1. Front(wo)man

Nobody needs to be a genius to work out that putting a celebrity’s name on the box is a marketing exercise. Naturally, they’re not fitness experts, and the real work on devising the routines has been done by a professional. So it seems rather false for the DVD to be promoted as if the ‘star’ is responsible for it.

2. Her Again!

Presumably, theseDVDs must make money, as many stars do more than one. This begs the question, though – why do they need to do that, if the first one was any good? It rather implies that it was somehow inadequate – or would do if we didn’t know that they’re just trying to squeeze as much money out of their fading career as they can.

3. Same Pictures

Another thing I really find annoying is that they all carry the same kind of pictures on the cover. Granted, you wouldn’t expect a fitness DVD to be promoted by pictures of someone fully dressed, but they always show a) a badly lit, unflattering ‘before’ photo and b) a smiling, trim ‘after’ photo (doubtless airbrushed).

4. No Experience

As I’ve pointed out, there is always a fitness trainer behind these DVDs, as there should be, but it doesn’t seem right that a celebrity who knows nothing about health and fitness is drafted in to promote it. The box should say ‘The [trainer’s name] workout, presented by [celeb’s name]. That would be more honest!

5. Ker-Ching!

This has to be the only real reason these DVDs exist – to make money. Even with experts backing them and devising the routines, I wonder how safe they are for unsupervised use. People buy them because they’re cheap, but some sessions at the gym or with a personal trainer might be a better investment.

6. D-List

As I’ve said, these DVDs are always ‘presented’ by minor celebrities. That’s because the real deal has no need to resort to desperate measures for self-promotion. The D-list, on the other hand, has no talent to back them up, and no hope of a lasting career, so they’ll do anything they can to make money while they’re still recognised.

7. Cash-in

It’s like a snowball gathering speed – once one soap actress or reality ‘star’ makes a DVD, others follow suit. Then the shelves are full of smiling bikini-clad ‘stars’ showing their ‘stunning new figure’, as the accompanying newspaper articles describe it. Note that men rarely make fitness DVDs.

8. Effectiveness

And then there’s the million dollar question – do they work? Just how effective can a home workout be, how good are the routines, and are they safe? I rather suspect that like diet books, they’re just selling a dream …

Have you ever tried one of these DVDs, and what did you think of it?

Top Photo Credit: bass_nroll