Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14762 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-12-23
• Rating: Exempt
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
It's been a good 2002 for Nell McAndrew. The glamour model not only enjoyed a high profile role in the reality TV series I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, but has found time to release this, her first fitness DVD. Peak Energy is an easy to master aerobic workout set to a high energy soundtrack for health and weight loss.

Customer Reviews

Exhaustion......!
As a new year's resolution we decided to bring life to our living room (and slimness to our thighs) by expanding our large exercise video collection. After purchasing most new videos on the market (we get bored quickly), we thought this would be no different. We were wrong. Despite saying it is suitable for all fitness levels, we were left puffing like old women after the warm up and by the actual first section we were worn out. Dont get me wrong, we like a hard workout but this was more like boot camp torture... constant running, jumping jacks, squats, and other high impact aerobics set to pretty good music but with nothing very exciting to look at (the whole thing is set in what looks like an aircraft hanger). At the bottom of the screen there were 40 little blobs.... each blob couting for a minute. After 10 little blobs were filled in we were left in sweaty heaps on the carpet...so we skipped to the floor work and were left with aching bums and stomachs. Its not that the actual exercises are bad... just that the barking army drill sargeant who instructs you seems to over do the time spent on each thing.

At the end of the workout (nearly an hour and a half if we'd left the fast forward button alone) we were left looking and smelling a little less fresh than we'd hoped and today are finding it difficult to walk. This is a good workout for those who are extremely fit already but for those less so (i.e. us) it will take a lot more practice to get through the whole thing... it just depends if you have the willpower or not and really want a firm bod because this will definitely give you results.

Feel The Burn!
Possibly THE hardest workout video I have ever invested in (and I have a shelf-full). Despite claims from Nell in her intro that the video was suitable for all levels, once into full swing, no lower impact alternatives were given to the bouncing full-on routine. However, from my knowledge of fitness, I decided to alternate between marching on the spot and keeping the arms moving, and resting my arms and following the jogging/jumping jacks etc. OK, I wasn't getting the full benefits, but at least I could keep it up for the 40 minute main workout. I figure I can build up to doing it full-out.

Unlike some other exercise videos I have bought, this one really feels like you are working hard and getting results. The instructor is excellent - pushy and encouraging as instructors should be! However, it can be slightly annoying when he says "8 more" and then you think you're getting to the end and he says "8 more" AGAIN!

The 40 minutes being counted down on the screen with a bar is a good idea. It also meant for me, that when I am short of time, I can do just half the workout out and then move onto the toning sections.

For people VERY short of time, I would recommend doing just the warm up, followed by the 2 toning sections.

And whatever you do, STRETCH your calves out really well at the end, cos boy will they hurt the next day if you don't!

Get stuck in!
I bought this DVD after doing some low impact workouts for about 2 weeks and finding them pretty easy, so I thought I could try something a bit more high-intensity.

The warm-up is good, although I don't think the instructor spends enough time on the stretches, which are definitely very important for this workout. However, it does get you warm and breaking a sweat, and carries through to the actual 40 minute, gruelling routine. This is very repetitive, simple, and easy-to-follow; as Nell says, no nonsense. It consists of starjumps, jogging with arms, and similar movements throughout the 40 minutes. It may sound a little boring to repeat moves over and over but it's so fast that all you can think about is just keeping your limbs moving in time to the frenzied garage beat! I found the amount I could manage (10-15 minutes first time through) to be exhilarating - I could last longer than I expected. The upper body work is painful if your arm muscles aren't that well developed, and I really recommend caution on this one in particular - my arms are still really aching days after the last time I attempted it. However, the floor workout is excellent, very comprehensive and intense. It starts with pressups, moves on to buttock clenches and then stomach crunches (a large number of each I must add!), before some serious thigh work. This section will really tone your body.

A lot of people below found the instructor too sharp and "army-like" in his manner. This is true, he sounds very much like an army instructor leading a military workout, but I actually liked his style. It wasn't intimidating or obtrusive, and it was clear what you were meant to be doing at all times - often he'd start a step a beat early so that you could see what you'll be changing to. If you're holding a stretch, he'll keep shouting "Hold it!" at you, which I found very motivating. His attitude was very much the "no nonsense" attitude that Nell describes in this workout.

Nell herself is an inspiration, standing by the side of the instructor and barely breaking a sweat to start with! She smiles a lot which is very encouraging, and by the end even she looks tired - still smiling though!

In my opinion this is an effective workout. It's thorough, first burning fat at a high rate, then toning muscles relentlessly, but just be a bit careful - if you've been injured or aren't too fit, don't try and do more than you feel comfortable with, and build up to the full 40 minute routine. Also, have at least one pint glass of water stood near to you, because I guarantee you will need it. Otherwise, do as Nell does, and just "get stuck in"!