Physique 57 3-Disc Workout Series Volume 2

I’m not one to do an at-home workout. My wood floors aren’t meant for jumping, my TV is mounted fairly high since I live in a duplex with very high brick walls, and working out alone doesn’t come with the energy I feel when I’m in a studio where everyone is into the workout. Plus, blame it on my background which includes spending 13 years at a French Lycee where students were perpetually ranked (tests were given back in reverse order meaning the student with the lowest score got theirs back first and the one with the highest got it back last…), but working out in a group gives me that push to work harder and try to be the best in the class (not easy in a room full of type A New Yorkers!). The Sports Club/LA I go to is just 2 minutes from my apartment, but if I want to take a class at Physique 57, SoulCycle, Exhale or any of the other unique fitness studios in NYC, I need to walk quite a bit, which I don’t tend to want to do when it’s cold or sweltering out, so I gave one Physique 57’s new DVDs a try. 

You can buy the DVDs as a set or individually and they come with the exercise ball (and a pump to inflate it), that you’ll need to do the class. The only other props you’ll need are weights (3 and 5lbs are recommended, but I only have 5lbs and was fine for the most part), and a chair. In the three-DVD set you’ll get: Classic 57 Minute Full Body Workout – Second Edition, Advanced Express 30 Minute Full Body Workout, and Thigh & Seat Booster 30 Minute Workout. I only got the Full Body Workout DVD, which stays true to the class and combines moves inspired by pilates, yoga, dance, and is heavy on small, pulsing movements (they alternate between using small movements to build muscle and stretching the body to build a longer, leaner physique). This is an especially great workout alternative to spinning and weight training for women who “bulk-up easily” and you’ll feel the burn no matter how many times you take the class in studio or follow it on the DVD (even though your body does get used to the workout to some extent after a while, so I would suggest working in other types of classes as well). Jump for more! 

While I love taking the Physique 57 class in their studio, it was very hard for me to make it through the DVD on my own. It’s so much easier to “give up” when you’re not in a group environment, plus I’m not seasoned in this type of isometric movement-based workout, so I missed having instructors around to correct my form. That said, for anyone who doesn’t live in NYC, the Hamptons, or L.A. looking to get a taste of this type of workout or for anyone who is a seasoned Physique 57 student going on vacation or looking to work-out at home, this is a great way to stay-on track with the workout. Whether or not you make it through the 57-minutes, odds are your thighs and glutes will feel the burn.

Oh and on a side note, Kelly Ripa swears by this workout:)