Search - Minna Lessig - Total Body Toning - 1 Minute Workout on DVD

Melissa F. from RED BLUFF, CA
Reviewed on 9/24/2021...

There's definitely something to this DVD! It's very versatile, and actually pretty fun. You don't really know what exercise is coming next, and it almost seemed random sometimes. I would just give it my all for that 1-minute segment (it's only a minute, after all!), not knowing what was coming next, and by the end I had gotten a really good workout. Surprisingly good! Not going to be my go-to, but a nice addition to my DVD collection for when I need to mix things up.

3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

The boredom-free workout

Bonjour Poetry Reviews | Wisconsin | 07/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is really the cure to workout boredom. It's over 120+ one minute exercises vary each time to put in the DVD, so you'll even begin to look forward to seeing which one is chosen each time. You can vary both the length of your workout and the intensity - which various time intervals and a beginning and advanced skill level. You can also choose to focus on a specific area - such as upper body, lower body, and total body. I've read some of the reviewers say they didn't find this one challenging, but I found that I did - especially when I played the DVD for at least 20 minutes or more. I liked the options to workout in less time as well, as sometimes it's just a nice compliment to another workout. This DVD offers so much variety I'd say it would fit nicely into any routine."

Stays interesting due to variety :->

Little Miss Cutey | Melbourne, Australia | 03/30/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You wouldn't think you'd get much benefit from a dvd like this, but let me tell you that you will burn calories. It stays fresh and interesting because you can do the routine in any order and for any desired length of time. There are 127 different one-minute segments each focusing on different body parts and you can control the order you do it in. This way you won't get bored and you'll be inclined to do this often. Minna is a good instructor and with her help, you can get through this easily and have fun at the same time. I recommend this if you are someone who bores easily with the usual exercise grind."

Solid workout for beginners to intermediate

Sabeth Mzier | Switzerland | 04/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The thing which distinguishes a Minna Lessig workout is that her focus is always on using safe exercises to get good results, i.e. become more fit and generally lose weight. Her education in physical therapy and biology is clearly reflected in her approach of challenging, but not overexerting, the body.

The upshot is that this DVD, as with all her DVDs, is optimistic and body-positive in its conception. It focuses on what most people will be able to do in a very small amount of time to get in shape and change their lives rather than just on how the average person's buns, abs, or upper arms are going to look later. The focus is on being patient and on the real, positive changes happening inside the body long before they become visible on the outside.

The minute-exercise concept works well, and transitions are well planned. However, some exercises are necessarily more challenging, e.g. push-ups, than others because they have to be performed more quickly. The level 1 exercises tend to include fewer multi-muscle-group exercises than the level 2 exercises. The concept also seems to be that the better shape you are in, the more you will have to gradually add heavier weights to your routine to challenge yourself and progress. You have to have enough body-awareness to know how your workout feels and ergo how heavy your weights should be. The other part of the workout concept is that form is everything - the challenge for more fit students is not just to perform the exercises in the short amount of time allotted, but to perform them properly. This is where the aerobic element has been built into the workout.

Since the one-minute concept necessarily adds in a few seconds of break between each new exercise, you don't do several minutes' of uninterrupted aerobic exercise. However, the workouts are aerobic, especially on level 2, and even those who are in better shape will be able to get a good workout from this DVD, provided that they select the right level of challenge for themselves and, as Minna might say, really pay attention to their form."