exercise videos

From an e-mail: Hi, To answer your question the other night, here are the videos I've tried: I started with the original Jazzercise video ('83 or so, probably out of print) by Judi Sheppard Missett. It's a good beginner floor aerobics tape. She's so over-the-top perky I had to give up and enjoy it. But it's a short step from there to Richard Simmons, and I don't think I want to go there. The first part of "Jane Fonda's Complete Workout" was okay, but the aerobics part was too dancy and confusing for me. "The Method: All in One Workout" -- based on Pilades, yoga, classical and aerobic dance. Again, way too dancy and confusing for me. Hated it. "Basic Training: The Workout" is a 60-minute tape combining low-impact aerobics with some strength training (light weights). There are helicopters and stuff in the background. I like this one. Sometimes I just do the first half for the aerobics, using it with the Firm tape on alternate days. "Kathy Smith's Fat Burning Workout" -- Okay, I'm not really fat, but I have gained around 20 pounds in the last couple of years, and that's probably not good. Anyway, this is fairly low-intensity but steady, to keep you in the fat-burning stage for the full 40-minutes. I like this one for when I just want to do aerobics. "Your Personal Best Workout with Elle Macpherson," by Karen Voight. This one's kinda cute, friendly but not perky, with nice Hawaiian scenery. I like it okay. My favorite right now is The Firm's "Cross Trainers / Firm Strength". It's a 55-minute mix of aerobics and weight training, often at the same time. This one's heavy duty, harder than the others but probably more effective. Just when you can't take any more, they switch to a different muscle group and push you too far on that one. It's really well done, and seems to be a favorite on http://videofitness.com, a consumer's guide to fitness videos. "Firm Cardio" and "Karen Voight's Energy Sprint" are supposed to be good too, but I haven't tried them because the choreography is rated moderate instead of basic, and you saw what happened when I tried to waltz with Ed's sister. A company called Collage Video has a mail order catalog of exercise videos, 800-433-6769. This was probably more than you wanted to know, but I hope it was useful or at least amusing. Here are some exercise videos I'd like to see: 1) An exercise video for dogs and cats (using Jurassic Park-type computer graphics). Occasionally they'll start scratching themselves or chase each other around the room. 2) A porno exercise video, maybe with really heavy dildos or something. 3) A Grateful Dead exercise video. (There's a reggae one called "Jamaica Me S'wet.") 4) An otherwise normal exercise video, but with someone like me in the group who's always doing the wrong moves and stumbling around trying to keep up. Actually, there was a scene kind of like that in Bill Murray's "The Man Who Knew Too Little," which was much funnier than any of these videos, but probably not as good for you.

Credit Earl Vickers (earl@well.com) with the great information above.

Good info! While not a video fan, my wife uses the Firm videos and I see they are well done. I have one word for watching exercise videos: "Kiana" (o;{