Oh my. This video surprised me since I wasn't in LOVE with Calorie Killer. It is a short, but tough workout for the upper body. You can make it work for you as in all weight training videos. Add more weight, it's tougher, lower the weights, it is a little easier. You actually don't use the sculpting stick that much. Focus is placed on dumbells instead. The warmup does use the stick and I felt it was a little too fast in the upper body movements, but that is probably my only complaint. You warm up your upper body using the stick, mimicing bicep curls, overhead presses, etc. Once you get into the work out, Janet is straight forward. You do some combo exercises to bring the heart rate up (tapping the blue portion of the fanny lifter, while doing upper body with weights for instance). The exercises aren't long, but with 8 - 10 lbs., I felt them. She does use rhythm changes and as usual with the Firm, you are never bored. There are some interesting pushup and tricep variations using the two-part fanny lifter. One hand is on the short box and the other one is on the tall box as you do pushups and tricep dips, switching the next time around. I really liked those moves. The time flys by and voila you have worked your upper body. Janet ends with a few planks, tapping your knees to the floor and in the second set alternating leg lifts. Variety is the key here. I give this an A for short, but very sweet (only 30 minutes).

Instructor Comments:
Janet Brooks is a pleasant instructor, although I still have to get used to new Firm instructors after enjoying the old (not in years) stand-bys. I feel like she is being told to "smile" once in a while from behind the camera. She is definitely no-nonsense, but very likeable.

Janet O'Neil