What is a good DVD based fitness video program for me?

Question

About me:

I am 36 years old, male, 173cm, 74 kg. Did lots of intense sports during High-School (Basketball, Running, Fitness, Cycling, and "fun sports" like skateboarding). After High-School, stopped completely. I work at the computer the whole day, sitting, only time I move is when going by bicycle 15 mins to work. Now I really want to start to do exercise again.

My goals:

1.) General, overall fitness. This is clearly my main goal.

2.) Some weight reduction, I want to weigh below 68 kg, but I think this will come as a side effect anyway so I am not necessarily interested in a weight-loss program.

3.) Slight overall muscle increase. Again, I think this will come as a side effect of 1.) anyway and I am not interested in a "six-pack", "being ripped" or crap like that.

Background of my question:

I really want to train at home with a DVD-based program. A fitness club is absolutely not an option, I am simply not interested in going there. I would like to do jogging, but it is very problematic because of the area where I live. So I tried different things, and finally decided that maybe the best and most hassle-free way for me to exercise again would be at home! And I think a DVD-based program could help much.

I took a look at a couple of products: Power 90 with David Horton looks very good, this is kind of what I am looking for but there is very little variety (basically one out of four possible videos every day), and the exercises are simply too long (40 mins every day)! I would like to start with ~25 mins per day, or 40 mins every two days.

I also had a look at P90X and Insanity. These program are way too advanced for me. But what I really like is that they have so many different exercises. Is there anything with as much variety as P90X/Insanity, but which can also be done by people like me who are too unfit yet for this level?

I also tried the Kinetic and Kinetic Combat products for the PS2. These are just fantastic, I would love to do them, but I could never get them to work properly with the video camera.

That's basically all the products I know, interesting stuff but still not exactly what I'm looking for.

Is there any DVD-based program you can recommend for me?

P.S.: I would also be interested what you think in general about training at home with DVDs.

Answer 1

P90X worked very well for me, for the following reasons.

1) Tony Horton is awesome. He feels like your personal trainer and lets you know it's okay if you can't do what they're doing, and that it's far better to do your best every time, and then forget the rest. Eventually you'll get to the rest, and you will see results.

2) Like you said, there are a lot of exercises to choose from. The biggest benefit I've gained from P90X is having actually learned a BUNCH of different exercises that I would not have learned on my own, and I can do them all correctly, which is key. Having learned these, I can do some quick 15 minute workouts during breaks at work without the DVDs.

3) It not only emphasizes exercise, but also proper (a somewhat relative term here, everyone is different) eating habits, and Tony won't let you forget it. He will frequently taunt you about drinking Coke :) Granted, they do an excellent job of shoving Beachbody products in your face the entire time, but there are plenty of alternatives to whatever they're selling you.

4) Variety. Kind of ties into my second point. There's a variety of different programs you can choose from the P90X handbook that comes with the DVD package. Some will appeal to you more than others. Try them out, see what works best for you.

I hope this helped a bit. Good luck :)

Answer 2

To answer your question. For my money Insanity is the best overall DVD workout available right now. Mostly because you don't need much space or any extra equipment to do the workouts. Just pop in the DVD and go to work. It is very intense but you don't have to do everything that you see on the video. Find the exercises on there that you enjoy doing and do those at an intensity level that you feel comfortable. When you're too tired to go on take a break. Set a timer for 30 minutes and when it goes off end the workout.
For the most part all DVD workout programs get you moving which is great. But they cost money(sometimes a lot) and really NO ONE should spend any money on getting in shape. You can get in the best shape of your life just by eating better and finding new uses for old junk around your house. Unless you're planning on competing, working out a home can be just as effective as going to the gym. If you need some exercises check out YouTube and Scooby's Workshop or ask your doctor to recommend a few.

Most importantly have fun. Take your time and experiment with different workouts. You will find workouts you like to do and can maintain over the years.