Mark Lauren Bodyweight Workout DVD You are Your Own Gym | Calisthenics Workout Fitness DVD Set

I haven't done the exercises yet, but I like the idea that you can stop the music and that he is alone and not with followers behind him. The exercises seem a bit difficult but very well explained, even ''he'' is out of breath on the novice's exercises so I imagine that for a starter it will be difficult. I will post another review once I do the exercises.

Honestly, I have never enjoyed working out until now. I'm not just saying that. I've tried nearly every workout program under the sun it seems, and I've even had a personal trainer who got me tremendous results, but I never ENJOYED it and they usually cost me an arm and a leg.The problem with the most popular workout DVDs (P90X, Insanity, 30 Day Shred, etc.) is that they were promising this incredible transformation in such a short amount of time, but at the expense of usually an hour of my day around 6 days a week. Sure, I've tried to convince myself to commit to the program, stop making excuses, and stick with it... but what ends up happening? I burned out. It wasn't for beginners, and those immediate results are often what beginners crave. I, like many other, thought more exercise meant better, faster results. But instead I ended up getting sick from pushing myself too hard, too soon, and eventually would quit after a couple of weeks. I've tried running on my own, but I found that cardio simply didn't shape my body the way I wanted it to look. My body didn't feel strong as a whole and running became very monotonous and boring. I did tons of research and decided that I wanted to go back to the basics and build a strong foundation of strength through bodyweight workouts. This is when I found You Are Your Own Gym.I have only been using this DVD for 6 weeks, but I feel that this is just the beginning to what I feel is a lifelong love for bodyweight exercises. It's perfect really -- it requires no equipment, much less time than cardio, and it's a better full body workout. Using your own bodyweight allows you to use several different muscle groups at once, as opposed to isolating a particular muscle like your biceps doing dumbbell curls. One exercise in You Are Your Own Gym, for example, is a mountain climber variation in which you stand in a push up position, and alternate bringing one knee to the opposite elbow and repeating on the other side. This uses not only your core, but also your shoulders, your hips, your arms, etc. And the way that Mark Lauren explains and demonstrates each move is spot on. He performs them with you so you are just following along, and each move is performed perfectly. The pace at which is performs each rep is a bit slower, but not too slow. Basically, it's just fast enough to know that I am focusing on performing each rep correctly, safely, and that each rep is effective. Why waste your time rushing through a workout so quickly, risking injury? When you perform each move correctly, the right muscles are being engaged.The format of You Are Your Own Gym is laid out perfectly, allowing someone like myself who hadn't worked out much for nearly a year, to start with the basics and build from that when I was ready. I will admit that the Novice DVD will be difficult for TRUE beginners, but I think it is well worth it to modify each move as best as possible, or just do less reps and do more each time as your body is ready.I am completely serious when I say that I look forward to every single one of my workouts and I have to stop myself from doing them too often. Your body needs time to recover muscles. I'm on the Intermediate DVD and feeling my body getting stronger with each workout. I have shed a very noticeable amount of fat so far (with a clean diet) and now the definition in my muscles are beginning to show. My legs are no longer jiggly and the cellulite is disappearing. I feel solid and I have so much energy every day. I can't believe I am finally one of those people that LIKES working out. I give 100% of the credit to this DVD. I plan on buying the EFX DVD after I complete You Are Your Own Gym, and I can't wait to see how far I can get with my progressions. I highly recommend this DVD. Do yourself a favor and try it out. It's a one time fee and so reasonably priced anyway. Good luck!

I absolutely LOVE THESE VIDEOS!! The workouts are short and sweet (20 minutes from warmup to final stretch), yet effective!! There are 3 workout styles and 3 levels of intensity for each. Mark is amazing!! His teaching style is easy to follow and low key. Sometimes, you don't realize how effective the exercises are during the first 5 minutes cause it seems really easy at first, and then later, you really need endurance to finish. PUSH THROUGH--that's when you get the results! I read all the reviews and decided some of the other series like Body Shred may be too intense for me to start with. I got Beginner Shred by Jillian after I mastered Mark's novice disc, and I like switching back and forth now between the 2 styles. I like the 3 levels Mark provides, and I progressed after just a couple weeks and noticed real improvement in my strength. I'm 37 and pretty average at 150 lbs and 5'5", but I was a prior athlete so I'm not afraid of intensity or exercise. I'm NOT a work-out buff. I lift weights off and on with my personal trainer husband just to stay healthy. I needed something with a little more intensity to get my heart pumping a little and burn off a little extra weight I put on. At first, my husband (a certified personal trainer) thought these would not be hard or long enough to make a difference--but we were both shocked with the results!! I had stopped all other workouts and cardio except these discs and Beginner Shred for over a month--and got amazing results!! It's always slow for me the first couple of weeks while I build muscle tone and correct bad eating habits (like binging on junk food), but then I lost 1-3 lbs. a week consistently and kept it off. I was interested in these total body movement exercises to work on my flexibility, mobility and stabilization muscles vs. the linear up and and down movements I'm used to with free weights. I've never been able to do a push up and lack upper body strength, so I was a little hesitant at first to try some of Mark's exercises. It's amazing how fast you build strength--just a couple of weeks! I'm not afraid of a little intensity and squats, but some of his workouts really kicked my butt. I only worked out 3 times a week (every other day) and changed the discs, intensity and workout style each time to suit my level of ability and motivation. This video is a good blend for a beginner or someone who just wants to be fit and active. It's perfect for someone who likes doing moderate weight training, resistance training, yoga or running and just wants a little variety. I can do push ups now and I'm working on some of Mark's more advanced versions of the exercises now. I took these with me on vacation to stay active without a gym or equipment, and they were perfect. My husband and teenage daughters even do them with me on occasion, and we all benefit! I'm brave enough now to try some more intense workout discs, and I'm not struggling with Jillian's Beginner Shred and her entry level discs of Body Shred. When I don't work out for a few months or have to take a break for a surgery, I just go back to disc 1 novice level and build it back up. Thank you Mark Lauren and YAYOG!! I finally found something that works for ME--something I can use FOR LIFE!

