Prevention: 400 Calorie Fix Workout

I've worked out to other Prevention videos that I enjoy like Prevention Fitness: Kick Start Your Metabolism so decided to give this one a try. I have mixed feelings. There are two workouts: one 21 minute interval routine that is all cardio and one 31 minute circuit routine that has some weights, but is mostly cardio. I like the interval routine. I will use it again as a warm up to other more difficult exercise DVDs or add to a weight only routine. However, I felt that the 30 minute circuit doesn't live up to its name, and it doesn't seem effective. Having done Jillian Michael's DVDs that have compound moves that work the whole body, I felt the circuit routine is too old school (both in trypes of moves and only working upper or lower at one time). The only part I liked was abs, but it was too short. I think the instructor Julie Marsland does an adequate job cuing, if you are familiar with the terms she uses, but if you are a beginner, you may need to rewind a lot. I've seen other reviewers at Amazon use the term "dancy" in describing a routine and think that is an appropriate term here. There is a lot of switching between "dance" moves (like mambo, charleston, shuffles, and grapevine) and traditional aerobics moves (like squats, knee-lifts, step-heels, step-touches, and v-steps). She throws out the terms like you should know them. I'm lucky that I do, but I can see some people not liking this DVD because of that, unless they want to persevere and use the rewind button a lot to learn the routine slowly.

The main menu has an Intro by the instructor Julie Marsland, Play All, Interval Workout, Circuit Workout, and Audio Set Up. You automatically get a 4 minute warm up and 4 minute cool down. There are three intervals for the Interval workout. You do each interval at a low impact pace and then a second time around at faster pace. Each interval is 2-4 minutes long. I felt the routine did good job going between fast and slow intervals and changing length of intervals. You also worked upper and lower body at the same time. The circuit mixed high and low impact cardio circuits with "weight training" circuits. I put it in quotes because I wouldn't call it that. Doing a few minutes of squats, rows, and kickbacks only works those that are complete beginners. The routine also separates upper and lower body, so you don't burn as many calories. I added some moves to help increase the burn (did upper and lower body moves together).

There are some good things about this DVD, but overall I think there are some better ones out there, like Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 (circuit routine) and Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism (cardio interval routine). I'm not sure who to recommend this to because most beginners won't know the terms she uses and could get frustrated trying to learn the routines and more advanced exercisers might get bored or feel they don't get enough of a workout for time spent. I have no idea if the claim to be around 400 calories burned is true or not because I don't have a body bug. So, I'm recommending renting or buy used.

P.S. There is a mistake at Amazon at the time of this writing saying that Summer Sanders is the actor on DVD. That should be for the new Summer Sanders Shape DVD that came out the same day as this one.

Too many quick movements that jerk your joints around. If you have joint problems, don't buy this video. I wish I could return it. I had another Prevention workout and that one was not great either. I will stay away from Prevention workouts.

I have to agree with other reviewers. I've owned several Prevention videos, and this one just doesn't live up to the brand. The interval routine alone is so boring, repetitive, bouncy, and uncreative, and the instructor so distracting that I can't even finish a lousy 21 minutes. You repeat the same 3 steps (mambo, shuffles, high knees) over and over in the low-impact segment, and then in the high-impact segment, you repeat THE SAME THING all over again, only with a bounce in your step! Lots and lots of bouncing. (And "Ilyse" is supposed to continue the low-impact in that segment but you can see she didn't get the memo.) The instructor does a LOT of "hup" and "nice" to the point of distraction. Honest, if she's doing anything more after that, I don't know because although my body could keep going, the rest of me said "enough."

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews  2.5 out of 5 stars