Hollyoaks Fitness (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Disliked it
Educational Value	Poor
How good are the presenters?	Mildly irritating
How good is the content?	Poor
Value for Money	Poor

Advantages:	Easy, slightly fun
Disadvantages:	Unchallenging, boring, no dance element, dodgy camera angles

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

I obtained this DVD as it was a freebie with another fitness DVD I bought on Ebay. It features three of the actresses from the Channel 4 soap 'Hollyoaks', although I believe they have now all left the show. Sarah Dunn played Mandy, Ali Bastian played Becca and Jodi Albert played Debbie. The DVD was made in 2004 so you may not be able to find it in many shops now, but of course there are always online stores such as Ebay, Amazon, Play etc. The front cover is attractive enough and shows off the girls figures to hopefully convince you that you can look like that too!

WARM UP
The girls and their instructor Tristan are in a very grey and drab studio all looking very thin and toned in their skimpy outfits. Tristan takes us through some stretches and light jogging to prepare for the main workout ahead. He does not really talk us through the warm-up and his voice is very quiet! They all kept going on to the next part without telling me so I got slightly confused at some points. The music is unmemorable and the warm up is easy peasy but I did feel quite stretched and prepared. The camera angles were a bit strange and I couldn't always see what they were doing. Hmmm...not a good start!!

DANCE WORKOUT
The next section is in a different studio which has been made to look like a nightclub I guess, there is lots of strobe lighting and the girls are now wearing skimpy black outfits and have their hair and make up done to perfection which looks more like they are going for a night on the razz than exercising - not what you would usually look like whilst doing a workout!! Well certainly not me anyway.

The cardio moves consist of jogging, knee raises, twisty jumps and jumping lunges. It did get my heart rate up ever so slightly but I was wondering when the dance element was going to be introduced! Again, Tristan the instructor hardly speaks and just moves onto the next part without warning, but all moves are very easy to follow so don't worry if you get a bit lost. The girls don't talk at all which is good as it means you can just get on with it with no interruptions. The music is quite funky but not very exciting and didn't exactly get me motivated as it seems to be just the same track playing over and over.

We then move onto squats, bum lifts and sit ups. Not very challenging and we don't do very many reps. The girls look a bit bored and Sarah at the back looks like she is struggling on the squats even though they are not hard in the slightest - if I can do them then I think anyone probably can! The whole routine is boring and I just don't believe that the girls have been following this workout to get in shape, it's as if they have just quickly put a routine together for the sake of a DVD. There is no dance aspect whatsoever, it is all just aerobic moves and even that only lasts about 10 minutes. Another point to mention is that Jodi really irritates me because she keeps pouting and trying to look sexy all the time - maybe she has been told to do this, but it is really winding me up and I wish she would just reign herself in a bit!! The other 2 girls are harmless enough and seem to just be getting on with it without feeling the need to stick their chests out constantly.

COOL DOWN
Another studio and another outfit change. The studio has fluffy clouds which I guess is meant to 'chill you out' and relax you. The girls are now wearing light airy outfits and are bare-footed. Tristan takes us through some gentle stretching and yoga-based moves. All very straight forward if slightly boring.

IMPROVISATION
This section consists of the girls doing their own dance, but it is shot like a cheesy music video with weird arty camera angles and therefore it's hardly something you could follow as a workout. They are all wearing mini-skirts and cropped tops and prancing around aimlessly blowing kisses at the camera and strutting their stuff. I laughed out loud when i saw this as it is blatantly just an opportunity for the girls to flaunt their bodies and show off their dance moves. Pathetic!

EXTRA - BEHIND THE SCENES
The girls take us through a typical day on the set of Hollyoaks and talk about filming and the long hours they work. There is not much talk of exercise plans or fitness regimes, just them talking about their lives in general and how hard working they are! The workout is mentioned eventually and they say how much fun they had filming it and that they could show off some of the moves in a nightclub (what moves?!!). Pretty basic stuff, nothing exciting unless you are fan of the actresses and just like to hear them talk. They all seem pleasant enough though, although I am still not convinced that they do this workout regularly so it makes me feel rather cheated and conned.

OVERALL
The girls all have gorgeous figures but it is pretty obvious that it is NOT from doing this workout. The routine is basic, boring, unchallenging and pointless. The only good part is the abs and squats, and thats only because I actually felt like I was doing something. I really wouldn't waste your money on this, unless you are a bloke who wants to see attractive girls posing! It is a bit of harmless fun however and if you are perhaps new to exercise or just want something that isn't going to do much damage, then give it a go. However, don't be fooled into thinking that it is a dance workout because it isn't, not even slightly. And don't even think of buying this if you are a serious exerciser, because you will be sorely disappointed!