George Forman: Circuit Walk (2004)

Good Workout, but Poor Production

This is a very good walking workout, with not too much marching in place. I like the slow squats and lunges, as well as the good variety in the steps. George Foreman is a real cutie-pie, and Petra gives excellent cues and countdowns. I followed the steps perfectly the first time I did the workout. The people in the video are normal-sized folks and cover a wide range of ages. I also appreciate the cool-down that actually DOES get you moving more slowly. So many of the videos I have don't really have a decent cool down.
I won't use this video very often, however, because the music is TOO LOUD and annoying. I especially dislike background music that has lyrics, and this music not only has singers but the volume is so loud that at times it is hard to hear George and Petra over it! The production overall seems cheap, and the setting is depressing. Still, it's a good workout and I can deal with these drawbacks once or twice a week. January 11, 2008

Fun cardio and toning workout adaptable to a variety of fitness levels

I've always liked George Foreman's lovable, big teddy bear-like personality (at least how he's been in more recent years), so I thought I would check out one of his workouts; Circuit Walk is the first video I've tried from his Walk It Off series. One concern I had was that it would be too easy for me, as I am an experienced exerciser, but I was pleasantly suprised to discover that this workout could be easily modified to make it more challenging.

Although George is a prominent feature during the video, the workout is actually led by veteran instructor Petra Kolber, with George making occasional motivational comments throughout. Petra starts the workout with a basic aerobic warm-up, leading you through simple steps such as marches (the "walk"), side steps, heel taps forward, knee lifts, and the "George shuffle," which is just a walk forward and back; the warm-up lasts just over 5 minutes. Things start to move a bit more quickly for the main cardio segment of the workout, although the steps remain very basic. Petra does add a few variations such as front and side stomps, but everything is very easy to follow, especially since Petra always previews each new move first and tells you that you can stick with the walk if you are having trouble following along. During the cardio portion, there are also a few toning moves included in the form of squats and lunges. After about 23 minutes, you begin cooling down by returning to the moves from the warm-up, and then the last couple of minutes of the workout consist of a few simple lower body stretches, bringing the total time in at just under 32 minutes.

I wouldn't call this a true circuit workout, as the toning segments are pretty minimal. However, I found that by doing the squats and lunges double-time, I could keep my heart rate up, which was a good modification for my more advanced fitness level. Other things that you could do to make this workout more challenging include making the movements bigger, adding in your own arm movements, and increasing the impact slightly with small hops here and there. By doing the workout in this way, I was able to keep my heart rate in my target zone the entire time, and I burned just under 200 calories. On the other hand, the workout is very easy to modify down as well, making it completely appropriate for beginners.

If you're wondering how this workout compares to Leslie's Sansone's walking series, I found it to be a lot more fun. The music is much more upbeat, and Petra performs the moves with a bit more of a dancey flair, which I enjoyed. I would definitely recommend this video as a fun, basic workout for beginners or an enjoyable lighter alternative for intermediates who don't mind modifying the moves a bit to meet their own needs. December 4, 2005

Very easy to do exercise

I bought this exercise DVD for my aged mother. The exercise is easy for aged people. I would recommend this for people who want an easy exercise routing. You can easily do it in a 6 by 6 space. November 13, 2005

Beginner cardio with lots of squats and lunges

This workout is based on circuit training, which combines cardiovascular and strength training. Unfortunately, all of the strength work in this DVD consists of squats and lunges, and you do a lot of them. This makes the workout much harder than it would seem. It also makes it kind of repetitive and boring.

The workout starts out fun, as you warm up and Petra demonstrates different moves you're going to do besides marching in place. These are pretty familiar to anyone who has done Leslie Sansone's workouts: side steps, hamstring curls, knee lifts, and step heels. Petra does them in a dancy way, going along with the music. I enjoyed this part, along with the upbeat soundtrack. Then the squats and lunges started. You do 6 sets of squats and lunges in all, each set separated by walking moves. You usually do around 16 squats or lunges in each set. The first three sets are squats, the next three lunges. So in total, you're going to do around 50 squats and 50 lunges. This is quite difficult for a workout marketed to beginners. I was very sore after doing this.

The middle of the workout is quite boring, as in between the intervals of squats and lunges, you mostly march and march and march. A few other steps are thrown in, but not used for very long before you go back to a march. This made the cardio portion of the workout rather easy. Towards the end of the workout, the steps were mixed up a bit and became more fun.

Overall, this workout had potential, but I feel the excessive amount of squats and lunges made it a bit too strenuous for beginners, but the walking portions were too easy for intermediates. July 5, 2005

Great for slow starters!

With sustained nerve damage from 3 back surgeries, I had a hard time walking across a room let alone exercising. This video was perfect for me. I am now exercising daily, feeling great and loving life again. The walking exercises are easy to execute and presented in a way that even the dimmest wits can keep up with. The music is pretty low key and the bodies in the backgrround are every shape and size so I did't feel like the only lumpy lulu. I highly recommend this for beginners, those who don't look like Denise Austin or anyone with physical disabilities that need a little extra coaching. June 24, 2005

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