Title: Dr. Levi: The Art of Fitness
Who’s it for? This DVD has exercises demonstrating moves from beginner and intermediate to advanced levels.
Format: Approximately 65 minutes of workouts are divided into three sections: one for aerobics and one for “core” with the shortest segment devoted to abdominal work. Five people in the studio play along as Dr.
Levi Harrison leads - two men in blue show beginners the low-impact moves, two women in pink demonstrate moderate levels, and Levi and another woman lead the advanced moves.
It’s fairly high-impact with hopping, running in place and high-knees. Some kickboxing movements are also thrown in. The aerobics segment is designed to make you sweat, while the “core” includes strengthening moves for the upper body, lower back and legs. In the abdominals portion, Levi works alone, leading us through planks,crunches and push-ups.
What’s to like: Harrison has a nice bedside manner, as they say. He floats around his workout room gently critiquing form and offering encouragement, and with so many people present, it feels about as close to an organized exercise class as a workout DVD can get. He’s affable and gives clear cues to exercisers, as well as reminders like “Stay at your impact level.” Your only competition is yourself, he tells us.
What’s not to like: The delivery seems unrehearsed, which is fine if you like spontaneity, but at the same time, it’s fairly obvious four out of the six exercisers in the room have no idea what’s on the docket. I could be wrong, but it also feels like Harrison might even be making it up as he goes along. And when he gets lost or needs time to think about his next move, he just asks everyone to jog in place.
Also, he’s very muscular, and this DVD requires little to no resistance equipment. I have a hard time believing the sorts of moves he does in this DVD are his regular exercise routine. That may not matter to everyone, but it’s something I always keep in the back of my mind.
Necessary gear: Water bottle, mat, set of heavier weights and a set of lighter ones, according to your strength levels.
Credentials: Harrison is an orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles specializing in sports-related upper extremity injuries as well as repetitive motion, work-related ones. He’s a marathon runner and has a radio talk show in Los Angeles. This DVD is part of an Art of Fitness series, which also includes a book, The Art of Fitness: A Journey to Self-Enhancement (self-published via Brio Press, 2011, $46.95).
Price: $19.95
ActiveStyle, Pages 29 on 10/14/2013