Customer Reviews

Prenatal Conditioning with Teddi Bryant

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I own seven prenatal exercise dvd's: I'm on my third pregnancy, and I like the format of the exercise dvd, I do them a lot -- very convenient with kids. BUT, this particular dvd is my absolute least favorite. It does give you a reasonable amount of exercise (I'm in pretty good shape, and want a real workout even when pregnant; this does make me feel I've done something when I'm done, which is good.). But there are others out there that make your muscles work as hard or harder, without the various annoyances; I'd recommend "Long and Lean", for example. Here's what's wrong with Hot Mamas:
1. The exercises themselves are very boring, repetitive, and sometimes borderline uncomfortable to do while pregnant. It's based on a very old-fashioned boot-camp model, lots of push-ups and marching and (modified) jumping jacks. That's ok, but those type of exercises were developed for men, and they really don't feel all that great, to me, to do while pregnant. I get bored and depressed when it comes time to do yet another set of same old same old push ups. You can get the same upper-body workout with a lot more variety, by breaking up the push-ups with other stuff. I much prefer routines that incorporate yoga and dance and pilates, instead of always with the boring boot camp thing.
2. The flow is horrible. I've done both the long and short versions, and in both cases, you go from one set of exercises to another without any continuity. Instead, you have to waste valuable exercise waiting around to be told what to do next. Other routines don't do this. It's a problem, too, because your heart rate goes down in those seconds; and it adds to the boredom.
3. Cuing is also horrible. After I've done the dvd a couple of times, I like to watch with the sound off, so I can listen to my own music or radio. In this dvd, a lot of the time you're just watching Terri, standing there doing nothing, telling the other women what to do. The camera goes away from the exercise, to focus on Terri, standing there. That's not inspiring, and doesn't give me the right kind of peer pressure to keep going.
4. I wouldn't bother with mentioning this if everything else was great, but the aesthetic is also horrible. I know it sounds mean to say it, but Terri has a bad dye job and too much make-up. The exercise takes place in a whited-out nowhere. I'd rather see an actual studio, a real place. In both cases -- the make-up, the whiting -- it seems try-hard and fake. It's just not good to look at. Also hate that they use a step; I don't have a step, I don't want to do things for which I supposedly need equipment.

So: I figure that most people who gave this good reviews haven't done that many other pregnancy dvds. You really can do better! Try the 10-minute pilates, or long and lean, or the perfect pregnancy workout, or even Leisa Hart.

I had been working out regularly before I got pregnant (3-5 days a week)and was "benched" by my doctor for the first trimester. So picking this up at 16 weeks made for a pretty intense workout. (Read: holy crap!) Might have been less so without the 3 month hiatus, but this workout felt like starting over.
This is my forth pregnancy and having come from a pilates/yoga only practice through my last two, I can say this is a thorough, make-you-sweat workout. I would say it is the pre-natal equivilant of the hardest class I took at the gym. This is in keeping with Teddi's philosophy that women want to feel as much like
"themselves" as possible during a period when so many things are changing.
While this is still too long of a workout for me (6 or 7 circuits, I think) I plan to alternate the first half and second half during the week. It's also easy to just go as far as you can into it and work up to adding another circuit every week or so.
The icing on the cake is the stretching/abs work segment which fills my void for a yoga class: the music is soothing and still maintains a beat, Teddi is a calming influence and I often find I'm doing the work with my eyes closed. Looking forward to Teddi kicking my not-so-widened rear post-partum, too!

This is a great prenatal workout, especially if you were exercising a lot before pregnancy. I find this DVD is more of a challenge than most other prenatal DVDs. I feel like I actually worked out afterwards!

This is a great program for pregnant women. It is very comprehensive and provides modifications as you move through various months of your pregnancy. I wouldn't recommend this for those new to exercise. It is intense and you need to be in good shape to tolerate the program safely. The entire program is quite long, but there is a shorter version also offered on the DVD which is nice for when you do not have 90 minutes to exercise.

This is my third pregnancy and with both previous children I gained 50 pounds. And, I lost all of my weight in between births (they were born only 17 months apart)....I am determined to keep some 'semblance of a body for AFTER the baby comes versus me just feeling fat and flat:) ....not beautiful, womanly and pregnant like during pregnancy....Plus, I already have 2 small children so I don't have as much time after to workout and get the extra weight off.
So, I bought Teddi Bryant's Hot Mamas and Summer Sanders'. I like Teddi's better because it is more challenging. But, Summer's DVD is more cinemagraphically pleasing and the set is better. Teddi's set is boring but it is easier to see sometimes what exactly is going one...i.e. placement of feet, etc (Black suited women on a totally white background).
This DVD also does very, very well with things like 'foot placement', stomach muscle engagement and posture alignment reminders and tips for understanding the correct exercise form and movements. I have been watching fitness DVD's for over 10 years (I prefer to sweat in private :) and this one is the best one as far as instructional...and, overall it is WORKING! :) My butt has gotten ...smaller using this video and I feel very strong. My sciatica does not act up nearly as much and she teaches you a stretch that has really empowered me to help myself when I feel like my right side is trying to tighten up. I had pelvic girdle pain with my second child and I suspect I pulled something during one of my prenatal videos (pilates). I never, never feel that as challenging as this video is that I am at risk for hurting my body. I also go to a chiropracter which helps out a lot and unbeknownst to me, I could have gone to one with the pelvic girdle pain and gotten relief but I didn't know anything about Chiro. then).
I am also having to eat every 2 hours b/c of low-blood sugar so this video is encouraging and very well made with quality and it makes me feel like even though I am having to eat (healthy) I am still in good shape and healthy for the baby...I was an average weight/BMI before getting pregnant, but my butt actually feels and looks better now because of the exercises for saddle bags and backward lunges!!

