Gunnar Peterson's Core Secrets: Full Body Challenge

From the cover: Gunnar invites you into his state-of-the-art Beverly Hills gym to train among Hollywood's A-list. Learn the specialized moves that Gunnar uses to keep his celebrity clients in shape and camera ready. He'll introduce you to one of his favorite and most effective tools to strengthen your core muscles and shape your entire body - the fitness ball. A strong body starts at the core. The Full Body Challenge ups the ante on your exercise regimen. Challenge your body with this energizing workout designed to build strength and improve agility. The result: a lean, strong, sexy body. It's the perfect workout to keep your body challenged for long-term results. Gunnar Peterson has been featured on television and in major publications such as Glamour, Shape and Fitness for his innovative and functional approach to fitness.Gunnar is certified by the National Strength and Condition Association and the American Council on Exercise and is a graduate of Duke University. Product Description

Great Full Body Workout That Engages Your Core Throughout!

I just did this Core Secrets "Full Body Challenge" workout by Gunnar Peterson this morning for the first time. I was VERY impressed!

By way of background, I'm an advanced exerciser and a big part of my fitness regimen involves using various types of fitness dvd/vhs's (I've got over 130 various types of programs from Yoga to Pilates, Strength and Cardio Workouts as well). One can achieve incredible results working out this way if one is consistent (the MOST important thing) and uses a decent amount of intensity.

This workout by Gunnar Peterson was really outstanding and unique! It's extremely well designed in the way he sequences exercises and the way he incorporates compound movements that work both your core and other body parts and the same time.

He does a great job of clearly explaining each move beforehand rather than just plunging into it and expecting you to keep up haphazardly. I can see why he's such a popular personal trainer because he has a real gift for clarity and program design.

I found that even though he takes the time for explanation, the program still moves at a good pace. I kept up a nice light sweat throughout most of the program because while not being a cardio workout, the pace is quick enough to keep your heart pumping, especially if you use enough intensity. I rotated between 3 sets of dumbells in order to make sure I was getting the most out of each exercise.

What I liked is that by the end of the workout I definitely felt that my body was pushed plenty hard enough but I didn't feel so depleted that I couldn't function after. That for me is the sign of a great workout, one that can be done on a regular basis so that you can really feel like you accomplished a lot while still feeling you can be effective in the rest of your life. If you're so beat up that you can't function beyond the workout, chances are you're not going to be able to do it regularly.

This workout really gives you the most important thing you can ask for from a strength workout and that is FUNCTIONAL strength. This is strength that will help you in the real world, in your daily activities or even in athletic activities because your body is used in an integrated manner the whole time.

The workout is a relatively short warm up, then you have the main body of the workout, then the cooldown. It clocks in at about 45 minutes.

I'd gauge it as a solid intermediate workout in terms of level, definitely not for a beginner. There are other Core Secrets workouts designed for beginners (Fun-Damentals and Give Me 20). I'd recommend doing those or some other beginning stability ball workouts (Stability Ball Workout For Dummies w/ Liz Gillies, or Suzanne Deason's GAIM DVD for example) before plunging into something like this.

The production quality is excellent and the camera work makes it very easy to follow along. November 29, 2007

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