Carmen Electra Aerobic Striptease and Fit to Strip (3 out of 5 stars)
Paramount/ about 55 minutes each

Let’s get something straight about these DVDs: one is a lesson on how to do a striptease, and the other is a workout. The misconception here is that the Aerobic Striptease disc is an aerobic workout, which is highly misleading. While it provides you with a fun couple of strip routines to learn and wow your man with, there is hardly any exercise going on here unless you never, ever leave the couch. In which case, getting up to put the darn thing in the DVD player would be a workout for you.
The second disc, Fit to Strip, contains a great workout, but no stripping. These discs are meant to be used together along with the nest three that will be released in the near future. Aerobic Striptease consists of a short warm-up and three dance routines that you can learn step-by-step from Carmen. These routines are fairly easy to learn and fun to do, but barely get your heart rate up. The “Aerobic” part of the title is very misleading. But if you’re looking for a cute, not too sleazy, strip routine to perform somewhere, this is a great place to start,
Fit to Strip consists of a cardio warm-up and floor work that can be done together for a really great full-body workout. Carmen does this workout with personal trainer Michael Carson and together they make a great team although Carmen gets a little annoying at a couple of parts when she feigns confusion so Carson can clarify proper body alignment. The workout is 33 minutes long and the disc also contains several mini-workouts you can pick and choose from depending on your mood that are about 10 minutes long each and target you lower body, abs and arms.
If you just want a workout, grab the Fit to Strip tape and if you want to learn a routine, Aerobic Striptease is for you. For those of you that want both in one workout…well, maybe one of Carmen’s future tapes can address this issue. For now, we have to dock points for the confusing marketing.

Extreme Makeover Fitness (4 out of 5 stars)
Buena Vista/ Several workouts averaging 40 minutes

Whether you’re a fan of Extreme Makeover or not, if you’re looking for a worthwhile fitness DVD give this one a try. Featuring the trainer from the show, this DVD takes full advantage of the fact that it can include a variety of workouts on one disc.
Viewers can choose from nine ten-minute long sections, each focusing on a different exercise tactic, combine them yourself to create your own workout or let the DVD do it for you and follow their pre-programmed week-long series. Each day you cover a different part of the body and change things up.
Despite the fact that this DVD says it’s for beginners, you will definitely work. We would say this is more of an intermediate workout and you need to incorporate your own warm-up since each workout goes right into cardio moves.
There are modifications for beginners as well as a personal trainer feature that can be turned on providing more info on each move. The workouts themselves are classic with lunges, squats, push-ups and crunches but the trainer Robert Reames has a nice way of mixing things up that keeps it from getting boring. The cardio sections are also quite well-done with some fun moves and they will make your heart race and your body sweat.
Reames is pretty likeable although he can get pretty cheesy at times but you get the sense it’s because he’s trying to deal with the annoying Makeover women. There are three of them and two try to be witty and peppy with him while the third simply stares with a frozen smile and a lost look on her face—but that could just be all the surgery she’s had of course.
In general, we give this workout a thumbs-up if you can get past the Extreme Makover part of things. It’s also the most technologically advanced fitness DVDs we’ve seen so far. We hope to see more with this many options.

Tae Bo: Capture the Power (4 out of 5 stars)
Goodtimes/ Four workouts of about 45 minutes each

There’s something likeable about Billy Blanks. As peppy as he is and as cheesy as he is with his “look inside yourself for the energy” stuff, he does make you want to keep working out.
This new set of workouts is all about Power. Featuring two DVDs, Tae Bo: Capture the Power is full of great moves and challenging workouts that leave you not winded, but full of energy when you’re finished and looking forward to your next workout.
The first workout is the Foundation, which is simply a step-by-step introduction to the moves you will need to know to do the rest of the workouts. It is an important one to do if you’ve never done Tae Bo before or if you haven’t done it in a while. It’s very important to have your form done right to make you sure don’t hurt yourself and to get the most out of your workout.
The second workout is called Energy and it is the easiest of the three. Which is not to say it is easy. Starting off with some simple moves and moving on to combinations, Energy is fun and keeps you on your toes without making you feel like you can’t compete with the super-buff people on screen.
Next is Strength which combines cardio moves with these strength moves that really really hurt but really really work! The only issue we had with this one is the use of his stupid Tae Bo balls which he seems to be really pushing but don’t seem to be more than a pair of squishy balls you hang on to. We did this workout without and it worked perfectly. Stop trying to sell us your balls Billy!! Hee.
The last workout is Power, which is the most challenging workout and really works your entire body. You will sweat with this one and it will fell great. Try to work your way up to Power as you may feel very overwhelmed if you try to start off with it.
The one beef we have with Billy is that we wish he would come up with better warm ups and cool downs. He has been using the same ones for years and we just don’t feel like we get a good enough stretch with him and tend to complete the workouts with our own.
But if you want a great, challenging workout, Billy’s your guy. Just leave his balls out of it. Hee again.

