Jane Fonda's Personal Trainer Series: Total Body Sculpting [VHS]
As one of the highest-profile American exercise mavens, Jane Fonda knows how to work it, and inTotal Body Sculpting, she's workingallof it with weights. Setting muscle tone and strength as goals, Fonda has designed the segments ofTotal Body Sculptingas a pair of complementary 25-minute sequences. Together the two sections achieve maximum efficiency and full-body weight training. As a supplement to an aerobic exercise program, Fonda'sTotal Body Sculptingis a reliable way to tone muscle with no massive dumbbells, steely contraptions, or groaning beefcakes in sight.As Fonda explains early on, the two halves ofTotal Body Sculptingfocus in turn on different muscle groups and exercises. Each section features optional hand and ankle weights and combines standing, seated, and floor work. After a two-minute warm-up, Fonda heads for the weights and her series of gently paced exercises. Following upper body, lower body, and abdominal strength work, Fonda finishes with a three-minute stretch to keep your developing muscles limber and resilient.Proper form is critical to strength training, and Fonda is clearly keen on good form. She talks you calmly through each exercise, underscoring what to do and whatnotto do, listing target muscle groups and explaining future benefits for your posture, your tennis game, and your resistance to injury. With its light and spacious set, polished editing, and unobtrusive soundtrack,Total Body Sculptingis about as relaxing as strength work gets. Fitting it into your regimen requires only moderate space, minimal equipment, and a commitment of fewer than 30 minutes a couple of times a week.--Emily Bedard