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This is a nice variety of exercises taken from Tri trainers All Weights/Maximum Body Sculpting, Better Body and Buns and the Firm Cross trainers Strongbody/Strength and Strongheart/Cardio. It is different from Tough tape one in many ways. For one, it only has one tall box section taken from Strongheart compared to Tough Tape 1 with the zillion tall box work. This workout has many many different instructors leading compared to just one instructor for Tough Tape 1 in which Tracie Long was leading. This tape has more upper body work then Tough Tape 1. It has 2 sets of lat rows instead of 1 in TT, 3 sets of military press instead of 2 in TT, 2 sets of side lifts and more back work( posterial delts and muscles on your spine)compared to TT which has no back work but does have upright rows which this workout doesn't have. There is no chest flies in this workout but you do get 3 sets of pushups and back work. There is also no tricep kickbacks. But a lot of French press( I think it was 2 sets) and tricep dips. Another difference is that Tough Tape 2 has plyo hops and tall box climb to keep your heartrate up where Tough Tape 1 doesn't have any aerobics with the weights.

I really think the Firm did a nice editing job on this video. It doesn't have a guest instructor cueing. The screen does a nice turn and then comes the next exercise sequencing. The next music comes on as the screen turns.

The warmup is from Tri Trainers Better Body and Buns with Jennifer Peluso( this is all she does in this video) then Taber Bruner does the beginning stretch.

Then comes the squat/pushups from Strongheart/Heidi tanner. I liked how it went from Taber to Heidi. They have the same low soothing voice. Next came the dips w/dowel and dumbell and squats with Military press from Tri Trainers All Weights/ Maximum Body Sculpting. After this was the plyo hop upper body work( Military press, bicep curl, French press) with Jennifer Carmen. I love this part! It gets my heartrate up too. Then comes lunge and dip and squat combo from Strongbody/Pam Cauthen. The Firm keeps picking my favorite sections. This is one of my favorites from Strongbody/Strength. Then comes the lat row/ heavy bicep curl with a cheat from Maximum Body Sculpting( I think it was the right arm).

After this comes the Tall box work from Strongheart/Cardio with Heidi Tanner. They put the left leg first which gives it a different feel( usually on the Strongheart video they do the right leg first so it was a nice change). So you do left leg tall box and then tricep French press and then another set of tall box on the left leg. Then comes Tracie Long's Tall Box climb from Maximum Body Sculpting/All Weights. This really keeps the heartrate up. Then after that you do lat rows and heavy, one arm bicep curl with your other hand for the cheat. It is so tough to try to get a 15-20lb dumbell to do a bicep curl so it's nice to have the other hand to help get it up. Then after this you go back to the Tall box from Strongheart. You do the right leg then rest and do bicep curls and then back to the right leg for the second set. My heartrate was very very high at this point. Almost too high. Next comes the seated upper body from Firm Strongbody. This is side lifts, frontal lifts and overhead press. My heartrate dropped at this point because you sit down during the side lifts and overhead. I would recommend squatting with this movements if you want to keep your heartrate up. Although some of you might need a breather from all the tall box work! Sitting down would be a welcome to you.

I wished they would have put in another tall box section at this point to keep my heartrate up, but they don't. The next section is the hamstring stretch, leg extension, lat row section with Taber Bruner. I was too tired to put on ankle weights but I usually do it during the hamstring stretch part. Then comes plie work. I like to hold my 20 lb dumbell like Rachel Mclish does on her plies. It is where you hold the heavy dumbell hanging down in front of you. You can also hold your barbell like Tracie long in Tough Tape 1 plies during this section. This is a nice exercise to have for your inner thighs. I felt it was tougher then the plies in Tough Tape 1. Next comes the seated upper body from Strongheart/Cardio. More Side lifts( I can't remember the name), rear delt squeezes and then tricep dip using the 2x4 and the tall box. Then comes more pushups and back work from Better body and Buns with Lisa Kay. This is nice to have the back worked. Then as Lisa Kay does a nice cat stretch it turns into Taber doing a cat stretch which was a nice transition. Then Taber stretches you out.

All in all this was a good tough sweat of a workout. I feel that it will be fun to alternate Tough Tape 1 with this workout. But I must say that this workout was far more entertaining with all the different instructors and different set then Tough Tape 1. You will have to add ab work to this workout because like Tough Tape 1, it does not have any. My overall opinion is that Tough Tape with Tracie Long is more tougher in the lower body because it has both tall box work from Tortoise and another set of tall box from Hare. But Tough Tape 2 is tougher in the upper body. So it's a nice variety.

Instructor Comments:
It was nice to have Taber Bruner and Heidi Tanner in one video. They sound alike and have the same leading the workout with great maturity. It was also fun to have Pam Cauthen in this video since Strongbody is my alltime favorite. Tracie Long is a Firm classic. She can make any video fun by her great cueing and perfect form. Jennifer Carmen brings a fun, super energetic personality to this workout. I wish they had put more of her sections from her Better Buns video. I love her instructing and hope that she will lead her own Firm video. She has the same incredible muscular body as Tracie. She just shines,"HEALTHY!!"

Mandy Lee