Product Details

• Format: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Parade Video
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1998
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301913728
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,100 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If you're looking for an upbeat, toe-tapping pregnancy workout video, this volume in Denise Austin's Gold Signature Series should fit the bill nicely. Famous for her cheerleader style, Austin--pregnant with her first child here--packs this program with energetic aerobics, helpful posture and breathing tips, substantiated advice, and plenty of TLC. The action begins with a physician's perspective on prenatal exercise and a review of important safety guidelines presented by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Then it's off to a pastel paradise--the workout set--where Austin and two pregnant students smile and prance their way through 30 minutes of low-impact aerobics. As a bonus, the tape includes a follow-up visit to Dr. Giere, who addresses the best approach to postnatal exercise, followed by a 20-minute "after-baby shape-up" routine. Best for the high-spirited exerciser who enjoys a gregarious instructor, this video probably won't appeal to expectant moms who prefer a quieter, more subtle approach to fitness. --Liane Thomas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars great for beginners or those with a time crunch, January 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pregnancy Plus Workout [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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!

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Short and Simple, January 8, 2004

By 

Michelle "michellesays" (U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Denise Austin - Pregnancy Plus Workout [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Giddy and disorganized, December 28, 1999

By 

x (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pregnancy Plus Workout [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.