Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #70218 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-06-04
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 55 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Tennis star Anna Kournikova might be one of the hottest names around the circuit, but whether her fitness video Basic Elements will get you up and running is another matter. Filmed more like a promotional video for both Kournikova and a fitness gadget known as the medicine ball, this can seem more like a slot on a shopping channel than a straightforward workout. The sections on warm ups, simple weights, the medicine ball, and an advanced section on the lower body are amply punctuated with shots of Kournikova on and off court. While gym instructors might certainly gain useful ideas, presented rather than created by the young tennis star, the rest of us are left a little bemused. Lying on an ordinary ball to lift weights is beyond most people as they would slide off! There is insufficient detail on the purpose of each exercise, the scope for mistakes, and above all the precision of technique. As for the token health advice which amounts to ample helpings of French toast or pancakes, and a high-fibre diet rather than a low fat one, if you really want a figure like Kournikova's don't try this at home! --Lorna V

Special Features
4:3 Full Frame
DVD 5
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Mono English
Dolby Digital Mono

Synopsis
Beautiful tennis champion Anna Kournikova shows you how to keep fit with her own personal fitness guide! Suitable for all ages, from budding teenage tennis players to fitness-conscious adults, this video includes a variety of routines for all skill levels. Anna demonstrate the exercises and voices the narrative, showing you how to utilize weights, the stability ball, and jump rope for a higher level of fitness and a more toned physique!

Customer Reviews

Areal mixed bag!
This exercise video is a real mixed bag in terms of what you get for your money. Firstly the production values are really low. If you have seen stuff such as Cindy Crawford's "The Next Workout" this pales in comparison. There are no picturesque desert scenes to keep you interested on repetitive viewings, as it is shot in an ordinary warehouse with only a carpet and a backdrop of a cloud filled sky. As a presenter Anna is wooden and almost gives the impression of reading her lines without meaning any of it. The actual exercises are it's only reprieve, for if you are a tennis player this could actually be beneficial to you. The tape is not designed as an real-time accompaniement to exercise but more an education of what to do later by yourself, for the demonstrations are short and not overly detailed in themselves. What with the bad and rushed production, Anna never being able to keep from laughing at the end of each take and the lack of real time demonstration you are not likely to watch it that often compared to more richly designed tapes but as a racquet sport player I do believe you will gain a lot to help you improve your fitness for your game useing exercises you probably wouldn't have thought of.

Very good features on this DVD.
I was surprised when I saw this DVD, it was far better than I had imagined. The exercises are varied and fun, not too difficult either. You even get diet tips and suggestions along as you go! Kournikova has done a really good job with this video. However, I would only recommend it to people who's already working out, since some of the exercises can be a bit tough.

It's Anna's training routine, fascinating and motivating
It's Anna's training routine placed on DVD rather than an aerobics exercise for the public, but that makes it feel genuine and spurs the viewer on to do better themselves rather than just copy what they see. More motivational than instructional.

The production values are fine for what the DVD is, except for the use of a really cheap digital video camera (by the looks of it) on a number of short sections which are very low quality compared to the rest. Even so, it's interesting, encouraging and it's Anna. Say no more!