The American Gladiators Ultimate Workout DVD consists of 3 separate workouts for both men and women. I have confirmed this because my wife did each workout right alongside me and she really impressed the hell out of me! It also includes 3 short target zone sessions that each focus on a certain part of the body. Yes, they are the important ones… and each workout is performed by the Gladiators right on the set of the TV show!
From the moment the electric drums and synthesized trumpets begin their epic march, you are transported to a magical hybrid world of ancient Roman combat and late-'80s spandex. It's a bizarre world where combatants exchange blows amidst wrestling mats; where men cannot strike each other but must hug instead; and where s"Zapa" is considered a feminine name. Yes, it is the strange and mesmerizing world of American Gladiators, captured for all time thanks to the gracious DVD gods residing inside of the Shout! Factory.
If you grew up in the early '90s, odds are you crawled around in your kitchen while a sibling or friend threw tennis balls at you. If you were really daring, you constructed some sort of make-shift Atlasphere. It's only fitting that after 20 years, this classic staple of Saturday afternoon entertainment hits DVD in grand style. While it may not be the entire original first season, what's here is too awesome to disqualify. American Gladiators is as absurd as it is athletic.
The original American Gladiators had a bizarre beginning back in 1989. The show was originally themed to be more like classic Roman games, complete with agrarian obstacles in Assault, a coliseum-like arena, and referees that looked like executioners. Those first 13 episodes, which featured the only appearance of the gladiator Malibu, commentator Joe Theismann, and the contestant/actor Billy Wirth, have been left out of the setf—for better or worse. The DVDs pick up with the half-season recap show, which sums up what you missed and ushers in the Gladiators we're more familiar with. The show moved to Universal Studios, and was met with ultra-patriotic sets that looked more like Tron than Spartacus.
