Show: Denise Austin: Burn Away Fat Fast Cardio Blast is one of many releases by Denise over the decades and her goal to motivate people into helping themselves as easily and safely is the reason she continually evolves her routines, knowing that people get bored of specific moves, music, or methods when it involves repetitive work that makes them sweat. The selling point here was the ability to trim fat and sculpt lean muscle tissue by way of four "super charged workouts". The workouts in question were Kickboxing, Athletic Interval, Retro Aerobics, and Cardio Dance. The DVD contained a minimal warming up session and an obligatory cooling down session, as well as the means to pick and choose from the four workouts above to make your own routine.

This is probably the biggest beef I had with it in that each "workout" is only ten minutes long; not enough time to properly build up a sweat and get the kind of aerobic benefit needed without first combining them with other workouts. If you're going to offer something as a "workout", it should be self contained and long enough to do some good. That minor issue aside, the workouts were easy enough for a big lummox like me to follow, allowing folks to adjust how high they kick, step, or otherwise move to make the workouts more challenging on building your heart muscles, losing weight, and toning what you have. A quick look at Denise, who was 50+ years old when making this DVD, will tell you that fitness keeps you looking younger (and she doesn't look anything close to 50!).

Now I have been fighting the battle of the bulge for longer than Denise has been teaching classes and having taken a class or two in aerobics (mainly because I liked watching hot women prance around in colorful, form-fitting leotards in all sorts of positions), I'm no expert but I know what I like. Denise always keeps it positive, shows you how to focus more effort on specific areas, and explains in layman's terms what an exercise is doing for your body. Trust me, if you do the listed routines, you'll know pretty quickly which muscle groups are being worked (or you will the next day when you're as sore as can be). Unlike the weight training that allows me to punch throw walls though, the effects are less obvious at first with this kind of thing, at least externally. The long term benefit of getting up and moving around is well documented so you really can't go wrong here; though the typically advisory is posted at the beginning for those with heart conditions or so wildly out of shape that walking to the refrigerator winds them. Unlike so many fad fitness gurus, Denise doesn't give you a list of items you'll need either so as long as you have a television set, a DVD Player, and paid the electric bill last month, you'll be able to appreciate the benefits of this workout set as a whole.

I also liked that it was inexpensive and geared to a novice but with stated modifications, could help someone on the intermediate level. Granted, you'll want to watch it once before trying the moves out; Denise doesn't give a lot of advance notice for what will take place during the set, but in the privacy of your own home or apartment, you won't have to worry about that big knuckle dragging porn reviewer in the back judiciously using the mirrors to scope you out either. Denise uses four assistants to go through the routines with her as well, and most of the time, they are in synchronization with one another but focusing your attention on Denise seems to be the best way to go about learning the moves. The benefit of the customized workout option is that it lets you put them in the order you like and for as long as you like (repeating sections multiple times works best for some people) so while you may feel strange doing some of this stuff, the alternatives on the market are so lame by comparison that hearing her slightly strained voice should be synonymous with getting a workout.

Okay, so how do you rate an exercise DVD that lasts under an hour but only costs ~$10? The perv-factor was low here considering the amount of clothing the ladies wore (some routines even had a guy in them) so if you're looking for something risqué that lesser known fitness types use to "sell" fitness, such as Carmen Electra, you will want to pass this one up. If you want a decent workout that will likely have some impact when combined with a sensible diet, plenty of water, and lots of rest, you should consider this one to be worthy of at least Recommended. I'd rate it higher except you can see Denise working out for free all over television but be smart and pick up some tips from her website too at www.deniseaustin.com where you can join if you like, check out the free material, and see what the big deal about fitness is.

Picture: Denise Austin: Burn Away Fat Fast Cardio Blast was presented in the usual 1.33:1 full frame color as shot by director Cal Pozo. This was as straightforward a shoot as I've seen with almost all of it involving a single camera pointed straight at Denise and her assistants, the flat lighting keeping any compression artifacts or video noise at bay. There were times when a differing camera angle might have helped me understand a particular move better or let me gawk at one of the ladies more effectively, but it was competently shot and I had no reasonable complaints about it.

Sound: The audio was presented in 2.0 Dolby Digital English with minimal separation or dynamic range. Denise' trademark voice was the focal point and the music on the generic side to keep production costs low; my only real complaint about this area being the section on retro aerobics would have worked much better with actual tunes from the 1980's. I could easily hear Denise speaking and there was an option for those of you that don't like her voice to turn it off in favor of the music only, allowing you to follow along by visual acuity alone.

Extras: There were trailers to other releases in the line and a section that allows you to customize your workout but no real extras to speak of.

Final Thoughts: Denise Austin: Burn Away Fat Fast Cardio Blast might not appeal to those of you wanting to watch out of shape people bouncing around (ala: Richard Simmons style), watching hot babes simulate sexual practices (the Carmen Electra style), or any of the dangerous gimmick gurus that jump from fad to fad to make a buck, but if you want a decent workout by a leading expert that takes the "exercise can be fun" path, you can hardly go wrong with much of anything Denise Austin releases. Keep in mind that total fitness requires more than just a few minutes of exercise a day and that you need to be in it long term but the results of any sustained program can really amaze you. In that sense, Denise is probably the right choice for most people looking to get fit aerobically and with a weight program supplementing it, Denise Austin: Burn Away Fat Fast Cardio Blast could be the cornerstone of a new life for you.