(Parade Video)
1999
What is it?
Four short (under 15 minutes) workouts that target specific body parts - abs, arms, hips and thighs. The moves are based on a combination of classic dance, Pilates and Yoga.
Who is it for?
Those who want quick, targeted toning routines, and, preferably, also know something about classic dance.
What to expect:
If you are familiar with the Method's approach to fitness videos, you already know that Target Specifics is not your typical exercise routine. As live percussion plays in the background, instructor Jennifer Kries takes you through a series of non-traditional strengthening moves that, if done properly, will offer a nice toning session. The quickie workouts in this video are both its strength and its weakness. They're good because each one fits a decent workout for a specific body part into about 14 minutes. Most effective are the abs and arms routines (the arm routine, incidentally, requires one to three pound weights). The hips and thighs segments are fine, but will work better for those who have taken ballet or classic dance sometime in their past (even if only for a few lessons). Kries, with her background in dance, uses terminology that might confuse someone with no training. The Yoga and Pilates moves are pretty basic, although knowledge in these areas is also helpful. The problem with the brevity of these segments is that Kries only has a limited amount of time to instruct, so it may go too fast for a novice the first couple of times. Once you have become familiar with the video, however, it makes for a versatile workout - you can do one or two segments, or the whole video, providing you have the time.