Body Electric Unplugged: Series 1900, Volume 4

This review is for the fourth and final volume of Margaret Richard's Unplugged 1900 series. Like the other volumes in the series, Margaret works out on a platform by a brook at her home in New York. She instructs alone for five of the six episodes and with her friend Sharon for one episode.

I'd rate these workouts as intermediate, but a beginner could do them with low weights and someone more advanced could increase the level by stringing episodes together or lifting heavier. I myself am more of an advanced exerciser, so they are on the easy side for me. Perhaps this is why they fall into my "no dread" category. Whenever I don't want to work out at all, I can usually convince myself to work out with Margaret. She's such a pleasure!

You'll need dumbbells, ankle weights, a playground ball, and a dowel (for balance). Most episodes require dumbbells, but the other equipment only appears in a few workouts. Below is a description of each episode on the Volume 4 DVD.

EPISODE 1921 Margaret alone (24.5 min)

Warmup

Pectorals - flys and bench press

Biceps - "X"s and diagonal curls

Deltoids - in/out rotations at the waist and scarecrow/pulse variations

Hamstrings - pulses while kneeling in a runner's lunge

Glutes - squeezes and pulses, with heel and toe variations

Food for Thought

Cool Down

Margaret uses 8 lb. weights for the chest and bicep work, but the number of reps is reasonable and there are no pulses, so it's possible to go heavier here. Sometimes Margaret's bicep work also involves the shoulders, but, fortunately, there's none of that in this episode. The deltoid exercises target the rotator cuff; I wasn't sure what to call them, exactly, but I found them rather challenging. Margaret didn't use ankle weights for the hamstring exercises, although she encourages you to. I added them but still thought they were fairly easy.

EPISODE 1922 Margaret alone (25 min)

Warmup

Back - upright rows, pinches, and circles

Triceps - overhead extension

Obliques - crunch variations

Inner Thighs - plie/diagonal kicks and rotations while in "tree" pose

Calves - ballet-inspired raise variations

Food for Thought

Cool Down

This workout is all standing, except for the stretch at the end. Margaret does the back, triceps, and oblique exercises holding one 5 lb. weight. I thought the back exercises didn't hit all areas of the back and weren't super effective (but that's what I think about most of Margaret's back work). Also, Margaret's upright row form (up all the way under the chin) is now not recommended; I do the exercise but just don't lift as high. You'll need a dowel or something to hold onto for balance for the inner thigh and calf exercises; like in the previous episode, Margaret doesn't use ankle weights but she says that you can (and I did). I've never seen the "tree pose" inner thigh exercise and didn't find this one effective either; sometimes I wonder if Margaret just makes things up!

EPISODE 1923 Margaret alone (25 min)

Warmup

Deltoids - lateral and front raises, plus variations

Quadriceps - wide-legged squats

Abs - planks and crunches

Hamstrings - leg extensions, pulses, and "pizza press"

Food for Thought

Cool Down

Margaret was more subdued than usual in the previous two episodes, and she mostly still is here. However, there are a few places where she's a little "goofy." For example, during the warmup leg stretch, she says that "it's good that we're only two-legged; it shortens up the warmup." I found the shoulder exercises to be unusually challenging, but shoulders are my weak area. Margaret wears ankle weights for the hamstring exercises, and compares these to death and taxes because they are always effective!

EPISODE 1924 Margaret alone (25 min)

Warmup

Pectorals - pushups on the knees, some with one leg extended

Triceps - lying tricep extensions (skull crushers) and kickbacks

Glutes - squeezes and lifts with feet on a pair of dumbbells

Outer Thighs - side lying extensions and lifts

Food for Thought

Cool Down

All of the exercises are on the floor. Margaret encourages you to use weights that will challenge you, otherwise "you're not really doing the program." Margaret uses 8 lbs for the tricep exercises, so I did the same. I found out (once again) that Margaret has stronger triceps than I do; the fast pace of this exercise make it more difficult. The kickbacks are unweighted, and Margaret wears ankle weights for the lower body exercises. There is a sound glitch at the end of the glute section; the audio cuts out and Margaret does a voice over, but it appears from the visuals that she's actually saying something different. Margaret wraps up the workout with some nice hamstring stretches and twists.

EPISODE 1925 w/Sharon (25 min)

Warmup

Triceps - kickbacks and kickback variations, plus overhead triceps extension (french press)

Back - upright rows, pinches, and reach variations

Calves - raises and raise/squat combos

Inner Thighs - squeezes, both lying and sitting

Abs - crunches, reverse crunches, and oblique crunches

Food for Thought

Cool Down

Margaret uses a playground ball for the lower body exercises. In the calf exercises, she has it between the knees as a positioning aid; she also uses a dowel for balance. She suggests using ankle weights to increase the intensity, but she is not wearing them. Margaret doesn't stretch much (or really at all) in the cool down; it's more like a warm up. However, you get a brief stretch at the end of each segment so perhaps a final stretch at the end isn't strictly necessary. Margaret is mostly all business in this episode, but it's clear that, even so, she is having a good time.

EPISODE 1926 Margaret alone (25 min)

Warmup

Pectorals - pushups

Biceps - curls

Deltoids - side and front raises

Inner Thighs - back leg raises while lying on your side

Food for Thought

Cool Down

Margaret does the pushup segment mostly on her toes, and she includes a stretch (in child's pose) after most of the reps; the final set is done on her knees. She shows variations for those who don't have her endurance. She uses 8 lbs for biceps, but she doubles up on the weight for the first half of the exercises, and she encourages you to do the same. She uses 3 lbs for the deltoids, but they go on so long that this feels very heavy (to me)! That isn't a surprise – Margaret is known more for building endurance than strength. She uses a playground ball (for positioning) but no ankle weights for the inner thighs. With the right weight selection, this episode can be quite difficult!