Greetings, all. Before we get to the review, I thought I’d state my credentials. I’m an avid fan of bodybuilding/powerlifting/fitness in general, and have been for the last 5 years. I’m a personal trainer, and run a fitness website & youtube channel. I’ve seen it all in this world. Just wanted to get that out of the way so you guys know that this is right up my alley, and can give more than just a standard look at it. Now, on with the show.
Each DVD comes with an insert that shows you your workout schedule. It plays out in a 4 week cycle, with no set limit on how many times you can do this. I personally recommend a person run a program for 3 months or so, as that’s usually how long it takes before the body starts to learn all the tricks and begin plateauing. What I really like is that for the most part they have you hitting it 6 days a week, which I believe is optimal.
Each section on both DVDs contain an option where you can listen to the instructor, or simply have music. That’s a great option, because something that can get plenty annoying is having to listen to the same instruction over and over with a set you’ve seen a thousand times.
THE POWER SERIES –
Warm-Up [6 min]
First things first is a warm-up. Triple H takes us from moves as well known & simple as Jumping Jacks, to lesser known moves such as Scap Push-Ups. It’s a nice warm-up that I even learned a few things from and will implement before my workouts.
Upper-Body 1 [16 min]
Following that we have our first section for the upper body. Contained here are 6 exercises, all of which, of course, work the upper body. They’re done in circuit fashion, which means one after another, without a break. This is done to ensure the heart rate stays up there, allowing you to burn more fat & calories. You’ll do two circuits, the first for 8 reps, and the second for 12. Triple H talks you through everything, and offers tips on everything from form and move variation in case of injury.
Upper-Body 2 [18 min]
Our second upper body workout is aimed more at strength & muscle endurance. Again they’re done in circuit fashion, for two rounds, 8 reps & 12 reps. There’s not much at all in the way of repeats from the first upper-body workout, and in fact offers some great variations of the classics. I even learned a move I plan on implementing into my push-workouts.
Lower-Body [30 min]
After all the upper-body fun, we come to the portion that separates the men from the boys: leg day. Instead of circuits, this time around we do traditional bodybuilding sets, with the rep scheme of 8, 10, and 12. Triple H is great at explaining the movements, which can be crucial when it comes to moves like squats. He even throws in some variation after the first set to the make the following ones more difficult, which I like. He keeps the classics involved, and doesn’t try to over complicate things, so you’re going to find squats & deadlifts here.
Muscle Building Cardio [12 min]
We move into muscle building cardio, which takes us back to circuits again. The difference here is that all the exercises are compound lifts, which means it uses multiple areas of the body at once, such as the bench-press uses chest, shoulder, back & triceps, as opposed to a move like the tricep pressdown, which is really just triceps. There is some heavy duty stuff here, and is exactly what the label calls it, muscle building cardio. Myself, I’m not much into cardio, but could definitely get behind it when done in this fashion. You do four rounds, with Triple H introducing the Performance Center certified puke-bucket. Honestly, I could see some people new to the fitness game needing it after this session.
Mobility [14 min]
Finally, we have Mobility. This portion is all about stretching, and making yourself more agile. I know stretching doesn’t seem like the hardcore fun that weight-lifting can be, but it’s important. Keeping yourself loose & limber at all times will greatly reduce your chance of injury. Triple H takes you through what’s known as the “Agile 8”, and like before, he makes sure to explain every detail of the movement, so you have no problem getting them down.
Over-All:
This program is for an absolute beginner, and in that context, I think it works very well. You get a workout chart with the DVD, telling you what to do over the course of 6 days every week. I think 6 days is the perfect amount for working out, and with how short these sessions are, you’ll really have no excuses for not finding 20-30 minutes. The intensity is high, and a lot is packed into the short workouts. As I said above, Triple H hits you with the classics, but also puts variations on them as to keep you guessing, as well as challenge you.
Now, as I said this is for the absolute beginner. Because these workouts are only around 10-15 minutes long, and especially with the upper-body, I don’t think are very challenging. After a month or two, you’re gonna be kicking butt at this thing, and you’d probably find yourself needing to do both upper-body sessions in one day. It won’t be long before you’ll need to start hitting the gym to really get the results going. But as something to get you started, as well as familiar with the movements & form, this will definitely do the trick.
THE FIT SERIES –
Upper Body [14min]
Stephanie’s first workout, upper-body, is very similar to Triple H’s. There’s the warm-up, and then the same basic exercises, but with some variance. Such as push-ups instead of a floor press. For women, this is a pretty spot on set of exercises, but I’d still like for there to be 3 or 4 rounds, because I don’t believe you’d even really break a sweat with just two.
Lower Body [15 min]
For the lower-body portion, there’s a lot of moves I expected to see, such as lunges, squats, and other moves that focus on the glutes & hamstrings, which are areas women especially want to target these days. There’s also some moves for hip-flexibility and such, which I think are always a great idea to throw in. Again, 3-4 rounds of this would be optimal, but that’s merely my opinion.
Abs [12 min]
We now focus on our core, which I would recommend that even guys give a shot. Stephanie leads the team through a great variety of ab exercises, instead of relying on just the usual crunches and planks. Not to say there’s anything wrong with the classics, but it’s nice to see some innovation, innovation that works. These aren’t done for a simple amount of reps, but instead a section of time, which I really like. Also, this time you go through 4 rounds, and would be an effective routine for anyone in the fitness game, no matter their experience level.
Cardio [17 min]
For the cardio section, Stephanie offers a wide variety of exercises done with a cardiovascular twist that will not only do the job cardio wise, but help to build some muscle. Nothing is really done to isolate one muscle, but instead we’re talking full body here, which is a great way to get the heart rate up and keep it there. Also, the more muscle you work, the more you help build as you get a bigger rush of all the glorious muscle building hormones. So, this cardio portion is dead on.
Flexibility [7 min]
Finally there’s a small portion for flexibility, which nice to have for some deep stretching, to help keep you loose & limber.
Over-All:
Really, I think this is a fantastic set for women. Doing this program for 2-3 months would generate some great results, I believe, because of the high-intensity and variety of exercises. There’s nothing here that would scare a beginner off, and nothing so monotonous that someone with some experience couldn’t enjoy it. Of course, I’d recommend adding an extra round or two to the portions that have only two, but again, that’s merely my opinion. In the end, I think this is a great program for women, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them spending their money on it.
In the end, I think the WWE has done a fine job with their first venture into the fitness world, and look forward to their future releases. Perhaps they’ll even start distributing DDP Yoga, who knows.
If you guys have any fitness related questions, ask me anytime @CaliberWinfield, caliberw@hotmail.com, or catch me at fatbuff.wordpress.com.
