9 weird and wonderful workout DVDs

Editor's Pick
Jayne Middlemiss - Love Yoga, £11.99
Who will like it: Meditative Leonard Cohen fans
Who won't: People who live in Spandex

The most annoying thing about loads of workout DVDs is that they're populated with ultra hardbody aerobicizers and their minions who never could have gotten that way with the exercises they're demonstrating. Which is why, if you can get past the corny name of this DVD, Love Yoga with 'Celebrity Love Island' escapee Jayne Middlemiss was one of my favourites.

Jayne is in good shape, and you can definitely get a good workout from this video. But thankfully neither Jayne nor her instructor/narrarator Ryan Spielman look like they've pledged their lives to yoga trousers and om chants. Within the first 15 minutes of the beginning workout - through sun salutation and warrior poses - I could feel myself working and stretching. Instructor Ryan talks you through each of the poses slowly - the novice can easily keep up; the more seasoned practicer can take the time to intensify the positions. This DVD features two workouts: one for beginners, the other for intermediates. Both emphasize getting into the proper mindset for your session - with time devoted to focusing the mind and breathing correctly. Best of all, Ryan's voice, which has a low and sonorous timbre, is vaguely reminiscent of cult singer Leonard Cohen's. Jayne leaves the talking to Ryan in the DVD and that's just the way we like it. - Jennifer Howze

Claire Sweeney - Perfect Fit with Weight Watchers, £17.99
Who will like it: Weight Watchers devotees easing into a workout plan
Who won't: Fitness freaks looking to sweat

Perfect Fit, featuring the affable, smiling Claire Sweeney, is designed for busy women looking to fit a workout snugly into their hectic, day-to-day lives. And it promises that along with a Weight Watchers diet plan and the exercise routines, you can lose a stone in just a few weeks. I'm a little sceptical, and having tried it, I doubt you'll last even a week.

Your workout is broken down into sections such as 'the total body tummy trimmer,' 'the burner,' 'leg 'n tone,' leg and arm shaper.' with a warm-up and cool down fitted in either side. They're very easy to follow and are only 5 minutes in length and you can choose to group them together in bursts of 10 to 60 minutes at a time - which is very convenient.

However, this DVD is not for your hardcore exercise enthusiast. It's perfect if you want to exercise without breaking a sweat: just as you start to get your heart-rate up, you're swiftly moved on to the next section - which makes your workout disjointed and overall, disappointing. Watch out though for Claire Sweeney's hilarious Baywatch babe impression as she tries to enliven the 'jogging on the spot' move by exerting herself to the max, nearly forcing her boobs out of her over-burdened top. Maybe that's what I was doing wrong. - Jennifer McBride

Complete Country Workout, £19.99
Who will like it: Cowgirls and cowgirl wannabes
Who won't: Urban city folk with fancy-pants ways

When I was a girl growing up in Texas the latest fitness craze was aerobics, where you wore leg warmers and leotards and jumped around a lot. Now they have line dancing, in which you wear cowboy boots and fringed shorts and boot-scoot a lot.

This three-DVD set includes nine workouts, 30 to 45 minutes long, all using a variety of popular country dancing moves. There is also a country line dancing for kids workout. The instructor, Diane Horner has a mumsy haircut and an enthusiastic and encouraging (if a bit exacting) manner. Even those with two left feet will be able to follow along as Diane runs through the steps and there's plenty of practise over and over and over and over until you get it. Perhaps one of the most helpful aspects of this video is that Diane first teaches the steps by turning her back to the camera, so your view is the same that it would be in an aerobics class, copying her exactly. It's a very effective teaching technique and surprisingly rare with workout videos.

The best bit is the line dancing segment. This is a kind of country dancing where you dance in lines, without a partner. All the dances featured - like the Electric Slide and Cotton Eyed Joe - are ones you'd see from Amarillo to Austin and they are the most fun segments in the collection. (Please note that the culturally correct exclamation on the kicks in the Cotton Eyed Joe is 'bullshit!'.)

The intriguing Hip Hop Country Workout is what you'd expect from a mature woman dressed in jean shorts and a fringed top doing moves cribbed from inner city youths: beyond square. Still, there's an earnestness about this DVD that makes it appealing for devotees of low-impact workouts. For all the benefits however, I found the workouts too repetitive and low-energy to really get my blood pumping. This video would best for someone with low mobility, flexibility and fitness levels. - Jennifer Howze