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PLEASE NOTE That these are ONLY *MY* OPINIONS and nobody else's! If I say it's fast moving and hard for ME to keep up with, that's ME, maybe not YOU. Sheeseh! The grief I've been getting over this!!!
SuzyBear's Richard Simmons Exercises Page
I've gone through *many* exercise video and audio tapes, but always keep coming back to Richard's. He's funny, he's supportive, and, most of all, the exercises are *do-able* for people of all sizes and fitness levels.
The following is a list of the tapes I own, with a little comment on each. Please remember I'm typing this up to be informational, but PLEASE don't start any exercise program before visiting with your doctor, and if you want to do a particular video exercise, maybe loaning it to him for a few days so he can watch it and give his opinion as to whether or not it's right for *you*.
Some of these tapes, unfortunately, are no longer available for sale, mostly because they were made by a production studio *not* his current one, Goodtimes Video. These may still be found in the usual hiding places - garage sales, library sales, Internet special orders to bookstores who will do a search for you, and sometimes they show up on the auction site, ebay. I have never used this service myself so I can't say if it's good or bad. Just be cautious with any sales site, whether it's on the Internet or by phone, and sometimes "live".
RICHARD SIMMONS
I forget the complete title of this video, since I could only get it at a non-defunct video store. If I remember right, the exercisers were mostly slim, trim dancers with one or 2 couples of "normal" people. The beginning aerobic & floor exercise part was alright for beginners (apx. 20 min), followed by an advanced section for about another 10 or 15 minutes, followed by seated exercises for the face, arms and shoulders.
The tape was distributed on the Karl Video label.
RICHARD SIMMONS GET STARTED - A Complete Beginner's Fitness Program for Both Men and Women
A decent video, about an hour total, starting off with nutrition and health tips, then exercise segments with normal sized people. As advertised, it *is* a good beginners tape. Karl-Lorimar video productions in 1985 originally, it's currently out of print but I've seen it available as special order on various web sites.
RICHARD SIMMONS and the SILVER FOXES
My all time favorite video, even though I'm not a senior citizen (yet). Richard Leads parents of celebrities through a thorough *low impact* aerobic workout. See his mom, Shirley, Dustin Hoffman's dad, Al Pacino's dad, and the mothers of Sylvester Stallone and Farrah Faucett perform, and get yelled at :), by Richard as they go through a 30 minutes low impact session, followed by about 10 minutes of stretching using a chair, and ending with another 10 minutes of relaxation (and floor) exercises.
Put out by Karl-Lorimar in 1986, this is currently listed as a special order at Borders' web site. Since my own tape is starting to show signs of wear, I put an order in around mid December and was told it would take a few weeks. Wish me luck that it's available.
RICHARD SIMMONS and the SILVER FOXES 2
I recently found out that this tape even existed, but when I tried to special order it through Borders when I ordered the first one I was sent a message that it's no longer available through them. I'm still looking, so if you know of a source please notify me.It was made in 1989 and featured most of the same people from Silver Foxes and a woman named Laurie Williams.
RICHARD SIMMONS REACH FOR FITNESS
Made at the same time as a book by the same name, this tape is specifically designed for the handicapped person. It starts off with a section on the importance of good nutrition then goes into specially designed exercises that can be done in a chair or wheelchair, then a section on floor exercises.
Another Karl-Lorimar production, 30 minutes, 1986
The beginning of the "happy" exercise video, with Richard being his zany self and using people from his Slimmons exercise studio as the victims, oops, I mean participants. Each of the 3 Sweatin' videos takes place in a different setting and feature pop tunes from the 1950's through 1980's, played by a live band. At the end of each, the participants dance down the aisle as their names and weight loss is flashed on the screen.
Each tape is approximately an hour, starting out slow, then a very rapid and sometimes hard to keep up with aerobic session, followed by a nice cool down. Each also tell you how to check your heart rate, find your target rate, and then have you check your heart rate a few times during the session.
They're not super and a beginner may have trouble keeping up at first, but hang in there - it gets easier in time. Once you know the moves you'll fumble less. Maybe. I still get flustered at times but then just keep moving until I pick up the beat again.
These tapes also started his affiliation with Goodtimes Video, the distributer for all the remaining tapes mentioned here.
Volume 1 Rhythmic Warm Up
Dancin in the Street
Beyond the Sea Lower torso warmup and beginning of low impact aerobics
On Broadway Low impact aerobics
It's My Party
Peggy Sue
Great Balls of Fire
Wipe Out (I'm usually "wiped out" by now and skip this one - it's very fast and long)
He's A Rebel Aerobic cooldown
Personality Final cooldown
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Volume 2 Rhythmic Warm Up
Locomotion Upper torso warmup
Fever Lower torso warmup
My Boyfriend's Back Low impact aerobics
Breakin Up Is Hard to Do
Windy
Big Girls Don't Cry
Jailhouse Rock Aerobic Cooldown
Summer In the City Upper torso/arm work (light weights)
R-E-S-P-E-C-T Stomach, buns, legs, and lower body stretch
Rescue Me Final cooldown
Oh, Pretty Woman
Volume 3
Do You Wanna Dance?
