Keep Fit with Corrie: Week Five - Debbie Rush

Gemma and Michael over at Conversation Street, the Corrie podcast, have been keeping fit the Corrie way!  

 In week one, they did the Vicky Binns work out

• In week two, it was the Kym Ryder work out 
• In week three, it was the Angela Griffin work out  
• In week four, it was the Beverley Callard work out 

This week it's Debbie Rush! And so, it's over to Michael and Gemma...

"Week 5 in our Corrie keep fit journey, and you know what they say: No Pain, No Gain. Well, that's certainly true for this week's DVD - Debbie Rush's Bulge Buster Workout. Not because it's an especially gruelling workout (although it does actually leave us sore the next day!), but because it's such an uninspiring slog of a DVD to get through.

Now, this isn't a slight on the lovely Debbie. She kicks off each workout with an inspirational message to the camera, and we're sure that if she'd featured in the DVD more, we'd be a lot more positive about it. However, as soon as each of the workouts starts, she goes silent and remains so throughout, the focus moving squarely onto her trainer, Andy. Quite a bit of the time, in fact, Debbie's not even on screen - though if you're lucky, you might see a stray arm or leg sneak into the edge of the shot from time to time.

As an ex-rugby player, Andy clearly knows his stuff when it comes to getting buff; however, he sadly exudes all the personality of the Kabin paperboy. Barely cracking a smile once throughout the DVD's 1 hour 14 minute runtime, Andy is easily the least inspiring of all the trainers in our Corrie exercise DVD collection - he seems to repeat the same tired lines over and over again, and when he congratulates you for doing a great job, he couldn't sound any less genuine. A far cry indeed from bubbly warmth of Bev Callard last week, for sure.

The DVD's presentation is also lacking. The background for the workout is a brick walled rugby club, the camera never really pulling out far enough to see that much of the surroundings. We're sure some people would enjoy looking at the three massive prints of chunky rugby players that hang behind Debbie and Andy during their workout, but they didn't exactly do anything for us. The background music, too, is the blandest of the bland, and the distracting Bulge Buster logo that's constantly in the top right of the screen is completely unnecessary.

The thing is, though, like we suggested at the start of this rant - sorry, review! - we actually think that this DVD could give you the results you're after if you keep it up for long enough. Debbie herself has never looked better - a far cry from the apron-clad frumpy fishwife that is Anna Windass! The five-minute warm up that kicks off the DVD may be rather tame, but the other workouts really did get us out of breath, and we could feel the benefits of doing them the next day.  Each section is a selection of exercises one after another, then the circuit is repeated again.

The cardio circuit is eight minutes long and has you running through a set of jogs and jumps; the nine-minute leg circuit works all the areas you'd expect; the arm circuit will build those biceps and tone those triceps nicely over the course of 12 minutes; and the 15-minute bums and tums section is a decent selection of ab and glute exercises - though we did feel like we could have been worked a little harder on that one. If you're in the mood for a bit of everything, the Full Body Workout - the final section before the cool down - should have you covered, in a routine lasting 12 minutes that touches on all of the main areas of the body.

For us, though, if we're going to come back to a workout DVD over and over again, it has to be fun, and Debbie Rush's Bulge Buster Workout is just not that. If you're looking for a no-frills workout that'll get you breathless, and you aren't really fussed about the fact that this is pretty much a Corrie-themed DVD in name only, maybe you'd like to give it a shot. To be perfectly honest, though, we can't see ourselves going back to this one.

Included in the DVD box is a 14-day, 1500 calorie eating plan, endorsed by Debbie. Each day, you're given a recipe for your morning, afternoon and evening meal, as well as a snack. It's actually a pretty decent and concise menu, and if you're looking to shed the pounds, it could be a worthwhile supplement to any exercise DVD plan - after all, they do say that weight loss is 80% what you eat, 20% exercise!

To find out more about our podcast, search for Conversation Street on iTunes, or go to conversationstreet.podbean.com. If you want to follow Gemma’s blog, all about her fitness journey, and her love of food and fashion, head to www.foodfashfit.com

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