Search - Crunch - Boot Camp Training on DVD

Exciting Themed Workout

Rebecca Johnson | Washington State | 06/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Remember, I would rather you gave me 4 excellent pushups rather than 12 sloppy ones!" ~Susan L. Hitzmann, M.S, New York Exercise Physiologist

Let's just say that this is one of the most difficult workouts I've ever tried. With that said, it was also an amazing challenge. I actually loved it. My husband even came in to see what on earth I was doing (the words "TROOPS" and "Are you guys ready?" had his attention). Then, he watched me do pushups. The first time he has seen me actually doing pushups. Normally he walks in when I'm doing yoga, so this was very interesting to him.

Susan L. Hitzmann is the perfect instructor to put you in the mood to really push yourself towards a higher level of fitness. She uses amusing army-themed phrases and encourages her "troop" to really get moving. Everyone in this workout group looks "pumped" and they all look like they definitely use heavier weights. The muscle definition is impressive and you will hear words like "dead lift" and "no break" which gives you an idea of the style and focus. You can definitely use heavier weights because you are not bouncing around while holding the weights. You alternate between high-intensity cardio and intense weight lifting.

You don't have to use heavier weights. I used 3lb and 5lb weights/dumbbells. They recommend 3-10 pound weights. I noticed this is an intense upper body workout. You will also notice all-over body conditioning and it is definitely a workout you will want to do again and again. You will feel the results, especially in your stomach and arms.

The pushups are fun and there are different varieties. Then, there are the situps. I could hardly do a pushup or situp for three days after attempting this workout. I mean, you really feel this workout in the days that follow. So, you might want to do stretching or yoga for a few days after this workout.

Crunch Boot Camp will keep you energized and highly motivated. It just takes hold of your mind and you can't help but do everything Susan commands. She is an excellent instructor/drill sergeant and she makes you smile while you are working out like you have never worked out before.

This was the most intense 35 minutes of exercise I've ever tried. It was also very amusing and I loved the entertaining theme. Even watching it again while reviewing it, I want to just go do the workout. The music alone makes you want to move. There are a few sections that also require excellent coordination and I'm still working on the fancy footwork at the start. I've learned that if you just keep moving, you can work through any fancy footwork. Fortunately, it is minimal in this workout.

Highly Recommended for Intermediate to Advanced. If you want a challenge, this will push you to your limits and you will actually love it. Lots of humor and definately a 10 star workout!

~The Rebecca Review"

"Boot Camp" Style Weight Training for a Time Crunch

blueyed puella | CT, USA | 08/09/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Workout Description: about 20 minutes of toning (alternates between standing and floor work; fairly evenly split between with upper and lower body with only about 5 minutes of ab work) with 5 minute warm-up and 3 minute stretch for a total of 30 minutes
Workout Level: intermediate with one student demonstrating lower impact / less complicated moves
Instructor: Sue Hitzman (Certified instructor, trainer, and exercise physiologist). Sue cues well and offers a decent number of pointers on form. She is very enthusiastic and encouraging, and she seems to have a good sense of humor. It's nice to have an instructor, particularly a woman, who isn't obsessed with how many calories you're burning or how this will make your butt look. Sue is genuinely interested in lifting weights for its own sake, and she looks like someone whose philosophy is "Fitness is not just a state of body, it's also a state of mind." Sue works both sides evenly and expects you to mirror her moves.
Class: 6 fairly young and muscular women and 1 man. Some class participation (whoops and groans).
Music / Set: The beat-heavy instrumental music isn't exciting. The bright interior set is a bit strange: painted floor, brick walls, exposed steel beams-and a large metal fan on the back wall.
Equipment Needed: sneakers, 1 pair of dumbbells (your choice of weight)
Caveats: Previous weight-lifting experience is helpful. Pay attention to your form. In particular, make sure your knee never goes past your toes whenever you are doing squats or lunges.
Additional Comments: This workout is compact with respect to time and space. At 5'8", I am able to easily fit this in my 6' by 8' space.
Although this is a weight-lifting workout, there are a number of moves that will get your heart rate up. This isn't enough to count as a cardio workout, though. Those who have been working out with weights a lot (such as with the Firm) will find this too easy; if you're relatively new to home weight lifting, you're more likely to find this beneficial. In contrast, those new to exercise may find this too challenging at first.
I like to combine this with additional ab work (either Pilates or Tamilee Webb's I Want Those Abs) to get a full-body workout in under 45-minutes. I also find that I have to do additional stretching (maybe one segment from Tamilee Webb's Total Body Stretch) in order to properly prevent soreness and injury after this workout. Still, this is a great way to get a workout in when I'm pressed for time. I'm also considering trying to do it twice once I've moved up to heavier weights and find this getting easy.
I don't have any of the other Crunch workouts, of which there are many. While the instructor and students are very enthusiastic, at times the "boot camp" theme gets a little cheesy. (Sue even wears a camouflage top.) The camera keeps shifting back to the "pretty blond girl," whose form isn't great enough to warrant so much attention, but that's obviously not the point.
The DVD allows you to select your chapter, which you can use to skip the introduction. There are no extras."

