Exercise Videos Reviews

The number of reviews we found for exercise videos impressed us, but the quality is often lacking. Publications such as Shape, Health and Prevention magazines sometimes recommend new videos and DVDs, but it's hard to tell the extent to which these videos were actually tried out by reviewers. 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. Fitness magazine has the most recent roundup of titles, and it's clear that each DVD was tested by at least one editor. One nice addition to this article is short clips from each video. For user reviews, we found the best comments at Collage Video. This site also lets you preview each DVD before you buy. Collage Video also rates videos on a sliding scale for level of difficulty and notes whether you need any special extra equipment to use the DVD. We checked to see if Consumer Reports has reviewed videos, and although editors report on treadmills and other exercise equipment, we found nothing on videos.

New exercise DVDs and videos are being released every week. This volume and diversity can leave consumers overwhelmed and confused. One retailer/reviewer, Collage Video, reports that its staff members viewed thousands of exercise videos, and actually worked out to each of them before settling on the 741 titles sold in their online store.

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 '80s, 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.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

As the above chart indicates, Kathy Smith videos are especially popular with reviewers in the strength/toning category. Winsor Pilates is also well-liked. Software and gaming-oriented fitness programs are also making their mark with consumers.

Tae Bo videos with Billy Blanks score big with reviewers in the cardio/aerobics category. The runners-up include something for every exerciser, from the creative, choreographed moves of "Crunch: Cardio Salsa" to the calmer "Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds" for budding fitness enthusiasts.