I'm on the fence with this one. On the one hand, I was sweaty and felt pleasantly worked out afterwards, but not beaten or drained. I felt this was more aerobic than weight training, but I didn't heavy up since it was my first time doing the workout. But I liked FIRM Cardio and CardioSculpt better.

First, the good: I loved the upper body moves. Having done FIRM since 1992 and the original numbered volumes, I love that there is more upper body work than delt lift and lat rows. My arms are already showing new definition from BSS1 and now this set, and it's a welcome change.

But I'm not as pleased with thsi workout as with CardioSculpt or BodySculpt. Here's why: The Sculpting Stick was totally unnecessary for this workout. I have the green sculpting stick from a newer workout, and quickly put it aside until it was used for overhead pulldowns near the end of the workout. I could have easily used two dumbbells like in FIRM Strength.

Second, there were some moves that I felt were unsafe for me (intermediate) and definitely for beginners. The lunge with the rear leg raise did NOT work for me at all, and my knees were sore from the few that I did. They show a modification of doing a heel raise instead of a leg raise, but frankly a lunge/dip would have been sufficient.

The other unsafe move involved holding the two twigs while punching forward. I used 2 lb. weights for one punch, then put them down immediately. The set reminded me of Project You Push Pull and Foundations, and I didn't think additional weight was necessary. I also had a hard time anticipating the next move, and agree with the first reviewer who said the workout felt a little choppy. I may decide to trade this one when the new FIRM Pump, Jump & Jab workout is released later this year (2008).

It's a B- because of the questionably effective moves.

Instructor Comments:
Emily is energetic and gives good form pointers.

f1mom