9 weird and wonderful workout DVDs

Isabella Power Work-out, £17.99
Who will like it: Fitness enthusiasts looking for a challenge
Who won't: Anyone expecting bags of charisma from Lady Isabella

Lady Isabella Hervey opens her fitness DVD with a little introduction to tell us, very modestly, that the fabulous figure we ogled on 'Celebrity Love Island' is not in fact natural (as we all apparently thought), but that she has to work very hard at it. Beware though - she warns - we will be aching the next day with her circuit training style work-out.

Truer words have never been spoken. In this lunge-heavy work-out Lady Isabella and her personal trainer take you through 45 minutes of hell to ensure that even two days later you can barely walk downstairs without the aid of a banister.

This is a high-impact routine, working on the stomach, upper body and legs, with a particular emphasis on the latter. It might do well to have fewer lunges and more exercises involving the arms and stomach (judging by how well the respective muscles were functioning the next day).

Kicking off with a ten-minute warm-up followed by 45 minutes of the high-impact stuff, the routine is pretty easy to follow and the personal trainer does a good job of injecting personality where Lady Isabella fails. It is true to say that she is not the most charismatic creature on our screens, but her primary purpose is to look good, and in that respect she does the job perfectly. - Peggy Nuttall

Chillates, by Ministry of Sound, £19.99
Who will like it: Yoga bugs with hip music taste
Who won't: Absolute beginners just starting out

I associate Ministry of Sound with packed clubs full of sweaty dancers, but this exercise DVD is a departure from type. Calm and sedate, Chillates is influenced by yoga, pilates, Alexander technique and dance, and promises to tone your body and your mind.

I'm a complete novice when it comes to these disciplines, although I'm addicted to the idea of long and lean muscles (standing at just five feet tall, I need all the help I can get). And although the DVD offers three levels of workout, with beginner, intermediate and advanced, it does assume that you know the movements and how to do them properly. The Tips and Techniques section shows you how to assume some postures, and tells you what not to do, but I found it too much to take in, and it doesn't explain everything. Glancing down to check that my hips were aligned, or that I wasn't arching my back, I found the exercisers on screen had moved on and I'd missed some vital part of the routine. And as for the sun salutation, well, they've got to be kidding!

With its 12-track soundtrack, Chillates boasts better music than many exercise DVDs. But I found choreographer Litza Bixler's voice annoying after a short while, as she calmly calls for double time when you're still wondering which foot you should be standing on. She promises that if you persevere, you will get a fitter, leaner body, and I do believe her. But I think I need to go to a few classes and learn the techniques before tackling the DVD again. - Belinda Weber

Pump It Up Hi-Energy by Ministry of Sound, £14.99
Who will like it: Radio 1 listeners who fancy a jig
Who won't: People annoyed by girls with washboard stomachs saying 'This works the love handles'

I loved Ministry of Sound's 2005 Pump it Up - Beach Body workout. The instructor Fiona Fagan kept yelling out instructions like 'Run your hands down your body - sexxxxyy!' This one has the same combination of throbbing music and girls in teeny-tiny costumes, and there are plenty of opportunities to wiggle your hips and act all sexy. As a plus, this DVD includes a bit of hairobics; 'Rolling and flicking your head looks great,' says Fiona in the introduction. Just be sure you don't strain your neck in the process.

After the warm-up, a 20-minute section of dance aerobics is followed by a bonus 20-minute dance section (put together by Sean G. Huston, the chorographer behind the 'Call On Me' video, in case you're wondering), then some exercises to tone that evil triad - tums, bums and thighs - before a cooldown. It's good for an overall workout and the music is loads better than the usual bland beats on so many workout DVDs. But the moves aren't described very well as you move through the routines. There's not much notice of what's coming next; you'll need to do the workout a few times before you can anticipate the changes. Note to self: next time wear satin shorts and bikini top, to fit in with the other girls. Sexxxxyyy! - Jennifer Howze

10 Best Fitness, £19.99
Who will like it: Women who love vintage
Who won't: Trend-spotters gagging for the latest fitness fad

Eleven hours' worth of exercise for the price of one DVD is pretty good, and this just about covers everything fitness-orientated you could possibly imagine: exercises specifically for the back, a workout for the older generation and 'Yogacise' to name a few of the more unconventional offerings, along with the usual cardio-vascular and fat-burning offerings.

Jerry Hall's 'Yogacise' headlines this work-out bumper pack, with the standard Hatha Yoga postures concentrating on breathing and relaxation. There is nothing new here and the title is quite misleading as it's far from a work-out - the dulcet tones of the instructor could be somewhat sleep-inducing. OK, I did fall asleep at one point, but I probably did well to doze through some of Jerry's more garish leotard-leggings ensembles. It was also mildly upsetting that her hair kept getting the way during certain postures.

Another DVD in the set called 'More Alive' is for the older exerciser, and includes gentle stretches and body strengthening exercises. This is presented by various Florida pensioners in their front rooms with carriage clocks and pictures of their grandchildren in the background. In between each section they treat us to a motivational rhyming couplet such as 'is your posture stooping as you age? Try More Alive, it's the rage'. The work-out is worth pursuing just for this - there's nothing like laughter to make you feel 'More Alive'.

With 5 DVDs, 10 fitness routines, and almost a whole days' worth of exercise all for the bargain-basement price of £19.99, this set gives you plenty for your money. The catch - as you may be wondering - is that the videos were made about, oh, 15 years ago (funny how Jerry Hall looks almost exactly the same). Overall, the routines are dated and far from state-of-the-art. On the bright side, the fashion choices and hairstyles are a pure delight to see. - Peggy Nuttall