Fitness expert and Buns of Steel star Leisa Hart combines several routines here to create a workout tailored to various goals and needs. First up is the “Sleek in a Week” regime, which claims to help viewers drop a dress size in just one week. I was skeptical until I looked at the menu: each day includes 3-to-4 routines (50-60 mins. total), apart from Saturday (yoga-only). Leading off with a 30-minute fat-blasting cardio segment (full of quick-paced lunges, steeple squats, and kickboxing-style steps), the other routines (10 min. each) include body-part specific sections for buns and thighs (plenty of squatting), abs (on the mat curls and oblique crunches), and upper body (using weights), as well as Pilates (with poses including leg circles, scissors, and the frog), with yoga stretch “lengthen, strengthen, rejuvenate” sections providing a nice cool-down. Working out at this level for seven days straight would no doubt produce noticeable results. Also featuring a “My Personal Trainer” section with slightly different weekly schedules (“Time Saver” is 40 minutes or less a day; “Fit it In” splits routines up in sessions; the “Take it Easy” workout is lighter), this program demands that viewers s-w-e-a-t, but is--as advertised--a true digital gym in a box. DVD extras include a nutritional guidebook, a target heart rate calculator, and text motivational tips. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: this is also available in a two-volume VHS version entitled Gym in a Box with Leisa Hart at the same price.] Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)
Digital Gym in a Box with Leisa Hart
(2004) 85 min. DVD: $24.95. Natural Journeys (dist. by Goldhil Home Media). Color cover. ISBN: 1-59443-526-X. Volume 19, Issue 5
Digital Gym in a Box with Leisa Hart
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