(Anchor Bay)
2000
What is it?
An excellent instructional video for resistance training newbies.
Who is it for?
Beginners who have little or no experience with resistance training. Video is geared toward those who want to get healthy, not guys who are trying to get big.
What to expect:
The most important aspect of resistance training is form and the best way to learn form is with the help of a qualified fitness trainer. If a trainer, or a gym membership (which often includes an introductory training session) is out of your price range, this tape is actually a pretty good place to start. Tracy York, a 15-year fitness professional, comes to your living room via your television screen to introduce you to a dozen exercises, most of them using light dumbbells (anywhere from 3 to 15 pounds, depending on your strength level). She starts off with compound lower-body moves - squats, lunges and pliés - then moves onto upper body exercises and finishes off with crunches. York thoroughly explains the correct form and, in addition, has you stretch after each set of 12 repetitions (there are two sets per exercise). Stretching after each exercise is a very good habit to learn early on, to keep muscles supple and reduce the amount of soreness you'll feel the next day. And you will feel some muscle aches the day after this workout, especially if you are new to resistance training. These are basic and very effective exercises that can be used at all levels of fitness - you just need to increase the weight and/ or the reps. But once you start doing that, chances are you will have left this video far behind. Shaping Up With Weights for Dummies is best as an instructional tape - once you've got the moves down, it's too slow for every day use, and the little myth-busters and modifications won't keep your attention after you've heard them once or twice. It's an inexpensive tape, however - far less than one hour at a gym with a trainer - and well worth the miniscule investment for weight training novices.