Absolute Beginners Cardio & Strength for Seniors

Angie Miller
Year Released: 2012

Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance , Lower Body Strength , Seniors/Seated , Upper Body Strength , Walking Aerobics



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Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this workout.

I recently found Angie Miller's Crave Results and really, really liked it. I decided that I would seriously look at an Angie Miller workout that has no floor work (which elminates her Bedroom Body workout). Then, this DVD popped up on Collage's list of workouts coming soon. I figured it would probably be too easy for me, but I was interested to see how she handles a workout for seniors. So many workouts for senior equate being older in age with being feeble and that's just not the case these days.

This DVD is comprised of a warm up and a cool down with a cardio workout and then a strength workout in between. You can do the whole DVD as a longer workout or split up the segments. Before the workout begins, Angie asks the background exercises to introduce themselves and include their age:

Marilyn - She is in her 70s and is the official modifier throughout the workout. Most of her modifications are simply moves that are less intense in nature. For example, she walks forward and doesn't lift her knee like the rest of them do.

Judy - She is in her 60s and she's the mover and groover of the group. Angie points out that she does some of the moves in a dancey way.

George - He is in his 70s and he does the one high-impact move (Going from a squat to standing with your hands overhead, he gets some air under his feet.


There is a warm up, basically made up of walking type moves - side steps, walking forward and back, etc. The main part of the cardio workout is a pleasant walking workout. She takes the moves from the warm up and includes them in the first two blocks of choreography. Then, there is a third block of choreography that has totally new moves (still very simple, walking moves). The fourth block is a combination of all the segments, taking it from the top with a compressed (i.e., shorter) version of each block. Throughout this section, George is the most intense, Judy is the danciest, Marilyn is the least intense, and Angie talks the whole time giving form pointers and talking about health type information. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this walking workout. There's nothing new in it, but I thought the moves were put together in a fresh way.

Then, the strength segment starts. You need a chair and a pair of light dumbbells. The lower body moves are all done with no weight. The exercises include simple moves like standing up and sitting down in the chair and leg lifts to the back and side. The upper body moves are pretty standard: bicep curls, rows, etc. George and Angie use 5-pound weights, Judy uses 3 pounders, and Marilyn holds 2 pounds in each hand.

The set looks like part of a gym and/or loft. It is bright and sunny with the big windows at the back of the set. I really liked the background exercisers in this DVD. They added more personality than usual, although it was Angie's interaction with them that made this a reality. The music wasn't memorable, literally. I can remember nothing about it. Angie was good in this workout. She did get a bit repetetive, but she was also encouraging and motivating without being condescending (as some instructors have been in other workouts for seniors).

I have seen a number of posts over the years asking what workouts would be good for an older person and/or someone who has been VERY sedentary. This DVD would certainly qualify in a big way. The moves are simple. Options are given so that someone could work into it. If someone wanted to make it harder, in the cardio section, they could:

> just make the moves bigger
> add light weights
> add in some impact

They could do all the modifications you can do in a Leslie Sansone workout. In the strength section, they could use a loop around their ankles or ankle weights or just use heavier dumbbells.

There's no getting around it. This is an EASY WORKOUT, but it's supposed to be. For those that need an easier workout, it's a really good option

Instructor Comments:
She is specific and encouraging in this workout.

Laura S.

10/14/2012