IGX

Keeping in mind I've been taking a class w/ Arthur Boorman for the last 6 months but I'm going to try and review from the perspective of only having seen the book and original DVDs.

Filming/presentation: Bright and very open, not kind of cramped like the originals. For most of the DVDs, it's DDP in front w/ 2 people behind him. For a few of them there's 4 people behind him. First person to the right is always the modification person to follow. When there's 4 people, especially on the Core tape, the two guys in the back are kicking it up a bit. In the lower right hand corner is a count down clock to let you know how long is left. I liked that personally. There are also messages across the bottom, think CNN/FoxNews text, that shows the move names and has reminders pop up to modify if you need to and to check a heart rate when you might need to.

Yoga Doc and Angela, the ripped black chick w/ the tig ol' bitties are the only ones from the originals and are only in a couple DVDs each. DDP makes a point of saying in almost all of the DVDs that these are not fitness models, they're real people.

Which gives us the opportunity for new Yoga Babes: Little chick w/ a great rack, she's the first transformation on the yrgfitness.com site. She's in two DVDs, i thought she was just eye candy but she cranks out fingertip pushups on one. A brunette w/ in one video looks damn good, but in another looks very house frau-ish. A dirty blonde w/ a big rack is in a couple as well and is pleasing to the eye.

I got the basic 5 plus an additional three on an impulse, I've watched or fast forwarded through all of them and done the Fat Burner, here are my initial impressions and I'll add as I actually do the others if that impression changes. What I have not done is thought about comparing say the Fat Burner to Below The Belt to Strength Builder to Stand Up as they're all about same length 25-35 min. Probably 80-85% of the moves are the same as the original dvds but the sequencing/pacing is often very different.

Diamond Dozen/Energy
Intro level DVD, comparable to the old 20 min workouts. I have not gone through all of the Diamond Dozen as it looked to be more instructional in nature. The 13 moves that make up the Diamond Dozen will mostly be very familiar to owners of the old DVDs, but 4 of them will be "new", they're really twists/additions, we do them in class weekly. Energy is the workout. Art's in it. Very much the equal to the 20 min workouts, if you're new to YRG, you'll use this a lot, if you've been using the others for a while, you probably won't use this DVD much or could use the dozen as your practice if you don't want to pop in a dvd or are travelling. you get a poster of them w/ the package.

Fat Burner
25 min long. I found the guy in the background to be a bit of a tool, distracting and he was struggling. This is the one w/ the brunette where I think she looks good. As is stated in the ad copy, the Diamond Dozen is the foundation for all of these but w/ new twists, sequencing and combinations to keep it interesting. Some new stuff in there that I've never seen. I didn't find it that hard but will probably become one of my go to's as a warm up on KB days.

Core
12 min. Yoga Doc's in this one. So's the little sprite w/ the great rack, another lady and big, ripped black dude. Mostly leg raisers, variations on those, some stuff from yoga doc's dvd and new stuff i've never seen. Going home on all these is pretty much the standard from the original dvds. This is the one where I really noted that the guys in the back ground are really doing different stuff than DDP and the ladies, what they do is usually up a notch from DDP, while the ladies typically do a notch below him. From the pamphlet that comes w/ it, it looks like this is intended to be paired w/ some of the others, which I was planning on doing anyway.

Below the Belt
about 30 min. Different focus than the others as it's more about the legs, new twist, literally, on thunderbolt. Sonnon's 4CBD becomes a hood ornament. New table sequence too.

Diamond Cutter
50 min. Yoga doc and a new set of real people. Equivalent to the old far burner plus. For all of these, the moves are for the most part the same, but the pacing differs quite a bit, as does the sequencing from the old DVDs. Several new moves or variations in here. As well as new YRG-ized versions of regular yoga moves.

the Extras
Strength Builder
35 min, old standard kicked up a notch. New version of awkward airplane that i've never seen. Just as an example of how things are the same, but different, Wrap and Burn isn't in the Diamond Cutter (but was in the old Fat Burner +), but is in this DVD.

Stand Up
30 min, a lot of balancing, one legged stuff. I think it's going to be harder than it looks. This would be a good time to mention that in all of these, you can see sweat running off people and they're falling a lot in this one, which is kind of cool.

Double Black Diamond
70 min, this is supposed to be the big one. Looks pretty challenging. Art's back!! Again, most of it is the standard stuff, just paced differently. A couple new to YRG moves, but are known in yoga. Just looking at it, I don't think it'll be much beyond a typical class, but is probably a good bit beyond the old fat burner+, IMO.

