REVIEW: Denise Austin's "Blast Away 10 lbs."
 

Being a Denise fan in general (yes, I'm aware that her voice is an "acquired taste" ;)) I picked up her latest "Blast Away 10 lbs." video - and here's my review of it.

What's In It?

The program consists of 2 20-minute segments (to be done on alternating days, I surmise, or together for the hardcore cardio maniac). The first segment is kickboxing and martial-arts move focused (and there is a short segment before hand about punching/kicking with proper form to avoid injuring your muscles), the second segment is interval training (2-3 minutes of cardio, then about of minute of light/moderate weight exercise, 2-3 cardio, and so on...) utilizing dance and martial arts moves.

3-5 pound weights are recommended (I used 8, however) though the box noted that "even soup cans or water bottles will do."

There's also the claim that one can lose up to 10 pounds in a month, thus the title. Of course, that remains to be seen--since I've only worked out with this 4 times so far (expect an update a month from now :lol: )

Pros

1) Very vigorous - this is one of the most active cardio programs I've done, keeps you moving in all directions with a large variety of moves (and definitely keeping your metabolic rate high -- "burning that butter" as Denise would say ;))

2) More male-friendly - because it has martial arts moves and also male "side models", a definite plus for guys (me included) :)

3) Good variety of moves - exercise switches about every other minute, so you don't get that "treadmill boredom" kind of feeling.

4) Denise's attitude - which is why I bought this DVD to begin with, she is encouraging without being pushy, authoritative without lording it over my head.

Cons

1) No preparation for moves - unlike her previous DVDs and programs, there is really no preparation for the moves in the segments. Instead of doing individual moves and then putting it all together at the end... it just gets all together upfront. I guess with time it'll be less hard to pick up, but can still catch you off-guard

2) Lack of toning exercise, particularly abs - only 1 of 2 segments have any toning at all (the interval segment) and that's very light toning that serves more as a break between the intense cardio segments than to actually build muscles (though I guess that can be offset with using heavier weights.) Especially lacking are core (abs) toning... asides from Denise's reminders to keep your abs tight during the exercise.

3) Bad set and music - both reminds me of the cheesier exer-videos from decades ago... purple and hot pink with glitter... and music that could've come from *ahem* bad porn. After I get used to the moves, I'll most likely mute it and play my own music instead.

Overall:

I like it generally because it IS a very vigorous cardio workout and does give my fat a run for its money... but most likely won't be a stand-alone for me, because it's only 20 minutes long and lacks toning (currently I lump 1 segment with another cardio & toning from one of her other DVDs)