Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent beginners video!, April 24, 1999
By A Customer
This was my first step video, so I'm somewhat sentimentally attached to it. The routine is fun, and the instructors are excellent. (Jane Fonda only leads the stretch) The guy who choreographed the routine is Jay Blahnik, who was IDEA's Instructor of the Year for 1996; well deserved I might add. He's the blond teacher on the right hand part of the screen who leads the tougher sections of the video, and I always push myself when he's in front of the class.The other teachers are Laurel Sparks, Michelle LeMay and Linda McHugh. Each lends their own personality to the class and all are warm and encouraging. There are plenty of low-impact options for extreme beginners, or those who are starting after being out of shape for a long time. My one criticism of this tape has to do with the camera repeatedly cutting to one of the background exercisers who is using atrocious step form. I guess the producers thought she was "cute" or something, but she displays every no-no of stepping to its egregious extreme: high-impact toes-only on the step, heels dangling off the back of the step, poor body alignment etc. If people follow her form, they will have ankle, knee and back injury within a month. Guaranteed. A step is the only equipment needed for this video. The exercisers here use this odd short step, but I would recommend investing in a full-length quality piece of equipment like the Reebok steps or those from the Step Co.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Step Aerobic Tape Around, September 7, 2003
Back in 1996 I bought the Jane Fonda step and this tape was part of the package deal. I've since bought other step tapes (and a few on DVD - although there aren't many around these days since Pilates, Yoga and Tae Bo style workouts are the "in" thing right now), including the Jane Fonda Step and Abdominals workout but this one is still my all time favorite - so much so that I wore out my original copy and recently bought another one. I work at an intermediate/advanced level and this tape can still get me to work up a good sweat - but back in the day when I wasn't in such great shape, this tape also catered to my beginning activity level - no problem.There are many aspects that make this tape superior to other step tapes around. First of all, it's fun, the instructors are great and enthusiastic enough to get you motivated without being annoying, and it's long enough to allow you to feel like you've really done a decent cardio workout. Many other tapes out there have only 30 minutes or so of cardio, but this one has 40. Also, the four instructors that guide you through the workout are clear, on cue with the music and enable you to keep focused on what you are supposed to be doing by giving you the heads up before there's a move change. Another thing that makes this tape one of my favorites is that it's clean and sharp and the moves build off one another in each of the 11 intervals in a logical way. Other tapes I've bought for the step don't seem to do this very well - often throwing in random moves that don't seem to have anything to do with the one you just did or the ones that follow. The 11 intervals that comprise the workout gradually build up from a warm up, peak at about interval 6 and 7, and then gradually take you back down in activity level to the cool down in a way that's very smooth and natural. My only complaint about this tape is that it is a tape. I'd love to have it on DVD!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Its no Kari Anderson, but then, who is?, April 30, 2002
If you're a beginner, looking for some very simple step choreography - this is a video you should try. They have 3 impact options displayed during the video which includes "high impact", lower impact, and one lady modifies the moves for the floor. Most of the music isn't annoying, and they switch instructors throughout the entire set so you never get bored of just one person's style. Because I've been sick, I only used the single bench module this morning. This made the 40 minute aerobic section very easy to accomplish without much effort. If you are looking for a stronger workout, definitely add another bench module and use any of the suggested "advanced" moves like the left side of the room demonstrates. Being more of an intermediate stepper, I have to say the choreography was quite repetitive and too simple to keep me really challenged.Even so, I'd probably use this tape again when I was looking to give my mind a rest and just get some aerobic activity in my day.
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