What We Tried: Rezist, a new cardio-meets-strength workout DVD from celebrity trainer, bodybuilder and former bounty hunter(!) Gino Caccavale.
Where: In the comfort of my own living room.
What We Did: The Rezist workout consists of 20 dumbbell movements, each performed for one minute, followed by 20 seconds of rest. I squatted, lunged, jumped, curled, pressed, pulled and more with two sets of dumbbells. The workout calls for a pair of moderate weights, typically 3 to 5 pounds for women and 5 to 8 pounds for men, and a pair of heavy weights, typically 8 to 10 pounds for women and 10 to 12 pounds for men. I don't know about you, but I don't keep that many dumbbells around the house... I made do with a pair of 3s and a pair of 5s.
For How Long: The whole shebang, including the warmup and a brief, albeit quite relaxing cool down, runs about 35 minutes.
How'd It Feel: Rezist is no joke. It just might be the hardest workout I've ever done in my living room. Every single move was challenging; there are no easy moments throughout the entire 30 minutes. For a few of the moves, I could have used heavier weights, but for others, I would have been just fine with my own body weight.
Despite the jelly feeling creeping into my arms and legs, though, I found myself smiling. As we all know, workout DVDs can often come across, well, completely and entirely fake. This is the only one I've tried where everyone on the screen looked as sweaty and exhausted as I did! While it's not quite a substitute for an in-the-flesh workout buddy, knowing that this workout challenges its creator goes a long way.
What It Helps With: Rezist is big on strength -- each movement is a compound movement, meaning it engages multiple different muscle groups. That also means you never really get a break. Because there's so little rest in between each movement, you'll also feel your heart pumping for that cardio boost.
What Fitness Level Is Required: This is simply not for beginners. I consider myself at least moderately fit, but there were a number of moves that challenged me a little too much. I don't know how Gino did a full minute of burpees holding dumbbells or pushups with rows -- I really just don't. Right up front, though, he did explain that you can always slow down your pace or drop to lower weights, as long as you keep moving for each full minute.
What It Costs: You can snag a copy of the DVD and the accompanying grocery list and food plan for $59.99.
Would We Do It Again: Oh yeah. This is pretty much my own particular brand of burn. It's time-efficient, high-intensity, functional and safe. Eventually, maybe I'll even be able to finish that full minute of burpees. Maybe.
For photos of Rezist, check out the slideshow below:
