MARK LAUREN Bodyweight Workout DVD EFX | Calisthenics DVD

Pros: lots of emphasis on balance, core and stabiliser muscles. Some new exercises which I haven't seen elsewhere (and I am an exercise junkie, I follow several fitness websites which post workouts, plus I've done Rushfit, Insanity, P90X, X2 and X3, as well as lots of stuff by Cathe Friedrich, in addition to various lower difficulty level workouts when I first started training, and of course I have You are your own gym book). Strong emphasis on good form and detailed explanations. Stretches are excellent, again there is something new there and I especially like neck stretch, more effective than the usual yoga-based ones I typically do.Cons: I wish it was possible to skip through the introduction of exercises in each segment. It is unnecessary down time. However, this is a minor matter, since it is always possible to just do things without following DVD. Once you know the exercises, all you need is Gymboss timer or a Gymboss app (or whichever timer app you prefer). In fact I am used to doing my circuits with no breaks anyway, just write down what I am doing on a sheet of paper and cross out what I have done once I complete all the reps.One other Con is that while these are excellent workouts to improve your athletic performance if you are in a good shape, if your objective is to lose weight and get ripped, you'd be better off by adding something which can bring your heart rate higher than this. Even with much shorter breaks, similar to YAYOG workouts, my heart rate doesn't go nowhere as high as for example while doing some of Zuzanna's workouts (zuzkalight.com). On the other hand, these are much better planned workouts which can result in balanced overall improvements in strength. If you are in shape, EFX is perfect for you. If you are working on getting in shape, I would suggest add something else in addition to EFX.

"You Are Your Own Gym" was my first Mark Lauren workout set. I like his approach well enough as I am not a fan of having to use weights or equipment when I know that body weight exercises are very effective for total body workouts that also build strength. What I did not particularly like about that DVD set was that I paid for 3 discs worth of workouts, but only the intermediate disc is appropriate for me. The beginner disc is too easy for me and I will never be able to deal with the moves on the advanced disc (I'm 58 years old). I am very much an intermediate in Mark Lauren's system.I just recently bought the EFX set and love it. It is very challenging while also allowing me to build me ability towards completing the workouts. Because of the way it structures each workout with progressively more difficult 3-move complexes, I do as much as I can manage and can see the improvement in how much of the workout I can complete and how well I can keep my posture and execute the moves correctly. Some of the moves are quite difficult, but not so difficult that are pointless for me because I can only execute them with very poor form, risking injuring myself, or just no being able to do them. The challenge comes from attempting to complete the entire workout while keeping form and posture as good as possible.I also really like Mark's emphasis on maintaining form and posture through the moves (an area needing my attention).

It's a good, tough workout if you're tired of the same stuff that's out there. Very well put together and professional. Mark knows his stuff, that's for sure. The only thing that slightly bothers me is the fact that you have to watch the introduction to each exercise everytime you want to work out. I don't understand why they couldn't just put all the explanations of the exercises into a seperate segment on the dvd's instead of wasting a precious 3 minutes every time you want to work out. I know people will say just fast forward, but it's 2014 and did the producers not think of this scenario? Otherwise a great little set of workout dvd's. I was sore as hell for a week doing this, but getting the hang of it. Trying to get lean for Summer and this is gonna get me in shape fast.