just what the doctor ordered , no need for any equipment just whati wanted

I'm going to be 58 in a month and I decided to give myself a fitter body for my birthday, so I bought all 3--the DVD, book and app. I'm in moderately good shape already--I walk regularly and lift weights (although I'm no body builder, by any means). I've been eating Paleo (which is what Mark seems to recommend) for over a year now, with good results, mainly in feeling better (not weight loss). I'm 5'9" and 162 lbs, BMI of 23.9 (at the top of the healthy range). My measurements are 40.5, 33, 41. According to my scale, I've got 24.3% body fat and 32.6% muscle. Haven't yet tried the workouts, but can give feedback from having looked carefully at all three. Will edit this after my first 10 week cycle, to report the results.First, I thought the DVD was a video version of the book. It isn't. It draws from the set of exercises described and pictured in the book, but the workouts are not the same as the workouts in the book. They consist of different exercises and they recommend fewer sessions per week. The book, for example, recommends 4-5 20-30 minute sessions/week, while the video recommends 3 sessions/week. In the novice section, which I've watched but not yet tried, the workouts vary from 22-27 minutes/day. The book has 4 levels of fitness, while the DVD has 3.The strengths of the DVD over the book are: 1) It starts each exercise with an anatomical visual of Mark's body with the muscles that are being worked out highlighted. I think this will help me with proper form, because I'll know which muscle groups should be getting more tired. 2) The exercises are right there, being enacted in front of you, so you learn by watching and doing. Reading descriptions in a book just can't be as effective a way to learn. With the DVD, you don't have to page back and forth between the chart of program exercises and the description of the exercise and try to figure out how to do it. You just watch and do. 3) The DVD times your workout, so you can focus on learning proper form instead of timing.Second, while the DVD and book aren't just 2 different versions of the same thing, the book and app do seem to be just that. The 10 week programs are the same, but the app gives little video demonstrations of each exercise (if you remember to download the separate, free video add in). The app also has a timer, so you don't have to think about timing yourself.I think all 3 forms are valuable, for different points in the process of learning a new training program, and for people who have different learning styles. The video is great for the complete beginner, since it spells everything out and times you and takes you through the workouts. You don't have to page back and forth or time yourself, or mess with your phone, pushing on the next exercise. With only 3 workouts/week, it also allows for more recovery time during the period where your body is making the most adjustment to a new training system.The book/app has greater variety and allows someone who wants to to design their own program. I'd recommend it to people who have greater experience with this kind of training. If you want to keep the cost really low, the app seems to have most of the info you'd need to get going and see results. But the book has a lot of great info that's not in the app--detailed descriptions of the exercises, for example. I think they deliver the program best in combination--study the book and video portions of the app as you learn the exercises, and then use the app to guide you through individual workout sessions.To the folks who put these materials together, I'd recommend that you do the following:1) The video needs more clear information about how to use it. It's set up in 5 sections: warm up, timed sets, ladder sets, circuit training, cool down. You don't say how to use these, so the viewer wonders, do I do all of these each of the 3 days? From having the book, I can figure that it makes sense to do the warm up and cool down and one of the other sections each day. But it's best to spell these kinds of things out.2) Repeat the index of exercises (p. 55) back near the program chapter of the book and/or list it in the Table of Contents. I didn't see it at first, looked for it in the back of the book. People don't look at a book like this from one page to the next to the next. This is a really important page, so you want to make sure people find it. And it would be easier if it were located right by the programs. Less paging around to do.Okay, that's it. My morning coffee has settled in. It's time for me to hit my YAYOG gym! I'll report back after 10 weeks.