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  From Jessica Smith All Access Pass is Soothing Stretch .  This workout clocks in at just under 22 minutes.   Jessica takes you through a series of standing and lying exercise that are design to open up the body.  This workout moves very slowly.  You are holding each position for at least 25 to 30 seconds or more.  You also enter and exit each move in a very deliberate way.   There is not a warm up but for this particular stretch workout, I don't think one is necessarily needed. Nevertheless, I did do a low impact cardio workout prior to doing this one.  Overall I like this workout as it force me to quiet the mind. There is nothing about this workout that is frantic or suggest being in a hurry. 3 & 1/4 stars

The Best Back Strengthening & Stretching Exercises by Victoria Sarquisse's TangoFlex Method. This DVD includes workouts that are designed to strengthen and stretch  your back.  There are four main routines and one bonus routine.  All the workouts feature Victoria.  She is the only cast member.  The set is airy.  The music is faint and used as just background.   Victoria  takes you through each routine offering tips and suggestions. The workouts move slow. You are often holding a particular position or stretch for an extended length of time or you are doing a high amount of reps for a particular exercise. The DVD menu is a bit funky or at least when you go to choose a particular workout, it is. Several times I chose a workout I was not intending to choose. You can select Play All or you can select Choose Workout. Routine 1 - 22 minutes Routine 2 - 27 minutes Routine 3 - 17 minutes Routine 4 - 19 minutes Bonus Routine - 12 minutes A mat is...

Jessica Smith Stretch & Relax contains five 15 to 20 minute stretch flexibility workouts.   Rise clocks in at over 18 minutes.  In Rise, Jessica moves you methodically through the body, stretching and moving the limbs for 4 to 6 reps before moving on. There is a slow flow to the workout and a bit of range of motion. A chair is optional and Jessica shows the chair modification as a PIP inset.   Release clocks in at 15:40. It uses a towel to stretch the whole body. Jessica starts out standing stretching the neck and then she moves to the mat to stretch the lower body namely the hamstrings, hips and ankles. Relax starts in the lying position and using a pillow is optional.  You are performing stretches in both the prone and supine positions.  Jessica also throws in some lying side stretches, as well as seated stretches and stretches in the table top position. Relax ends with a supine spread eagle relaxation stretch.  Relax has a running length of 19...

Controlled Stretch is an add-on program to Autumn Calabrese Beach Body Control Freak 9 week program.  Control Stretch contains 45 stretches that if you are doing the Control Freak program, you are to do on the same night before you go to bed. The stretches are 5 to 10 minutes in length.  You do 5 stretches a week for 9 weeks. I did not do and have not done the Control Freak program but I did add these nightly stretches to my own workout routine for 9 weeks.   Each workout is different, although you are performing similar or the same stretches throughout. Autumn tailors the nighttime stretches based on the workout she had you do in the morning as part of the Control Freak program.   All the workouts are performed barefoot. Several of the stretches use a play ball.  You will need a wall for some of the stretches. I did not have a wall handy when I started the series but then I ended up rearranging furniture so that i could use a wall.  For some str...

Total Stretch for Beginners with Tamilee Webb is a compilation DVD that contains two of Tamilee's previously release stretch workouts. The two programs on this DVD are: Total Body Stretch for Beginners Beginners Stretch for Flexibility Total Body Stretch for Beginners is broken down into three 10-minute  segments.  Segment one is standing.  Segment two is sitting.  Segment three is floor.  I did these segments after my Sunday treadmill runs.  Segment two requires a chair.  Segment three a mat. I really enjoyed these workouts.  In each 10-minute workout, I felt I got a total body stretch workout using the various positions. In Beginners Stretch for Flexibility , Tamilee starts out by giving beginner tips on technique and breathing. She then proceeds to take you through a series of modified yoga and athletic poses, starting at the top and moving down the body. As she goes through the workouts she points out what muscle group you are stretching....

