Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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150 of 152 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I LOVE it!!, January 25, 2005
Okay, while there's no menu with a chapter list, it is segmented so you can skip ahead an exercise or two... Yes, it would be better if it were broken down by exercise and had a central menu. Still it's not as though you have to fast forward through the whole thing to get to the exercise you want. Which means that the AM/PM Callanetics - my particular favorite when dealing with insomnia - will be manageable.
Chaptered or not this is the single best workout I have ever done. It leaves your body, not just stronger and toned, but more flexible and deeply relaxed. After a couple of weeks of doing this video not only did I drop at least a dress size but but my back has never been so relaxed and comfortable. I suffer back pain and headaches when under stress which have been particularly intense recently and these stretches are the only thing I've ever found that truly deal with the pain at its source on an ongoing basis.
So, would it be nice if it were chaptered with a central menu? Yes of course. Would it stop me from buying this video again? Not on your life! Not only would I buy it again, but I'm going to be giving this as a gift to all my friends for their birthdays this year.
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160 of 163 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great workout for middle aged beer belly guys, July 5, 2006
First point: I am a guy, in my early 40s and out of shape - years of beer and fun have taken their toil.
I have tried weightlifting - it is like watching the wimp from the Charles Atlas comic book advertisements - not my bag.
I have tried aerobics - also called "fat man bouncing." I hate the elliptical machine and the treadmill.
This video, practiced in the privacy of your home, will get your flab firm in quick time
I have owned and worked out with this video for a number of years and recently purchased and began using the DVD version.
Give this workout a chance and stay with it. In my late 20s and early 30s I used this video to quickly get in shape and shave off inches of the ubiquitous male beer belly.
Over the years, I added on weight and like many men my age, found the relaxing comfort of the television and brisk workout from the remote control each evening to be my preferred workout.
After a thorough scolding from my doctor, it was time to get back in shape. I surfed to Amazon and bought the DVD version of Callanetics.
There are a few things to take into account when using the newly issued DVD.
1. Watch the thing all the way through, perhaps two times to really learn the exercises.
2. Ignore the 1980s fashions and bad music. That isn't what you are here for.
3. The newest version of the DVD is chaptered, which helps you get through the idle chatter.
4. Focus on form before you focus on reps. Ignore the music and the chatter on the video and take time to ensure your legs, back, hands, etc. are in the correct place. By three or four workouts, your attention to form will make a tremendous difference.
5. After about 5 or 6 workouts, go ahead and turn off the sound and listen to what you need to in the background why you work out. I will occasionally return to the sound to help refresh form.
6. If you are severely out of shape, like I was, focus on just Callanetics for bit. Then after 12 or so hours (four weeks at three times a week.), incorporate a brisk walk or run on off days to really get the full fitness.
I have lost three inches in my waste and my "Dunlap" tire on my belly - that part of the middle aged male belly that creeps over the belt - is gone. After even the first hour, you will feel invigorated and relaxed.
The next day, you will feel the workout while walking up stairs or putting away dishes in the kitchen. This is no work out for wimps or just for women.
The sweat on my forehead and my raising heart during each workout will vouch for that.
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79 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Callanetics: Flex & Strength=Results, March 18, 2007
I do not represent myself here as an expert however I did work as an aerobic instructor for 13 years, and determined to stay active since my retirement (Feb '06 @ age 48) I've been trying different things to forestall the ravages of father time. Callanetics is just one beachhead on that campaign however after working it since Jan '07 I think I can share my experience & recommendation to fellow Amazonians contemplating whether or not to take the plunge for Callanetics.
While I did provide a cool-down & stretch in my aerobics classes and extolled their importance to receptive ears, time didn't allow for more than a few minutes at the tail end of class. So I fear participants (and myself) were unintentionally shortchanged in flexibility training just because the emphasis of my class was primarily on revving up our cardiovascular engines. No such problem with Callanetics; this comes at fitness from the opposite direction, and is ALL about flexibility and, simultaneously, strength training.
Despite my background and extensive participation in fitness classes of various types (since '85), Callanetics was (and is) CHALLENGING. Of course any time you tackle something new it will impose demands you haven't been acclimated to meet and they will quickly exceed your limits. But that's NOT a bad thing! In many ways Callanetics is a ballet bar workout emphasizing extensive stretching and pulsing into the stretches to GENTLY promote longer, leaner muscle fibers and extended range of motion. Although the class uses a ballet bar for several exercises you can easily substitute household furniture instead (as I do).
My DVD DOES contain chapters which I agree are useful, however to me it's a bit of a non-issue because I will only do the full one-hour workout. The program is designed to target most "problem areas" and why would you want to skip anything? The disadvantage of this is that I don't always have an hour to spare, so my use of the Callanetics program is pretty much restricted to weekends exclusively. (I see that shorter videos are also available to address this very issue, but again, I haven't seen or used them.)
Despite this limitation I have faithfully been doing Callanetics at least twice weekly for a couple months now and can to some extent confirm its "10 Years Younger" claim. My abs, legs, backside and torso are definitely leaner and presenting a noticeably sleeker silhouette than they did before I started. Of course the price for this is a good-faith effort to do the workout conscientiously and be willing to do it like you mean it even when you're alone in your living room or basement with no one watching. Remind yourself that people WILL be noticing as you improve so be willing to put in the effort to give them something to see!
I have a couple minor quibbles with the production & presentation. Overall this is GOOD especially since it came so early in the video era (these were really the dawn times of home video and shortcomings we notice now weren't taken into consideration back in the '80's). If I were to tinker now, I'd divide the production into two sections, the first a demo of the individual exercises with all necessary pointers on form, number of reps, etc, along with the motivational anecdotes, photos & pep talks sprinkled throughout. My second section would then be the full routine moving smoothly between the exercises without demonstrations or progress photos interrupting the proceedings. None of these quirks really diminish the presentation or effectiveness of the core workout, however I'd shift them so there's not so much "dead air" for those of us who (quickly) become familiar with the routine and don't need to see a success story in between exercises.
New exercisers or readers who have been sedentary for years are probably best served by starting with the Beginning Callanetics DVD rather than this one. I am not familiar with the beginner production however I feel the full one-hour workout presented on this DVD could indeed be too demanding for new exercisers. YES as all video exercise productions emphasize, consult your doctor first and WORK AT YOUR OWN PACE. Exercise is NOT competition and if you bend yourself into that mindset you won't stick with it.
With this caveat in mind I'm happy to enthusiastically recommend Callanetics to anyone ready to "get off the sofa" and do something about the ravages of time that ordinary maturity inevitably vexes us with. There may be other programs that provide quicker or easier results but I doubt it!
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