Customer Reviews

The FIRM Cardio Sculpting Balls

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am the most skeptical of skeptical people, especially when it comes to anything "as seen on TV"/infomercial products, and MOST especially work out systems. I work at a retail store and noticed this kit a few weeks ago. I decided I'd give it a try, as it sounded decent and the winter weather has put a nice road-block on my outdoor cardio . . . plus my employee discount always helps me try new things! :) I liked the idea of the weighted balls incorporated with cardio, as I am getting married in the fall and I need both cardio and muscle tone to look fab in my dress.

Getting more to the point, this workout kicked my butt!! I was absolutely shocked at how quickly I was drenched in sweat. Mind you, I am a 22 year old fairly fit individual who walks and jogs on a daily basis, plus I have been a dancer since I was 6 and I do yoga regularly. I'm not as toned as I would like to be (lack of motivation to do push ups and lunges . . .), hence buying the kit. I literally could barely walk the next day! I did the full workout, not the express routines, on my first go with the kit. Almost the entire DVD is some form of lunge or squats plus the weighted balls. My abs were sore, every possible muscle in my legs were sore, my arms were sore . . . it was miserable, but a good miserable! I couldn't work out the next day to the same DVD, so I did a low-key pilates DVD instead. I haven't been this sore in YEARS!

The only real downside I saw to the DVD is there is basically no instruction whatsoever. There were a few moves I had trouble wrapping my brain around--probably due to a combination of profuse sweating and extreme fatigue. However, I found that as a complete virgin to The Firm workouts I was able to follow along for the most part and it definitely got easier the second time around. Just don't get hung up on trying to do all of the moves perfectly the first few times with the workout. Often I would ignore the more complicated arm sequences while I concentrated on getting the foot work down. For new moves I usually marched in place and watched the girls do a cycle first to get the move down before attempting it myself and I found that extremely beneficial.

I am extremely pleased with this purchase, which means a lot coming from one of the cheapest people ever! I would recommend this product to anyone who wants an intense and effective workout. I will update and let you all know if I notice a difference in my strength and tone in a few more workouts.

This DVD is a sweatfest--guaranteed! While I think the word 'sculpting' is a tad misleading, (I believe you need heavy weights for that), this will definitely tone your muscles & provide some sculpting benefits. Don't scoff at the two pounds. I can do a 15-20# lat row; but in most sculpting workouts, you do have a break here & there for your muscles. With this workout 98% of the time you are holding, pushing, pulling, thrusting, swinging, etc. one or both balls for a straight 55 minutes. They WILL GET HEAVY! Think of it as as a low weight overload.

I think Rebekah does a fine job leading & the moves combined with the balls give you a different type of workout than traditional dumbells. This variation also provides a fun factor. Be advised at times it moves very quickly; but if you can't do it right away, that only gives you room to grow. What's nice is there are two express workouts. Two workouts that are 25 minutes each that are parts of the whole workout. It's a great way to learn the choreography & get your feet wet before jumping into the hour long segment.

I'll be honest--it's the best ab & core workout I've ever experienced. (I've done a lot of them!) When doing the simplest moves I noticed I was holding my abs & core tightly just to maintain proper form & control--even without Rebekah's reminders. Traditional ab workouts don't always give me the best results; but I felt this one! Complete core work through a 'functional' type program. You'll feel it all over & burn some serious calories as well. -

I was really looking forward to the release of this dvd, really. I couldn't keep up through Cardio Core Fusion, some of the moves were really awkward and you have to be a little bit more flexible to keep up (side lunges while moving the balls front side and back). The push ups with one hand on the ball were really hard on my wrists, so I couldn't keep proper form. Her cardio was okay, lots of sports drills. The toning was good, I was achy during that portion with the types of moves and the reps. Rebekah is great at cueing, she did look on the thin side, very ribby. I enjoyed that she would start her workouts from a basic move to more advanced. I enjoy the fact that this one was not at all dancy. I agree with another reviewer that she 'recycled' her warm up throughout the other workouts. This is a fun idea and is great for some variety during your workout schedule. Three stars for repetition, three stars for the level of challenge involved.