Gimme Some Lovin
The Name Game
Out of Limits
Louie Louie
Build Me Up, Buttercup
California Dreaming
Born to Be Wild (another one I usually sit out)
Rockin Robin
I Get Around
Sweat and Shout
This is actually the fourth in the Oldies series, judging by the staging and the roll call at the end.
Shout
Heatwave
Proud Mary
Up the Ladder
Devil With A Blue Dress
Someday We'll Be Together
Mony Mony
The Wandered
Dance to the Music
Shotgun
After these I stopped buying every tape that came out, since most of them were part of packages offered on tv and available *only* as part of a set.
As years went by, some tapes appeared on video store shelves. I recently picked up Disco Sweat - very fast and hard to keep up with. Another one I saw just last week, Dance Your Pants Off, but because of holiday shopping had no money left on me so it'll have to wait until after the holidays. I saw a few more on Amazon but most were discontinued or special order only.
Non-aerobic tapes I've picked up include:
RICHARD SIMMONS STRETCHING TO THE CLASSICS
Nice soothing music, no talking by Richard at all, and it's about 15 minutes of just gentle stretching to the music of great composers.This is one of the few that appear to be recorded in the slow video mode, so if you're trying to watch this through a rental machine or some other non-speed variable vcr you can't. Songs include:
Peer Gynt Suite, No. 1, Opus 46, "Morning" by Edvard Grieg
Waltz in A Flat, No. 15, Opus 39 by Johannes Brahms
Pachabel's Cannon
Carmen Suite by Bizet
Scheherezade by Rimsky-Korsakov
A great warm-up tape for cold winter mornings.
A new acquisition is RICHARD SIMMONS LOVE TO STRETCH, complete with "super stretch strap."
Another short (apx. 20 minutes) stretching tape, quite unlike any other Richard has done. It looks like he hired a band he saw in a rehearsal hall but the audio & video crew never showed up so it was taped with a home video camera. Then in pre-production Richard went back, re-did the exercises and voice over so he appears alone in the main screen and the other set is in a small section of the tv, like playing in the background. As Richard does the exercises, animated words appear at times saying things like "stretch" or "ssshhhhh" when he breathes out. Another feature of this video is a computer-generated "Mr. Anatomy" that pops up to show what muscles you're working. The strap is used in some of the arm exercises and in the floor exercises for the legs. Not his best work, in my opinion.
UPDATE: As much as I disliked this tape, I continue to work it. I still can't hear the music but the workout is decent.
If I thought the previous tape was the worst, the new GROOVIN IN THE HOUSE has beaten it for that title! The tape starts off with a fast number, Dancing on the Ceiling, so you're totally confused and exhausted even before the warmup song starts. The camera work is jerky and darts around too much. A lot of times a move is introduced while the camera is focused on someone's knee or abdomen. Even the participants seem confused by some of the moves and quick changes. The setting is a house for Richard's 50th Birthday party. They should have just stuck with the party instead of pretending to do aerobics! The sets are so small that only 6 to 8 people are on the floor at any given time, the others just hanging around in the background. Some people seemed embarrassed to be there. If this is what Richard's tapes are going to be like from now on, I think he lost a customer. :)
Silver Foxes and Reach for Fitness - the future!
Richard mentions on his web site he's in the process of doing newer versions of these 2 tapes. If you do a keyword search on Amazon both are listed as releases for the year 2000.
TONE & SWEAT
A *very* good workout. SO good, in fact, I gave this tape to my stepmom and even *she* had a hard time. Between the 2 of us I don't think there ws a non-sore muscle in the county! After my present back problems clear I'll ask the doctor if it's safe to try this one again.
Other tapes I've heard of and would like to see are the toning tapes, like Tonin Uptown, Tonin Downtown, another one that comes with the rubber toning cords. I'll keep searching the video stores, web sites, and flea markets and maybe some day I'll get the complete set.
Then I'll work on acquiring the audio tapes. So far all I have is one walking tape. Well, *had* a tape. It broke a few years ago and can't find it anywhere.
The other walking tape Richard Has, Walk Across America, is available from his web site as part of a package including a fanny pack and electronic pedometer for about $25 plus postage and tax. It can only be bought directly from Richard Simmons' site.
The 20 minute Blast Off! video was recently released, first as part of the December 1999 FoodMover package and within a week as a separate purchase. It's supposed to be an intense but still low impact aerobics to do just as the title suggests - Blast Off the weight. Mary Clinton from the mgl-dieters mailing list is a happy participant, and she said it was a really good workout.
Revision:
I got this tape and love it! It's very intensive, a true aerobic workout in those 20 minutes. Keep a towel and glass of water handy because you *do* sweat!
19-Feb-00
The url for this page is http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/4195/richmove.htm
