Customer Reviews

FitPrime Volume 3: Up & Down with JAC [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a Firm user and "Firm Believer" since Volume 1 was released in 1987. When Anna Benson split from "The Firm" to create "FitPrime", I moved right along with her. I first ordered "Strong Bear." I love Tracie Long and also this workout although it did seem to concentrate almost too heavily on inner thighs. I next ordered "Steamin' Cardio" with Kelsie Daniels and think this is one of the best cardio tapes I have ever done. So, I was really excited to receive "Up and Down" with JAC. However, I have to sound a note of caution here. I am a Personal Trainer (and still love to do "Firm" and "FitPrime" tapes), so I was really surprised when I hurt my back doing this tape. I have never hurt myself in all of the years I have been doing "The Firm" and the first two "FitPrimes." But, there is a segment on this tape where using a barbell, you do a deadlift (or Good Morning as she calls them), then a squat with one toe raised and then a leg abduction (standing). This segment is too fast and you are doing too much. I hurt my lower back (probably from going quickly from a "Good Morning" into the squat). The rest of the workout seems safe so I want to caution beginners and even advanced exercisers to be careful of the poundage during this sequence and to maybe eliminate the "Good Morning" altogether. In a way, I am surprised that there is so much to do in this segment. You have to maintain perfect form to go from a dead lift to a squat to a leg abduction and that is a somewhat difficult feat when you are moving too quickly. Be careful!

I really liked this workout! However, it is not for beginner excersizers in any way. It is only for people who are intermediate to advanced who have been working out for a while at least 3-4 times a week. I do have some minor gripes, which is why the video did not get 5 stars. On the back of the video, it says optional weighted bar-it is not optional, most of the excersizes use this, you need one. Also, the back of the video does not mention that you need ankle weights, and there is a segment where you need these in this video. The instructor is very difficult to understand at times.
The Fitprime workout system can be very expensive, so if you are frugal beware. You will need weights, a workout stool (14 inches), a weighted bar, a weighted ball, and ankle weights to do this workout. That is a lot of stuff.
Again, I was sore for three days after I did this video, which for me makes it a great workout. However it may not be for everyone.

JAC has amazing personality as she leads you through a very thorough upper and lower body workout. The ball adds intensity to the floor aerobic segments. This workout moves fast, so it keep your heart rate up! Tall box step ups, variations on the traditional lunge, squats with side leg raises and core work are all new FitPrime moves. The triceps work is tough and there are enough sets and reps to feel the burn. Great music. Probably my favorite FitPrime!

This is a great total body workout. The instructor (JAC) is excellent at cuing and has great form. The workout has wonderful music and incorporates variations on traditional moves, such as leg presses, plies and squats that make the workout fun and mentally challenging. A medicine ball is used for both aerobic and balance work, which is different and interesting. There are also some yoga stretches. I highly recommend this workout because it is both challenging but very enjoyable.

The FitPrime workouts were created by Anna Benson, co-founded of The Firm workouts. When these videos were first released 5 years ago, there were many debates about whether the workouts were innovative or just plain weird. I've always been in the former camp, as for me, the FitPrime workouts contain mainly uniquely effective moves, and I've always found them to be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, Up and Down is the first FitPrime I've tried (I own 7 others) that didn't really click with me.

This workout is lead by Jeanne Anne Copelston (or JAC as she usually known); she was a background exerciser in several Firm workouts and later appeared in Tracie's Long's first video series. Like all the FitPrime workouts, Up and Down uses a tall box (the Firm Fanny Lifter works well) and dumbbells, but JAC also adds a barbell, medicine ball, and ankle weights. JAC begins the workout with a very brief (1-2 minutes) sequence of yoga poses; this felt a little odd to me, as she jumps right in without warming up. She then does a warm-up with the ball which was kind of fun, although I had to modify because JAC's ball is the bouncy kind and mine wasn't. Then, as the title of the workout would suggest, you go from UP (standing) to DOWN on the floor for abs work. JAC uses the ball again here, and I did find these moves to be fun and effective, although she targets only one side (you come back to the other side later). She ends the floor work with "head bangers" for the triceps.

Coming back to standing, JAC then begins a long sequence working the left leg only. Exercises here included tricep dips with one foot on knee, hover squat/good morning sequence (note: many people believe that good mornings are unsafe, so I subbed squats here), plie squats with heel lifts and foot drags, military press, bicep curls, and upright rows (again, many advise against doing these with a barbell, as it doesn't allow the arms to move naturally, so I subbed dumbbells). A cardio sequence follows in which you do rocks with rear leg lifts, still working the left side only.

Next comes a shoulder sequence which Anna must really like, because she uses the exact same sequence (set to the exact same music!) in her newer WHFN FitPrime Upper Body Burn Workout. It begins with a one arm lat row, one hand on the box, then moves up to a medial/anterior delt lift combo with one foot on the box, and it finishes with push-ups using one hand on the ball and one on the floor. Another cardio sequence follows, this one with ball tosses, squats, and plyos. At this point, JAC begins working backwards through the other side of the body, starting by repeating the shoulder sequence on the right. One more cardio series follows (a repeat of rocks with rear leg lifts, this time on the right), and then JAC repeats the military press/biceps/upright row series, the plie and hover squat sequences, and triceps dips. Finally, it's back to the floor to repeat the head bangers as well as the previous abs sequence.

This might've been a natural end to the workout, but instead, you get right back UP again to further work the legs, starting with a front lunge/rear glute lift/"duck squats" (with toes together) combo. The next sequence was military press with good mornings, and then there is a fun cardio series with ball tosses, lunge dips, and lunge plyos. This is followed by a leg press combination. The choreography of this sequence felt unnecessarily complicated to me: you start with a simple leg press, then add a squat, then add a leg abduction, and THEN change the squat into a one-leg squat--there just seemed to be too many elements here.

At this point JAC adds an ankle weight to the left leg only. From a kneeling position over the box, she has you do right leg lifts and then various moves for the left leg, ending with a side plank. Removing the ankle weight, JAC takes you back to standing for a front lunge/glute lift/squats combo and then a clean and press/squats combo. The final cardio segment repeats the previous one, but on the right side of the body this time. Finally, you repeat the rest of the work on the right side: first the leg press series, then add the ankle weight for the kneeling work, and finish with side plank. JAC conclude the workout with some yoga-inspired stretches which are nice but unfortunately at a very fast pace; the total workout time is just over 56 minutes.

My main impression of this workout was just that it felt too fussy: the exercise series were unnecessarily complicated, as was the set itself. Regarding the latter, instead of the simple setting used in the later FitPrimes, there is sort-of a busy Asian theme here, with an oriental rug and Asian-like wall hangings. There was just too much going on in all aspects of the workout. I did enjoy the cardio segments (although anyone who does not have a ball that bounces will have to modify these) as well as the abs work, but otherwise, there wasn't much here to interest me, and definitely not enough to keep the workout.

We loved her in the cast of FIRM vids and now she is a lead for FitPrime. JAC has an amazing personality, a great physique, and is a great lead! More new moves to make the workout fun and interesting, and you get a nice full body workout. This is one of my favorite FitPrimes! Highly recommended!