The FIRM Hi Def Sculpt - Thoughts

Originally a part of the The FIRM CardioWeight System, Hi-Def Sculpt is currently sold as a standalone workout. It features Annie Lee as the lead and it is about 45 minutes in length.
When this workout first came out, it was not a favorite of mine. I still wouldn't call it a favorite, but I appreciate the workout much more than the first one and half times I did the workout.
I would add it into a rotation and then take it out when I remember I didn't like it.

With weight workouts you can generally increase the weights to make the workout harder or easier. This workout, however, really has the elements of a beginner's workouts. First Annie and the cast members (there are four) are using only light and medium weights. Light being 3lbs and medium being 5 lbs. I went much heavier than this depending on the exercise. This workout is part of the system that came with the Pink Adjustable Cardio Weights. I have only used the weights a couple of times because they are cumbersome and it is easier for me to just grab my dumbbells.

The difficulty in this workout is selecting the proper weight Often Annie is combining upper and lower body moves and she uses the same weights for both.

The tempo of this workout is also extremely slow. Often I found myself trying to execute the moves simultaneously. However the moves are not perform this way. You do one and then the other. For instance, first you plie and then you upright row. I was trying to do both together. Adding to the slow tempo of the workout is the fact that after every couple of exercises, Annie stretches the muscle group just worked. So the pattern is something like - 2 exercise, stretch, 2 exercises, stretch etc.
Overall, I think Annie did a good job cuing. My one beef is she didn't tell us when we were alternating a move. Several of the exercise, you do one side and then the other. Then she will through in an exercise where you alternate and unless you are looking at the TV, you miss that.

If you are looking for a workout that introduces you to Basic Sculpting, that has a slow and methodical tempo, this would be the workout for you. I think this would be good if you are getting back into exercise, an Active Recovery day, or you don't want anything overly complicated.

This workout is chaptered. There is also an express workout option (about 25 minutes workout) on the DVD. There is a beginner modifier. The music, I thought was really good and the set I thought bland.
3 1/2 stars