The Complete ‘Core Values’ Workout

I'm looking for a great workout routine for runners. I'm always concerned that over the course of a year, a runner tends to hone their body into a running machine without doing the proper maintenance to keep the muscles balanced. If you have any program, book or video that you follow, please send me your ideas for future blog reviews.

Within the last two weeks, I downloaded through iTunes 'The Complete 'Core Values' Workout' from Runner's World. It's a 36 minute workout that goes over stretching, poses and lifts that help keep the core muscles [abs, hips, and upper legs] in shape to balance the weekly pounding that running and walking do to it. It was released at the beginning of this year by Runner's World on iTunes for $7.99. Downloads both a video and audio program for that price and stores in your iPod or computer.

What I really liked about it is that you don't need a ton of equipment to get through all the exercises in the program. I went out and brought the stuff I was missing - Balance Ball, two hand weights and a medicine ball. What I really liked is that the trainer gave you alternatives poses to do if you didn't want to buy any of the equipment, which is useful if you either don't want to make the investment or you want to do some type of exercise before picking the equipment up.

I thought the trainer do a good job of showing you're the basics as well as giving you two alternative poses to make it harder. Two often, the training videos make you switch to 'advanced' programs if you find the basic ones too easy. I especially like that the trainer made sure to put stretches in between the exercises. The only peeve I have with training videos is having you do stretching to begin and end and back-to-back exercise that end up killing you. This is a great mix of both when you need that break between exercises.

Overall, I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars for a workout routine. Having both video and audio is a nice touch and very reasonable for a $7.99 total cost.