Self Magazine's Trim and Tone Fast! gets my vote as one of the best intermediate toning workouts of 2007. It has so much going for it: beautiful outdoor scenery, inventive exercises, excellent instruction, and best of all, six short and effective workouts that can be done individually or combined in any way you'd like with the programmable menu. Kimberly Spreen has designed this superset workout for use with light dumbbells to build muscle endurance.

On those time-crunched days when you need a focused workout fast, you can arrange, in any order, the 16-minute total body workout and five target toning workouts that average about 5.5 minutes. Add just one segment, or all six, to the separate warm-up and cooldown and you've got workouts that range from 15.5 minutes if you target just one body part to 56 minutes if you play every workout once. You can repeat segments too.

Workout Type		weight training
Workout Time		56 minutes 5 warm-up 46 weight training 5 stretch
Equipment		dumbbells, floor mat
Fitness Level		intermediate
Instructor		Kimberly Spreen
Copyright Date		2007
Rating

The Legs segment focuses on muscle endurance with a long sequence of nonstop squats and lunges with a few balance challenges included. Dumbbells aren't used, but could easily added.

The Full Body workout hits the legs in combination with upper body exercises (but not for every rep), so your legs get a solid workout here, especially if you choose dumbbells as heavy as you can handle with the upper body. Core work is incorporated into many upper body exercises in this segment.

The 5+ minute upper body workouts focus on Back and Chest in separate segments, Shoulders and Arms in one. Each segment is designed to thoroughly work the targeted muscles with multiple back-to-back sets of a variety of exercises. Kimberly varies the lifting tempo, and often intermingles classic and innovative exercises into unique supersets, carefully sequencing the exercises for maximum muscle fatigue. Within the supersets the sets vary in length from 4 to 12 reps. Brief stretches are done at the end of each segment, but the final stretch does a more thorough job of stretching every muscle group, so don't skip it, no matter what segments you choose.

Equipment & Space needed
Kimberly and her crew use one set of light dumbbells for the entire workout. Kimberly usually announces what exercise is coming up next, so if you keep a few sets of bells close by, you'll be able to increase the intensity by grabbing heavier bells when it seems appropriate for you.

A floor mat is needed for the floor exercises. If you need cushioning under your glutes for V-sits, try a small pillow, or for more challenge, a balance disc. You can also sit on top of your stability ball.

You can do this workout is a small area. My 6 X 8 rug gives me enough space to do everything.

Who's it for?
Intermediates should enjoy the challenge of working one muscle group at a time with the superset format and get a solid muscle endurance workout. Although the instruction is so clear that beginners can easily follow along, the superset format could be too much intensity for someone who's just starting out.

Best features
Fabulous outdoor scenery.
Top-notch instruction and cueing.
A big variety of exercises, classics as well a innovative options.
The ability to program the order of the segments, and repeat them.

Set & Crew
Kimberly's crew of two women follow her exactly, although Heather on screen right occasionally shows slightly modified moves by bending her elbows to shorten the long lever shoulder lifts.

The Workout was filmed outdoors at The Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa in Tucson Arizona. The Santa Catalina Mountains make a beautiful backdrop.

How's the instruction?
Kimberly teaches smoothly and calmly and cues very well. She demonstrates well, explains the exercises clearly and quickly, offers technique tips. She's very easy to listen to and follow.

Rating
Self Trim and Tone Fast! gets a well-deserved 5 stars.

Workout Details
Warm up - 5 min.
marching in place, step-touches, wide toe taps, ham curls combined into a simple combo with arm moves
stationary side lunges with arm sweeps and circles
lower back rolls

Legs - 5 min - body weight - sets vary from 4 to 16 reps
squats, stepping side to side
3 squats to alternating sides, knee lift, reverse lunge
alternating reverse lunges, hold bottom, 4-count lunge, add hip extension to the back,
hold lunge on one side, toe taps to the back, add knee lifts slow, faster, slow
alternating reverse lunges, repeat on other side

Back - 6.5 min. light dumbbells
shoulder retraction (arm by sides, weights by hips, squeeze shoulder blades to bring bells behind glutes)
lat row, elbows in close to sides (two tempos)
wide row, elbows point out to sides
alternate narrow and wide rows
combo: single-arm lat row, add circle sweep and lat pull down, lat pull downs, rows, repeat other side

Shoulders and Arms - 5.5 min. light dumbbells
combo: front shoulder raise palms down, lateral shoulder raise palms down, biceps curl, front raise palms up
triceps overhead extension
triceps kickbacks
combo: two kickbacks, one rear shoulder fly
combo: 2 upright rows, 2 biceps curls, add 2 big arm circles so bells meet overhead
lower back rolls, arm circles

Chest - 5.5 min. medium dumbbells
3 knee push-ups, lift knees off for quick plank hold 4x
chest presses 12x, add rotation at top 4x,
combo: chest press &, chest fly 4x
chest fly (palms facing each other) 4x, palms facing feet & hands crossing over at top 8x
single-arm chest press with both bells in one hand 10x each arm
full body stretch

Core - 6.5 min.
V-sit crunches 10, add torso rotation at top 8x, add arm sweeps to side 8x
lie on back with legs in chair position: tap alternating toes to floor 8x, tap both feet
feet on floor, tilt both knees to one side, oblique crunches 16x
face down for cobra stretch, plank hold on forearms & toes

