The Charge

Ten minutes workouts to trim, firm and flatten your midsection.

The Case

The 10 Minute Solution series focuses on specific workouts, then chops up the routines into small, 10-minute sections. The aim is to allow you, the fitness desirer, to burn calories at your own pace, or create a "custom" workout. This DVD focuses on "Blasting Off the Belly Fat," with all the workouts concentrated on sculpting a leaner, meaner midsection. The hostess for the proceedings is Suzanne Bowen, a perky, ripped fitness instructor from Nashville.

The disc is broken up into the following five workouts:

• "Flat Belly Fast"
• "Pilates Perfect Abs"
• "Belly Fat Blaster"
• "Ab Ripper"
• "Six-Pack Abs"

The majority of the routines are floor-based, requiring a mat and, as far as I can tell, a spinal column made of Flan. These workouts that Bowen pulls off are legitimate feats of physical daring-do, especially those Pilates moves. I know Pilates is the in thing now and have never given them a whirl, but judging from the different shapes Bowen benter herself into, I daresay the contortion would rupture my pancreas. If, however, you have more flexibility than me (and I have the flexibility of a 300 year-old piece of Dead Sea driftwood), these routines should get your heart pumping.

The gut-crunching isn't solely limited to gyrations on the floor; Bowen gets up and does the whole cardio-thing, specifically in the "Belly Fat Blaster" segment. Still, the emphasis on the program as a whole is hitting the mat and getting down and dirty with ab-stretching and gut-crunching and torso pretzel-twisting. The segments are brief, sure, but they pack a wallop, so be warned: you'll likely be sore when all is said and done. Also, Bowen goes at this alone without the benefit of support worker-outers. Don't think that means anything. Maybe she's a narcissist? Of course, if I had her body, I would be, too.

Full frame and 2.0 stereo all the way, with no extras except for that custom workout feature, which is more or less a glorified "program" option.

Similar Decisions

• Belly Dance For Body Shaping: Abs
• Kathy Kaehler Basics: Workout Class
• Pick Your Level: Fat To Firm Fast
• Christi Taylor: Cardio Collectibles

Give us your feedback!

Did we give 10 Minute Solution: Blast Off Belly Fat a fair trial? yes / no

What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.