Blast Away the Pounds - Indoor Walk

On the whole, I like this DVD. I used to exercise every day using Gilads DVDs for yrs and am now just starting to get back into shape after 3-4 of yrs of slacking off. All I am looking for right now is a few gentle routines that make me want to get up and get moving, so this did fit the bill. All of the moves in all 3 sections are very easy for me, but that's a good thing when you are just trying to get motivated. I don't do the Power Walk and Tone section because I believe that upper body toning with hand wts should be done while standing still. The steps in that section are less strenuous than the Fat Blast Interval Walk, so I say why bother to do it. You might as well repeat the Fat Blast section if you don't have any other fitness DVDs to mix this up with.

What I like most about this DVD is Denise Austin's "Stepford Wives" personality. Maybe it says more about my sense of humor , but I feel like I'm I'm watching a "Saturday Night Live" skit with Sherry Oteri as instructor. The other thing that makes me want to get up and turn this on is the beautiful use of color in the studio, both the set and the outfits worn by the group. The music is very subtle, but ok for me. It seems to blend well with Denise Austin's soothing way of instructing. I borrowed this DVD from the library for 3 wks and am thinking of buying it. I had never seen Denise before, so I'm also previewing her more intense workouts. I don't know if I'll like them better than this though. It has a unique quality all of it's own.

This dvd has three 15 minute walking workouts on it. You can mix and match and customize your workout-the dvd is programable. This w/o is beginner/ low intermediate. It has more variety than a typical walking workout but still very basic moves: march in place, walk forward and back, knee ups, kicks,

The set is very nice-tile floor with a yellowish wall and an outdoor mountain setting in the background. Denise works out with 4 different female background exercisers. One looks like she is doing slightly more moderate moves, but Denise doesnt point her out as a modifier.

The first section is "basic walk" and it is the easiest of the bunch. You will see your typical walking w/o moves in this section.

The second is "Interval Walk" where Denise adds in some power bursts to walking moves to get your heart rate up.

The third section is "Walk & Tone" and you use light dumbbells to get your heartrate up even more. The dumbbells she uses are so light and you dont do many reps so IMO you are not really getting a toning benefit from the dumbbells but it will get your heartrate up more than w/out them.

I like to use the segments as add-ons to tougher cardio or as a warmup or cooldown to other w/o's. Denise is not too perky or over the top but she is Denise. Her cueing is so-so (as always) but the moves are so simple it would be tough to get lost.

I did all 3 walking miles and they are solid beginner-intermediate level walking. More variety of moves than your typical Leslie Sansone videos. I added more impact to the moves and used heavier weight so I would say this video gave me a solid intermediate intensity. BTW, the Easy Walk segment is not solely a beginner walk but more beginner/low intermediate; I'd say it is similar to a 2 mile Leslie Sansone walk in terms of intensity; not bad at all! I disagree with the other posts that say she has very bad cueing. Someone mentioned she had very bad cueing in the Interval Walk segment. I think it's an exaggeration. Actually, her cueing is a lot better here and I only noticed very few missteps (a feat considering she's done worse in the past!)I am a solid intermediate/high intermediate/low advanced exerciser. This walking video is for days that I don't want to do a lot of high impact (which I love)but still want at least intermediate level intensity. Cons: The low level of music, I can hardly hear it. It's okay since the music is not great anyway. She also does a couple of seconds of stretching while still marching on each mile.

The specifics have been given of this DVD already. I will just give my comments.

This workout is not as good as "Ultimate Fat Burner", "Personal Training System". The cueing is the worst ever of her workouts. We all know her cuing has never been her best feature. However I know she is capable of cuing to some extent. Of the above workouts I've listed, I enjoy "Ultimate Fat Burner" the most. She can cue.

The "Easy Walk Mile" & the "Power Walk Tone" are the better of the three. The "Interval Walk" has the worst cueing and you don't even know it is an interval walk. There is nothing interval about it.

The 10 minute stretch segment is done on a chair. It is not as relaxing or good as her 10 minute stretch segment in "PTS".

You'd be better off buying Madeleine Lewis "Get Moving" or any Leslie from her Power Series & 4 Mile Super Challenge.

True beginners will have bad cueing to deal with. Other exercisers who might do this on their light workout days will be frustrated and annoyed. Not just about the cuing issue but the fact that what is supposed to be a workout is not. And the interval workout is nothing more than moving in place to non-existent music. I say this because in this whole workout you can barely hear any music so their will be no beats to follow.

Also the clip you can see on Collage Video is deceiving in that you can hear music. Once you buy this workout that is another story.

If all of this is not bad enough. You will have wasted your exercise time. Because this workout will not keep you in any zone other than the couch potato zone.

I am furious with myself for reading threads on how this was a good change from a Leslie workout or any light day walking workout. Because that is what led me to buy this when I saw it at Walmart. I did this workout twice just to be sure that I was not mistaken as to its workout horridity. Both of those times were excruciating for me.

This will be sold on ebay immediately. I have learned my lesson to not be misled by these simpleton, horrific workouts. Besides how many light workouts does a girl really need for those sick days or sore muscle days anyway? I don't need all of these simplistic workouts that are less than beginner level at best.

Now I have said my peace on this matter. I will speak of it no more.

I have been exercising to videos for 20+ years but this is my first Denise Austin video/dvd. I used to catch her show on Lifetime and didn't think that her personality was a good fit for me. I bought this because I have been looking to add rebounder friendly videos to my collection. This dvd has three 15 minute walking segments and a stretch segment. I did the whole dvd on the rebounder.

