Emergency Workout with Minna Lessig

Two 30 minute workouts designed to burn the maximum number of calories as well as tone your muscles. First a workout combining aerobics with dance moves for a cardiovascular workout; second a workout using light hand weights for muscle toning.

"Lose weight and tone your body in just six weeks!" claims the back cover of Emergency Workout. Don't expect to look like gorgeous Minna Lessig, former Ms. Fitness USA and National Fitness champion, in that time, but do expect to have fun getting into shape with these two well-designed, high-energy, 30-minute workouts. Remember the pre-hip-hop era of aerobic dance when we were doing cha cha, salsa, mambo, grapevines, and hip-swinging, feel-good combinations that kept our heart rates and moods up without taxing our minds terribly much?

That's what Lessig gives us in the aerobic segment. The dance moves are just challenging enough to be fun and give us a sense of accomplishment, without being a major learning endeavor. Lessig teaches the routines smoothly and expertly, a move at a time. Her two female assistants, their faces animated, seem to be having a great time, too. The second workout is a non-stop weight segment using dumbbells. Lessig's routine is an interesting mix of combination moves, such as biceps curls with lunges, or leg extensions with lateral raises, sometimes involving balance. The only problem is that you have no time to change weights between muscle groups, so you have to go light. Each workout has its own warm-up and cooldown, so you can alternate them on different days, or blitz yourself by doing the whole hour. A sample 1,100- to 1,200-calorie diet menu is included.