It's called Fitness Blender and you can find them at fitnessblender.com. Fitness Blender is made up of a married couple, Kelli and Daniel, who create workouts that you do in your own home with little to no equipment. They don't have a fancy studio or a production team or anything, but their videos are very professionally put together in their home studio (garage). Typically, Kelli does the workout and Daniel narrates, but I've seen some videos with Daniel being the model too. I thought I would prefer Kelli describing the workout as she does it (similar to Lisa Marie in BodyRock), but it's much more organized and thorough with Daniel doing it behind the scenes. He's supportive and encourages you to give your all, but doesn't make you feel rushed. He also offers tips on proper form as you go along.
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| Daniel and Kelli |
Another great aspect of this website is that it has a search tool. So you can refine your search based on exercise type (functional, strength, toning, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular, plyometric, isometric) or by muscle group (you name it, they got it). You also have the ability to type in a keyword to search for something in particular, like their famous "Epic 1,000 calorie burn workout at home".
Did I say 1,000 calorie burn workout? Yes, I believe I did. They have two of these actually. Both are about 85 minutes long and include warm up, cardio/HIIT, strength training, stretch, abs, and cool down. I have to say that my curiosity won out over intimidation and I gave this workout a try and LOVED it! It is challenging, for sure, but I was able to keep up or modify so I still got in a great burn. You can modify to make most moves easier or harder, depending on your fitness level. And at the end, if you followed along, I can guarantee that you will feel completely drained but also amazing at the same time!
Not all of the workouts are over an hour though; some of the videos are even just ten minutes long, like some of the ab videos. It depends on what you are looking for. I really feel like they have taken a creative approach to the workouts too, as they don't incorporate just the same old boring moves that you see in many of the workout DVDs nowadays. Many, if not most, of the moves that they have in their workouts are ones that I've never seen before. They're variations of the old stand-by's, sure, but the little variations make them fun.
Each workout also comes with a description of what equipment you'll need and which exercises will be performed and you can even print this out to take with you or to use another time to record reps or weight or whatever you like.
In addition to the full workouts, the website also includes videos on how to perform individual exercises properly. Again, it has the search tool so you can find whichever exercise you want easily. Then there are tabs for different articles on exercise, nutrition, health, weight loss, and even recipes. If you're looking to buy equipment, the website has a store tab. You can also learn more about the Fitness Blender duo and support them by making a donation. They even say that they are willing to create custom workouts for donations of certain denominations.
To sum up:
Pros -
- You choose how long your workout is
- Tons of workouts to choose from
- Search tool to find the workout you want
- Organized and professionally made videos
- Calorie burn bar
- Degree of difficulty scale for choosing workouts
- FREE
- Printable worksheets
- Chart to show what equipment is needed
- Tips on proper form and encouragement throughout videos
Cons -
- I wish they had a timer to show how much time is left in the total workout
- Have to play the video on a computer or device with Internet access
So those are my thoughts. I highly recommend you go out and try them. I am sure you will find at least one or two workouts that you just can't help but love! And if you like them and want to share the love, go ahead and donate or spread the word about the site so they can keep giving us these awesome workouts!
Find Fitness Blender:
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I read your review here, and I must say I fully agree with everything you say. I have followed several of their videos. Theirs is the one I go to when I want to work out with my relatively new acquisition: A kettlebell. I do the beginner workout - around 30 minutes. Tonight I did one of the 10 minute ab / oblique workouts. I was not able to do everything Kelli did, but still felt it! Some of their videos for toning bum and thighs are also great. Right now I am doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (which is also excellen) every day, and add one of the shorter videos from Fitness Blender after the JM-workout.
ReplyDeleteI still don't have any kettlebells, so I use dumbbells, and I can't do everything Kelli does either, but I feel as long as we are giving our full effort, then you can't really ask for more than that! And each time we get better, which is what it's really about anyway! :)
ReplyDeleteI also really like the Jillian Michaels workouts. I haven't done 30 Day Shred, but I have her Ripped in 30 program and really enjoyed it.
Sounds like you have a great bit of variety between the two workouts! Thanks for writing! :)
I would like to see an exercise program for seniors. Stretching, weight lifting, etc. Everything on T.V. And videos are geared for the young. Do you have one to fit that description . Thankyou
ReplyDeleteTry Tai Chang by Beachbody
DeleteYou could try Jessica Smith. You can find her on Youtube. She has a similar setup where you can buy complete workouts or use one of her free workouts on Youtube of which she has hundreds. I have severe arthritis and she is absolutely excellent. She has many modifications and most of her exercises are low impact. She does a lot of her workouts with her mom. Her videos are very professional and she is has a very kind demeanour.
