DVD Review ‘The Happy Body Exercise Program’ by World Weightlifting Champs – The Gregoreks

I’m the first to admit that I’m usually not a fan of exercise DVDs. I find the trainers and gurus just so annoyingly…perky!

But I was absolutely thrilled to see that world weightlifting champions and famous LA fitness gurus Jerzy and Aniela Gregorek had (finally!) created a DVD set to accompany their bestselling book, The Happy Body: The Simple Science of Nutrition, Exercise, and Relaxation. I’ve been a fan of theirs since their book came out nearly six years ago. Now my home workout regimen is complete.

Few of us can spend the time or money to work out with a personal trainer and, instead, tackle our workouts from home with an exercise bike, a yoga mat, and a TV show or background music. But this do-it-yourself route can be problematic without someone there to correct poor body positioning, ineffective breathing, or other rookie errors. The Happy Body Exercise Program instructional DVD set takes the guesswork out of home-bound workouts. Best of all, it doesn’t require expensive equipment.

The four-disk set is a valuable companion piece to the Gregoreks’ award-winning book, The Happy Body. My guess is that fans like me have been hounding them for years to put out this visual tool. This Polish immigrant couple, who founded and coach the UCLA weightlifting team, has developed a following based on their breakthrough nutrition and exercise approach that helps people look 10-20 years younger, and–even more impressive–feel 20-40 years younger than their biological age.

While the book gives an in-depth description of the Gregoreks’ holistic approach to diet, stress management, and exercise, it relied on photo sequences to show how to perform a series of 18 daily exercises–a choppy approach to showing fluid movements. Now, through the DVDs, the world-class weightlifting pair demonstrates the exercises showcased in the book in a step-by-step progression–and even at one-quarter speed–leaving little room for error.

Better yet, the DVD is silent, with instructions appearing as text on the screen, so we can choose our own workout music–or enjoy the quiet–instead of being subjected to the head-jarring beat of the typical workout video.

Those familiar with the Gregoreks’ program know that they recommend easing into an exercise regimen. They give the viewer the option to choose from five levels of difficulty for each movement. As a daily workout, we can adapt to more rigorous levels as our flexibility and strength improve. Three of the four disks focus on the nuts and bolts–demonstrating each exercise’s progression. Then, once we’ve mastered them, the fourth disk ties all 18 interrelated exercises together into a fluid workout.

The exercises in The Happy Body Exercise Program are meant to be performed at a certain speed and with a breathing technique that maximizes fat burning, muscle flexibility, and optimal recovery. As described in the book, hand weights should be customized to an individual’s level of condition: for women just starting out, 1-3 pounds are best, and for men, 5-8 pounds.

The Happy Body Exercise Program DVDs enable us to maximize the benefits of the exercise program, and help us on our journey to achieving the Gregoreks’ six components of youthfulness: flexibility, speed, strength, good posture, leanness, and ideal body weight. At around $55, the DVD set is a fantastic investment–less than one would pay for a single session with a personal trainer. Together with their book, exercise buffs have everything we need to look and feel youthful again–and get ready for swimsuit season. I can hardly wait to get started.