The Firm: Core Cardio 2

Tamela Hastie, Carissa Foster, Dale Brabham
Year Released: 1999

Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance


Firm Blast Series: CC1, CC2 , Bust & Butt

In my opinion, these tapes were ok. I only did them once, so I'm sure I didn't get the full benefit of each workout. The good thing about them is they are only 45 minutes in length. I felt refreshed and energized at the end of each workout and not wiped-out.

I enjoyed CC1 & CC2 pretty equally. They were good 45 minute cardio workouts with basic moves that are easy to follow. It was a bit confusing the first time through because of the cueing, but all the combos are easy to pick up. CC1 was more intense, probably because it was a lot more high-impact than CC2. The nice thing about the high-impact moves is that you know they will not go on forever. For instance, if they are doing plyo-jacks, they may do 7 of them in a row before going on to another move. That makes the tough moves much more bearable.

The one thing that bothered me is that the Firm seems to use so many props in their videos. This time they came up with the ooph ball, which I felt was unnecessary. In Core Cardio 2 they do a stretch with a dowel - I think a towel would have been just as good.

I often look at all the props as another money-making gizmo for the Firm. I am not trying to bash them, I just think the ooph ball was kind of silly. The one other thing that I didn't like was doing the abs at the beginning of each tape - but that is a personal dislike for me.

Overall, these are decent tapes for a 45 minute workout. I was fortunate to have a fellow VFr lend them to me to try. If I were to buy them myself I would get the Core Cardios but not Bust & Butt. Although, none of the tapes grabbed me enough to spend close to $30 for one. These are parts tapes, so I will probably buy one of the tapes they were made from, when they come out. Those tapes may be easier to follow with just one instructor and the cardio sections will be good and intense.

Instructor Comments:
They were OK. The cuing was a bit hard to catch onto at first but I got used to it. Dale seemed to have the best cueing. The moves are not too difficult, so it is easy to catch on in the Core Cardio tapes. If you do these tapes a few times, I'm sure they are easier to follow.

Janet W.

04/19/1999