I rated it 5 stars but the music is lacking in interest and originality (I listen to my MP3 player out of one ear and listen to her with the other)but I guess it is good for people that don't have alot of rhythm? ;)
I started with this video but use the Summer Sanders too(twice a week and Terri's twice) just so I can get in better shape before trying out Teddi's whole 1 1/2 hour video (her short session is 50 minutes with stretching. This video also has a much better stretching segment than Summer's. I felt that Summer's video put me at risk for pulling my hip/back out of alignment if not done 'perfectly' or too fast...I just do Terri's stretching during these 2 leg stretches on Summers' video. This video is good cardio because you are safely working out and exerting yourself~You sweat and your heart rate goes up. It is still more a conditioning based DVD versus a true 'cardio' video...but it is for looser ligamented pregnant women so I understand that. Overall, I very much like the video I just didn't read any reviews before I bought it that pointed out the lacking music (it does have some obviously but very monotonous) but this isn't the main point of working out. The video does tone!! I am a pair shape that becoming more of a 'coke bottle' and user-friendly. I felt like between Summer's video and this one, I like Teddi's more. She really asks you to work at a challenging but SAFE rate. I feel like I have really asked myself...Am I asking enough of myself? Am I really challenging myself and that is a great feeling...to be more empowered after the video! Summer's is challenging and I do it twice a week, just not as much and her video doesn't even give you variations (her trimesters are split up into totally different segmental DVD's) versus seeing 3 women all working the same muscle groups and Terri helping you decide where you are at and what you are capable of. I felt a little annoyed by Summer Sander's excessive talking and kinda of smart-alec comments at her sister-in-law but it was good natured.
Teddi has a more serious tone and a very soothing voice. She knows you need to concentrate to work out and keep form. Hope this helps!

I bought 3 prenatal WORKOUT-workout DVDS (plus 3 more gentle yoga/belly dance/pilates workouts) - this DVD is the one that gives THE BEST workout! This is the only DVD that I feel could substitute a gym workout; the other prenatal workout DVDs I've tried are effective but not that strenuous. This gives me that post-workout glow of accomplishment from my pre-pregnancy days. Note that I am experienced exerciser who does 3-5 weekly cardio & strength workouts. The workout consists of several circuit segments; each segment works a few body parts & builds up on basic moves. You get such an overall great strength & cardio workout. I like that trimester variations were shown as they also helped me get a good workout despite the occasional knee pain I sometimes get. Yes this is a long workout - over an hour - but you can do one or a few segments at a time. In fact, the "shorter workout" is just one of the segments, so when you want a short workout, you can do any of the segments. It cracked me up when she started one segment of bicep curls with holding a carseat - that really brought home WHY we were working out - to get in & maintain great shape to be better equipped to handle our coming parenthood, in addition to maintaining our health for ourselves! One thing I'm less than crazy about are the ab exercises at the end - they're on their back but not flat (legs are bent), but they just didn't feel that comfy for me so I did planks on my own during those. I did this workout during my 2nd & 3rd trimesters, LOVED it. I'm soo grateful to have found this DVD in a sea of just-ok, barely strenuous prenatal workouts. I rotated this with other DVDs & trips to the gym. If I had to recommend just 1 DVD to an experienced exerciser, this is it. Thank you, Teddi, for giving us a [...]kickin' AND pregnancy-safe workout! I gotta get me the post-natal DVD now...!

I had been searching high and low for a prenatal workout that was challenging and this is definitely the winner. It's 90 minutes, but there is a 45 minute short version of the workout as well.
I don't think I've ever done more squats or lunges in my life, but it definitely makes a difference to how you look and feel. There are modifications for all trimesters, and yet, even the third trimester modifications feel like a good workout.
The only issue I have is with the core exercises, as most are performed while lying on your back. My doctor has told me not to lie on my back since the 18th week. I have altered these exercises by doing the core work on an exercise ball, so I am not flat on my back. It's not exactly the same thing, but I think it works ultimately the same.
I strongly encourage anyone looking for a challenging prenatal workout to purchase this DVD.

Finally, an excellent but tough prenatal workout! I have been working out for years but my muscles were acutally sore after finishing this dvd for the first time! I would not recommend this to women who have never worked out before. It really got my heart pumping! I'm definately buying Teddi's postnatal workout to get me back to pre-baby shape.

This video is one of the best workout DVDs I've tried since the start of my pregnancy (17 weeks). The full video (there is an option to shorten it on extra busy days) is 90 minutes of conditioning, cardio and relaxing stretches. There are different circuits that work on all the major muscle groups (glutes, thighs, shoulders, triceps, biceps, back). There are lower back focused exercises, abdominal breathing techniques, and a lovely and long stretch at the end of the video.
Teddi (the trainer) has a soft and sweet voice but she is able to motivate you to push you through the workout. The three models used in the video are each in a different trimester so you can see the modifications that each one makes to make themselves more comfortable while still getting a great workout.
I'd highly recommend this video to any woman at any stage of pregnancy. I'll definitley be buying the postnatal workout once the baby comes!

This is my second favorite prenatal work out DVD. It gets to be a little long in the end - the back, belly breathing and stretching - but the actual work out part I really enjoy. I sweat and you can make it as hard or easy as you want. The background is boring and she has a really soft spoken voice, which near the end of the DVD gets to be a little too much. But overall I really enjoy this work out. And, because it is done in circuits you can just advance ahead if you don't have time for the whole thing. My favorite is still Erin O'Brien's work out DVD but this one is a close second!