Denise Austin Best Bun & Leg Shapers

It's that time of year again -- when we're all setting our fitness goals for the coming year. And, of course, we're looking for the best ways to do that, and while I might be a bit biased, I'd have to say that having a few good workout videos on hand is a good step toward reaching your goals.

This week, I'm reviewing another Denise Austin video -- this time, it's Best Bun & Leg Shapers. This DVD offers seven different five- to 15-minute workouts, which is great for busy schedules. You have the option to do them all, do just one, or mix and match using the custom workout option. Additionally, you can choose to workout to Austin's instructions or just music.

The DVD cover says, "Denise delivers a different routine for every day of the week to keep your body challenged." I did them all at once, which gave me a 70-minute lower body workout. But did it work?
Level of Difficulty
Intermediate.

Next Day Soreness
Significant -- there was definitely groaning when sitting down or getting out of a chair.

Who's It For?
If you really want to focus on the lower body and like mixing up your workouts, this is a great option.

Likes
I really enjoyed the variety. Austin switched from standard strength moves to Pilates- and yoga-inspired exercises with ease, showing off some ballet moves as she went. As always, she does a fantastic job of describing where you should be feeling the burn and why each move is helpful.

Dislikes
I like Austin's constant encouragement as much as anybody, but 70 minutes of it might have been a little much -- I found myself tuning her out toward the end. And, as I've mentioned before, I get annoyed when a video requires equipment that it doesn't explicitly mention on the cover, which was the case here -- resistance bands, exercise balls and weights are used.

Bottom Line
Because I'm not new to the Denise Austin videos, I knew this would be deceptively difficult. If you were just to watch from the couch while eating Christmas cookies, you'd think the moves were a piece of cake, but put them into practice and you're going to feel pain in muscles you didn't know you had. While I think you need to be sure to add upper body work into your routine as well, this DVD would be a wonderful addition to any workout video library.


Want to hear more about Denise Austin? Here's what she had to say about taking on trouble zones.