Watch this first. You will need in addition to the several pairs of dumbells and two step up boxes, a 2x4. You will need to pause a few times because your living room will be cluttered unlike the Firm set, which is neat at all times.

I think the Benson sisters have been reading various bodybuilding magazines, you know Joe Weider and Robert Kennedy to design the Variety series. Strongbody uses heavier weights while this one uses the same weight on the upper and lower body without time to change weights. Seems pointless until you realize that the lower body has more reps and the upper body has fewer reps.

The exercise pairings for example are push ups with squats, unrelated, right?

Then a seemingly unrelated sequence is lunges with shoulders. Now you've just pre-exhausted the legs with squats and the triceps with push ups. This is followed with lat work and standing leg raises. The biceps have been worked while doing lats so now it's time for bicep curls. The pattern lower body and upper body to a set. Then with different exercies, upper and lower body does more work.

There are some simple "box" aerobics and a 4-limbed sequence to somewhat elevate the heart rate. For pure aerobics stick with Kari Anderson or Cathe Friedrich.

This is my second favorite Firm, I prefer Strongbody but the sequencing in Strongheart makes this a good pair. I would like the warm up and cool down better in this video.

The set is a nice change of pace from the airy ballroom the Firm is known for. This is the library of the same house, set in classic, old money colors. The pastel workout wear is repeated in the triomphe l'oeil bookcase and Persian carpets. The casts really sweats in this video, some of the exerciers need to use lighter weights. This is a real improvement over the earlier Firms. I was really impressed by the changes in Firm video veteran Narty Waters. (When is she ever going to lead a video)?

Instructor Comments:
Heidi Tanner has a naturalistic, outdoors quality, a friendly broad smile and a deep earthy voice. She uses impecable form and her cuing is good, considering the Firm doesn't have difficult aerobics. She is usually behind the scenes in Firm videos, so she's been around.

Jean L. Wakefield