I am a big fan of Davina McCall and love her workout dvds. When I saw her new one, Toned in 10, on the shelf I decided to try it out. I’ve not done much in the way of exercise since my operation in September, but now that I’m all healed I figure I should jump on the new year bandwagon and get exercising!
You might have seen photos of Davina in the press lately; she was always fairly buff and fit, but now she looks even more so… and she’s 50! Of course there was that image of her in a red thong bikini on holiday last year – seriously, she looks amazing. She credits this new look to Sarah Gorman, who is the new trainer on this dvd. Davina apparently met Sarah while attending one of her classes. She says that because of Sarah’s classes she’s the fittest and healthiest she’s ever been – something that’s clearly evident.
Format
This dvd comprises 10 sections: a warmup and a cooldown, and eight ten-minute workouts:
- Warm-Up
- Strength and Resist
- Flex and Flow
- Power Box
- Tone and Define
- HIIT
- Arms
- Glutes
- Abs
- Cool-Down
To me these workouts are different to any of Davina’s previous dvds. Although there are some weights, it’s not the trainer-clad jumping around that I certainly associate with her other workout dvds.
The workouts though… phew!
Here is the trailer for the dvd which shows some examples:
How Effective is it?
Like her other recent dvd releases, this one sells on the idea that you can be “toned in 10” – but the reality is that you need to do more than one of those ten-minute workouts per day in order to really benefit. That said, the warm-up on its own had me sweating and out of breath (I did mention I’ve not done much exercise since my op!) So if you’re as unfit as me, you could do the warm-up three times a week and probably see some benefit. If you already have a good level of fitness, this is probably not the dvd for you. That said, if you already have a good level of fitness what are you doing buying workout dvd anyway…
I tend to think the target audience for these workout dvds are people like me who can’t really get out for a run or to a gym class often but we need to find a way to burn off the Christmas cake. In that respect this works really well. I feel like I’m working hard doing the workouts; I get out of breath and my muscles hurt. In fact, in a couple of places I felt a familiar feeling deep in my muscles that I’ve not had since my days of doing Body Pump classes – that omg my leg is going to fall off I can’t possibly do one more rep feeling.
Equipment
One thing you need for this dvd which might seem odd is a chair. Because the workouts are more barre/ballet/pilates based, you use the chair like a barre. You also need a yoga mat (or, you know, just use the carpet) and may or may not need weights. Davina says you can just use cans if you need; you don’t need big weights which I would tend to agree with, thus far!
You also need a ball for some of the exercises for abs and glutes – but as she says in the intro, you could get one of these for a pound or two at a toyshop, or you could probably just get away with using a cushion off the sofa.
What’s great about this dvd is that you don’t need a lot of high-tech equipment, and you can improvise with household items if you don’t have what’s needed.
Extras
There are no extras with this dvd! I actually found it a bit random that there’s a banner at the top of the dvd stating that it’s “The own your goals programme” but there is literally no mention of this anywhere else, except a tiny box on the back suggesting you check out Davina’s social media… I checked her Facebook and there wasn’t really much to add to the dvd content if I’m honest. Perhaps I’m missing something.
I found it quite disappointing that there’s no extra or bonus content on the dvd. Previous dvds have included a suggested programme for the workouts, dietary advice, interviews with the trainer etc. I remember the bonus material on the Pre & Post Natal Workouts dvd being particularly interesting and useful. This one has a brief intro from Davina, and that’s it. The inside of the case is blank!
Best Part
The best part has to be the actual workouts! They’re so different from previous ones and I’m really enjoying them. They’re high energy but seem to be based around ballet/barre type workouts. Even the “Power Box” section is like boxercise, but barefoot and with a lot of toe pointing and dancing rather than the traditional, more aggressive type of “boxercise” you might be used to.
Low Point
For me, the low point of this dvd is the lack of any structure around it. The introduction is short and doesn’t have much information or instruction as to how to best use the workouts; there’s no timetable, and although we’re directed to social media I’ve yet to see anything that actually complements the workouts rather than just promoting the dvd. I think this is really missing a trick, but also just feels like the experience is somewhat incomplete.
Final Thoughts
I am enjoying the workouts on this dvd, and it’s a refreshing new approach to be barefoot and pointing my toes instead of jumping up and down in trainers all the time. It’s definitely worth purchasing if you’re looking for a starting point to fitness or a way to maintain when you can’t get out to the gym etc. Personally I found the ten-minute warm-up a workout in itself!
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