I liked this one best of the Pure Strength series, but I still can't help feeling ripped off after paying $30 Cdn for it. Again, this is only a 40-minute tape, and basically just 2-3 straight sets per exercise.

First are T-bar rows. The way that Cathe does them (gripping the end of the bar directly) gave me only a limited range of motion, so I used a towel as in FIRM Strength, and that enabled me to feel the muscles better. For the barbell rows, just leaning over slightly as Cathe does did not activate my back muscles, so I had to bend over parallel to the floor as in BodyMax. The one-arm rows and shrugs are fine - I am glad to see this last exercise finally in a video. The Biceps routine is perfect, in my opinion: barbell curls, seated hammer curls, negative-emphasis barbell curls, and concentration curls. It hits all the angles, and the negatives are a nice advanced technique. The Abs routine was good, and the lower back exercises were excellent.

I appreciate that Cathe performs the reps slowly enough, and takes long enough rests, that heavier weights can be used. But so does Cory Everson in her Basic Sculpting System: Back, Biceps and Abs. Cathe's tape is better, mainly because of the Abs section, but it is also three times more expensive, and that is what I don't like!

Instructor Comments:
Cathe is always motivating and fun.

Serena Schlueter