You may want to think again. Take a look at Steve Cotter’s Encyclopedia of Body-Weight Conditioning and I can almost guarantee you’ll have a new perspective. This is the ultimate in body-weight conditioning instructional series. This instructional series spans 3 DVDs, which are segmented by Upper Body, Lower Body and Core.
The DVDs combine for about 4 hours of instruction. Steve is a great instructor; he explains all of the critical mechanics of each movement in great detail, even down to proper breathing. The instruction is meticulous and very thorough. He then demonstrates the exercise from a couple different angles so you can see exactly how you should be performing each exercise to achieve maximum benefit and more importantly, do it safely.
Each DVD is indexed by exercise so you can go straight to the exercises you want and need quickly. And as one might expect, they range in difficulty. For example. the Upper Body disc starts off with a kneeling pushup and moves to more extreme exercises such as the one arm pushup and horizontal windmill. There are exercises on the discs that could require a beginner years of practice to master, if at all, so the replay value is extremely high. The thing I like about it is that you can do this from the comfort of your own home with just a little space. And the price of the DVD, while some may consider it pricey, is still less than the cost of one month’s membership dues at a gym.
There are some exercises where he uses pylo boxes for elevation to make the exercises more difficult, however you could use almost any sold and stable surface to duplicate. If you don’t have anything readily available, there are plans on the internet that you can follow to build your own inexpensively using plywood.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, I think the exercises covered in this instructional series could benefit anyone. But just a disclaimer, theses exercises are not for the faint of heart. Some of the exercises are extreme and require strength and conditioning levels that might take years of dedication to pull off, depending on your current fitness level. With that said, if you are willing to put in the work, I think you’ll be justly rewarded for your efforts.
And one more disclaimer; I’m not in any way affiliated with Steve Cotter nor am I paid to endorse this product. I’m simply passing the word on for what I believe is an exceptional instruction series and a great value for anyone interested in achieving functional fitness using your bodyweight to achieve your goals.
I’d love to hear your opinions and feedback on your results using this DVD series.
I like the idea of working out at home and not having to have equipment. It sounds like these DVDs are not for the faint of heart and I am wondering do you think this workout would be effective and fun for a female?
Hey J-Ha,
I’m with you. The comfort and convenience from working out at home is most appealing. It’s great to find effective methods that require little to no equipment while providing good results.
It definitely is the most complete body-weight conditioning instructional I’ve ever seen and it will provide the building blocks to put together the ultimate workout. I don’t think the effectiveness of the program is limited to just males…I’m sure anyone, regardless of gender, would benefit from the any of the exercises presented. So to answer your question on effective, that’s a definite “yes!”
As far as fun, that would depend on your definition. If fun is a work out that is not too demanding…I would say no. The exercises can be quite challenging and will require hard work to master. Steve puts the “work” in workout. But for me its “fun” to see progress as I move to exercises that I couldn’t complete or do many reps when I started.
There’s content that some may consider extreme, regardless of gender, like one-arm pushups. So not all of the exercises presented are going to appeal to everyone, but there’s a lot to choose from (~160 exercises in total) so I think almost anyone can put together a great routine based on their goals and current conditioning level.
The DVD is about $60, so if your a little hesitant to shelling out that kind of money for something you’re unsure of, a more economical route might be to try
You Are Your Own Gym. Obviously with the DVD you are paying for Steve to demo the exercises for you and its probably the next best thing to having a personal trainer there with you to ensure you are doing the exercises right. However, the book might be a sensible way to give body-weight conditioning a try to see if its right for you.
Let me know how you progress.
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