The Firm Power Yoga (4 out of 5 stars)
Goodtimes/ 37 minutes

There are days when you just don’t want to jump around or light anything heavy. The easiest thing to do on those days is curl up on your couch with a pint of ice cream and turn into a giant sloth. The better thing to do is force yourself to turn on this Power Yoga workout and get moving and stretching. Your butt will thank you later.
This half-hour workout is designed to help sculpt your upper body, abs, hips, thighs and butt while giving you a great stretch. The instructor is Kirsten Strohecker, adorable and perky with a cute pixie haircut. She leads you thought the moves with minimal annoying banter.
The best thing about this Power Yoga workout compared to others is the modifications that are offered for beginners. There is a bevy of fit and smiling girls who do the workout along with Kirsten and one of them is specifically for newbies. Follow her or go one step further and you’ll still get a great feeling without the frustration of not being able to do all of the moves.
At half an hour this is a great Yoga workout to fit into your day and while it can’t be the only workout you do if you’re looking to lose weight or seriously increase muscle tone, it’s a welcome addition into a fitness DVD rotation. After all, being a sloth is only appealing for so long.

Santa Fe Stretch (5 out of 5 stars)
Synergy Video/ 45 minutes

If you’re sick of bouncy fitness instructors that are so perky you want to smack them, and
tired of the repetitive canned music they play, we’ve found the ideal DVD for you.
Santa Fe Stretch is a 45-minute workout created and taught by Sue West, an award-winning choreographer and dance instructor who has the most soothing voice out there.
She takes you through a series of stretches, Pilates-based strengthening moves and finishes with a deep-stretch set that incorporates Yoga as well.
The setting is beautiful Santa Fe, which works beautifully as a backdrop, but the video spends too much time panning different scenes in between sets. Have your remote control nearby to fast-forward through to the workout.
West is great at prompting and explaining posture and she’s ridiculously flexible. If you feel that most videos don’t give you enough of a stretch component, you’ll be pleased as punch with this one.
After doing the workout for a couple of weeks, I noticed I was leaner and taller, probably because I had improved my posture with all the stretching. I also noticed I had gotten more flexible.
If you’re looking for a hard-core weight loss program, this isn’t for you but might be an attractive option as a video you do as more of an Ab workout and stretching. She does work your core well, but no arms or legs to be seen.
Go to santafestretch.com for more info.

Trainer’s Edge: Killer Abs and Back with Michael Oladjiide (4 out of 5 stars)
Koch Vision/ 43 minutes

First off, this DVD needs a new title. Killer Abs and Back makes one believe this will be a floor-based workout full of sit-ups and crunches. This workout should have been titled Killer Kick-Box Cardio and Ab Work.
The workout is divided into two sections: cardio and mat work. The first section consists of a warm-up, followed by kick-box moves using hand weights, a body bar (only for balance, you can use a chair) and a jump rope (again, you could just simulate the moves since most of us don’t have enough room to jump rope in our homes.) Michael really gets your heart rate up with his moves and you sweat. You also really feel your abs burning. This is not a workout for the faint at heart or for complete beginners.
The second part of the workout is floor ab work followed by a short cool down stretch. You will probably have to stop and start frequently as this is a tough section. Michael uses ankle weights for one move but I don’t think you really need them; it’s tough enough without them.
In general this is a great workout that leaves you feeling nicely tired and your abs the perfect amount of sore. Michael is a pretty good instructor although he seems to have a thing for one of his chiquitas in the background as he pretty much ignores one and keeps touching the abs and checking the form of the other one. And she needs to wipe the annoying smile off of her face.
The music is great, it keeps you pumped up and as a bonus the DVD features a 10 minute butt workout which is the hardest butt workout I have ever done in my life. Doing the two together will give you a nice well-balanced workout that targets most of the body. Michael’s kick-boxing moves also work the arms and some legs and the butt workout burns your rear and thighs. This is a fantastic addition to any fitness library.

Trainer’s Edge: Cardio Interval Training with Petra Kolber (4 out of 5 stars)
Kock Vision/ 38 minutes

Petra Kolber has got to be one of the best fitness video instructors out there. The woman is so nice and so encouraging, you actually feel bad if you stop. This is a good thing.
Cardio Interval Training is a pretty basic cardio workout that incorporates a little bit of weights and some intervals that really get your heart racing. The workout is at about a medium level of challenging although if you choose the hardest form of the interval (there are three) you will definitely sweat.
Petra takes you through some simple cardio routines (including the ever popular grapevine) and incorporates some kick-boxing moves as well. The weights portions seem a little out of place, and I thought the workout would have been better without it. You don’t do enough to really make a difference and they’re not really part of the cardio workout. I would prefer to tackle weights in another video, or on my own.
Still, after doing this DVD for about three weeks, I noticed a difference. For starters, while I could only do the easiest interval in the beginning, I was doing the hardest one by the third week. My jeans feel looser and I’m not huffing and puffing just climbing the stairs.
A great bonus is the 10 minute Long and Lean Yoga session with Baron Baptiste that I found myself doing every other day. It’s quick but gets your heart up and is a great stretch for the days you don’t have a lot of time.
This is a great cardio workout that, while not entirely original or innovative, has definite benefits and should be tried.

Past Fitness Reviews:

Carmen Electra Aerobic Striptease and Fit to Strip
Extreme Makeover Fitness
Tae Bo: Capture the Power
The Firm Power Yoga
Santa Fe Stretch
Trainer’s Edge: Killer Abs and Back with Michael Oladjiide
Trainer’s Edge: Cardio Interval Training with Petra Kolber

Progressive Pilates for Weight Loss

Brazilian Dance Workout

Cardio Pilates

The Bar Method Body Box Set