9 weird and wonderful workout DVDs

Working out at home is a lot easier and more fun with the right video. We've rated some of the most interesting ones to land on our desks this year. Be sure and check with your GP before starting a new workout

Editor's picks CD UK Dance Workout David Kirsch's Boot Camp Love Yoga with Jayne Middlemiss
The best of the rest Claire Sweeney's Weight Watchers workout Complete Country Workout Isabella Hervey's Power Work-out Ministry of Sound's Chillates workout Ministry of Sound's Pump It Up Hi-Energy workout 10 Best Fitness DVDs

Editor's Pick
CD UK Dance Workout, £7.97
Who will like it: Dancers, club kids and Adidas shareholders
Who won't: People without rhythm

If you want to fit in with the CD UK girls and boys on this workout, break out your best chav wear - trackie bottoms, trendy t-shirts and splashy trainers. This workout is all about cool moves but the instructor on the video, Andy Instone, keeps it from succumbing to a too-cool-for-school attitude. By the end of the workout, 'you'll have learned some wicked dance moves that are off the hook and you'll get fit at the same time,' Andy promises.

There's one workout with two dance routines in it - one beginner, the other intermediate. With each you learn a combination of dance moves, which are then put together in a performance section. Usually dance workouts are just the same old exercises with some wiggle thrown in, but these moves fit together like a real dance routine and were challenging and fun. OK, I found it hard to keep up once the music was speeded up - and that was just in the warm-up. But that's normal, says Andy, and I choose to believe him. 'As time progresses you'll be able to do more and more,' he says. 'Remember we are professional dancers.'

You'll be moving your body in ways that you don't in a standard aerobics class and therefore working your muscles in new ways. I was surprised to find the next day my back and shoulders were pleasantly sore from all that funky arm-waving. This is the kind of DVD that you could do all year, perfecting the moves each time. Plus it's a snip compared with the cost of other DVDs. However, fogies - young or old - might find the sudden moves could aggravate joint or back complaints. - Jennifer Howze

Editor's Pick
David Kirsch's Sound Mind Sound Body Ultimate Fitness Boot Camp, £10.49
Who will like it: People in fairly good shape who want new moves to tighten up
Who won't: Pacifists and conscientious objectors

Sylvia Plath may not be right that every woman adores a Fascist, but when it comes to personal trainers, I like a boot in the face from time to time. I think I fell in love with one gym instructor who ran a boot camp class like a real drill sergeant. He barked orders. He made us do push-ups for small infractions. He pushed us to sprint faster, jump higher, work harder. And when we left - bathed in sweat and rubbery-legged - we felt fighting fit.

David Kirsch, the owner of the Madison Square Club gym in New York City, has trained celebs like Heidi Klum, Rachel Weisz and Sophie Dahl. His approach is less military, more mantra, as he talks about incorporating the mind into your workout. 'You're amazing', he says encouragingly. 'You deserve this stretch' (Thanks, David!). But there's nothing cushy about this 45-minute workout, which goes beyond ho-hum crunches to intense but fun moves like squat thrusts, mountain climbers (in the push-up position, bringing alternate feet up between your hands), frog leaps (looks like it sounds) and sumos (think, big forward leg swing that lands with a thud). It only requires a light set of hand weights (he recommends two to three pounds) and a bit of space to move about. You can work at a level matching your fitness level; I found myself panting after the first few exercises.

Kirsch's client Heidi Klum makes an appearance and gives her endorsement as well as her take on exercise, which is that everyone starts to sag as they get older. 'I have my body because I work on my body,' she says. And David's approach is good because it makes you stronger. 'It's not just about being skinny.' Thanks for that, Heidi. Now drop and give me 20. - Jennifer Howze