Simply Endurance

Gin Miller
Year Released: 2003

Categories: Total Body Workouts


Simply Endurance:

Type: Strength – endurance
Length: approx 60 minutes
Set: Wood floor, small props which were not distracting
Background exercisers: none
Music: pleasant instrumental

I was wanting to really love this workout but I merely like it. The entire workout is voiced over by Gin, so you see her and hear her, but its like her personality has all been sucked out. Its dry as dust. That’s so disappointing for me, as I am a HUGE fan of Gin Miller and its her terrific personality that makes her workouts so much fun to do.

So, once I got past that disappointment, I was able to focus on the workout, and its much tougher than I expected it to be. I was able to go heavier on the weight than I typically do for endurance workouts. Gin alternates lower body with upper body and also combines them both in compound moves. For the lower body, she will start with 1/3 range of motion, then 2/3 then all the way down. The pace is slow for the lower body work, and because you are often holding the move, it really burns. She includes all the traditional moves: squats, lunges, lunges off the step, lunges with a knee up and then extend the leeg and hold in a balance move. I hate balance moves, so I skip these. One interesting twist she does with what is normally a floor work move (glute raise with straight leg) she does bent over at a 90 degree angle and extends the leg out to the back, alternating raises with pulses at the top of the move. She does this last, when your legs are already fatigued, and it REALLY targets the glutes. Instead of leaning onto a 12” platform (fanny lifter would be perfect), she sets 2 dumbbells on the step vertically (on their heads) and grips the bell end so that her body is at a 90 degree bend. It looked unstable to me, but actually worked well.
The upper body work is quite thorough. Pushups start the chest work. Then there are bent over rows while doing deadlifts (“hip hinges”), lots of shoulder work (military press, side raises, bent over flyes) tricep dips and kickbacks, hammer curls and bicep curls. I was able to use 8# for military press and delt raises, I usually use 10-12. She does approx 20 reps for each set, sometimes breaking it up into smaller chunks, as for delt raises. This allowed me to up the weight some. The time went by quickly, and I was huffing and puffing in a way I usually only do for cardio. I think this would be a nice calorie burner as well as solid endurance workout.
My only other disappointment with this workout is the questionable chaptering. There is a warmup, part 1, part 2 and cooldown. There is no logical reason why this is so. Part 2 starts with the set of lunges for the other leg. ????? Why not a chapter per body part?
There were no premixes of any sort. I am SOOO spoiled by Cathe and Karen Voight.
This is a good workout that I will do ever so often, but will never be a favorite.
Grade B+

Instructor Comments:
I love Gin Miller! She is the best.....

Peggy T

02/02/2005