DeleteYou could try Jessica Smith. You can find her on Youtube. She has a similar setup where you can buy complete workouts or use one of her free workouts on Youtube of which she has hundreds. I have severe arthritis and she is absolutely excellent. She has many modifications and most of her exercises are low impact. She does a lot of her workouts with her mom. Her videos are very professional and she is has a very kind demeanour.
DeleteUnfortunately, I do not have any experience in that particular category. I did see on Fitness Blender's site that they have a beginner's schedule for $5.99, but I have not tried it and given that I do not know your age or physical ability or limitations I honestly do not feel I should recommend one. They say that they do not offer personal fitness plans on the Fitness Blender site anymore, but you could still try to write to them to see if they have any suggestions that would be more helpful.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to the beginner's program:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/daniel-segars-and-kelli-segars/low-impact-4-week-fat-loss-program-for-beginners/ebook/product-21250586.html
And here is the link to contact Fitness Blender directly:
http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/contact-us/
I also know that you can modify quite a few of the exercise programs, so you could always try the low impact workouts and adjust the weights and the speed according to your abilities. For example, doing push-ups off of the wall instead of on the ground, reducing the weights or using none at all, squatting slightly instead of a full lunge. You are going to know your body best. Even just walking and adding in simple hand weight exercises will do the trick too if done consistently.
I wish I had more helpful information, but as I do not have any training in this, it's just me talking about what I've experienced personally, I feel your question would be better directed to someone more qualified. Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you find what you are looking for.
Hi folks - I'm 63 and my wife is 65 and we've both been enjoying Fitness Blender workouts for over 2 years. You can use the search function to search for level 1 workouts, which, as long as you don't have any major injuries, should be easy enough for anyone reasonably fit at least into their 80s. Naturally, all the "check with your doctor (or someone you trust in the medical profession!) before you start working out" warnings apply - but if you're already confident you can do basic workouts, I think if you check the search function, you'll find FB works great for anybody at any age (well, maybe past 100 it might get a bit hard)
DeleteGood luck!
Do you have any thoughts or recommendations on whether or not to purchase the fitness programs, or the meal plans?
ReplyDeleteI am a 46 year old woman who fell off the fitness wagon and also ate a bunch of sugary foods for a month recently due to a foot injury, and I gained 8 pounds. I am only on Day Three of Fitness Blender's 5 Day Workout Challenge, and I am already seeing small changes in my hips and (pot)belly -- trimming out a little -- and that is with reducing the sugar but not cutting it out completely. So my thought is that their free programs are great, especially if you follow their nutrition advice, but I haven't tried one of the ones that cost money. I imagine those would be even better. Hope this helps.
DeleteThe Challenge is truly challenging, especially if you modify on the hard side. Check it out!
Honestly, I've never tried their meal plans. I don't typically follow meal plans because I prefer to do my own thing. So I can't give a recommendation there because I have no idea what they are like. But if their meal plans are like their workout plans, then I am fairly confident that they would be beneficial if you do like having a specific meal plan set out for you.
ReplyDeleteAs for the fitness programs, it's only $10 for an 8 week program, which is really cheap, so that's hard to beat. And I think their programs are just as good as most of the other ones out there for $130. But again, they do have just the individual workout videos that you can pick and choose from for free too.
So it would depend on if you need/like structure and like having someone outline each workout for the day. It really helps me a lot to have someone tell me what to do, so I think they are great. I'm actually planning on buying their program for busy people where the workouts are all under a half hour or so. So I definitely recommend them if you're looking to get into a fitness program. And if you don't like it, it's only $10.
Hope this helps and thanks for reading and commenting! : )
Hi again (really, i'm not being paid by Fitness Blender, I just love their stuff!). About meals, I haven't tried their meal plan yet, but I've done a lot of research in this area, and I think what they have on their site is some of the sanest, down to earth stuff on eating I've seen. No fads, just clear writing about good whole foods. If you feel you can get by without a meal plan (i've seen some comments saying their plans are not as good as their workout programs) they do have excellent recipes, and their article about how to save time preparing food is among the best i've ever seen.
DeleteI love these workouts for when I don't have a lot of time. I feel like if I push myself hard through a 20-30 minute fitness blender video, I've gotten a great workout. I'm always dripping with sweat, and some days I'm really sore afterwards (and I've been doing crossfit, running, and cycling for years). I can't believe a program this good is free!
ReplyDeleteHey that's a great blog! I am feeling refreshed after reading your post! Thanks for the brilliant thoughts.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteIf you want to download the workout, type "ss" after the www.
example: www.ssyoutube.......
And then you can read them on your TV or whatever!
Camille
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ReplyDelete