far 10 pounds lost - and I think a lot of this is due to the DVD! (Ok diet too!)

My vote: 5 stars!! A must for your home gym!

This is an update to my first review. I've been using this DVD and Jackie's other DVD two to three times a week since the end of January. I have lost about 10 lbs. and gone from a tight size 8 to a loose size 6. My body is tighter and more toned than it's been in a long time. I'm 46 and I considered hiring a personal trainer, but no need! Jackie is my personal trainer now and I love this DVD. I never get bored with it because you increase your weights and challenge yourself every time. When I did this DVD for the first time, I was shaking. And I THOUGHT I was FIT! Now I finished the whole DVD, sweaty and tired, but feeling very proud of my accomplishment.

I bought this DVD today cause it was not too expensive and I was looking for something new. I exercise almost daily and have for over 1 year and have lost a significant amount of weight however I have a way to go. But I do not consider myself a beginner. I could not perform all of these exercises. I consider this workout VERY advanced. It was hard on my knees especially. Also, it moves so fast there are no instructions before each exercise and I found I was scrambling to get whatever I needed ie, mat, eights, etc. and having to rewind to start the exercise over. To me this defeats the "circuit training" aspect as I had to keep stopping and starting the DVD. Frustrating. I did not feel there was enough explanation as to proper form. No modifications to do any of the moves at a less advanced level. Frequently she would say "you should be feeling the burn. If you are not, you're not doing it right." But then NO explanation on HOW to do it right. What she calls "cool down" is NOT. Only 60 seconds at the most of a few stretches. I normally do at least at 10-15 minutes of cool down which I will do on my own. This is the first Jackie Warner workout I have tried. I think she needs to talk to a wider audience. If you are not already fit, this workout will be very difficult.

The workout in this DVD, is worth at least four stars. It is hard and really works muscles and the cardiovascular system well. However, there are many negatives that detract from the good.

The music for the workout was apparently not playing while the workout was taped. If it was, no one onscreen has any sense of rhythm or the editing is atrocious. Unless you watch the screen the entire time, you cannot work at the same pace as Jackie because she goes faster and slower than the music as a segment progresses. Since some moves require that you turn away or lie on the floor looking at the ceiling, that can be rather difficult. For someone with a good sense of rhythm, trying to work at a pace different from the music is difficult and frustrating.

The warm-up and cool down segments are much too short, with too little stretching in the latter. One can always stretch more without Jackie's leading, but it is unfortunate that many viewing the workout will think she's done enough. Jackie's instructions are somewhat vague and incomplete about the movements. It is easy to have bad form since she says so little about it. Other workout discs use different camera angles and more instruction from the instructor to clearly show what good and bad form is. There is little of that in this program. There is an interstitial screen before each new set of movements that list what's coming, but if you happen to not look at the screen during those few seconds, or don't read really fast, you'll miss it. Jackie apparently thinks those lists are enough because she advances from one move to the next with little warning or transition.

The disc provides a 40 minute workout and four, targeted 15 minute workouts. The latter are simply the same warm-up and cool down routines from the 40 minute workout plus one of the four segments. That is, remove the cool down from the first three 15 minute workouts and the warm-up from the last three and run them together, and you'll have the 40 minute workout.

Jackie regularly counts down to one, ostensibly to indicate when to stop the current movement, yet you can never be sure whether she'll stop when she reaches one or if there's another bit to go thereafter. Furthermore, her counting is inconsistent. Sometimes, she seems to be watching a clock and counting off seconds. Other times she seems to be counting movements, so the pace varies from one time to another, but also while she's counting in several instances.

If you aren't frustrated by mismatched movement and music, inconsistent counting, and you know good form from bad, then you may like the hard workout on this disc. If you use this workout frequently or have good memory for what comes next even as you rotate among other workouts, then the little warning Jackie gives about the next movement will not be much problem. Otherwise, try something else. I will use this workout again, despite my frustrations, but I like numerous others much better overall.

I've been rotating this dvd in with some of Jillian Michael's dvds for a couple of months. Although this one is pretty good, it is not as tough as Jillian's. If you do the 40 minute total body workout, you will do a quads section, hamstring section, glutes section, chest section, biceps and triceps section, a back section, and three separate abs sections (upper, lower, and obliques). You can also select from these sections rather than doing the full 40 minute workout. In each section, you do three different exercises for one minute each and then do them all at the end for a one minute "powerburn." In my opinion, this one is easier because you only work on one area at a time, whereas with Jillian you will be doing moves that work upper and lower body at the same time. I think that if your goal is to tone up then this will be a good workout but if you are trying to lose weight then you should try something different.

I just tried this DVD for the first time last night. I'm fairly active, but Jackie had me sweating like crazy! My husband couldn't even complete the 2nd circuit. I programmed it to do: legs, abs, arms. All three workouts are intense and definitely not for beginners.
Pros: Up-tempo, great cardio and strength traninig.
Varied exercises so you don't get bored
Really focuses on specific muscle groups
Pick the order of your program.

Cons: Jackie doesn't give much instruction on how to perform the exercise. She states that form is key, but doesn't exactly show how to have correct form. However: if you are familiar with common weight exercises, this will not be a problem.
The whole group doesn't work out at once--which seems odd. She only has one person doing the strength moves at a time. Except in the Core section-where she does have someone demonstrating an easier option.

Overall: This a grea DVD for someone with experience. It is NOT for beginners. It will get your heart rate up, get your muscles pumping and I promise you'll be sore by the end of the program.

I needed a few new work out videos because the other ones I had never really were motivating enough for me to do them more than once or twice, so I read the reviews and bought this one!!!! and AM I GLAD I DID!!!!!!! IT definitely kicked my butt! I had to take two days to 'recover' because it left me SOOOOOOOOOO sore that it was rough walking up and down stairs! BUT I cant wait to do it again today after work!!!!

JUST A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

1. If you are overweight like I am, some of the moved are going to be hard for you to do! dont give up, because after the 40 minute work out! I felt like I had never worked out harder!!!
1-a. give yourself a day or two to recover after the first time you do it, and REMEMBER TO STRETCH A LOOOOOT (before and after the video)!!!! it will save you from even more soreness!

2. Some of the move are pretty hard! even my friends who work out all the time had a bit of a hard time doing 'the squat, kneel, and stand back up into squat position' move (cant remember what Jackie called it!)

3.Have water by your side! Youll need it if you are newer to working out!

4. HAVE FUN~! and dont get down on yourself if you cant do all the moved the first time around - because i know im still gonna struggle with it! but im going to be so proud of myself when i am fit enough to do the entire 40 minute workout without struggling with any of the moves!!!

:)