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Denise Austin's Boot Camp Total Body Blast!
If you're looking for a workout that has a little bit of everything, Denise Austin's Boot Camp Total Body Blast! will exceed your expectations with its combination of cardio routines, toning segments, and a long flexibility sequence.
Austin is a veteran fitness coach, and her knowledge of physical health is impressive as she demonstrates moves ranging from traditional calisthenics such as pushups and jumping jacks to "dynamic stretching," which incorporates findings from recent exercise research into the cool-down section of the DVD.
There are several very lean, athletic background exercisers who respond well to Austin's constant encouragement: "You're strong," she says early in the first workout, and she frequently instructs everyone to "Train like an athlete." Austin occasionally circulates among the cast to show correct form, but she does just about all of the cardio and strength workouts along with everyone else.
Boot Camp Total Body Blast! is divided into two 20-minute workouts and a 10-minute stretching sequence. The program is perfect for beginning and intermediate exercisers, but it can be modified for those who are more advanced by doing the program twice, or by using heavier weights in the toning workout. All of the background exercisers are doing the same routines; no easier or harder versions of the moves are shown. Transitions between the workout sections are brief, so keep your water bottle close by to avoid missing anything.
First up is the cardio training, which opens with a five-minute warmup of lunges, squats, upper-body twists, and stretching that will get your body ready for several 30-second interval drills of shuffles, jumps, kickboxing moves, and plyometric bursts that are interspersed with lower-intensity cardio moves. With so much variety, the time goes quickly! A floor mat series of T-stands, hover planks, and abdominal exercises including reverse crunches and "climb the rope" concludes the cardio routine.
In the strength training workout, you will warm up to marching in place, punches, skater stretches, and jump rope arms while jogging in place, and then move onto squats with light dumbbells, dead lifts, hammer curls, floating lunges (lunging forwards and backwards with the same leg), and shoulder presses alternating with cardio "boosts" such as vertical jumps that will really ramp up your heart rate! Austin also employs the technique of "integrated strength," which combines lower- and upper-body exercises such as squats with upper body twists, to work your core along with your arms and legs. More abdominal work is done at the end of the strength routine.
The flexibility sequence works your entire body, starting with your spine ("Your spine is your lifeline," Austin champions), and extending to your legs, arms, and neck. "Dynamic stretching" alternates the stretching and releasing of each muscle to allow for more flexibility and relaxation, and will leave you feeling refreshed. While it can be tempting to skip flexibility routines tacked onto the end of workouts, stretching is a very important part of a fitness program; it will help you recover from more intense training. Austin's 10-minute program is excellent as a stand-alone relaxation stretch that you can use after walking or other exercise apart from the rest of the Boot Camp Total Body Blast! DVD.
You will need one set of light dumbbells for the strength workout, and a mat for all three sections of the DVD. Sturdy shoes that will give you sufficient support for the jumping and shuffling are essential, and the routines will make you sweat, so make sure that you drink enough water before and during your exercise to stay hydrated.
Production quality is good; the set is a gym-type studio, and fresh camera work shows the exercisers from multiple angles so that you can easily see the proper form of each move. Captions are accurate and in synchronization with the action; Austin is talking the entire time, so you may want to preview the DVD to make sure that you catch all of the dialogue.
The introduction, trailers, and voice-over descriptions of the workout segments are not captioned, so the background and contextual material are not available to those of us who rely on captions. While these omissions are unfortunate, the three workouts in Boot Camp Total Body Blast! are worth the investment in the DVD; they provide a complete, well-captioned exercise session in under an hour, they require little equipment, and they offer a fast-moving way to improve your stamina, strength, and suppleness.
Released in 2006; about $15 (DVD only). Widely available from online bookstores.
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