I have several of the Firm's DVDs and this is one of my favorites. The moves have been engineered so that your abs truly must work non-stop, and many of the balance moves are very challenging when combined with the movement of the weights. Rebecca also provides a large number of optional modifications that you can add in in order to increase the challenge. I know that this DVD will keep me interested and motivated for a long time to come.

I am a dancer teacher. I work out 7 days a week with various combinations of aerobics, yoga, pilates, and dance. I can only fit weights into my workout twice a week, so I look for DVDs that will give me the maximum benefit in those 2 sessions. In addition to the strength and balance components in this DVD, I found that the cardio is quite intense.

The pace begins to pick up gradually when you are doing 1/4 turns passing the ball under your legs and then around your whole body. Then, there are faster intervals that include such demanding moves as squat-thrusts (You hop down from standing straight into push-up position on the floor)and "soccer drills" with your feet tapping the balls as you hop from foot to foot.

I enjoy this workout because--not only is it challenging--but it's also just plain fun. There is a very unusual, refreshing mix of moves featured. Just keep in mind that the fast pace requires you to have excellent control of the weights in order to avoid injury. There are a few places where you could risk injury to your rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder if you are not careful. Movements where you are required to twist your torso as you raise and lower the weights all the way from the floor over your head quickly are tricky. I did some of these moves half-time in order to control the weights better. This is not a beginner's DVD; you should already HAVE a strong core to do this workout safely.

These couple workouts are really good! The Cardio Core Fusion really gets your heart pumping and also has great sculpting moves. I was never a fan of the Firm cause they looked easy but they arent really easy. Make it a challenge and use different sized weights instead of the balls!! Rebekah is a great instructor! She is my favorite out of the Firm girls. She makes it easy to follow and fun to workout too. She actually gets outta breath too which you dont see alot in workout videos!

Let me preface this review by saying that, in general, I like most of The Firm's workouts, and I especially enjoy the ones led by Rebekah Sturkie and Kelsie Daniels. Ever since starting to use The Firm workouts (both new and older ones), I have lost some serious inches, when I didn't think that I had any more inches to lose (this was after losing 90 pounds using other workouts, like those by Jillian Michaels, Michelle Dozois, and Jessica Smith). So, I was excited to pick this workout up, especially since it was being led by Rebekah. Usually, I find her cueing to be spot-on, the moves in her workouts not that complicated to pick up and do, and overall I get good results from her workouts. While I do like this workout for many reasons, there are some issues seen in this workout that I found surprising, since I don't usually see them in her other workouts. Here's the breakdown:

THE GOOD:

1) This workout does focus on the core, and does work the core. I have done this workout twice, and both times my entire core felt worked the next day--so it does what it says it's supposed to do. If you keep your core tight the entire time like Rebekah reminds you to, you'll feel the effects.
2) I liked the scultping balls that came with the workout. I like the fact that they're USED during the workout (sometimes you get workouts that come with a gadget, but then it's never used during the workout!), and they are used about 99% of the time. Even though they are only 2 pounds, I felt the difference in my shoulders both times after doing this workout. You could use a heavier set of balls or a kettlebell for some moves, though, if you want to boost your burn; however, I find I use this workout on the days where I don't want to do any heavy resistance training.
3) The amount of variety in this workout is amazing. You won't be bored doing this, and some of the moves to work the core I've never seen before. I also liked the fact that she rotates between cardio, sculpting, and focused core work.
4) The DVD says there are 3 workouts on the DVD, but really Cardio Core Fusion is the full 50-minute workout; the other two workouts are simply shorter versions of this longer workout. That's fine with me; on days when I don't have a lot of time, I like having the option to do shorter versions of this workout--and there's two different shorter versions! One that focuses on the abs, and one that focuses on the sculpting & cardio.
5) Rebekah keeps this workout moving right along; there's not a lot of down-time between the segments.


