Margaret Richard
First of all, there have been some other reviews written about this workout that refer to it as easy and suitable for an older person or extreme beginner. I have to say that I completely disagree with those comments. I found the exercises to be very tough and in some cases I couldn't finish the reps. I have been workout out with Cathe and the Firm for awhile so I consider my fitness level to be about intermediate. These workouts would be suitable for beginners up to high intermediates. I don't know if I'd recommend them for advanced exercisers unless you're specifically looking for something less intense than usual.
Anyway, I really enjoy these workouts a lot. At 20 minutes, it's easy to add them on later in the day or work them into a cardio-focused rotation. I adore the outdoor settings, the flamenco style music, and Margaret's low key demeanor. The production quality is excellent and the DVD functionality is a big improvement over her first attempt. Out of six segments, there are four outdoor and two indoor. One strange thing is that in the two indoor segments she has a background exerciser with her, but in the outdoor segments she is alone. The breakdown is as follows:
Volume 1
Workout A - outdoor
Quads (slow squats; she adjusts her feet a lot in this segment, its quite distracting)
Hamstrings (using a chair)
Calves/Glutes (bent over raises w. chair)
Workout B - indoor
Abs (on a chair tough!)
Inner Thighs (squeezing a ball, tougher than it looks)
Outer Thighs (standing raise, with squats, with ballet sweep)
Workout C - outdoor
Pectorals (push-ups)
Triceps (lying French press)
Biceps (seated curls)
Deltoids (raises in various positions)
Volume 2
Workout A - outdoor
Biceps (hammer curls, side curls)
Triceps (dips)
Deltoids (rotator cuff, side raises)
Pectorals (flys)
Workout B - indoor
Abs (crunches w. leg variations)
Outer Thigh (floor lifts & shoots; shes really uneven with the reps here)
Inner thigh (scissors)
Workout C outdoor
Calves weighted lifts
Quads seated raises
Hamstrings kneeling curls
Glutes bridge w. feet on dumbbells
Most of the exercises are typical Margaret - simple exercises with lots of interesting variations. I also think that the abs in this workout are more difficult than she normally does.
While no substitute for more intense strength training, I think these workouts would be a great addition for many video exercisers. I can think of many cases where it would be useful to have a lower key yet effective weight workout. If, for example, you wanted to add an extra workout session in the morning or later in the day, this would be a perfect choice. No need to dread getting out of bed for this one! You don't need to drag out a lot of equipment (usually either leg weights or dumbbells and a chair or mat).
Other possible uses for these workouts are as add-ons for a little extra targeted work or fitting something in to a tight schedule. I used them a lot over the summer when I was doing mainly outdoor cardio and wanted to keep up my strength.
Great job again from Margaret.
Instructor comments:
I love Margaret! She is so enearing in this video, I just love her. She makes cute little comments referring to you as her friend and things like that. Did I say that I love her?
Megan
fitness@meganjack.com
Sept. 24, 2004