Gentle Yoga Plus Pilates is a Jessica Smith two in one workout. It is a core strength and stretch workout that combines exercises from both yoga and Pilates disciplines. The DVD Menu Introduction Standing Series Floor Flow Play All  The Standing Series clocks in at 31:35.  In this portion of the workout, Jessica takes you through a series of standing poses that challenge your balance and improve your flexibility. There is a bit a strength and range of motion exercises as you move throughout the session. Some of the moves in this workout are:  back expansion, mountain pose, plie series, chair flow series, leg pulls, leg circles, crescent, standing 100s, and triangle. The Floor Flow series is performed either seated, lying or kneeling.  This segment clocks in at 33:33.  Some of the moves you are doing in Floor Flow are seated twist, mermaid, side planks, roll ups, scissors, bridge over, locust, elbow plank, roll like a ball, v-sit, and kneeling crescent. In bot...

Lastics Lite is a 15-minute plus stretch workout that stretches the total body. It is a shorter version of Donna's Lastics workouts. Donna takes your through various standing. seated, and lying stretch exercises to improve your flexibility.  Donna never really holds a stretch for too long . You are constantly moving in and out, bending and straightening the various movements. Donna is the only cast member.  There is background music that is very faint and not really inspiring. Not a big deal as you are really focusing on what Donna is saying.  The set is a dance studio.   Great stretch workout to add to an existing workout. I can see me adding this in after my treadmill workouts. Lastics Lite - 4 stars

Tighten, Tone, and Torch is a total body workout DVD that is broken down into various segments and all segments are lead by Suzanne Bowen. The DVD menu is as follows : Play All Warm Up Lower Body Lean Upper Body Sleek Cardio Torch Stretch If you do all segments, the workout clocks in at over 74 minutes. The warm-up is just over one minute. Lower Body Lean is a 20-minute workout.  Suzanne uses a pair of 3lbs weights and a mat.  This workout is roughly broken down into the following segments: Plie series Front Lunge Series Side Lunge Series Knee Series Table Top Series Inner Thighs In each series, you are doing a group of exercises where Suzanne varies the rep pattern.  Expect single count, pulses and holds. Suzanne also works to the beat of the music which is a steady techno tempo.  There are standing, kneeling and lying exercises.   Upper Body Sleek is also a 20-minute workout.  Suzanne uses 3lbs dumbbells and a mat....

Gentle Yoga Stretch is one of Jessica Smith's latest yoga stretch DVDs.  This DVD contains two 30-minute plus workouts. The two workouts are: Session 1:  Flexibility and Relaxation Session 2:  Stability and Mobility Flexibility and Relaxation is a slow moving workout that uses static and range of motions exercises to work the various areas of the body. Some of the exercises Jessica performs are neck, back and shoulder stretches, elbow and wrist rotations, forward fold, cat cow, modify child pose, modify down dog, pyramid pose, hamstring stretch, pigeon pose, and hip circles. Stability and Mobility clocks in at around 35 minutes. The workout starts with expansion stretches inhaling and exhaling with each stretch.  Stretches include lat pull down. and standing cat cow.  Jessica proceeds with rotation movement for the ankles, knees, and hips. This workout incorporates single leg balance work (crane pose) with warrior posture positions. Other postures inc...

Jessica Smith's Total Stretch DVD contains three stretch workouts. Deep Stretch clocks in at 30 minutes. It is a slow moving stretch that starts from the top of the body (head and neck) and ends with stretches for the bottom of the body (feet).  The workout starts standing and ends seated. Almost every part of the body is hit during this stretch workout.  Please see attached spreadsheet for the sequence of stretches. Dynamic Stretch is 33 minutes in length.  This workout uses range of motion exercises to increase flexibility and to work on coordination and balance. This is not really a flowing workout, but a workout where you are dynamically moving in and out of an exercise for a few reps. It is about moving in a slow methodical way for several reps with the hopes of improving the elasticity of the body part you are working. I liked this workout.  It was my favorite of the three sessions. Total Stretch clocks in at 17 minutes. It is similar to Deep Stretch ...

