Review of Jackie Warner's Fitness DVD: Xtreme Timesaver Training

by Susi May 5

I use the exercise mantra "You can do anything for one minute" on myself frequently and often to a good effect, but Jackie Warner pushes the envelope on the notion in her latest DVD Personal Training With Jackie: Xtreme Timesaver Training ($10). The 32-minute workout is chock full of compound moves. Meaning you're working multiple body parts simultaneously in each exercise, making the boredom factor low and the muscle exhaustion factor high. And you do each multi-joint exercise for a whole minute — moves like: curtsy squat with a side kick and punch, which works your glutes, shoulders while challenging your sense of balance; deep plié squat with biceps curls targeting your bum, hamstrings, and arms; and bridge with pec flys for the glutes, back, and chest. I found the workout wonderfully challenging and can't wait to do it again.

The workout moves at a fast pace, after a brief warm up you dive into the belly of the program, which works all the major muscles groups and then some, from quads to triceps to core. I burned 220 in a little over a half hour, and my arms felt a little like jello as the closing credits rolled. Jackie offers modifications for all the exercises, and you can still get a lot out of the workout even if you don't use hand weights. My 5 lbs. felt too heavy in many exercises at around the 45-second mark and would love to try the workout with 3 lb. dumbbells next time. Although I felt the need to add a few more stretches to the DVD's cooldown, this is an efficient all body workout that fits into your living room.

Here's a little video preview: