Just after Christmas, I decided I really needed to do something about my fitness levels, as we usually all do after Christmas! So I went off my with partner and trawled the sales looking for a cheap exercise DVD I could do while my son slept in the afternoons. I knew Davina had released this DVD a while ago, and I had heard some good things about it so I decided I would give it a try. And of course by Davina, I mean Davina McCall of Big Brother fame, also presenter of Streetmate, PopStars The Rivals and her own chat show!
When I got it home, I thought I would give it a try that evening to see if it was a good overall workout. Now I did feel a bit nervous as I am not the fittest person in the world, and I have never attempted to follow an exercise DVD before. But even before I started I could tell from Davina's relaxed and informa introduction that this was going to be a DVD suitable for anyone with any kind of fitness levels. So onto the DVD...
Now Davina herself isn't the expert on the DVD, she is the celebtriy lending her face and body to the workout which she follows, called the Power of 3. The workout is led by Davina's Personal Trainers, a couple called Mark
and Jackie Wren, both fitness experts. Mark is a former member of the Royal Navy and Jackie has been in fitness for many years, something you can tell about these two from watching the DVD! However, they are both really friendly and encouraging which really gives you an extra impetus to keep going!
Now, the DVD is split into 3 sections: Legs & Bums, Upper Body and Abs. Also included on the DVD is a 10 minute Wrm-Up and a 10 minute cool down. I make sure I use both of these as I don't want to do myself an injury just doing a bit of exercise!
The Warm up involves stretching of the arm muscles, leg muscles (you can really feel these stretches!) and just a general wake up for your body. I swear by this, I have been doing this DVD for months now and not had an injury. It goes quickly and is led by Jackie, with Davina happily chatting away throughout, which makes good fun viewing too!
The first section is really tough, and it is for your Legs and Bums. This section has 3 1 minute bursts of interval training, which raise your heart rate and gets you burning fat. Usually this is star jumps, running on the spot, skipping or other high energy activities. Legs and Bums is very reliant on squats, and god can you feel it! Each exercise is 8 reps, separately doing both legs. This is tough but you can really feel it working. The section is led by Jackie.
This section lasts for 15 minutes and then moves onto Upper Body. This is led by Mark, and does require you to use some weights to really get the full effect of the exercises. I personally use 2 cans of beans, that is plenty for me! Again there are 3 lots of interval training to keep your heart rate up. Exercises included in the Upper Body workout are bicep curls, tricep dips, push ups, lateral raises, and tricep workouts. You do need a chair for the tricep dips but I leave this section out as it is too hard for me!
The final workout section is the Abs part. Thank god they left it until last! 3 minutes of interval training are included every 5 minutes, breaking up the intense tummy exercises. These are; crunches, sit ups, slow backs, oblique exercises, and some exercises to tone your back including back raises and "The Plank". They want 3 lots of 8 reps for each, which can be tough but each time you do the DVD I have found I can do more reps and I find it easier to complete the 24 reps of each exercise, something I am proud of! My abs are also getting harder which is great as I know it is not all in vain! This section also lasts 15 minutes and is led again by Jackie.
The cool down is some calm stretches for your body to ensure that your muscles do not seize up, with some nice chilled out music playing in the background. This is a nice end to the high energy exercises you have spent 45 minutes doing!
The thing I like about this DVD is that Davina is not pretending that she is finding it easy, you can see her sweating and struggling to complete all the reps, making you feel a bit better about struggling yourself! She clearly enjoys the workout and the relationship between her and her trainers is lovely to watch, they are clearly all friends. The music is a fun mix of dance and pop, with good rhythms that get you going.
All of the exercises are explained clearly by Jackie and Mark and none of the mves are too difficult, even for beginners. With the interval training, Jacie always gives you the option to walk it through with her if you are struggling, which gives you a chance to get your breath back! Davina is also very encouraging, and I enjoy doing this workout.
I find it fun, the reps are not over the top, and all exercises are attainable, and you will feel great when you find yourself being able to complete more reps as the weeks go on!
The extras n the DVD are worth a watch. They include Davina on Clothes (how Davina's wardrobe has changed since she lost weight), Davina on Food (a bit about healthy eating from Davina), More Davina (a fun silly piece about Davina), and Davina's 7 day Healthy eating plan.
This is a great workout DVD, and really does work. The interval training allows your body to start burning fat by raising your heart rate and the other exercises focus on toning your muscles and sculpting your body. I have noticed a change in me since I have started this DVD! I would definitely recommend it! Well done Davina, a great DVD!
The DVD sells for around £10-14 pounds in most high street shops and online, also available in a box set with Davina's other workout My Three 30 Minute Workouts.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
This is my new Power of 3 DVD - it's all about sensible exercises that have given me loads ... more
more energy and a figure i feel proud of.Together with the help of my personal trainers Jackie and Mark Wren, we have put together this workout to help you get f...
This is my new Power of 3 DVD - it's all about sensible exercises that have given me loads ... more
more energy and a figure I feel proud of. Together with the help of my personal trainers Jackie and Mark Wren we have put together this workout to help you ge...
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![Davina: Power of 3 [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78508078.jpg "Davina: Power of 3 [DVD] [2004]")
May 26th, 2007
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