Essentrics Stretch Series Vol. 1 DVD includes three 30-minute workouts. Each of these workouts are slow moving workouts. Super slow. My biggest gripe about them is that the music in each of them is very faint. I could hear each of the instructors just fine but to hear the music I had to really increase the volume which in turn made the instructor super loud. The first workout is Tension Release and it is lead by Meg Feeney.  Meg does a lot of upper body full body range of motion movement.  She also does windmills, lunges, and plies that included shin and ankle work.  This workout uses a chair and in the chair segment, you are doing heel and calf work, as well as hamstring, quads, outer and inner thigh stretches.  This workout clocks in at 31:17. Joint Pain Relief clocks in just over 30 minutes and is lead by Gail Garceau.  In this workout, we do quite a bit of work for the back that includes standing back stretches and spine rotations.  Gail also i...

Disc 4 of Jessica Smith's Walk Strong 6 Week Total Transformation System contains your recovery and flexibility workouts.  The first workout is Dynamic Stretch . This workout is a slow moving total body stretch workout. I thought this workout was more of a static isolation stretch workout than a dynamic stretch workout. There are parts where Jessica includes some flow type movements but there is not a lot of it. The first 15 minutes of the workout is standing and the second half of the workout is floor based.  A mat and towel are used in this workout. The second workout is Prehab Routine .   This workout uses a chair, towel and mat.  Jessica states that this workout is focused on working the joints.  This is a total body workout that hits all the muscle groups that normally don't get worked out.  Jessica methodically moves through various rotating, stretching, and range of motion type exercises.  She starts with the neck and moves on to the...

Pure & Simple Stretch is a 40-minute stretch workout lead by Karen Voight.  In this total body stretch workout, Karen takes you through a series of static stretches.  Karen eases you into each new position and she gives you time to work the stretch by holding each position for several beats. Karen uses a towel and a cushion as props and to help with certain stretches.   There are three other cast members and sometimes they show variations on the stretch that Karen is doing. The music is ho-hum. There is a narrator at the beginning of the floor segment but the rest of the workout, it is Karen cuing.  This workout was filmed in 1991, so the set is a bit dated but the stretch workout is very good. The DVD does give you the option of dividing the workout into two segments.  You can choose to do a standing 10 minute stretch or a floor-based 30 minute stretch. 3 & 3/4 stars

Stretch & Joint Mobility Therapy is a workout let by Anne Fletcher.  If you do the entire DVD, the workout clocks in at 55 minutes. There is a DVD menu that allows you to choose a particular segment.  The segment range from about 14 to 22 minutes. The segments are: Welcome! Joint Mobility: Head to Toe Dynamic Stretch Static Active Stretch Joint Mobility is really just about moving each body part. Starting with head rolls, and moving on to shoulder rotation, hand, fingers, ribcage and knee circle movements; Anne continues moving each body part down to the ankles and toes.  The majority of this workout is perform standing.  When Anne works the toes and feet, she does this from a supine position. Dynamic Stretches uses big movements and these movements are performed at a quicker tempo.  Side bends, torso circles, hamstring flat back reach pulls, side lunges, squats, downward dog, lunges, airplane are some of the moves that appear in the segment....

Yoga Stretch contains two, approximately, 30-minute yoga inspired stretch workouts. Jessica is the only cast member in both workouts. Workout 1 is AM:  Energizing Flow .   This workout uses just a mat.  Jessica takes you through a series of slow flowing moves from a variety of positions that work your balance and stretch you out. She also incorporate some static moves such as chair posture, the various warrior postures, modified boat pose, bridge pose, plank posture and downward dog. You do hold the postures for a bit of time.  There are a few exercises that have a rep effect because Jessica moves in and out of the pose.  Jessica also incorporates some lying side hip raises.  There are a few reps of these. The workout concludes with standing meditation and awareness. The music is pretty good. There was a  nice variety of tunes. The set has an outdoor poolside setting. Workout 2 is PM: Relaxing Flow .  Along with a mat, the worko...

