The Firm: Upper Body Sculpt

Janet Brooks
Year Released: 2003

Categories: Upper Body Strength


This is one of the add on workouts to the Goodtimes Firm Body Sculpting System 2 (BSS2) and is a comprehensive strength workout focused on the upper body. Unlike the majority of Firms, this is strength work only and has no cardio intervals. The workout is led by Janet Brooks, an unknown Firm master instructor (at least to me) and this was the only Firm workout that she ever instructed. She did a good job however and her talent is on par with other Firm instructors. Like all BSS2 workouts, this video incorporated the fanny lifter and the sculpting stick. I don’t have the sculpting stick, but modified using my exercise dowel and regular dumbbells, and don’t feel like I missed out on anything.

The warm up in this video was really good. It incorporated the sculpting stick, sans twigs (like I said I used the dowel) and the short (purple 6”) part of the fanny lifter, for side touches, step ups, squats, all while using the stick to do biceps curls, overhead press, lateral stretches, and front raises. Unlike in the strength section, I felt like the usage of the stick was logical and fun here, not just using it because they had to use it.

Then on to the strength work. Like LindseyLu said, there was some really creative moves in this workout, a little different than the standard Firm fare (although plenty of that too). They recommended three sets of weights, I used a variety of poundage from 5# through 20# weights which worked great. They worked the whole upper body evenly: triceps French press (they used the stick which I rolled my eyes at-I think this was just in an effort to use the stick as much as possible; I used heavy dumbbells), a second set of French press which did use heavy dumbbells (they must have seen me rolling my eyes! :-), there were two sets of single arm bent row, and another two sets of double arm rows, there were I believe four sets of pushups, one with hands on step, one with legs on step, and two sets with the step in a staircase position (the only BSS1-2 video that did this with the Fanny Lifter, at least that I have tried), also triceps dips (two sets) while the FL is in the staircase position. A brief plank series and cool down finish up the workout.

Production quality is high and looks very much like all of the other BSS1-2 productions: large fans in background and four background exercisers (one does beginner modifications, I believe it is Alison Davis), and all wearing color coordinated clothes – pink here. Music is generic but holds a good beat. All in all I expected to receive a comprehensive intermediate level upper body workout in a short period of time (with no cardio), and this fit the bill.

-Comparison- I also enjoy and use Firm BSS4 Jiggle Free Arms (which includes several step aerobic sections) and the classic compilation Firm Upper Body (all strength) and would rate them in this order from most to least challenging: Firm Upper Body classics compilation is a high intermediate-low advanced level workout based on length, exercises, and reps of exercises chosen; then Firm BSS2 Upper Body Sculpt which is an intermediate level, solid strength with no cardio breaks to alleviate the arm muscle fatigue; then Firm BSS4 Jiggle Free Arms, also intermediate but with the cardio work is not as likely to give you DOMS. There is only about 20 minutes of upper body strength work in JFA. They are all great workouts and all have a place in my collection. Firm BSS4 JFA is the best for an all in one AWT workout with an upper body emphasis (short at about 35 minutes); classics compilation Firm Upper Body is good for a harder core strength workout, runs about 35 minutes; Firm BSS2 is good for a slightly less intense, more modern and updated strength workout that runs about 30 minutes.

I would recommend this to anybody who likes split routines, is a high beginner to high intermediate level, likes the Firm (particularly BSS2), and wants a short but efficient arm workout. Grade B+!

Instructor Comments:
Janet was a good lead, she spoke clearly and seemed confident as the instructor. There isn’t much to say about her, she wasn’t overly chatty, nor was she like a robot, she just didn’t seem to have that strong of a personality. She didn’t do anything distracting nor did she do anything that put her above any other Firm instructors. I mostly feel neutral about her but she was talented enough. I liked her well enough that I would have tried other workouts in which she was the lead (although she never did lead any other Firm workouts).

Emily B.

08/02/2010