Full Body - 16 min. light dumbbells
squats 4x add front shoulder raise and scapular retraction 8x, front raises 8x,
squats with alternating knee lifts and lateral shoulder raises
lat row balancing on one leg 8x, combo: lat row & triceps kickbacks 8x
repeat squats with knee lifts & lat rows
overhead shoulder press 8x, add plie squat 12x
stationary side lunges 4x, place bells together add torso rotation 4x, then overhead press in center
woodchops with torso rotation 8x, single-arm diagonal rotator cuff sweeps 8x, bent arm sweeps 4x, alternate straight arm lift with bent arm, in 4s, 2s, and singles
plie squats 8x, pulses 8x, add heel lifts 8x, pulses 16x, 3 pulses & lift 4x, pulses 24x, plies 8s
biceps curls 10x, curls to side 4x, alternate curl with arm lift side 8x, biceps curls 8x, mid-range pulses 8x
v-sit crunch & chest fly 12x, hold V-sit & chest fly 8x
plank hold on toes & hands, rotate for side plank 4x each way, hold plank, child's pose

Cool-down - 5 min.
child's pose with shoulder stretch, runner's lunge with triceps & torso stretch, ham stretch
stand for overhead arm sweeps, upper back stretch, torso leans, triceps stretches, neck stretch, chest stretch, lower back roll

DVD features

Main Menu has two choices:
Play All - plays all in the order above
Mix and match a personalized workout

The Mix and Match menu has a green background and 8 choices with pictures:
Warm up, Legs, Back, Shoulders and Arms, Chest, Core, Full Body, Cool-down

You can choose up to 8 segments, and can repeat segments if you want. After choosing one segment, the background color of the screen changes to teal, and the words "Add another workout" appear at the bottom of the screen. To add more segments, you need to click on those words, which brings you back to the green Mix & Match menu where you can move around and choose another segment. When you've chosen as many segments as you want in the order you want, choose play and you're good to go.

Programming alternative workouts
Total body workouts
After doing the workout in the order presented, I next programmed a full workout this way: Full Body, Back (to give the legs a rest), Legs, Shoulders and Arms, Chest, Core. This put all the floor work at the end, except for the two ab exercises at the end of Full Body, and uses the Full Body workout as a warm-up for the more intense supersets.
Next I tried Legs, Back, Shoulders & Arms, Full Body, Chest, Core. By tiring the upper body muscles with supersets first, using lighter weight with the Full Body was good for muscle endurance.
Target upper body
A total upper body workout can be programmed in less than half an hour, including warm-up and stretch. Go slightly over the half hour mark by adding the 6.5 minute core workout, or doubling up on a specific area you want to target. Doing in the order presented is best: back, shoulders and arms, chest. Double up by doing two rounds of circuit training and you'll finish in 45 minutes.

Legs
Make this segment harder by doing it on top of your square high step, or on your rectangular step with the narrow end pointed at the TV. Eight or ten inches is a good height. Start the segment on top of the step, squatting off the sides and lunging or doing leg presses off the back.
Lunge (extend the back leg far away from the step) if your step is low -- say 6 inches. Leg press (step down so that your foot lands close to the step, either to the side of the step or behind. The floor knee bends a lot during leg presses, and stays straighter during lunges off the back of the step.
You can also make this harder by holding dumbbells by your side.
Advanced can use a step and dumbbells for maximum intensity.

Back
single-arm lat row, add circle sweep and lat pull down
Since the big circle sweep is a long lever lift (you're circling your straight arm forward until it's overhead) you need a light weight to protect the small, vulnerable rotator cuff. And that's just what Kimberly suggests. However, I can do the single lat row with quite a bit of weight. So, I begin this exercise with two weights in my hand to perform the single-arm lat row, a light and heavy. As soon as I hear Kimberly cue extend your arm forward at the bottom, I know the circle is coming up soon, so I quickly place the heavier weight on my thigh and do the circle reps with the light weight. I grab the heavy bell for the final reps of rows. After I did it a couple of times it was easy to make the switches, and worth it.

Shoulders and Arms
combo: 2 upright rows, 2 biceps curls, add 2 big arm circles so bells meet overhead
The big arm circles are another long lever lift that call for lighter weights. Because only 2 reps are performed before you do a different move, you don't want to be putting down and picking up weights. If you want to do this combo with heavier weights, substitute overhead presses for the arm circles. At the top of the biceps curls, keep pressing the weights overhead. Do two slow 2-up, 2-down reps while Kimberly and crew are making the circles.

Chest
push-ups
Kimberly starts with push-ups while your muscles are fresh. If you have trouble with push-ups, here's your chance to try to improve. In the second set, if you're getting tired, stop at the top and hold the hands-and-toes plank until the end of the set. Good for the core
If you have wrist problems, try resting your hands on dumbbells (with squared-off sides so they don't roll out from under you).
Stability ball push-ups are a great intensifier here. The further forward you walk your hands, the

Core
V-sit crunches
These can be done on a BOSU, balance disc, or stability ball.
You'll need both feet flat on the floor if using the stability ball. With thighs parallel to the floor, abs pulled in tight, lean your torso backwards about 30 to 45° to do all the V-sit exercises. The closer together your feet, the harder it will be to balance. The wider your feat, the easier to balance. Vary stance as needed as the set progresses.

Full Body
stationary side lunges, with torso rotation & overhead press
Be very solid with your lift in the overhead press. Keep control of the dumbbells, don't let momentum pull them over head -- you want to actively press them up. Keep tension on the working muscles don't let the dumbbells get away from you.

woodchops with torso rotation
Weighted wood chops work the spinal rotators as well as the oblique abs. Again, you want control of the chopping motion. Don't let the dumbbells take over the swings. You should be able to stop the swing for a split second at each end of the arc.
If you have lower back problems, don't attempt weighted woodchops until you've had the exercise cleared by a medical professional. This is a good exercise for players of racket sports. Golfers and batters need strong rotational muscles too.

v-sit crunch & chest fly
Try this combo exercise on top of a BOSU, balance disc or stability ball for a greater balance challenge. Feet flat on floor for more stability. Edge of heels on floor for more balance challenge.