Exercise DVD review: Tony Horton's 10-minute Trainer

Kimberly Rae Miller
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I do love me some infomercials. No, seriously, I get totally caught up in exercise infomercials. So, I was wicked psyched when I got 10-Minute Trainer in the mail. The set of two DVDs and resistance bands is designed for those of us who are constantly whining, "I have no time to workout." Apparently this mentality really peeved personal trainer Tony Horton, so he set off to make a complete workout rotation in 10-minute intervals.

The set I received came with a schedule, exercise cards, two DVDs and resistance bands. Okay, so I didn't have time to do the full month-long rotation, but it looks pretty doable. The rotation combines one, two or three intervals, depending on how hard-core you are.

The Good:
I thought the workouts were good. There was solid strength training in these 10-minute segments. So solid in fact, that I would probably stick with two segments at a time and couple with a good cardio workout, as opposed to doing the whole DVD for a 50-minute killer workout. There is a cardio workout, but like all the other workouts it's only 10 minutes, and I prefer more cardio. (Short on time? Try these 31 time-saving tips.)

The model/apprentice/co-instructors actually look like the workout is hard. I find this comforting because I hate the fact that when I'm slowly dying in my apartment the little people on the TV look like they're strolling through a nice, flowery meadow. Thank you for suffering along with me, ladies. (Work out at home with these online effective cardio and toning routines.)

There's a little clock counting down each segment 'til you're free from feeling the burn, and I like that. As much as I like working out, I also like the security of knowing I don't have to do it forever.

The Bad:
Personally I'm not a huge fan of resistance bands: they're always a little awkward for me and I always want to bathe my hands in lotion after using them, but I think that's just me. Most people like them, so take this little tidbit as you will. If you have bizarre exercise equipment preferences like I do, most of the exercises that utilize the bands can just as easily be done with free weights (I tried it both ways).

I think Tony Horton is the most annoying excise video instructor I've ever seen. Which is huge because I've watched a lot of exercise videos. You know that guy who, when you're on a date and conversation isn't easy, just babbles about everything, starts making up words, starts fidgeting and reading the menu aloud, tells you about the time in third grade that he took the class gerbil home from school then lost it? Yeah that's him, The Babblemeister.

The Verdict:
These are good workouts. They are short and doable and can fit into a crazy schedule. So, if you are a less judgmental of awkward babbling than I am and like resistance bands, this may just be the DVD for you. I can definitely see myself using some of these workouts when I'm in a rush and in need of a toning workout.

Related: Exercise DVD Review: Pilates Bodyband Workout from Gaiam

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