Hope, encouragement, and fun for "PE Refugees"

Melissa P. Cooper | Indianapolis, IN | 04/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love aerobics the way a dog loves bones. Give me a dance-flavored cardio routine and I'll go 50-60 minutes or more. Strength training? Well. . .let's just say I have a short attention span fostered by years of uninspired gym classes taught by uninspired, unimaginative gym teachers. Forty minutes is about as long as I can go, and that includes warm-up, cool-down, and stretch. But this tape gets the job done in 30 minutes and I almost never look at the clock to see how much longer it's going to take. Even on the mornings I oversleep and am tempted to just bag the old exercise routine for the day, this tape gets me going. For me, the drawing card of this workout is the circuit-style training Sue Hitzman leads you through. instead of spending five minutes on one body part, and then five minutes on the next, everything is mixed into 3 different 7-minute circuits. Every major muscle group gets some attention at some point--and as another reviewer said, you're often multi-tasking here, working more than one muscle group at a time. If you don't like what she's currently making you do, just get through this set and the next minute you have something different. The idea of doing three sets of pushups is much less intimidating when each set is several minutes away from the next one. If they were all together, I'd be hitting the FF button--especially since I'd just about rather eat nails than do pushups. But the way they're broken up here, it isn't worth the effort to FF ahead for 45 seconds, and guess what? If I'm going to play it through, I might as well do the darn push-ups. I don't love them, mind you. But I do them! If you ask me, they've got me figured out:)I also love it that this routine doesn't take up a lot of space and all you need is a pair or two of dumbbells. While there may be other workouts out there that are more intense and maybe more effective, often they sit in my video cabinet undone because it's too cumbersome to haul the extra equipment in and out. (Some of the FIRM's routines come to mind here) What is it the experts say? The most effective exercise program is one that you actually DO. This one is the most user-friendly strength workout I own. Next time I go on vacation, this tape is coming with me:)The Crunch Fitness franchise has been very successful nationally, and their tapes have sold well enough that they continue to produce new ones, but the earlier ones always turned me off because of the crazy camera work and what sounded like a pre-recorded soundtrack of people whooping. This tape is a tremendous improvement over the earlier ones. There's a lot of good-natured and genuinely fun banter between Sue Hitzman and the folks in the class with her, and that comes through when she's looking into the camera and "talking" to you, the viewer. Faith Scarinzi, who's starred in a couple of videos of her own, demonstrates lower-intensity, low-impact versions of many of the exercises here, and she's nearly always in view on camera. And while the music is not the absolute best I've ever heard on a workout tape, it's not cheesy or bad, and thank Heaven they canned the "canned whooping" track this go-around.This is probably one of the best under-$15 workout deals around. If your life is as busy as mine--or even busier--this one almost says aloud, "Come on. . .all you need is 30 minutes and you'll feel good all day." I do. You will, too."

Time Crunch? Try Crunch Boot Camp!

glogirl89 | Plymouth, MN United States | 05/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love, love, love this video! Because it is a multi muscle workout you raise your heart rate while toning! I am a working Mom of 4 and I need for my time investment to pay off! This packs a punch for a 30 minute workout! I'm uncoordinated so I don't like a lot of dance/aerobic tapes. After the second try I had the moves mastered! (no easy feat for a someone with two left feet!) You can raise the intensity by increasing the size of your hand weights! When I complete this boot camp video, I am really sweating and all my muscles feel awakened! This is my new favorite home workout! There is an instructor who demonstrates a low impact version of the workout and she is visible to offer the low impact version of instructor Susan Hintzeman's high impact version!"