I love the convenience of being able to workout in my home, no matter what time it is or what the weather is like. Because of that, I’ve acquired a nice sized collection of workout DVDs over the years. This is a series of reviews of those DVDs…some are old, some are new, some good, some bad, some long, some short…you get the idea. If you have suggestions for other DVDs I may like, please let me know. I’d love to add to my collection. I wonder…do they make 12 step programs for people like me?

DVD Title: The Firm - Complete Aerobics & Weight Training
Running Time: 60 minutes
Required Equipment: Fanny Lifter, Sculpting Stick, 3 sets of weights, comfy shoes and a mat

I first found the Firm workouts from Weight Watchers message boards. People raved about how this system really burned a lot of fat and toned up your body fast and I have to agree. I’ve probably been doing Firm workouts off & on now for 5+ years. The concept is simply to use large and small muscle groups at the same time in order to get your heart rate up and keep it elevated. The first set I purchased was The Firm Body Sculpting System. From there I have expanded my collection to include BSS2 and other individual DVDs that the Firm has released.

There is some special equipment that is required for most Firm workouts, although it appears that they are moving away from that somewhat. First there is the Fanny Lifter. Yes, it sounds silly, but this step is awesome. It is made up of 2 parts, a six inch step and an eight inch step and when you use them both together you have a 14 inch step. Pretty genius if you ask me. They created different versions of the Fanny Lifter along the way but I have stuck with the original as that is what I found worked best for me. The only problem with that is that some more recent workouts require an incline and that is only possible with the newer steps. They also added the Sculpting Stick with the second set of videos. This is a weighted bar that has a center section that weighs four pounds and the removable ends which each weigh in at two pounds. The stick is used for stability as well as resistance. I don’t think you can purchase that specific item anymore, but I did find The Firm 3-in-1 Sculpting Stick Pro on Amazon which looks like it would be the newer model.

Okay, back to The Firm - Complete Aerobics & Weight Training. For me, this video is less about the cardio and more about the weights which is great. It is heavy on squats and upper body weights with a few lighter cardio routines mixed in and finishes up with a nice section of ab work. I definitely felt like I had a good workout when I was done…and someday soon I may even up my weights from 3, 5 and 8 pounds to 5, 8 and 10 pounds! The only complaint I might have is that some of the transitions feel rushed. If you are someone who needs time to get set up and is flustered easily by jumping in late, this probably wouldn’t be for you. If I felt like I was being rushed, I just skipped the first lift or step and caught up when I was ready, but I know that bothers some people. Otherwise, this is a staple in my collection and I highly recommend it!

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