Instructor Comments:

One thing about Karen Voight is you know her instruction is always going to be outstanding. In this video, I like the way she does the exercises slowly -- I think you get better results that way. She's careful to explain the correct way to do each move, as usual.

As the name implies, this is an upper body/abs workout. You use the bench for both sections (but you could do either section without it if you don't have one).

In the upper body section, which is about 23 minutes, you do standard exercises such as biceps, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, etc. The reps are done slowly, so you can use heavy weights and get the most out of it. However, she doesn't do very many repetitions. This could be good or bad depending on how heavy your weight is.

The triceps section is a killer. Karen does two triceps routines. I used 8 pounds on the first one, and then there was a break working back muscles. When she came back to the second triceps routine, I had to go down to 5 pounds, and I still didn't know if I was going to make it! VERY good workout for triceps!

The abs section seems a little easier than in some of her other videos. It's 12 minutes, and you do it on an incline bench. There's nothing tricky, and, again, you do it slowly to maximize the movements.

I like this video as an alternative to the faster FIRM upper body work. The FIRM is great, we probably all agree, but I think sometimes it's good to slow down and use heavier weights -- at least for me, because I'm trying to develop some definition in my upper body. (Oh, if I were only 10 years younger . . . .)

Annie S.