Hello fellow fitness friends. It’s snowy here. I am not motivated to go to any gym. I stated this before that I am not a huge fan of the gym anyway. I had a personal trainer in the past, and I have better results working out at home than at the gym. For those who love the gym, I’m cheering for you. This post if for people who want to workout at home. Before beginning any workout program check with your doctor first. If you do not workout or have never worked out, please talk with you Doctor. This list is of DVDs I either own and do regularly or have tried or friends have had success with. My goal isn’t to bash or promote anyone’s program, but to give you some insight into my results with them.

Great Workouts for Beginners (new to working out or haven’t worked out in a long time)

i. Zumba. Pretty easy on the joints. If you like Latin music or dancing, it’s fun.

ii. Cardio Kickboxing by Jillian Micheals. I love this DVD. It’s not difficult, but you will sweat unless you’re a super athlete. I love kickboxing so if you have no experience with it, it may be a bit more challenging.

iii. Biggest Loser Cardio Max with Barb Harper. There are several workouts that are great marketed under the Biggest Loser. It’s great that people who were on the show are doing the workout with you. It’s motivation to see them working out with you.

Great Workouts for Intermediate

i. 30 Day Shred by Jillian Micheals. The workouts are ~20 minutes long. They contain three circuits. Each circuit includes strength, cardio, and abs. It’s great for people who are busy and don’t have an hour to commit to working out.

ii. No More Trouble Zones by Jillian Micheals. Love this one. 5 circuits that cover every body part. Each circuit is completed twice and includes 4-5 weight training exercises. It’s ~40 minutes long and includes mostly weight training. The only cardio is the warmup. You can pick and choose which body parts you want to train. You don’t have to do all 5 circuits at once.

iii. The Firm 500 Calorie Workout. This workout includes weights and cardio. It’s 60 minutes long and not a good choice for someone who does not workout at all.  It’s high energy and not many breaks to catch your breath.

iv. Jackie’s One on One Circuit Training. I really like this workout. Some people don’t like it, but I felt a difference the next day. She has three 20 minute workouts. One for the upper body, one for the lower body, and one for the abs. It includes cardio and weights.

v. New York City Ballet Workout. I used to take ballet classes so I picked this one up from the library. The workout is ~60 minutes and I saw vast improvement in my posture, core strength, and my legs became leaner. I had someone ask me if I were a dancer. So you definitely begin to take on the shape of a ballerina. It’s the workout their ballerinas do with some modifications for not having a barr.

Great for Intermediate  to Advanced

i. Ripped in 30 by Jillian Micheals. This workout reshaped my abs. I did not get 6 pack abs, but I saw a noticeable difference in obliques and a flatter stomach. Many of the ab exercises are done in plank position which is killer. She says week four is the hardest of the 3, however I felt week three was the most challenging. Overall, it’s one of my favorite of her DVDs that I have tried. Each workout is ~20-30 minutes.

ii. P90X. These workouts are 60 minutes long, and people see great results with them. The only issue is the first edition has quite a few chin-ups, pull ups, etc… if you can’t do them or don’t have the equipment for them, it can be limiting. I do enjoy the concept of muscle confusion (you need to change-up your workout to continue to see results). The guys I know love it! I could barely dress myself after my first encounter with the upper body workout.

iv. Insanity. I have friends who swear by this program and my coworker lost 20 pounds with the program. I have not completed this program, but have seen the after photos and have friends who have been successful. My recommendation would be to be careful. There’s lots of jumping (plyometrics) in the workouts. If you have bad knees or bad form, you can injure yourself.

Final note: Many people get injured at home because they use too heavy of weight, they have bad form, or they are not careful. Please if you’re working out at home consult your doctor, use proper form, watch the DVD first to watch how the moves are done, and use wisdom when choosing weights. If you don’t workout picking up 20 pound weights and going for it, isn’t wisdom.

Well, friends. Still cheering for you. May 2013 bring you happiness and health! Keep up the good work. Every good decision is a step in the right direction.