NEEDS IMPROVEMENT:

1) I found some of the moves in the cardio sections to be overly complicated, and she doesn't repeat them enough to really nail them down. It's hard to get your heart rate up when you're trying to master complicated combos, and this will probably be frustrating to someone new to The Firm moves.
2) Like other reviewers have stated, some of the moves are not timed to the music. This makes the cardio moves that are complicated even HARDER to do, because the timing is off! That got annoying.
3) Rebekah's cueing was seriously lacking this time around. She wasn't specific with yelling out what was occurring, especially when she switched between moves. For example, during the move where she does side-to-side lunges and you're picking up and putting down the balls, I all of a sudden looked up, and she was placing them in different spots (behind the legs, outside of the toes, inside of the toes, etc.). While she was yelling stuff like, "behind! outside!" I didn't know what was going on exactly. That happened in other moves as well, where she would change them up without any advanced warning. And I know it wasn't just me, because the background exercisers kept screwing up, too, when she wasn't cueing correctly.
4) Along with Rebekah's spotty cueing, the camera angles left a lot to be desired. Rebekah would often add on to a move, but the camera wasn't anywhere near her.
5) A lot of times Rebekah has one of the balls placed on the floor in front of her. I have a very small workout space, and that wasn't possible for me to do; this resulted in me missing some moves because I always had to go get the other ball.
6) Make sure you have the straps on the balls adjusted BEFORE the workout; you'll waste a lot of time adjusting them for some of the moves if you don't.

Overall, I do like the workout--it does what it's supposed to do. However, there are some production problems that make the overall experience frustrating; and it's all the more frustrating because these issues AREN'T on other Firm videos. Will I do this workout again? Absolutely. Do I have others that I will do more often? Absolutely. However, on the days inbetween my heavy weight/resistance training days, this is a nice workout to do if you can get past those production problems and want some good core work.

I thoroughly enjoy doing this workout. This is a sculpting and cardio workout that emphasizes core training. I find the balls make the workout fun and creative. They are lightweight, comfortable and functional. Rebekah leads us through 3 options on the menu: 60 minutes for Cardio Core Fusion and 2-30 minutes of Cardio ABsession and Burn, Shape & Tone. The cardio balls are used through the entire DVD, including the stretch!
As always in the Firm, I find the warm-up very complex because there are too many moves! I sometimes just create my own warm-up. Initially, I did not use the cardio balls because the choreography is packed with multiple steps and transitions. I always follow the low-impact modifier, anyway.
Overall, I am sincerely happy with this purchase. There are fresh, new moves; athletic moves-soccer drills, kettlebell-inspired moves; lots of lunges, hopping, and lunges with twists. For me, I alternate the abs and sculpting workouts because of the timesaver 30 minutes.

I just got this workout yesterday. I am a Firm addict and I was really excited to get this since Rebekah is one of my favorite leads. It was a good workout, really core focused. I am sore, which is surprising to me. I workout 6 or 7 days a week and I consider myself to be intermediate/advanced. I agree with some of the other reviewers, it was a little awkward. The music didn't match the moves very much, and at times the moves didn't flow smoothly at all. It's definitely not for beginners or those who get easily frustrated if they don't catch on right away. The pushups on the balls were really tough - I kind of felt like I was sliding off of the balls. Make sure you adjust the straps to fit close to your hands! I also should have read the description better - there really aren't three workouts, just a main workout and two shorter versions. I still love Rebekah, but Get Chisel'd and Total Body Time Crunch were much, much better in my opinion. I know I will use this workout often, it will just take a little more patience than I'm used to.

There are worse workouts. But when the beat of the music doesn't match the moves it really irritates me. This instructor (Rebekah Sturkie) doesn't have it together. I knew right from the start that 2 pound balls wouldn't do it for me, so I used much heavier weights and a kettlebell. It made the workout more intense, but not enough for me. The DVD is presented as if there are 3 different workouts, but that's not the case. It is one 55-minute workout with 2 shorter premixes. The ball workouts with Tina Smalley are much better than this one.

I have been doing the firm for about 7 years and I think that this is a great workout. It's more challenging then some of the more recent releases that have been a little disappointing. I definately felt that my muscles were worked.