Anna Kournikova's Basic Elements: My Complete Fitness Guide
-- Video Business, 9/17/2001
FITNESSColor, 52 min., VHS $14.99, DVD $19.99
Available now
Video Premiere
TRIMARK
The very blonde, frequently downloaded Anna Kournikova is tennis' reigning pinup queen and one of its most marketable stars (even though she has never one a major tournament), endorsing everything from Adidas sportwear to Omega watches. In her first workout video, the 20-year-old Kournikova promises to teach viewers the secrets of her tennis technique, and to give them the tools they need to compete in sports. She begins with a warm-up (jump roping) and ends with a cool-down (stretching) and in-between leads viewers through a series of upper and lower body workout moves. Interested parties they won't be able to jump right in to the proceedings, however, without hitting the sporting goods store first: they'll have to purchase free weights, a stability ball, a medicine ball, a rope course and some cones, among many other athletic items, to follow the program. Additionally, they'll have to find a partner who is willing to help them through a large portion of the workout. Adding to the unpractical nature of the workout, Kournikova does little explaining and never leads the viewer through the actual exercises, focusing instead on explaining how everything affects her individually out on the court. Of course, does all this really matter when there are plenty of loving slow-motion shots of Anna's face, chest and legs and sound-bites of her saying "Yeah, I feel it" in a thick Russian accent? The teenage boys--and even adult males--who are sure to pick up this video probably won't care if the exercises work or not. Will they even use it for fitness purposes? Serious exercisers and those looking for a good, basic workout should steer clear. --Mayna Bergmann
