We didn't want to like the Biggest Loser at first. We really didn't. I mean, you should have seen it- big obnoxious competitive people meanly attempting to screw each other over in the name of weight loss! But, we kept tuning in, mainly because we wanted to see the odious ones voted off, and mainly because Trainer Bob freakin' rules, so it became a favorite. Soon we were rooting for certain contestants and were really impressed at the Season Three finale, when, as one contestant, Heather, revealed that she was five months into a very healthy pregnancy and the winner, Erik Chopin, dropped over 200 pounds (about half of his body weight), it finally ended up repeating the message we had originally heard: good diet and good exercise are key to weight loss and optimum health. We were hooked.
In the meantime we jones for Season Four, we have The Biggest Loser DVD, Volumes 1 and 2. Volume 1 features cast members from Seasons 1 and 2, as well as Bob Harper, who always managed to rock despite being surrounded by utter obnoxiousness. There are four set workouts, each with a 5 minute warm-up and a 10 minute cool-down stretch- Low-intensity cardio, High-intensity cardio, Bob's Boot Camp, and our favorite Strength and Sculpt. Strength and Sculpt is a uni-sex beginner-friendly 20 minute workout that can be modified for intermediate and experienced strength trainers as you can increase the weights as your body gets used to them (right now, I'm still on 5 lbs hand held weights. I know, what a wimp! :D) and it works major muscle groups- quads, gluts, biceps, triceps, pecs, and core. We've been doing it twice a week for about a month now, and it still makes us sweat. It's fun to do on weekends, and while we work on the floor mats, Bob and Fee come up to us and give us kisses or headbutts as incentive. Plus, Trainer Bob's gentle demeanor is perfect for those of us who hate jockass fitness instructors. I like the warm-up and cool-down so much I use them before and after my cardio now. Special features include profiles on Biggest Loser Season 2 Matt Harper and his wife, Suzy Preston, who met on the show, fell in love, and got married! (He proposed to her on the Today Show! :D) and cute ads for 24 Hour Fitness featuring past contestants. We still are using Volume 1 and haven't really looked at Volume 2 yet, but I do like Vol 2's 5 min warm-up, which is a bit more energetic and a perfect precursor for the eliptical. So if you're a Biggest Loser ho like me, you'll probably like the DVDs. They sell em pretty cheap on Amazon.com!
