What I Like About mytrainerbob

If you’re already in decent shape and want to take it to the next level, the Bob Harper workouts are a good option. These are challenging, businesslike programs packed with a variety of well-paced exercises ̶ no jokes or funny voices and not much down time here. Based on the reviews in Amazon, I selected and tried a total of four DVDs, all of which have improved my condition, though not necessarily in ways I expected.

I started out with Totally Ripped Core and Total Body Transformation. Both of these came out in 2011 and are similar in format. Both come with shorter routines to do when you have less time. In both cases the first half or two-thirds of the workout is not too hard, working mostly with light or medium weights, the last third is difficult-to-almost-impossible, using body weight, isometrics, and jumping. My abs were pretty strong before I started so the Bridge series near the end was actually a relief. The planks and other isometric exercises were good for me because I don’t normally do much of those. The hardest move for me was the side plank lifting the top leg and holding it up. At first I couldn’t do this at all but now I can. For both of these workouts, I saw the most change in the muscles in the back of my body and my outer legs, abs not so much. The benefits you get from any workout depend on where you were strong to start with.

Total Body Transformation is billed as “the hardest workout ever” but for me Body Rev Cardio Conditioning is even tougher, working with a heavier weight (as well as a light one), more balance moves, and a generally faster pace. I don’t see this so much as a cardio workout, because my heart rate doesn’t get up and stay up high enough for long enough, but more as an intense workout with weights and body weight. I haven’t totally mastered this one yet but I’m working on it. BRC and Kettlebell Sculpted Body both appeared in 2010. The kettlebell workout features the GoFit contoured kettlebells that have flat sides and a vinyl coating that make them more comfortable to use than the traditional round variety. KSB is fifty minutes of squats, lunges, and lifts combined with pushups, mountain climbers and jumping jacks for a tough workout emphasizing the swinging weight of the kettlebell.

The first three workouts show Bob with a class. In each of them the standouts are women ̶ Shaela Luter in Totally Ripped Core and Total Body Transformation and Roxanne Mari in Cardio Conditioning ̶ and some of the men struggle. Kettlebell Sculpted Body features the amazing Stephanie Czajkowski, who manages to keep her sense of humor in spite of the hard work and some mischievous needling by Bob. Are the workouts designed this way because the intended audience is women? I don’t know.

I only have a couple of minor quibbles with these workouts. One is that at times they are unrealistically hard. At certain points you see form starting to fall apart because these very fit twenty-somethings are simply worn out. The other is that Bob doesn’t do all of the moves himself. I find it more impressive when the teacher actually does most or all of the workout with the class. Of course this makes it impossible to monitor and comment on how people in the class are doing.

Bob Harper is one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser. Since I never watch the show, I had no particular impression of him one way or the other. Last year, when contestant Bobby Saleem was agonizing about whether to tell his parents about his homosexuality, Bob supported him by telling him (and everyone else) that he is gay. I thought that this sacrifice of personal privacy by a celebrity was an extraordinarily generous act.