Overall: Mostly the same moves, w/ some new ones and new twists. It's good for me to see new combinations, some new stuff and have the 25-35 min canned stuff will come in handy. Toss in the mat I got w/ the extras and the heart rate monitor, and it was very worth it for me, but I'm kind of in the can for YRG. DO NOT BUY THIS ON MY RECO ALONE, READ OTHERS TOO. If you have the original DVDs and think the fat burner or fat burner+ are hard, several these will be good twists and/or challenging. If you think those are easy, these will probably be more fun for the twists and new ideas, but the Diamond Cutter is probably a notch above the old Fat Burner+, even though it's 10 min shorter.

One thing that got on my nerves is DDP does this growl-chuckle that was annoying me by the end but might just be me and I'd watched like 3 hours straight of YRG DVD's by that point.

It's funny, there's things in here that we don't do in class and there's things in class that aren't on here. One thing I do like that DDP does on several of the DVDs, is out of the blue, he'll pop into a pose that's a step beyond what they're doing and he'll look at the camera and say "Always somewhere else to go w/ this."

I hope all ya'll find this useful.

I got mine a couple of days ago. I have the original YRG book but have never seen any of the DVD's. I've become interested in dynamic resistance/isometrics in the last year and didn't realize that YRG used it as much as it does. Right now I'm focusing on the Diamond Dozen which are the foundational movements.

Because it's so scalable, these movements alone can make a good warm up or rest day activity, or even a solid workout. YRG is something you could give to your fat middle aged friend or an athlete and both could find benefit.

I got off of YRG when my knee shit the bed last year. I plan to commit to this pretty heavily for several months to a year if my knee agrees. I've got a feeling that when you know it well there is a lot of room to adapt it however you wish.

The heart rate monitor looks to be pretty cool. I haven't gotten into it yet though. Maybe I'll start another training log and talk about how it's working for me.

I've got a feeling that when you know it well there is a lot of room to adapt it however you wish.

Great point, when I write "YRG to warm up" in my log, it's usually the 20 or 30 min workout from the book w/ tweaks I've learned in class or the addition of the Walk the Plank series. Tweaks might include 5 or 10 count pushups instead of 3 sec, pushups on my fists, 10 sec rises out of catcher, my little YRG circuit, power lunge, heisman, holding everything for a 5 count, not a 3 count, etc.

I'm in the same boat w/ my back, which is why it's been such a focus the last couple months and it'll be the foundation going forward. KB's will be in addition to it, icing on the cake, so to speak.

Nice review Freki. I'm sure I'll end up buying this sooner or later.

I got the basic package too.

The Heart Rate monitor is, no way around it, a cheap piece. It works sometimes for me, and sometimes it doesn't. For me, I really need to have worked up a sweat for it to work.

I agree with Freki on this stuff, though I'm not as advanced.

Energy: Good morning routine or warm up
Red Hot Core: To be honest, I really wanted to see more plank variations here instead of all the crunching. This did kick my ass.

I haven't tried the others yet. To be honest, the old Fat Burner plus kicks my ass.

I thought yoga doc looked way skinnier in this than the first series of DVDs.

The booklet was kind of blah. If you're a newbie or know nothing about training and diet, it might be helpful though. I like the first YRG book better.

As an alternative to high impact cardio...these do the trick and very nicely.

As an adjunct to strength training or handled ball training these complement nicely.

Can any of you recommend which YRG videos would be good for someone looking to supplement KB and bodyweight training? I don't have a ton of yoga experience, and mainly want a good back off workout and stretching sequence for around half an hour or so a couple times a week.

From Freki's review, I'm thinking Diamond Dozen, Fat Burner, and Strength Builder.

Excellent review. Thanks for taking the time and effort. I didn't care much for the actual presentation in the original F.O.Y./Fat Burner sets, but that's just me. The new editions/version appear to be more accessible and less annoying.

Shaf, haven't looked at the heart rate monitor yet b/c I already have one, but it may be that you need to wet the sensors on the strap first to get it transmitting.

Agree 100% on the pamphlet. And the mat I got w/ the extra 3 DVD's is nothing special, but serviceable.

Alfred, the Diamond Dozen is more instructional not a workout. Energy, OTOH, would fit your bill well. Or just learn the moves from Diamond Dozen and create your own. I would add the Below the Belt dvd and keep in mind Strength Builder is from the extra package I bought while Energy, Fat Burner and Below the Belt come w/ the basic package.

What might be a better choice for you is to pick up the book cheap on amazon to see if it's even your cup of tea before putting a lot of money into this DVD set.

Did Strength Builder yesterday a.m., good, challenging workout.

OK. What I've done so far. I'll recap what I've done.

Energy: Similar to original YRG20. May be a bit easier. Great for hitting it in the morning.

Red Hot Core: Crunch and abdominal based ab workout. Even the easiest level was kind of hard for me, obviously because I need to the work. What's nice about this is you can stop any other workout before you "go home" and hit RHC, then finish up.

