Hannah Waterman's Body Blitz [DVD]

If you don't buy anything else this year, buy this DVD!I have never bought a workout video before and was sceptical but decided there must be an easier way than going to the gym every day. After reading all of the reviews I plumped for this one, based on the concept of interval training and the very few bad reviews.The DVD is made up of 4 sections - cardio, box, tone and belly blitz. Each section is about 20 minutes long and promises to burn up to 500 calories at a time and continue to burn fat for 48 hours. As it's based on interval training, only 20 minutes of these workouts equates to over an hour or normal aerobic exercise such as jogging. I wouldn't advise someone who is comletely unfit to start with this DVD as it is tough going and works you very hard. I have a wii fit and unlike the wii, this really gets your heart rate going. At times I found myself incredibly out of breath (which is good of course!!) and struggling with some of the moves. I started this DVD last Thursday (it's now Monday) and have already noticed a considerable difference - I have been eating 'sensibly' - normal meals but no chocolate/crisps in the week... and I am certainly not on a strict diet.The sections are enjoyable - particularly the cardio and box ones and the belly blitz works your abs brilliantly. I have found myself aching for days after, and using muscles that I didn't even know I had. The beauty of this DVD, aside from being able to do it in the comfort of your own home, is that you don't feel guilty for just doing a 20 minute section because you work so hard for those 20 minutes.I'm not going to lie - it's not easy, and there is no point buying it if you are not determined because it's very hard work. I agree with other reviews, that Hannah Waterman is a bit cocky which can be annoying but there are 2 male trainers with her who are the main instructers so you don't actually have to listen to her!Overall, I'd say it's well worth the money, and I'm incredibly pleased that I am seeing results already BUT you must be willing to stay committed (no good if you turn the DVD as soon as it starts to hurt!) and be prepared for some horrendous workouts, aching muscles and lots of sweat!!!

I have used this for years, purchased it here as my cd damaged. All around workout. It’s brilliant, you can adapt it to your leve of fitness. My husband is a fit cyclist and finds it hard to keep up. Whole body workout, you won’t regret it if you enjoy interval training.

As someone who has quite the collection of workout DVDs (all of Davina and Nell McAndrew being favourites) I bought this as a New Year's present to myself after being really impressed by Hannah's massive weight loss. It's based on interval training which the latest scientific research indicates is the most effective way to lose weight, raising the heart rate high for short periods of time and then following with a period of 'active rest', rather than steady state cardio. According to the blurb on the back of the DVD just 20 minutes of this DVD is as effective as a whole hour of jogging (forgive me if I'm not quite convinced on that one)However, there is no denying that this workout is tough! It's split into four sections, roughly 20 minutes each - Cardio Blitz (an aerobics style workout which incorporates the warmup so you really need to do this one every time), Box Blitz (upper body boxing and kick boxing moves), Tone Blitz (burpees and other such resistance moves), all of which are interspersed with some 10 second high energy intervals to get the heart rate up, followed by a final abs section and cool down. If you sat down and watched the DVD there's not really anything in there that makes it look that tough, but believe me, working through the whole DVD I found this workout far harder than any Nell McAndrew one I'd done and it really left me feeling the effects the next day! The abs section in particular is really tough, and the toning section is a real killer (I absolutely detest burpees with a passion and the jump to standing position that they tack onto the end of them really makes you feel it!)What this DVD lacks for me is the fun factor - with Davina you find that with every move she'll be telling you how much she loves it but with Hannah, more often than not, she'll tell you she hates this move and I'm inclined to agree with her most of the time! You don't get the buzz that you get with something like Nell McAndrew which is intense but more steady state cardio and despite the fact that there's no denying you can feel the effectiveness, I think beginners would find this a tough routine to stick with as I just don't find it a very enjoyable workout - there are far too many moves, particularly in the toning section, that I just dread! It comes down to the fact that I've realised that I really dislike floor workouts unless they are specifically targeting the abs, so if this rings a bell with you then avoid - if you don't mind floor workouts then no doubt you'll find this more enjoyable than I did.The presenting is well thought out with lots of information on the science behind weight loss and there are different options to follow depending on your level of fitness. The moves are simple, easy to follow and well explained and there is a nice relationship between the three presenters. Hannah is inspiring to watch as her change in body shape is so drastic and she really does look fabulous now. However, she isn't someone like Nell or Davina who really seem to love working out and her exclamations of hatred for moves I do find can be a bit demotivating and she does have a tendency to shout at times.In terms of effectiveness I find it hard to see anyone who did even just 20 minutes of this workout 3 times a week failing to lose weight, the problem is the motivation to dig it out again as it is tough and just not much fun!