Saundra

The FIRM Time Crunch with Susan Harris and Kai Soremekum is a 42 minute total body workout and is Volume 4 in the "Classic" series. The 45 to 50 minute mark is a perfect workout length for me. So this workout gets high marks for that. I have always like this workout, although it has certainly become easier, less challenging to do as years have gone by. With that said, there is this one section I just don't like and have never like and after doing the workout yesterday realized I still don't like it. This is the section were Kai is leading and we are alternating box climbs in this bizarre pattern using dumbbells to work the upper body. I don't know why this section bugs me, but it does. There is like this "Uuh" feeling that comes across me when it is time to do this section. There rest of the workout, Love it. It doesn't feature hi-impact so it is great for days when you want a little less intensity and of course if it becomes super easy you can in...

The FIRM's Aerobic Workout with Weights aka Aerobic Interval Training. I truly dislike when the makers or whoever changes the name of a workout. This workout is lead b Sandahl Bergman. It is Volume 3 of the "Classic Series", taught in the "Live Class" format and is 60 minutes long. Okay. It is not that I didn't or don't like this workout. Maybe it was all the alternating between the standing and floor work. First we were standing then going to floor and then standing again and back to the floor. All of that just made it seem like this workout was never ending. Of course I could have been having an impatient workout day, but boy did this workout seem long. And I like the workout. The only thing that I could really say I didn't care for was the sequencing of the workout and that only had to do with the "one arm french press". We do the right arm about 10 minutes into the workout and then some 40 minutes later, Sandahl does the left ...

The FIRM Low Impact Aerobics is a approximately 65 minute workout featuring light-to-mid weight training and aerobic intervals. It is volume 2 of the "Classic" series and it features Janet Jones as the lead. The workout is roughly divided into two section - a standing section and a floor section; each of which are about 30 minutes long. I actually like the floor section is this workout better than the floor section in Body Sculpting Basic. In BSB the floor section seemed endless. In LIA, the sequence of the floor sections makes it more endurable. Exercises included in the floor section are pushups, core, leg biceps, shootouts, pec fly, rib-cage pullovers, and lat rows. Standing sections 4 limbs sets, high impact aerobics, biceps-triceps-shoulder work, lunges, squats and lots of high kicks or waist kicks (if you can only click that high). One thing to note about this workouts are the individual segments whether they be floor or standing are long. The workout is taugh...

Step Heat is the 2nd workout from Cathe's Classics Volume 1 series. It is approximately a 60 minute workout that features a long warm up, a lengthy intro step combo and two additional step combos and an abdominal section. Like Step Jam, I found the moves in Step Heat to be very basic. The choreography was very easy to follow. While Cathe herself was motivating and fun, I didn't really have fun doing this workout. I think mostly because I found the workout to be very repetitive. So it was kind of so-so for me. I did, however enjoy the music. 2 stars out of 5.

Oh what a classic! And What a favorite! The FIRM's Maximum Body Shaping is a 46 minute workout led by Tracie Long. It is a strength workout that uses weights, the tall box, and the dowel to sculpt your body. The exercises are synchronized to the beat of the music; which is a controlled and steady pace. You can go very heavy with this workout. The cardio is minimum with most of the cardio coming in the form of the "tall box climb". There is a short plyo and kicking section that is also cardio based. What I love about this workout is that it is a super no-nonsense workout that gets in, works the muscle and then gets out. Everything seems to just fit and every exercise has its place. There is not a lot of waiting around. You do the exercise and you move on to what's next. Tracie is of course superb and the music pretty good too. One of Anna Benson's best. 5 out of 5 stars.