Review: WWE Fit Series

Stephanie McMahon is a former WWE Women's Champion who is now an executive and mom of three. But, she still has a body fit for a WWE Diva, and even proved it in a match at SummerSlam 2014 after a 10-year absence from the ring.

So, a logical move was for her to show women, especially other busy moms, how she does it- the staying in great shape part, that is.

Her workout video, WWE Fit Series, combines weight training, cardio and yoga. It looked like it was perfect for me. I already did cardio boxing, yoga and a tad of weight training, and I just had my third child nine months ago. I was also 15 pounds away from my "happy weight" or 20 pounds away from WWE Diva weight.

The DVD has five workouts with brief warm-ups and cool-downs. Stephanie leads the workouts as NXT Divas and WWE Diva Naomi follow along.

In addition to the DVD, light and heavy dumbbell weights are needed. Those who do not have soft flooring will also need a yoga mat. It includes a four-week workout calendar which starts participants off with one workout a day.

The first recommended workout is Lower Body. It is a 15-minute workout, with a brief warm-up, two sets of a short, but incredibly effective routine, and brief cool-down. Although I was surprised when the workout was complete, my body certainly did not feel cheated. In fact, my quads were a little sore the next day.

The Upper Body workout is a 14-minute workout. It uses typical weight training to sculpt arms, using the same format as the Lower Body workout. While I say "typical," Stephanie did teach me something about holding dumbbells during this workout.

This was probably the most disappointing workout. It is clearly labeled as a 7-minute workout, but the others were so effective in a short period, I thought perhaps Stephanie (and her trainer, Joe DeFranco, who does not appear in the video, but crafted the workouts) had some awesome trick up their sleeves. The workout had a few of my favorite poses, but that was it. I actually pulled out my regular yoga workout to do once I finished the WWE one.

Since the Flexibility workout is the only workout that doesn't get paired up with another workout on the calendar, it's almost like another rest day for me. As a result, I'll continue to replace with my regular yoga routine.

It's almost as if this workout was punishment for what I thought of the Flexibility one. This 17-minute workout kicks your butt, while staying low-impact enough to not bother problem joints. It was a relief to see Stephanie slightly out of breath at the end, too.

The Abs/Core workout utilizes Tabata-style circuits (20 seconds of exercise, 10 seconds rest). It is a 12-minute workout that burns abs and even has the Divas complaining about its difficulty. I would have giggled if I wasn't counting down the seconds to the next rest.

Stephanie does a great job teaching and explaining each exercise. One issue was that she doesn't point out Sasha (and sometimes another Diva) is doing the modified version of exercises for beginners until we are about half-way through most of the workouts. (I think she was pointed out at the beginning of the Cardio workout.)

I liked that plenty of time is provided to shake it out and get a drink of water. I also liked seeing the Divas struggling to keep balance, missing a cue and being corrected by Stephanie- it shows that we are just like these women in top physical shape.

While I will modify the Flexibility portion, the workouts overall are amazing for the short period of time allotted for each one. After trying each workout, I am sure WWE Fit Series' promise of a "physique worthy of the main event" is possible if the system is followed.

UPDATE: After completing the initial four-week workout plan provided with the video, I lost 5 lbs. I did not make major changes to my diet- I still ate the usual pastas, snacks and the occasional dessert. I am happy with the results so far and, more importantly, enjoy the workout.