The Firm: Power Walk Easy

I did this tape this evening and then did the Prime Power Fat Burning tape. Afterwards, I felt really good. I wasn't totally exhausted as I am when I do some of the other Firm tapes, but I still felt like I got an adequate workout.

I prefer this tape to its Fat Burning counterpart. I still feel that the lower body work is not as challenging as it could be, but it was a fun change of pace from some of the other FIRM tapes (like Vol 2 (Low Impact)--I really hate that tape even after all these years.

The music was nice. And I like the range of motion exercises. They are important to older adults or to anyone who suffers from arthritis. I also enjoyed the "Power Breathing" sequences as well.

The dowel was put to better use in this tape than in the "Fat Burning" tape. For advanced exercisers, I would recommend using higher poundage weights during the aerobic sequences (I used 8 pounds during some and added a little impact to some of the moves).

This tape is good for 1) beginners to the FIRM, 2) those who want a less intense, yet effective workout, 3) those who are ready for a FIRM change of pace.

And to those who hated the Sousa Stars & Stripes Forever stretch and the workout sequence to the "Skater's Waltz"--it's not included on this tape.

Grade for this tape: B+

Instructor Comments:
Christine L. is right--Kim Bartlett really DOES look like Betty Crocker. This is not to be taken as an insult, she (Bartlett) is really fit and quite attractive. I liked her better than the instructor on the Fat Burning tape from the Prime Power series. She was quite pleasant and easy to follow.

I just purchased a couple of walking tapes for some variety. I have a treadmill and don't use it nearly as much as I used to and I've decided to that I want to do some exercising in the evenings (maybe skip a couple of the mornings that I get up) while my family is watching TV.

First the music in this tape is similar to all the Firm tapes and I like walking to it better than doing the traditional firm video tapes. The warm up and stretch are good and long and get you ready for a strong walk.

This tape is a solid 40 minutes of walking and is supposed to be more aerobic than Power Walk Hard, with a little less dumbbell work. I felt a little silly the first time I did this tape outside. I didn't take the dumbbells with me because I didn't want to get too far and then wished I didn't have them but I did all the arm motions. This is a good upper body workout.

Susan Harris has a wonderful voice and good cueing. I think that if you haven't done any Firm exercise videos you may be confused on what to do with your arms or in the warm up and stretch. But Firm believers will know exactly what to do.

Overall, this is the best "total body" walking tape I have. I will get the Power Walk Hard someday.

The beats per minute are between 108 (3 miles per hour) and 132 (4:05 miles per hour). If you are interested in starting a walking program I would recommend this tape.

Her voice is so calm and soothing and she keeps you motivated to get through the walk.

Julianne