Fat Burner: Easier than the original Fat Burner. Faster paced, more movement, more broken table work. I think this one is a nice step up from Energy. I think the vast majority of folks drawn to YRG will benefit greatly from more broken table work. The piriformis or figure 4 stretch returns in this, but was absent in Energy. That stretch is probably one that will benefit many of the IGx folks.

Freki wrote: Alfred, the Diamond Dozen is more instructional not a workout. Energy, OTOH, would fit your bill well. Or just learn the moves from Diamond Dozen and create your own. I would add the Below the Belt dvd and keep in mind Strength Builder is from the extra package I bought while Energy, Fat Burner and Below the Belt come w/ the basic package.

What might be a better choice for you is to pick up the book cheap on amazon to see if it's even your cup of tea before putting a lot of money into this DVD set.

Thanks. I think I'll pick up the book and the Energy DVD.

My set came last week and I've been using it since Friday. I've done the Energy, BTB, and the Fat Burner.
I watched the Diamond Cutter and thought it looked challenging, but not as killer as the FB+. Once I try it, I'll probably prove myself wrong. I haven't tried the Core disc yet, but will soon.

So far, I like the BTB disc the best. I've used it once with Energy as a 1-2 combo (Energy, go make dinner, then BTB) and once alone. I think they are very complimentary used this way. Energy has just enough table position work to get you started, then BTB kicks it in with the broken airplane. I like the additions of the standing bow pulling (hood ornament), warrior 3 (a variation of Bikram's balancing stick), and the "space shuttle" into exploding touchdown. I doon't care what anyone says, these workouts do the trick in getting the body loose, hot, and fit. I was sweating buckets after doubling the Energy with BTB.

As far as the format, I like the "vinyasa" feel of the workout more than the old skool YRG. DDP has really come a long way since the originals and knows these movements and their benefits well. He obvously doesn't need Yoga Doc adding his $.02 and walking around adjusting the participants anymore.

As a side note, the "Team YRG" site is new and not nearly as active as this forum. I did start my account and started a blog this week. An added bonus is the presence of DDP on the site. He regularly posts comments with diet and exercise advice on people's blogs and welcomes you once you start your page. A nice touch you certainly don't see at other fitness sites (I don't think Couch welcomes anyone to @fit until they cut the $1,000 check to affiliate and the other grand to join the RRG). In all, a solid product.

"Comrade Sofa, welcome to the party!"

vern wrote:"Comrade Sofa, welcome to the party!"

Coulda been worse.

Sofa King wrote:As a side note, the "Team YRG" site is new and not nearly as active as this forum. I did start my account and started a blog this week. An added bonus is the presence of DDP on the site. He regularly posts comments with diet and exercise advice on people's blogs and welcomes you once you start your page. A nice touch you certainly don't see at other fitness sites (I don't think Couch welcomes anyone to @fit until they cut the $1,000 check to affiliate and the other grand to join the RRG). In all, a solid product.

It seems as if DDP is hell-bent on the team YRG site becoming a hub of activity. I realize he has plans for bigger and better things, and making his site a top fitness site will help him to that end, but it is nice to see him on there regularly and I think he genuinely wants to see people succeed.
Arthur adds a lot to the forum over there too. He posted his meal plan and it really illustrates the dedication and commitment he had to losing all that excess weight.
And, it is where you all can see just how devastatingly handsome I really am.

bigpeach wrote:And, it is where you all can see just how devastatingly handsome I really am.

?

Norman U. Senchbau wrote:

bigpeach wrote:And, it is where you all can see just how devastatingly handsome I really am.

?

Exactly. Women, queers, and bi-curious Cincinnati types are left speechless.

bigpeach wrote:

Sofa King wrote:As a side note, the "Team YRG" site is new and not nearly as active as this forum. I did start my account and started a blog this week. An added bonus is the presence of DDP on the site. He regularly posts comments with diet and exercise advice on people's blogs and welcomes you once you start your page. A nice touch you certainly don't see at other fitness sites (I don't think Couch welcomes anyone to @fit until they cut the $1,000 check to affiliate and the other grand to join the RRG). In all, a solid product.

It seems as if DDP is hell-bent on the team YRG site becoming a hub of activity. I realize he has plans for bigger and better things, and making his site a top fitness site will help him to that end, but it is nice to see him on there regularly and I think he genuinely wants to see people succeed.
Arthur adds a lot to the forum over there too. He posted his meal plan and it really illustrates the dedication and commitment he had to losing all that excess weight.
And, it is where you all can see just how devastatingly handsome I really am.

I, for one, was surprised to see Peach does have hair.

I did the Diamond Cutter and Double Black Diamond on vacation. Both were tougher than I thought they'd be. Good workouts, if Arthur ever quits teaching this Saturday class, they'll be my go to's on that day.

Favs:
Strength Builder
Below the Belt
Stand up

Fat Burner's good for when I feel like an easy for me YRG workout.

