Pure Strength Vol. 2: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Cathe Friedrich
Year Released: 1999

Categories: Upper Body Strength


If you like what Cathe's Maximum Intensity Strength and Body Max (or Cory Everson's Get Hard Arms, for that matter) have done for your upper body but are hungry for some new exercises to improve muscle definition, you can't miss Cathe's new Pure Strength Series. The Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps tape is wonderful and is much more than a recycling of the upper body exercises you find in MIS and Body Max. This is both a muscle building and endurance workout, as you'll gather from the number of sets involved. Here's my preview after one time through:

This workout clocks in at just under 40 minutes, and though my target muscle groups were worked to exhaustion, I wasn't totally wiped out because the workout focuses on just 3 muscle groups. Even though I'm pregnant and more prone to fatigue, I could easily tack on a half hour of cardio before or after this workout without getting too tired. I went for a walk afterwards, because I felt energized.

The workout breaks down to approximately 4 1/2 min. warm up, about 10 minutes of chest work, 10 min. of shoulder work, and 10 min. of triceps, and a short but relaxing 3 min. stretch. I'm not sure I have the breakdown exactly right, because I forgot to catch the time between the chest and shoulder sections (the sections are not as clearly delineated with header graphics as they are in MIS). Most of the sets are 10 reps, unless otherwise indicated.

The warm up is done on the floor, with very basic foot patterns but lots of big arm movements to open up the chest and shoulders and prepare for the work ahead. The music on this tape is similar to that in MIS and the Pure Strength: Strong Legs & Abs tape--percussive beat, but to be honest, I didn't notice the music too much as I was trying to do the workout and take notes.

Chest

You start with exercises for the chest. Pushups are first--several variations are shown, including challenging "decline" pushups with the feet raised behind you on the step bench, as well as the usual push ups on the floor and from the knees. You do two sets of 12 pushups.

Then you move to bench presses lying on a step bench--hope you like bench presses, because there are lots of them! You start with a "light" warm up set, then move on to heavy sets. Cathe uses a 45 lb. barbell for the heavy sets. You do two sets lying on the bench, then you set the bench at an incline by shifting a riser to the other side for two more heavy sets. Cathe says this changes the angle of the exercise slightly to target the muscles differently. After a quick stretch, you do another set of 10 using dumbells this time (I believe Cathe uses 15's). Note that, if you don't own a barbell, all of the sets could easily be done with dumbells.

You proceed to chest flyes, with a much lighter weight, still lying on the inclined bench. You do one set of 10, then 10 sets of a compound superset exercise, where you go down into a chest flye slowly for 2 counts, turn the weights, and push into a bench press. I really liked the feel of these to finish off the chest, and you definitely have to drop down in weight for these to do them with good form and control.

Shoulders

After a short stretch you move on to shoulder work. The first exercise is an "Arnold press" with moderate to heavy dumbells--Cathe has either 12's or 15's. You start by holding your dumbells at your shoulders, palms in, then you raise them over head, turning palms away from you at the top of the exercise. This seems like a very simple variation on the shoulder work in other videos, but I don't think I've done this exact move before--it seemed more difficult than other variations and it felt good. I think it's a less natural movement when you start with the palms in, and that's why it seems like a greater challenge. You do three sets of 10 reps.

Next are 2 sets of the "Seated Clean & Press" (I think that's what she called it?) with light weights. Cathe starts with 8's then moves down to 5's for the second set. This is another combination move. You are seated on the step, and begin with a front raise in an arc, then press over head and back to the shoulders, then arc downward. I really felt these, and was thankful only to be using 5 pound dumbells. Cathe teaches you to slow down the reps as you tire out, ignoring the beat of the music and going at a slower pace for the second half of each set.

After another quick shoulder stretch, you grab moderate weights and stand for side lateral raises, two sets of 10 reps again.

Then you move on to reverse flyes, seated on the bench--these are a little different from the way Cathe and the FIRM do these in other tapes--again, Cathe alters the angle to target the shoulder differently. You keep your palms angled in toward the step, lifting out in more of a V shape. You do two sets of these.

Next is a single set of 16 side lateral raises with light weights, seated this time. My shoulders were really burning by this time!

Triceps

You begin the tricep work with close grip dumbell presses, instead of the barbell presses used in MIS and Body Max. With the dumbells, you keep your palms facing in, which has a very different feel to the barbell presses from the other tapes. I found it easier to feel the work in the triceps this way. You do three "drop sets" of this exercise--the first set is 12 reps, second is 10 reps, and the third is 8 reps. Cathe uses either 12's or 15's for this exercise.

You move on to two sets of dumbell French presses lying on the step bench. With a dumbell in each hand (Cathe uses 8's), you lower and lift the dumbells over your head. Again this is similar to the barbell work in MIS, but the dumbells give it a different feel and some may feel more at ease pressing small dumbells over their head than a barbell.

Next are "cross-body kickbacks." This is similar to an exercise in Karen Voight's Firm Arms and Abs that I've always liked. The exercise is a bit hard to explain if you've never seen it. You lie on the bench, holding a dumbell with one arm, supporting the upper arm of that side with the hand of the other arm. You lift and lower the dumbell toward the elbow of the other arm. You do two sets on each side, then another set of 12 of the dumbell French press.

Last but not least are tricep dips off the bench, with or without the barbell lying in your lap. Cathe uses a 35 lb. barbell here. You do two long, fast sets (20 and 24 reps, I think). With my pregnant belly, I knew putting the barbell on my lap was out of the question, so I put a small 5 lb. dumbell there until baby kicked at it. I took that as a signal to put it away! Pat, one of the participants, demonstrates an overhead seated dumbell extension (called a French press in FIRM tapes) and Cathe mentions that those with carpal tunnel or anyone who is bothered by tricep dips should try that variation.

The short stretch is accompanied by very pretty music, and feels great after this workout. The stretch segment isn't long, but seems adequate since you've had short stretches already between sets.

Overall I was really impressed with this video. There were lots of variations of common exercises that will please upper body muscles that have grown complacent with other videos. This would also be an excellent choice for those who would liek to work just one muscle group per day--at 10 minutes per muscle group, this video would make it easy to do a section before or after a cardio workout. I think the tape is a real winner, and I look forward to the other upper body tape, which I should be able to preview next week.

WWWendy

12/01/1998