Flex & Release is around 30 minutes and it is a full body stretch workout.  Michelle starts the workout with a series of neck and shoulder stretches.  Michelle uses a towel to increase the range of movement and/or to control the range of movement as you go through the stretches. For the most part all the stretches are static in nature so you should be warmed up before starting the workout. There are some dynamic stretches in the form of squat pulses. You are performing stretches in a variety of positions:  standing, seated, kneeling, prone, supine and from the plank and sumo positions. For most stretches, Michelle gives you the opportunity to practice the stretch twice per side.  Sometimes there are more reps but you are not staying in any stretch or posture for very long. The workout appears to be broken down into three segments: 1) First segment goes to around the 17 minute mark. 2) At the 17 minute mark, Michelle goes in to a lunge series for the se...

Get Bent is advertised as "circus style flexibility training" and there is a bit of that but overall I thought this was a solid stretching and flexibility workout especially for the hips and shoulder. The workout clocks in a around 55 minutes.  The DVD menu contains the following: Play Fit & Bendy Splits Tutorial Intro Warmup Splits Prep Splits Shoulders Backbends Cool Down Kristina uses yoga blocks to help with modifying the stretch and she used a wall for increase or deeper stretching.  There is some tough stretching going on here.   The back bend section was particularly tough for me.  As were the splits.  I particularly like the deep stretching for the shoulder which uses a wall to increase the stretch. The split prep section is a series of hamstring, inner thigh and hip stretches. Most stretches you are doing at least twice.  Kristina will have you do a particular stretch, come out of it and go back and repeat the sequence. The set...

Abs & Stretch is part of the first group of workouts that Amy Bento put out.   It consist of two ab workouts and 2 stretch workouts.  Stretch Section 1 is around 11 minutes in length. The other three segments are around 15 minutes each. Abs section 1 is a high rep workout and features standing and seated abs work.  Ab section 1 has a short warm up  Ab section 2 focuses on planks and working your abs using the stability ball. If you are doing abs 2 as its on workout, there is not a warm up for it.  Both workouts use dumbbells. Both stretch workouts use a resistance band and a mat.  Stretch section 2 is a standing stretch workout and Stretch section 2 is a floor based workout.  The DVD menu: Introduction Play Program Chapters    Back to Main Menu    Abs Section 1    Abs Section 2    Stretch Section 1    Stretch Section 2 Credits These workouts were okay.  You can play ...

Can I just say that I don't miss the VHS workout.  Seriously, it takes so long to rewind these things. Anyway, Jane Fonda Step and Stretch Workout features a 45 minute step workout and a 15 minutes stretch workout. The 45 minute step workout is led by four different instructors this time.   Laurel, Linda, Michelle, and Jay each alternate teaching a combinations. The format is pretty much the same as the other Jane Fonda step workout I reviewed.  The routines started off slow and would gradually build.  Expect lots of repetition.The sound track is not as good in this workout as it was in her other two step workouts I did. Along with the instructors there are around 8 other cast members who show various levels and modifications of different moves. The stretch routine is led by Jane Fonda and it uses the step as well plus a towel.  It is a full body stretch that focuses on holding the stretch with each stretch being slow and methodical.  Mos...

X Stretch clocks in at 57 & 1/2 minutes.  While not my favorite stretch workout, it is a decent one.  The workout included some atypical stretches, that I appreciated, but it also included a lot of the traditional yoga stuff. In fact I wish there was a more vigorous warm up than the typical sun salutations that Tony included. There are over 30 stretch exercises and you are holding the stretches for a minimum of at least 30 seconds but some stretches are held for a much longer time. Tony walks around coaching the class participants after he has demonstrated the stretch.   3 & 1/2 stars