My recent health kick has seen me work my way through Davina’s entire workout DVD collection from a certified couch potato to something of a home workout obsessive! Having done lots of research into different workout DVDs, I’d always avoided Nell McAndrew’s output as they were recommended as only suitable for the ultra fit. But after 3 months of Davina every day I decided I was ready for a challenge.
The workout is certainly not one for those who class themselves as unfit! Nell claims she used this class when in training for the London Marathon which should give you some idea of what to expect! It consists mainly of running on the spot while simultaneously waving your arms around in the air, interspersed by hundreds of squats – sometimes fast squats, sometimes held for longer than I ever thought possible! There is a 10 minute warm up, a 40 minute cardio workout and a further weights/mat workout before the cool down. The best feature is undoubtedly the “bail out button” which flashes up around every 10 minutes in the cardio session, allowing you to skip straight to the weights workout and the cool down.
Although the DVD is titled “Nell McAndrew’s Ultimate Challenge”, it’s not your typical celeb DVD – in fact, Nell barely utters a word throughout the entire workout! None of the inane chatter that you get with Davina, this is straight up fitness
and I find I really enjoy that about it. The workout is led by an Army-style shouting man who I actually find strangely motivating and certainly keeps me going for far longer than I am able to run under my own steam. It’s not a particularly big budget production – it’s shot in what looks like an abandoned warehouse with a banner in the background reading “Ultimate Challenge, Ultimate Results” that looks like it was hand painted by children and is actually falling down! It’s run as a ‘class’ and along with Nell and Shouty Sergeant Major Man there are around 10 others all sweating it out with you.
It’s a great workout for those short on space as you literally only need to have enough space to do a star jump and you’re set. Those in flats however will likely see complaints from downstairs neighbours as in it pretty much 40 minutes of running and jumping which could have the potential to irritate!
Although I bought this mainly for the cardio workout, I also enjoy the resistance section and find it equally challenging. It consists of a weights workout and then mat work, working the abs with legs at a 45 degree angle and back off the floor – crunches, reverse crunches, working the obliques – all designed to work every abdominal muscle and tone up the stomach. Then follows press ups and lots of them, before working the bottom.
After all that comes the cool down and believe me you’ll want it! It’s actually one of the best cool down sections I’ve used, and you really do ‘feel’ the stretches and can really see your flexibility improve the more you do it.
The background music is pretty good – mostly high energy dance tracks, but more typical ‘gym’ music than the boring tracks Davina tends to choose.
So, let’s cut to the chase – just how hard is this? Well, it’s certainly not for the unfit (despite the claims on the cover that it’s suitable for all levels of fitness!) and those who aren’t reasonably fit to start with will probably struggle with even the warm up as it’s certainly the most intense I’ve encountered, but with a moderate level of fitness I managed to make it through the warmup and 20 minutes of the cardio workout my first time. For me this was exactly what I was looking for as it’s been a real challenge for me to work a little further each time I use the workout. The weights workout is equally challenging – despite having moved up to 2kg weights with my Davina workouts, I was forced to move down to my piddly 0.5kg weights for this – you literally just hold the weights out in front of you which is so much harder than it sounds! After a month of using this, I can now complete the whole workout in one go which I’m very proud of and it has even inspired me to start running outside as I’ve become more confident in my fitness and discovered that I actually love running! If you did this DVD regularly there is no way you could fail to shape up and improve your fitness levels.
My only real complaint is that Shouty Army Man is a cruel liar – he will tell you only 8 more and then you’ll finish those and he’ll shout “Another 8!” at you! Doesn’t exactly establish a relationship of trust there. The only other slight negative is the occasional cutting away of the camera to show different angles – the workout is literally on the spot the whole time so there is no need for this and it does make it slightly hard to follow at times, particularly when combined with Army Man's often sparse explanation of the moves.
One word of warning is that it is a very high impact workout and I would recommend investing in a good pair of supportive trainers if you intend to do this regularly – I actually managed to give myself shin splints from doing this on my wooden floors with trainers that weren’t providing enough support so bear this in mind!
This is a great workout for those who love their home workouts but are looking to step it up a gear. I’ve since bought Nell’s Maximum Impact, which is slightly easier so I would recommend starting with that one if you are working up your fitness levels, but “Ultimate Challenge” is just that – a great challenge to really push yourself with. Often retailing for as low as £5, this has been a great addition to my collection.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I wouldn't like lying Army Man even if I was physically capable of sustaining a workout . . . it is so frustrating when your body won't do what your mind is screaming
. . . ♥ jes ♥
hannahanarchy 13.10.2009 18:28
Nice review. :)
rosebud2001 08.10.2009 11:57
This sounds just a tad too advanced for my fitness levels - and shouty army man lying would really irritate me!
Welcome to my ultimate workout which we have spent a year planning and this time have ... more
incorporated more squats, abs and stretches giving you a more rounded and satisfying workout.This routine has been put together so you can build your strength and sta...
Advantages: A really tough workout that works. Nell actually sweats and the exercises are very affective. Disadvantages: There are not enough stretches at the end of workout 2.
![Nell McAndrew's Ultimate Challenge - Ultimate Results [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78518856.jpg "Nell McAndrew's Ultimate Challenge - Ultimate Results [DVD] [2004]")
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