Review: Bob Harper Beginner’s Weight Loss Transformation DVD

The last time we reviewed something of Bob Harper’s I’ll admit that it was a little tumultuous. I was dismayed, bothered and frankly—as a fellow fitness professional—offended. When it comes to losing weight, there’s no easy answer, just a lot of soul-searching and changing of behaviors. There is no one magic bullet, or pill in this case. But, because we have a long history with Bob (oh, how we have gushed over him!), we couldn’t just ignore that he put out a new workout DVD. Especially one that’s geared for beginners. So, we put our past disagreement aside, and decided to give this DVD—as we do with all of our reviews—an objective look.

Don’t be fooled by the word “beginner” in the title. Bob Harper: Beginner’s Weight Loss is not—I repeat NOT—an easy workout designed for someone who hasn’t been off the couch for years. Although not as difficult as his former The Biggest Loser co-star’s approach to workout DVDs or his own workout, it’s still tough for even an intermediate exerciser, let alone a newbie. The DVD features two workouts. First, a 45-minute series of heart-pumpin’ and sweat-drippin’ cardio and weight-lifting drills like push-ups, lunges, and combo upper- and lower-body moves. Second, a 10-minute ab routine that is short but to the point with the burn. Again, not easy.

Bob is quite endearing as an instructor in this workout DVD, and he cues better in this one than in any other DVD of his that we’ve reviewed. The music, set and overall feel of the DVD is still pretty bad-ass—by no means are any of the people in the DVD “beginners.” Despite this, Bob is still encouraging and does address the fact that the workout is tough—even admitting at one point that he just can’t help himself. I’m all for pushing oneself, obviously, but between the intensity of the workout and its length (I really, really wish there was a 30-minute workout option), this is probably best suited to intermediate exercisers. And for them, it. is. awesome.

FBG Rating (Out of 5):

Instruction: ★★★★
Long-Term Likeability: ★★★★
Music: ★★★★
Fun Factor: ★★★
Meets Expectations: ★★★
Overall: ★★★1/2

Fit Bottom line: Not really a beginner’s workout, Bob Harper’s new Beginner’s Weight Loss Transformation DVD is a great challenge for intermediate exercisers.

Want to try this workout DVD for yourself? Leave a comment telling us why, and we’ll select one random U.S. reader to win in about a week. The winner will be contacted via email and in the comments, so stay tuned! —Jenn