(Sony)
2004
What is it?
A 50-minute workout for the lower body that uses a step platform. Fitness icon Kathy Smith instructs. (This is actually a re-release of a prior workout.)
Who is it for?
Intermediate exercisers — it will be too tough for most beginners. You will need a step bench and a mat.
What to expect:
Once a great glute and thigh workout, always a great glute and thigh workout. That's the deal with this powerful strength and endurance building routine from Kathy Smith. It was originally released in 1993, but if you missed it the first time around, it's still as effective as ever. For the first 22 minutes, you get light step choreography — the moves themselves aren't challenging, but the routine is designed to fatigue your legs, which it does quite well. The next segment is 10 minutes long and relies on squats and lunges, with the help of the step, to strengthen and tone your legs and glutes. The final 10-minute segment takes you to the floor to continue your toning, and then there's a 5-minute cool down. This is definitely an intermediate workout — the choreography segment alone can tire out muscles that aren't used to working hard. However, if you do find that you've taken on a little too much for your fitness level, Smith invites you to skip the standing 10-minute segment and go straight to the floor toning. The only real complaint about this workout is that since it's over a decade old, the music sounds dated. Fortunately, it's very much in the background, so that's not too much of an annoyance. There are a lot of lower-body workout DVDs around, and this one is a perennial favorite.