Exercise Video Review

New exercise DVDs and videos are being released every week, but come in two primary waves --one during December and January and a second in April and May. This volume and diversity can leave consumers overwhelmed and confused. One retailer and reviewer, CollageVideo.com, reports that its staff members viewed tens of thousands of exercise videos, and actually worked out to each of them before settling on the 978 titles sold in their online store.

This frequency makes for an impressive number of exercise videos and DVDs reviews; however, they often lack quality or tend to be unbalanced. Publications such as Shape, Health and Fitness magazines sometimes recommend new videos and DVDs, but it's hard to tell the extent to which these videos were actually tested. More complete reviews -- particularly if you are interested in a specific video -- can be found online. FitBottomedGirls.com provides perhaps the most extensive database of DVD workout reviews -- literally hundreds of them dating back to 2008. This site is far more up-to-date than competing fitness sites and rates all videos on six different factors: instruction, long-term likability, music, fun factor, whether the video meets expectations and overall. This is one of the only sites where video reviews can be easily compared. Moreover, the site periodically does "best of" roundups, which make it even easier to determine which workout video is right for you. ThatsFit.com (AOL's health and fitness site) also provides a database of reviews, but they do not have a rating system and so it is difficult to compare one video to another.

Several print publications also offer reviews and "best-of" roundups of exercise videos and DVDs. While Shapemag.com features online clips and exercises from their favorite current videos, they do not offer any real reviews, and it is unclear whether these videos were tested as a whole. More magazine is also home to several galleries of videos, but it is often unclear as to how old these articles are or how the DVDs and videos were tested. The most reliable source of fitness DVDs and videos comes courtesy of Fitness magazine. The magazine is known for their thoroughly tested roundups of top fitness videos. More than 80 real women test new videos and provide the editors with their feedback. One nice addition to this article are the short clips from each video.

About.com guide to exercise Paige Waehner also recommends exercise and yoga videos, but with just brief descriptions it's hard to know how well these products were evaluated, and the most recent update was in 2010. For user reviews, we found a wealth of comments at CollageVideo.com. This site also lets you preview each DVD before you buy. CollageVideo.com also rates videos on a sliding scale for level of difficulty and notes whether you need any special extra equipment to use the DVD. Amazon.com users also provide a plethora of comments and feedback, though the rating scale is less dynamic than that at CollageVideo.com. We checked to see if ConsumerReports.org has reviewed videos; although editors report on treadmills and other exercise equipment, we found nothing on videos.

Today's exercise videos are safer and more effective than their predecessors

Exercise physiologists and trainers know much more about workout effectiveness and safety today than they did when the fitness video craze kicked off in the 1980s, and experts now stress the importance of updating your vintage video collection. Older tapes that should be shelved include those in which the instructor gives no alignment guidance, offers no easier alternatives for tough moves, repeats the same exercises over and over or presents spine-stressing or knee-straining moves.

In our research, we found that reviewers respect and recommend videos and DVDs that are part of a library by respected publishers and fitness gurus. Billy Blanks made a splash over a decade ago with the first of his Tae Bo videos. Blanks has now gone on to produce a range of products building on his initial success, and reviewers still often recommend his DVDs and videos.

More recently, the wave of fitness and health reality television shows ("The Biggest Loser, " "Thintervention") has lead to a few celebrity trainers. These hybrid celebrity trainers have found tremendous success in the fitness video market. Jillian Michaels of "The Biggest Loser" (whose 30-Day Shred video is the top-selling fitness video of all time) and Bob Harper both have workout video series. Jackie Warner has appeared on two BravoTV shows -- "Work Out" and "Thintervention" with Jackie Warner. Her video series is consistently touted as a top workout. Additionally, the prevalence of reality dance television shows has begotten several workout DVD series. "Dancing with the Stars" has its own line of videos, and the show's on-air professional dancers Cheryl Burke and Julianne Hough have released fitness DVDs. Even "So You Think You Can Dance" has a line of videos. 

In this same vein, dance videos -- even those not associated with a television show -- have gained in popularity. Bollywood-style dance videos skyrocketed after the success of "Slumdog Millionaire" (which won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director and concluded with a Bollywood-style dance). Ballet videos and even country line dancing videos have also received a warm reception.

Even so, where previously it made sense to discuss workout videos in two large categories (strength or cardio), home fitness videos are now so much more nuanced that it is more helpful to look at fitness videos in smaller, more specific categories. Whichever type of workout you choose, experts say you want a video with enough variety to keep you interested and motivated.

It is important to note: Whenever beginning a fitness regimen -- regardless of your base fitness level -- it is important to go at your own self-selected, appropriate pace. Any signs of nausea, extreme shortness of breath, dizziness or fatigue should be taken seriously. Break as often as necessary and drink plenty of water.