20 Minute Workout - Series Background

Series Background

20 Minute Workout was created by Ron Harris in 1983, produced by Tantra Entertainment in association with the Canadian animation company Nelvana, and broadcast locally on Citytv. In the United States, it was syndicated by Orion Television. Two seasons of the program were produced, although reruns continued to appear for many years afterwards. The first season featured a different instructor for each day of the week, Monday through Friday. Bess Motta, Arlaine Wright, Holly Butler, Nicole Nardini, and Anne Schumacher all had speaking roles. The second season featured only Bess and Arlaine as instructors. One selling point of the show was the young attractive girls exercising in leotards, notwithstanding the fine aerobics. The exercise routines were demanding, high-impact aerobics, followed by a stretching section. Pulsating music from synthesizers played in the background. For the first season, music was performed by the group Shiva, while the second season featured music by the trio Jermyn/King/Ouillet.

There are numerous websites hosted by fans that detail about the dancers, and include so-called screen-captures from the show. The :20 Minute Workout is a spin-off from Aerobicise, a series of home videos that were first released in 1981, which had varying subtitles of "The Beginners Workout," "The Ultimate Workout," and "The Beautiful Workout." In 1982, a series of segments aired in the U.S. on Showtime as unscheduled filler in between features, and lasting no longer than five minutes. Both the videos and the filler featured a different cast, and unlike the show they later spawned, exercise instruction was either kept minimal, or not featured at all, and any that was present was given by an off-screen narrator.

"Aerobicise" is also the name of the original 1982 pilot episode of 20 Minute Workout.