Pure Strength Vol. 2: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Cathe FriedrichYear Released: 1999
Categories: Upper Body Strength
I wanted to add a more recent review of the Pure Strength workouts because there are so many new options available now. This is a classic series of strength videos that I still go back to regularly because it does great things for my upper body. (I haven’t been doing the Leg workout as much lately because I have too many other leg workouts to choose from.) Aside from P90X, these videos give me the most straightforward, gym-style, heavy workouts that I can find to use at home. The upper body workouts are around 45 minutes – shorter than P90X or Cathe’s Slow & Heavy series – so you can really give it your all without burning out before the end. It also makes it possible to add in some cardio if you want.
Chest/Shoulders/Triceps gives you classic exercises that are mostly done at a moderate speed for 10 reps. I often slow down the pec flys and the Arnold presses so that I can use a heavier weight. The workouts are quite flexible in that way. It’s also easy to shorten the workouts using the DVD since each exercise is its own chapter – just skip to the next chapter after 2 sets if you don’t want to do all 3 sets of each exercise.
This is still a really worthwhile workout to get, even though it’s ancient (5 years old!) in the world of exercise videos! If you want to start lifting heavier weights, this is a great place to start. You can use whatever weights make it a challenge for you; do 1, 2, or all 3 sets of each exercise according to your needs; and you can grow with it indefinitely by increasing your weights and doing all 3 sets.
Instructor Comments:
Cathe is a pro in these workouts. I think she’s a bit more to the point/less chatty than in some of her newer workouts, but she’s still friendly and at-ease in front of the camera. All of the usual background exercisers are there, so you’ll feel right at home and have lots of inspiring women to work out with.