Pros: It's low impact and has a greater variety of moves than Lesley Sansone walking videos. I was able to get a moderately intense workout using the rebounder. I substituted running in place for some of the walking. Dvd is nicely designed and chaptered so that you could easily use 1 or 2 segments. Denise is more subdued than I expected her to be. The stretch at the end was nice.

Cons: Music isn't great. Denise has trouble staying on the beat and at times is on a different foot than her backgrounders. I was really amazed that her backgrounders could stay with her because her cuing wasn't very good.

Overall grade: C+. I stick to low impact these days and this gives me another option. The variety of moves makes it more fun on the rebounder than Lesley's videos are for me. Not sure if I would buy it if it cost more than I paid ($8 or $9 at BJs).

If you like walking workouts and would like a workout that is a step above Leslie Sansone's walking videos, this may be the workout for you. I'm an advanced exerciser and Blast Away the Fat Indoor Walk is excellent for those days when I don't want to go full blast or think about complex moves. It also fits into my collection perfectly when I'm looking for a cardio workout to add to my strength training days.

This workout is divided into three, 15 minute walking sections. Section one is "Easy Walk." This section contains simple moves such as marching in place, knees up, stepping side to side, and marching back and forth.

Section two "Interval Walk" is a little more intense. It contains brief thirty second intervals of jogging in place, kicks, jumping, skipping, and rapid knees up.

Section three I think is called "Tone and Walk." It consists of walking and toning moves with the use of light weights.

I did break a sweat in sections two and three and section three even worked my upper body a little. While Denise's cuing is not the best, the moves are easy enough that you can still follow along. You also don't need a whole lot of room to do this workout.

A nice ten minute stretch section is added at the end. I can see myself using the stretch section just by itself. You stretch with the use of a chair and the exercises felt great.

This dvd is chaptered so you can program the sections in any order. The music is so-so. Actually it is pretty unmemorable so I can't comment about it so much.

All in all, I believe this workout is well worth the money. I got mine for $14.99 at Borders but I know others have gotten theirs at Target for as little as $9.99. Blast Away The Fat Indoor Walk is a keeper for me.

This video has set with two arches in the back with views of the desert showing through them. The room is Southwesty looking with a redish tile floor and light terra cotta colored walls with wood on the lower 1/3 of the wall.

There are 4 background exercisers that stay throughout the workout. They appear in be in their 30s+.

The Easy walk includes "sidewalk" which is really a double side step with arms, knee lifts andleg lifts.

Fatburning Mile is a little more intense with side steps with kicks (I liked those),kneelifts, walking with punches and side taps.

In the Power Walk and Tone Denise uses weights. She gives a 1-3 lb recommendation. I found the music annoying. I also didn't like the hold the weights at your side with the elbows sticking out. It was uncomfortable. She covers triceps, biceps, back rowing, and overhead presses.

The stretch part has Denise alone. She uses a chair and gives no modification for not using a chair. A personal pet peeve is that if I need a chair, it should be noted on the package.

I think this video works the thighs more than Leslie tends to. I'll probably use it a few times to put the moves in my mind so that I can add them into my Leslies and give this to someone. It is a beginner level other than the fact that Denise can't cue so one is behind while doing it and working to figure out what she's doing.

It is made up of 4 segments:

Easy Walk - 15 min = 1 mile of lite walking in place with some added steps

Fat Blasting Interval Walk - 15 min = 1 mile of walking at a more brisk pace with frequent "intervals" thrown in to get the HR up

Power Walk and Tone - 15 min = 1 mile of walking in place with lite upper body moves throughout

Stretch - 10 min of total body stretching

I have kind of mixed feelings about it.

The good: perfect for "sparks". Each 15 min segment is its own, with a kind of mini warmup and cooldown. Nothing official but you can tell the pace is gradually picking up and then gradually slowing down. Plus, you can pick the 15 min segment you're in the mood for. I did all 3 plus stretch so it's a nice easy 55 min workout. The stretch is a fabulous one after any workout but especially after an outdoor brisk walk. She really gets the legs, hips and back stretched well. Also, the choreo is extremely simple but yet not as dull as Leslie. Much, much more variety. I kept thinking something like this would have been perfect for me when I was a beginner.

The bad: Well, it is Denise Austin. Lord help her, she cannot stop that idle drivel: "Burn that butter!" "no bra overhang" "You can do it. You are worth it." Mind you, it's motivating but it gets old after say, 2 minutes. Her chit chat is entirely different that Leslie's and to me, much more annoying. She doesn't talk to you like a normal instructor. It's all coaching, all the time. The 4 background exercisers are smily drones most of the time. The cueing is typical Denise-not so great. But still, her background exercisers could stay with her so that means it wasn't so bad. Usually, they're lost too in her videos. That woman cannot keep a beat or rhythm to save her life. Speaking of which, the music was non-existant. Just background filler so to me the workout seemed much more dull and draggy than a Leslie video.

In a nutshell: I couldn't help but constantly compare it to Leslie. In some ways, it was much better and Leslie could take some lessons. Each 15 min segment was chaptered and had a theme, which I liked. Also there was such variety in the moves without it being at all complicated. However the inane chatter and cruddy music made it drag some. So, in small doses, like 15 min in the morning or evening, I think it would be perfect. Plus, as I said earlier, that stretch was fantastic.

I think I'll keep it.