Search - Jenny Lynn: The Harder I Work, The Luckier I Get...at Bodybuilding on DVD

Good, But Mainly for the Jenny Lynn Fan

MoneyMan | New York | 01/10/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Jenny Lynn, the reigning Figure Olympia Champion, and a three-time Arnold Classic Figure International winner, gives the viewers a basic barebones video diary on her daily routine of exercise, eating, training, and working while preparing for the 2006 Figure Olympia (which she wins). There is no glitz, no special effects, no thumping soundtrack or canned testimonials from squealing fans. It's just Jenny telling the viewer what she needs to do in order to succeed in the fitness/figure profession.

She talks quite a bit about herself, but never appears arrogant. She talks about her accomplishments (and she has a TON of them) and how she got her start into figure competition. She comes across as humble enough to know that unless she does what she's supposed to do everyday without fail, any hungry and talented fitness/figure competitor can easily leap ahead of her (she mentions fan favorite Monica Brant a few times). Unquestionably she loves what she's doing, while she tries to put on a good face about it, she does not mince words when demonstrating that certain aspects of training (cardio) and dieting (protein pancakes) can be a drag. But she knows they are a means to an end.

The video is not meant to instruct the viewer on routines, training or harnessing inner-talent. However, anyone who wants to start out in the figure/fitness (or even bodybuilding) profession will find this diary very informative insofar as knowing what it takes to succeed in the profession, and what level of commitment is needed in order to succeed. That said, her honesty continues in one other thing: her personal training and seminar business. She does not beat the viewer over the head with her being a personal trainer and a product salesperson/endorser, but she makes it clear that she still has to earn a living. She struck a good balance of not making her video diary a three-hour long infomercial, which I found very refreshing.

Regarding Jenny herself, she does a good job of talking to the viewer as often as she can and in a casual, relaxed manner (the exception being her rigorous training session with the great Charles Glass; she almost never talked). While she tries to choose her words carefully when addressing the camera, her honesty is in her training sessions: she is all business, quite relaxed, and at her most informative, going over what exercises and diet that works for her. She is extremely knowledgeable in fitness and nutrition, and is keenly aware of what works for her (a true professional). I liked that she doesn't try to "glam it up" in front of the camera, like some tired Sports Illustrated-like photo shoot of her in some skimpy flowing thing on a beach. She wore almost no make up (except for a photo shoot she had). While she is eye candy with extreme prejudice, she does not try to let the viewer know she's eye candy. But I'll admit, I was drooling when she was trying on new clothes and posing down while at a fitness store. When Jenny's training, she appears to be a natural in front of the camera.

Why did I give the video three stars? Simple:

1) Audio. In a word, atrocious. There were a lot of times you couldn't hear anyone (the people tried their best). Voiceovers of Jenny and other participants help, but there are time you have to increase the volume.

2) Pace. Overall the video is slow, and at times move at a snail's pace when she's involved in her training sessions. Both her training partner and her boyfriend, respectively, do the best they can to fill in the dead time; and they do a fine job, along with other people in the video. But they can only do so much given they're supposed to help train her. It gets interesting when she discusses at length why she does what she does (sprints, food preparation, seminars, etc.). Plus, while Jenny is fine in front of the camera, she's not overtly engaging like an Arnold Schwarzenegger in Pumping Iron, or electric in personality like Cory Everson in Bodyshaping. At times Jenny's a tad dull.

3) Information. For a three-hour video, I guess I expected to see more variety and substance regarding her strength training routine. She trained shoulders, back, abs and legs to small degree, but somehow it seems short and lacking. Her cardio/track sessions were very informative, but dragged when she couldn't engage the camera.

4) Abrupt conclusion. The diary seemed to stop about a month away from the Figure Olympia; I would have liked it to continue to just a week away from contest, and see what her demeanor and look would be near contest time (although she was in phenomenal shape at the end of the video).

5) Salesperson. Jenny left her sales pitch for her online and live personal training business at the very end of the second disk. While I completely understand and even support her doing this, it seemed tacked in, like she just remembered to include that into her diary. It had a weak, infomercial feel to it.

Before this video, all I knew about Jenny Lynn was from Flex magazine or from the web. This opened my eyes to who she really is. While I won't say I'm a diehard Jenny Lynn fan, this video gave me a newfound respect for her; I will watch her career more closely. Not a great video of a person, but a fair video about a great person."