30 Days to Firmer Abs and Arms

30 days to thinner thighs and 30 days to firmer arms and abs

Donna has done a great job identifying her target audience of advanced beginners to intermediates who like fun, dance party workouts with these two. The aerobics really do feel like social/ party dancing. Lots of hip shimmies and wiggles and so on. I think I saw someone else describe this as vulgar, but I didn't think so at all. I thought she really captured the fun, let it all hang out spirit of a party. The aerobics aren't terribly intense or complicated, but sometimes her cueing is off. If you're not very coordinated, you might have trouble getting all the steps. But after a few run throughs, you won't miss a beat. I liked the legs video better because I thought the toning was more interesting. Both start with a warm up, then floor aerobics, then toning and a good stretch. She offers options in the aerobics to increase the impact and intensity. These workouts are a lot of fun if you like a little attitude and dancey fun in your workouts. What I think really makes these videos stand out is Donna and her friends. They are having so much fun its contagious. They also have very real, fit, atheletic, attractive, healthy bodies. Its nice and refreshing to see normal women working out, having fun and looking good. I found it motivating. Lots of fun.

Instructor Comments:
donna is fun, funky and enthusiastic. she really seems to enjoy working out, and wants everyone to have as much fun as she has. Her workout personality is so different from the cheesy personality she has when she introduces her videos. She seems so friendly and down to earth.

linda

While the video does not make me sweat as much as the step videos do, I do enjoy it. It gets my heart rate up a bit and gets my body in motion . While the steps are a little tricky at first, you eventually catch on.The music is very motivational and appropriate for each segment. My favorite part is the toning sections. The abs are targeted and worked in a 5 minute period. That is perfect for my level because I am just starting to do toing exercises. Overall this is a really fun video made by a really motivational person. Go Donna!!

She makes you feel like you are dancing and having fun instead of sweating and burning calories. She has excellent cues and leads you through each workout clearly.

Kori Young

I think this is a fun beginner/intermediate tape. Donna is really motivating & she just wants you to enjoy yourself. The aerobics is dancey but not so funky that a non-coordinated person can't do it. The moves are hi/lo but there's a background exerciser that does all low impact moves. The toning section for the upper body is short. We do one set of one arm rows on the right side, a set of one arm rows combined with tricep kickbacks with the palms facing forward on the right side, a combo set of front raises, side lateral raises, & 2 shoulder presses. Then we do a set of one arm rows & a set of one arms rows combined with tricep kickbacks on the left side. We then do 2 sets of concentration curls & one arm tricep overhead presses on both sides. Then its down on the floor for abs, chest flys, & chest presses. So the whole upper body is worked but it's just not that intense. I might put this tape on the exchange. I need something more challenging. Currently, I'm combining it with other tapes.

Instructor Comments:
Donna is a fun instructor. She reminds me of Victoria Johnson. They both like to dance & their aerobics-style is a combination athletic & do-able funk. They even give the same comments about looking "Fine", etc.

Helen Stephens

This tape consists of about 25 minutes of floor aerobics and 20 minutes of toning with a stretch at the end. I would say that the tape is beginner in some respects and intermediate in others. The aerobics are pretty fun, and there is one person always showing low impact, which is nice. I like the routine with the exception of one point where Donna begins a routine section where you do kick ball changes. There’s a part where she’s adding on step touches with a pivot and you never end up on the correct foot for the next move until the routine is finally broken down and you do the step touch pivot on at the end of both the right and left side of a grape vine. Besides this point, I found the aerobic section really fun to do, and the music certainly is motivating as well. You sort of slide into the cool down by bringing down the impact and intensity of the moves, you could then stop the tape and cool down more if needed and get a chair and weights for the upper body toning. The toning consists of one (or tops 2) set of 12 reps for each exercise, so you should try to go as heavy as you can for the speed of each move. The tape could really use a set of push-ups but instead, the chest exercises are thrown in before you do the ab work by doing flies on the ground. The ab work is pretty good. Then you go into a series of seated stretches that mimic yoga moves. I think I would have preferred more stretches for individual muscles of the upper body but those can be added after the seated set. Overall, a nice short workout that is perky and gets an upper body tone in too.

Instructor Comments:
Donna Richardson is very energetic and is good at leading you through the routines. She also seems pretty comfortable in these videos, moreso than others I have seen her in (just my observation) Her floor routines are quite fun, a nice blend of athletic and funky.

Lisa Kucharski