Search - 10 Minute Solution - Carb and Calorie Burner on DVD

Absolutely Perfect

Gibby Girl | Philadelphia, PA | 05/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As someone who depises cardio, this is the perfect workout for me. In fact, it has me so spoiled, I can't bear to do any of my previous workouts.

I love it because it doesn't waste any time. By minute 3 I am sweating. And with 5 different workouts, it's hard to get bored. Michelle is an excellent instructor, and knowing it will be over in 10 minutes motivates me to work harder.

My favorite is the third workout which uses pylometics. The first one is also great and a great add on to other workouts. I also enjoy the fourth bootcamp style one (it also works your abs). The last one is more toning than cardio and great for those time crunched days.

That said there is little instruction as to proper form, really no warmup and little cool down, and moves very quickly in order to maximize time. Therefore it may not be the best for beginner exercisers."

Great Cardio for Small Spaces

N. Privette | Wake Forest, NC, USA | 08/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a really good workout that will have you sweating bullets. If you're familiar with the "10 Minute Solution" series, you know that this is a series of 10-minute workouts that you can do consecutively to create a long 50-minute cardio blast session. Something about that setup really appeals to me - I think it's because it's easier to push through to the end of each segment since you can keep telling yourself it'll all be over in a few minutes. And it's easier to willpower yourself to do the next segment too because, hey, it's only 10 minutes. It really does make it seem to go by faster than if they called it "The 50 Minute Solution" and didn't break it up into segments.

The flip side of the 10-minute format is the time crunch. This workout does not waste a single second - even for things that deserve a little extra time like stretches. It also doesn't go into a lot of detailed instruction, so unless you're already pretty familiar with what proper exercise form looks like, this may be a little too advanced.

The workout starts with two relatively manageable workouts that get your heartrate pumping, followed by a third that involves a lot of high-impact hopping around. Even though modified versions of the exercises are explained, if you need to avoid high-impact because of joint problems, this is probably not for you. The fourth workout is pretty tough too, and the fifth one, "Metabolism Booster" incorporates some light dumbbells in a weight-lifting segment that will keep you burning calories after the workout is over.

I really like the instructor - she's attractive and fit, upbeat and cheerful without irritating me. You could do this video over and over and not get sick of her, which of course is the backbone of any successful home workout video.

I also recommend this workout to those who have a small space at home to workout - I remember those days when my workouts were a little too big for my college apartment.

I have to admit I'm a teensy bit annoyed that this DVD is called the "Carb and Calorie Burner" - as if there are exercises that specifically burn carbs as opposed to just calories in general. I feel like they're catering to our carbophobic nation. But I can't hold it against them - I love the 10 Minute Solution and am confident that they will be able to help me burn copious amounts of carbs. :)"

Good Cardio

Laurie E. Baker | Long Island City, NY United States | 12/07/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Being a new mom, I sometimes can barely make it through a 40 minute workout on any given day; so this DVD is great because you can pick and choose what kind of workout you want, according to priority. Be prepared to do a lot of jumping, squats and planks. If you can do all five segments, you will work up a major sweat!"

Very flexible

dnk | Boston, MA United States | 06/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is dvd provides a bunch of cardio options, from lower impact, higher impact and "cardio sculpting." While there are obviously five different segments, depending on the sequencing and the number of segments you choose, you can get even more variety. For example, a "lighter" workout could start with Slow and Steady Burn and then move onto the Carb Killer/Kickboxing segment, while a more intense, circuit/interval workout could be had by combining the other three. I would, however, recommend starting out with the Slow and Steady Burn segment if time allows because it has the longest ramp up to intense activity. Dozois does include a brief warmup and stretch segment in the first two minutes and a very brief cooldown in the last thirty to forty seconds, you probably want to warm up a little longer before you jump into, say, the Bootcamp segment.

My favorite segment is the Metabolism Booster- I can still feel my heartrate going up even though we're using weights, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pace was such that I could switch my weights for the different segments. So while anterior deltoids get five pounds, I could heavy up to my eights or tens for most of the other work and even my fifteens for lat rows. No pressure though- you can still get a great workout using your threes and fives. This is also a cool little section because she's using a bunch of functional moves, even though this isn't marketed as a "Functional Fitness" workout.

My next favorite segment is the Interval Burn/Bootcamp. It also uses sculpting moves, but done at a faster pace and without weights. The first half is three or four circuits of fast paced leg work (four exercises in each), and then we move to the floor for challenging upper body and abdominal work. My heartrate was up there throughout, maybe even more so than in the weights segment.

The Carb Killer/Kickboxing segment was fun, but I was hoping for a slightly faster pace. She teaches the usual punches and kicks, then puts them together for a very brief combination. This is still fun, but it's definitely got an upper body emphasis.

Slow and Steady Burn is a nice little segment, more than an extended warm up, but not enough for my heart to be my only workout, unlike the first two segments I mentioned. This is classic aerobics-class cardio, with more step touches, v-steps and the like. It does get your heart-rate up, but again, probably won't be enough cardio for most people.

My least favorite segment was the Power Blast, only because between weak ankles and a second floor condo, impact makes me nervous. I would have liked some lower impact alternatives to be mentioned but, again, the ten-minute format limits what you can alternatively instruct.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this workout and have to stop myself from overusing it. This is fun and flexible, and I think beginners through high-intermediates will really enjoy this."