New Firm Videos

I went shopping after work today for some new exercise clothes (yay!) and some Amy's bowls (yum!) and I picked up a pair of new Firm videos, "Power Half Hour" and "The 500 Calorie Workout." I wish I had posted before trying one, because I would love to go back and compare my attitude before and after. Talk about your total one-eighty.

I love The Firm, but I don't often do the ones I already have because it's such a hassle to pull out all the equipment (fanny-lifter, sculpting stick, etc.). I liked that these new ones only require a floor and some hand-weights. I figure I could really use this injection of new material into my routine, considering that I've done nothing but walk the dog and work out at Curves since I broke my foot. I was really excited to put on my new clothes and shake things up.

I was completely let down by Power Half Hour. The instructor is Emily Welsh, and I do not get her at all. The moves are all over the place, with no sense of timing or symmetry, and she moves way too quickly between them. I have used The Firm before (a lot), and I understand that routines that seem complicated and fast at the start are actually quite effective for long-term persistence, since they don't become boring or easy quickly, or at all really.

But this was just over the top. There's no way to keep good form when you're jumping from one stupid crazy position to the next at top speed and with no sensible rhythm. You know that when the instructor looks goofy and awkward doing the routine (and boy, did she), then something is wrong. Additionally, she had a lot of twisting, lunge-type moves that my knees cannot handle, with no alternate move for beginners.

I won't say that I never quit a video partway through, but when I do it's always because I was already not in the mood before I started. Today I was totally enthused to try something new after being in my exercise rut for two weeks, but I didn't make it 15 minutes before I threw down my weights in frustration. I hope whoever picks it up at Goodwill likes it better than I did, and I really hope that The 500 Calorie Workout is any better.