Fat-Burning Workout for Dummies
Gay GasperYear Released: 2001
Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance
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Fat Burning Workout for Dummies Level: Begin/Inter
Instructor: Gay Gasper
Impact: Mixed
Choreography: Basic
Length: 47 minutes (12 minute instructional workout, 30 minute main workout, 5 minute cooldown and stretch)
This is a great basic aerobic workout. The intro teaches the basic aerobic steps for 12 minutes, which can be used as a warmup. Then Gay puts the steps together into five different combinations. Each new combo is added on after repeating the previous ones. Higher impact moves are also shown as options off to the side. The steps have been explained, so I won't go over them again. Lots of grapevines, step kicks, heel digs, the basic stuff. The music was instrumental and sounded like it was from a synthesizer.
What I like: the set is nice. Hardwood floors, simple bare walls. The music was pop-instrumental and reminded me of the 80s. The camera crew did an excellent job of showing Gay's feet during the workout so that you could clearly see the moves.
What I didn't like: well, it could have been a little longer. The instructional section I used as a warmup, and I had to rewind the last section to burn 300 calories in 35 minutes. This is very minor though.
This is a very good workout DVD to have on light days or on days that you don't want to think too much over the complex choreography. I can do the high impact version either on floor or on my trampoline and still burn a fair amount of calories. The moves are repetitive, so I wouldn't use this as my sole aerobic workout.
Note: if you are not used to the Dummies series, there are graphic pop-ups with form tips, jargon, etc. which I found cute, but others might find annoying.
All in all, I'm glad I made the purchase! Will definitely keep in the rotation
Instructor Comments:
Gay is very encouraging and cues well. She also seems happy working out without being overly perky, which is something I really like in an instructor.
The first part of this shows each move used and could probably be done as a warmup for the 'real' workout. The actual workout is about 30 minutes long and the cueing is excellent. all the moves are simple enough to follow and she takes it from the top (tifts) a lot so if that bothers you you'll probably want to pass on this. I usually do leslies and george foreman on the floor or my urban rebounder or walk outside so this was a very nice low impact change of pace. she shows a higher impact/intensity version and whenever I felt like my heartrate was dropping some I'd 'up' the intensity with one of those moves here and there.
the only drawback is I absolutely hate the dummies format with the stupid target and inset pictures and stuff! I find it annoying. I have this on video but I've heard that the dvd lets you turnthis feature off (I'm not sure though!) Iguess the insets are needed to 'up' the intensity though. I found the time to go by pretty quickly and felt like I had a fun but simple workout.
Instructor Comments:
likeable and pleasant. I like her pretty well.
FBWD is an excellent introduction to aerobics for moderately active beginners and lower level intermediates. However, it might be challenging for people who are very out of condition. The 12 minute introductory section makes it very easy to learn all the steps and makes the main work out much less intimidating. I found I could master this work out pretty quickly - it was nice not to feel like a dunce. I really enjoyed the simple choreography that Gay uses. Although simple it is fun and beginners will feel a real sense of accomplishment when they master it. I still enjoy using it on those days I just cant be bothered with choreography but feel like working out. The music is quite good - it is easy for beginners to hear the beat and it's not too monotonous. I also liked the length –great for people trying to lose weight. I would definitely recommend this one! I'm really hoping Gay will make a beyond basic work out for intermediates!
Instructor Comments:
Gay is friendly, matter of fact and
cheerful in FBWD. Her gentle
enthusiasm and enjoyment are
very motivating and she doesn't
irritate me like lots of other
instructors. Her form is good
and her cuing is clear.
This is one of the first workout videos I bought and definitely one of my wisest purchases. I've outgrown other 'beginner' videos, but I can still workup a sweat with this one by putting a little extra heart into it or doing a few intervals whenever the high impact version comes on screen. Also, my roommate who never exercised started using this because "it looked fun". She is completely choreography challenged, but this helped her learn the basic steps enough that she could even start up in a beginning aerobics class without feeling left behind.
To give you an idea of my fitness level: I'm 21 years old and a beginner on the cusp of intermediate. I've been working out steadily for the past three months and off and on for a year.
Instructor Comments:
I really enjoy Gay in this video. She is encouraging without being annoying or overly perky. I'm not a big fan of someone telling me how great I'll look on a video since they don't know me.
This is a completely solid beginner's hi/lo routine. In fact, I can't find anything critical to say about it. Okay, here's one thing. One or two of the combinations takes up more space than I might like it to, but it is easy to modify this workout in that regard. Gay does the workout at a beginners' level, and there are modifications shown for making the workout more challenging.
Altogether, there are four separate combos, then in combo five you put all of the combos together. The combos are fun, basic but not completely boring for someone advanced who is doing a very easy workout week. The cardio intensity increases as you go through the combos. But it is still a beginner's workout, all the way. The very beginning of the workout, for the first twelve minutes, Gay previews all of the moves for you. I sometimes use this as a no-thinking-required warm-up to another cardio or weight workout.
To sum up, this is a classic, in my book. I hope it makes it to the hall of fame someday!
Kathy
Instructor Comments:
I like Gay. She is a very good instructor. She is encouraging, but not a cheerleader. And her form is excellent.
I checked it out from the library. It quite a nice low impact (with high impact options shown) cardio tape. In the first section she teaches several types of basic moves, march, v-steps, ham curls, mambos, etc and then in the second section she combines the moves into combos. She teaches each combo and then does them all together, so I guess people who don't like taking it from the top wouldn't like that. But it's a nice 55 minutes of cardio including warm-up and cool down. I would definitely recommend it for those who consider themselves "choreo-klutzes" because it gives you an opportunity to learn the moves upon which most choreography is based. It's also good for someone who wants a nice medium intensity low-impact workout. Even though the moves are straightforward it can be quite intense if you put your energy into it. It's just Gay alone leading you through the routine on a nice clean set. The music is enjoyable too.
Instructor Comments:
Gay comes across as very personable and sweet on this tape. Her cueing is excellent.
I really enjoyed this tape! It offers many options for most exercisers, and plenty of room to grow. For the beginner, it breaks down common aerobic moves step-by-step, then shows you how to put the moves together. More advanced exercisers can skip the introduction and go right to the 30-minute low-impact routine. And it really is low-impact: high-impact options are shown in a split screen at times, but the core workout remains easy on the joints.
The first 12 minutes leads the viewer through twelve common aerobic moves such as the march, v-step, grapevine, mambo and others. The moves are performed first with only the legs, then with arm moves added on. For some moves, extra options are shown such as march with tap, or double ham curls.
The final half hour is a coordinated aerobic routine. The combos are cued very precisely, and she takes it from the top several times throughout. I know there is mixed feelings out there about TIFTT, but this tape is geared to people who have trouble with aerobic moves. If you see a move from earlier and roll your eyes going "not this again," you probably are not the target audience here. But if you see a move from earlier and go "yay, I know this part," this routine would be perfect for you.
Initially, I thought I would use the whole tape through, treating the 12-minute primer as a warm-up. But by my second viewing, I was fast-forwarding straight to the workout proper. And by the third time, I could do the whole thing without stumbling. It's not a fancy workout, but it 's a nice comfort tape for days when you still want to work a little, but you don't want to do any thinking.
01/05/2001