Freki wrote:I did the Diamond Cutter and Double Black Diamond on vacation. Both were tougher than I thought they'd be. Good workouts, if Arthur ever quits teaching this Saturday class, they'll be my go to's on that day.

Are they toughter than the Fat Burner Plus from the old dvd series?

Probably an individual thing, but I think so.

OK, I am bit confused about the "extra" DVDs that do not come with the package:

the Extras
Strength Builder
35 min, old standard kicked up a notch. New version of awkward airplane that i've never seen. Just as an example of how things are the same, but different, Wrap and Burn isn't in the Diamond Cutter (but was in the old Fat Burner +), but is in this DVD.

Stand Up
30 min, a lot of balancing, one legged stuff. I think it's going to be harder than it looks. This would be a good time to mention that in all of these, you can see sweat running off people and they're falling a lot in this one, which is kind of cool.

Double Black Diamond
70 min, this is supposed to be the big one. Looks pretty challenging. Art's back!! Again, most of it is the standard stuff, just paced differently. A couple new to YRG moves, but are known in yoga. Just looking at it, I don't think it'll be much beyond a typical class, but is probably a good bit beyond the old fat burner+, IMO.

Maybe I am retarded, but I don't see how you purchase them:

http://www.yrgfitness.com/about/

This sucks, because the first two sound like great additions to me.

Spoke with customer service and you have to purchase an "upgrade" to get the extra three workouts listed above. This upgrade includes a yoga mat and nutritional supplement.

I explained to the service rep I had no interest in the mat or supplement and just wanted the DVDs. They forwarded me up the chain a few times, the end result being that you must buy the "free" mat and supplement to get the extra DVDs. This is nonsense to me. I told them if they kept the mat, supplement, and HRM and threw in free shipping, I would buy all the discs. No go.

Ideally, they should sell all their discs separately if you want to buy them that way.

I would really like to have all the discs without the HRM, mat, and supplement and I never see them showing up on ebay.

If anyone has an idea on how to solve my problem, PM me.

Thanks.

Strength Builder is excellent. Enough challenging moves for me, but not undoable.

DrDonkeyLove wrote:I got mine a couple of days ago. I have the original YRG book but have never seen any of the DVD's. I've become interested in dynamic resistance/isometrics in the last year and didn't realize that YRG used it as much as it does. Right now I'm focusing on the Diamond Dozen which are the foundational movements.

Because it's so scalable, these movements alone can make a good warm up or rest day activity, or even a solid workout. YRG is something you could give to your fat middle aged friend or an athlete and both could find benefit.

I got off of YRG when my knee shit the bed last year. I plan to commit to this pretty heavily for several months to a year if my knee agrees. I've got a feeling that when you know it well there is a lot of room to adapt it however you wish.

The heart rate monitor looks to be pretty cool. I haven't gotten into it yet though. Maybe I'll start another training log and talk about how it's working for me.

Just reread this post, I actually had a minor knee strain that made it a bit difficult to walk a month or two ago. After a day of taking it easy, I did the FB+ from the first DVD set, and the problem was gone the next day. Obviously that isn't the solution for more serious problems but it was a nice surprise.

Re Stand Up:
Made for a nice workout, and the balance aspect was very nice. Will be very familiar to someone who knows the basic Bikram sequence. It starts quickly, which I liked. Very nice use of the palm tree/touchdown pose, as well as the chair/lightning bolt pose. My back, shoulders, and hamstrings were very happy with this one (more so than any of the original 3 dvds). There is nothing for the ITBs in this one-- but you are standing the whole time.

I like this workout a lot- it is easier on the quads than the old FB and FB+, which makes it a nice morning wakeup or for use after lifting or running. The addition of the one minute water break was nice. Others may need it, but for a reasonably in shape person-- there was no need for the cooldown/corpse pose.

This would be a nice one for in a hotel room while traveling-- you need very little space. Except for the extended hand to big toe pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2473). Generally you move forward and backwards only. If you need to use a brick for the poses where you bend forward, a suitcase or a couple of phonebooks would probably be fine. Make sure you are comfortable with your footing if you are doing this on carpet though.

A few things to keep in mind though:

1. DDP could have used Yoga Doc on this one. It was better instruction than the original 3 disk set in some areas, and worse in others. I need a reminder to adjust the back foot when he transitions into triangles. Same with the first pose after the bow. Can use a reminder to keep my hips straight during the lunge (warrior 1/superstar) poses too.
2. It would have been better if he'd added maybe one extra minute to the workout and taken more time for the Diamond Cutters and Sign of the Crosses.

Because of these little quibbles, I wouldn't suggest this as a beginner's workout-- you need to have some familiarity with the system and your body. You will need a certain awareness of when to self correct on this one. I can see myself doing this on a regular basis for a long time though.