Product Details

• Actors: Violet Zaki
• Format: Color, Content/Copy-Protected CD, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: KOCH VISION
• DVD Release Date: May 10, 2005
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007TV63Y
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,020 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #6 in	Movies & TV > Exercise & Fitness > By Instructor > Violet Zaki
  #72 in	Movies & TV > Exercise & Fitness > By Body Part > Abs

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

SELF, the premier magazine devoted to women’s health and well-being, delivers a workout designed to make you look and feel strong, confident and sexy. With these fun, easy-to-follow moves, you will get the abs you’ve always wanted in as few as four weeks, regardless of your current fitness level. This expertly designed routine will motivate you to reach all your fitness goals-fast! Best of all, SELF magazine’s Firm, Flat Abs Fast! workout is an innovative combination of yoga, Pilates and standing abdominal and stability ball exercises and will help you create a lean, strong, sexy middle that you’ll want to show off all year long.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well produced, safe, and fun intermediate-level ab workout!, June 6, 2005

By	Julie Fugett "Geek Girl" (Lawrence, Kansas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Self: Firm Flat Abs Fast! is a sculpting workout that is just shy of 30 minutes in length. On the DVD there is also a bonus cardio workout--at 5 minutes it's really only suitable as a warm-up. You'll need one 3 to 8 pound dumbbell and a stability ball.

This workout is broken up into four chapters, which can be done independently of one another. The first chapter is just classic crunches--very familiar to just about everyone. The second chapter incorporates the stability ball. The first few moves of this chapter aren't for exercisers with low ceilings, but they should be easy to modify. The third chapter is Pilates-inspired ab work. The fourth chapter includes some very graceful yoga-inspired moves. There is also a short cool-down segment at the end. None of the moves in this workout are mindblowingly new or different--they're all good solid well-tested moves packaged into one workout.

Violet Zaki, the instructor, discusses the workout before the warmup (you can fast-forward through that) and then at the end she has a rather long section discussing proper form and diet and how both contribute to better fitness. The diet advice is pretty common sense stuff, but it never hurts to hear it one more time.

The setting is absolutely gorgeous. The workout filmed on the beach at a resort near Puerto Vallarta. You can hear the waves crashing on the beach in the background, which is very calming. As an instructor, Violet is very motivating. She cues well and keeps the patter (and the whooping) to a bare minimum. There are two backup exercisers, one of which is modifying. They are very "normal" looking--trim and fit without being overly lean. Violet looks strong and healthy.

The only thing I've found to give this DVD demerits on are the five or six commercials at the beginning. You can fast foward through them (or hit the Menu button) but still--I paid for my DVD and I don't feel like paying more for it by giving my time to these ads. It's why I only rated this DVD 4 stars. Without the ads, it's a 5 star DVD with beautiful production values and good chaptering.

As a high-intermediate/low-advanced exerciser, I think this one is worth picking up as an add-on or for light days. I can definitely feel it in my abs after I do this workout, but I have yet to experience any DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) from it. I would recommend this workout to just about any level of exerciser--if you do this workout, eat right, and get in regular cardiovascular exercise, you will definitely see results.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginners only, November 4, 2005

By	Kelly A Googe (Newnan, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews

I go to abs classes frequently and wanted to get this DVD to help mix up my routine and give me something to do if I didn't want to leave the house. I was a little disappointed in this DVD. I love Self Magazine and their workouts and the amazon reviews made it seem very promising. The routines are broken down into four separate workouts. The only one that involved any effort on my part was the Pilates-inspired section. As for the rest, the other sections would have you do too few reps, I felt, to get your muscles warmed up, let alone reshape them. I think this DVD is great for beginners. Its simple enough to follow and it won't scare you away too soon. But if you're like me and you workout on a regular basis and just want a new routine, this probably isn't the abs workout for you.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Creative Advanced Routine, October 2, 2005

By	Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove.com" (Washington State) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Self has created a strong sexy progressive workout to take you through a variety of exercises that will quickly tone your abs. The stability ball is not essential if you adapt those exercises with an exercise ring or just skip leaning on the ball and do the exercises on the floor. A set of weights and a mat are needed to complete the exercises.

Stretching is interspersed throughout the workout and it gives you a much needed rest between the more intense exercises. The exercises are taught well and then the instructor quickly raises the intensity. The addition of weights and raising the arms takes this workout to an intermediate to advanced routine.

Strong graceful moves make each exercise super efficient. The variety keeps your interest and there are creative adaptations for familiar exercises. Advice is given on how to stabilize your neck and the warm-up helps you to ease into the movements.

Routine:

Warming Up
Stability Ball
Pilates Abs
Yoga Abs
Cooldown

I think they could have made this much more adaptable because they have three women working out and there are few modifications for beginners. This is mostly an intermediate to advanced workout with an emphasis on Yoga stretching and Pilates conditioning.

I felt like I was only working out for about 15 minutes, so this seems to go fast and the creativity kept my attention. The wonderful beach setting is relaxing and healing.

If you are at the advanced level, you may think this is 5 stars for the balance challenges.

~The Rebecca Review