All My Best Volumes 3 & 4

This DVD presents four total-body strength workouts (including warm-ups and cool-downs), each lasting about 30 minutes.

All of the footage is drawn from previously-released workouts by Margaret Richard (see below). This DVD is a follow-up to her All My Best Volumes 1&2, which were originally released in 2001 on two VHS tapes, then later combined onto one DVD. Note that Volumes 3&4 are not available separately but are together on a single DVD. One nice advantage to All My Best Volumes 3&4 is the integrated main menu; on Volumes 1&2 the two menus are separate for each volume. All My Best Volumes 3&4 also contains footage from a couple of Margaret's workouts released subsequent to Volumes 1&2.

Footage on Volumes 3&4 is drawn from the following workouts: Body Electric (1990), Forty & Fabulous (1992), High Voltage (1993), Perfect 10 (1994), Sculpture (1995), Muscle & Grace (1996), Strong For Life (1997), Give Me Strength (1998), Beauty To the Bone(2000), Good N Strong (2005), and Triple Threat (2005).

Margaret's workouts feature a low-weight, high-rep approach. She concentrates on working a muscle to fatigue for a certain period of time (typically 3.5 minutes), rather than counting in sets and reps. She sticks mainly to classic weightlifting exercises, but is not afraid to tinker with them from time to time, especially in her later workouts. Margaret instructs live. Her form and instruction are always top-notch.

You will need several sets of light dumbbells, a chair, and a mat for floor work. Leg/ankle weights are optional. In the segments from Muscle & Grace, a body bar and step are used but are optional.

The four workouts break down as follows. Each workout is chaptered by warm-up, cool-down and individual exercise. I confess I seldom use Margaret's warm-ups, which are more of an active stretch while I prefer a cardio-based warm-up. She stretches briefly after each exercise, but I prefer doing a more comprehensive stretch at the end of my workout.

Volume 3, Part A:

Warm-up - Body Electric Workout.

Biceps - Front and side curls (GNS).

Deltoids - A variety of standing shoulder presses, including some rotator cuff work (HV).

Back - Standing "reaches" and flyes (P10).

Calves - Heel lifts, several variations shown (M&G).

Outer Thighs - Standing thigh work, similar to barre (BTTB).

Inner Thighs - Supine, legs up at 90 degrees, move legs in and out (F&F).

Cool-Down - Triple Threat.

Volume 3, Part B:

Warm-Up - Beauty To the Bone.

Pectorals - Push-ups, sometimes alternating child's pose (F&F).

Triceps - Both French press and supine overhead lifts shown, then dips (M&G).

Abdominals - Crunches, some done in a circular motion, and some with straight legs (GNS).

Quadriceps - Upper body propped on elbows, one leg bent, raise extended leg (BTTB).

Gluteals - Supine seat tucks (BE).

Hamstrings - Standing hamstring work (P10).

Cool-Down - High Voltage.

Volume 4, Part A:

Warm-Up - Muscle & Grace.

Pectorals - Supine pec flyes and overhead presses (GNS).

Triceps - French press, kickbacks, and a seldom-seen behind-the-back move (HV),

Back - Prone upper and lower body lifts (TT).

Abdominals - Crunches with feet on a chair seat (Sculpture).

Outer Thighs - Side-lying leg lifts (GNS).

Inner Thighs - Side-lying leg lifts (BTTB).

Cool-Down - Muscle & Grace.

Volume 4, Part B:

Warm-Up - Give Me Strength.

Biceps - Standing curls, including forearm curls (Sculpture).

Deltoids - A variety of standing shoulder presses, including some rotator cuff work (BTTB).

Obliques - Unweighted rib cage isolations (TT).

Quadriceps - Squats and stationary lunges (HV).

Gluteals - Supine seat tucks (SFL).

Hamstrings - Table Work (SFL).

Cool-Down - Beauty To the Bone.

Bottom Line: This compilation is a nice introduction to Margaret and her work. It is fun to see how hair and fashions have changed through the years. I like the versatility of the DVD layout, which sets out four different 30-minute strength work, but which are also easily combined into more comprehensive one hour workouts.

As of the date of this review, All My Best Volumes 3&4 is available from Margaret's website, www.bodyelectrictv.com, as well as Collage Video.