Workout plan with limited application/appeal to home exercisers
This DVD, which bills itself as a "30 day body transformation," basically offers strength training exercises plus cardio and nutritional tips.  It features two brothers, Craig and Matt Lewandowski, who present the information as well as the workout.  According to their Flabs 2 Abs web site, "learning doesn't have to be boring," so the Lewandowski brothers provide their advice with humor--for example, they are wearing chef's hats during the "Nutrition" segment.<br /><br />The Main Menu for this DVD reads as follows:  Introduction--Nutrition--Cardio--Weight Training<br />The Introduction is a quick (&lt;1 minute) overview in which Craig and Matt explain that viewers will see results in just 30 days.  Cardio is also a short segment (1.5 minutes), as it consists solely of the brothers explaining that high intensity cardio is not necessary for their program.  Rather, they maintain that the "secret" to fat loss is low intensity cardio performed at a comfortable pace; they recommend 20 minutes in the morning and again in the evening to start.<br /><br />Nutrition has its own submenu consisting of Introduction--Nutrition--Examples.  During the 5.5 minute Nutrition segment Craig and Matt outline their nutritional plan, which includes the following components:<br />*5 meals per day<br />*protein at all 5 meals<br />*whole grain carbohydrates at first 4 meals<br />*vegetables at every meal are okay, but watch serving sizes and no starches<br />*fats limited to 1 serving of "good" fat per meal<br />*both fruit and dairy limited to 1 serving per day; may need to be less<br />*NO sugar, trans fat, empty carbs, or alcohol<br /><br />The Weight Training also has its own submenu.  During the Introduction, Craig and Matt explain that there are 6 different muscle groups (although there area actually SEVEN, including abs), with the goal of working a different muscle group on each of six days and then resting on day seven.  I have listed each of the muscle groups as they appear on the submenu below; I have added in approximate times as well as a list of the exercises included in that segment.<br />NOTE:  For each muscle group, the two brothers are performing the exercises to music, but there is NO verbal instruction.  In addition, quite a bit of equipment is required for these exercises, including a weight bench, several sets of dumbbells, and a pull-up bar.  With the exception of the Abs exercises, 8-10 reps are usually performed of each exercise, with 30 second rest periods in-between sets.<br /><br />ABS (7 minutes)<br />10-20 reps of each exercise.  Bicylces - Ins & Outs - Frankensteins - Scissors - V-ups - Pulse-ups - Touch Dem Toes - Miss THANG - Macho Man<br /><br />CHEST (7 minutes)<br />Push-ups - Incline press - Incline flies - 2nd set of all<br /><br />SHOULDERS (10 minutes)<br />Warm-up shoulder press - Shoulder press - Side laterals - Front dumbbell raise - Front shoulder press - 2nd set of all (except warm-up)<br /><br />BICEPS (12 minutes)<br />Warm-up curls - Curls - Hammer curls - Wide curls - Twenty ones - 2nd set of all (except warm-up)<br /><br />TRICEPS (5.5 minutes)<br />Warm-up tricep overhead extension - Tricep overhead extension - Skull crushers - 2nd set of all (except warm-up)<br /><br />BACK (16.5 minutes)<br />Pull-ups - Standing rows - Wide pull-ups - Lawn mowers - Chin-ups - Dumbbell dead lifts - Multi-grip pull-ups - 2nd set of all<br /><br />LEGS (12.5)<br />Warm-up squats - lunges - squats - calf raises - invisible wall squat - 2nd set of all (except warm-up)<br /><br />The final section off of the Main Menu, Extras, includes Tips--Keeping It Off--Examples--Outtakes.<br /><br />Although the Lewandowski brothers make an effort to be funny and engaging in this DVD, to me, they came across as goofy and downright silly at times.  Some men might enjoy their antics, but I simply cannot see these two appealing to a female audience.  In fact, this entire DVD clearly seems more geared to men, from the weight loss success stories shown during the Introduction to the majority of the examples give.  Plus, the exercises themselves place the most emphasis on the areas on which men tend to prefer to focus, including the back and biceps.  Male exercisers looking for a no-nonsense overall diet and exercise approach may appreciate the relative straight-forwardness of this DVD, but I think that the appeal to others is likely to be quite limited, and for that reason, my final rating is 2 1/2 stars.
Rating: 3 stars