The Firm: Cardio Sculpt Blaster

I'm not really one to write reviews for things, but I feel as though these workouts deserve recognition. My first experience with The Firm was a few years ago when I decided to buy and try the Transfirmer series of workouts. I wasn't necessarily a beginner at that time, but man..those workouts kicked my butt! I then ordered the previous body sculpting series videos to rotate to avoid boredom. I had great success with them but for whatever reason, I ended up joining a local gym and the The Firm videos/step began collecting dust. Fast forward to present, a husband and almost 2 year old daughter later, I decided I needed something that worked for me at home bc trying to coordinate a toddler to your desired gym schedule isn't necessarily the easiest task (not to mention wasting so much gas). It dawned on me to re-order some of The Firm workouts, new and older DVDs; no more driving 30 minutes to the gym for me! Let me tell you, as someone who is by no means a beginner when it comes to fitness, these workouts are no joke. I got a better workout with these DVDs than I did at any class or time on the treadmill/elliptical. I HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who wants to get in shape and get there FAST. I can tell a change in my body already-they promise results in 10 workouts, but you'll see it before then. Trust me. What's also great is that you can make them as easy or as challenging as you desire-increase or decrease your weight. Either way, you'll get a great workout!

I bought this way back when it first came out. It's a thirty-minute cardio workout, alternating low- and high-impact floor aerobics, four-limb moves with light dumbbells & step routines (both with & without dumbbells). The whole workout is nicely balanced between those various cardio styles, the moves are pretty easy to learn while still being non-monotonous, and the clean, bright set enhances the uplifting aspect of the workout. I wish the musical track was a little bit louder, compared to her speaking voice, but it's not too big of a deal. As with virtually all FIRM workouts, the moves are precisely timed to the music, which is all non-vocal, and fairly motivating. While Lisa Kay is not my favorite instructor of all time, she does a good job here. She's actually pretty pleasent here (she seems kind of snobby in some other workouts), and manages to make this workout go by really fast. It's a nice workout to add on to a short weight-training workout, once you become more advanced, too. It's the easiest & shortest cardio workout that I've seen The Firm make, and I've viewed all of their workouts made from 1985-2005.

This is the cardio workout that I most often turn to when I'm low on motivation, just getting over an illness, need a lighter cardio day because I worked hard with weights the day before, or when my knees are not up for a complex routine. The step routines are performed on a 6" platform by their "beginner" exerciser, and 8" by the other exercisers/instructor. If you own a 4" step platform, then the exercises would certainly work on that, too. Personally, I prefer to do step aerobics on a 4" platform, as balance & cardio speed/endurance aren't my strong suit. It's still working my heart, no doubt, but it's easier on the knees & back than most workout DVD's, and as I've aged, this means a lot to me. A step shaped like a box is what they use here, but a Transfirmer or Reebox Step can be used instead- just turn it to the side, so you're facing the shorter edge, not the full-length side of the step. There is no abdominal work, there are no lunges, and you won't need to get on the floor at all- important if you're recovering from knee or back issues, I know. The step can be eliminated entirely, with the moves done as a floor aerobic routine instead, if you are a beginner and/or have serious joint issues. There is one segment where you'll do toe touches on a high step (14" is what they use), but you won't actually have to climb the high step at all. You can always just touch your toes out in front of you, or on a lower step, if the high step is still too much of a challenge. Your arms & legs will get a light-to-medium workout from the DVD, especially once you add dumbbells- but it won't take the place of regular weight-training. A beginner should do the workout without weights at least the first time, just to make sure you get the routine down. But if you exercise regularly, you'll quickly progress into wanting dumbbells for the arm moves, as you'll need them to get the most from the workout cardiovascularly. I've used 8lb. dumbbells, at the most, and for a cardio workout, that's about as high as I'd really even want to go (for joint safety purposes, as much as anything else). The stretch at the end feels good, runs just the right length of time after such a workout, and finishes this off well.

This workout is perfect for those just getting into (or getting back into) a workout program. I won't say it's easy on an absolute beginner who is also out-of-shape, but it's manageable & wouldn't be as intimidating as some longer, tougher workouts can be. The intermediate exerciser may prefer to combine this with another half-hour or forty-five minute workout for further results & more of a challenge, and advanced exercisers may find this workout just too simple for their liking. You can, of course, up the step height, up the dumbbell weight, and do more high-impact as opposed to low as you progress. But the choreography is basic- if you like really complex, dance-y routines, this workout may get on your nerves. My other favorite Firm cardio workouts are Super Cardio Sculpt, Fat Blaster & Super Cardio.

I have been wanting to purchase the add-on workouts from the BSS1 series for some time, and tI purchased this one along with The Firm - Body Sculpting System: Super Body Sculpt (led by Stephanie Corley).

I like Lisa Kay as an instructor. She is very upbeat, and her cueing was spot on! I am beginning exercising again after having been away from it for some time, and found this workout's pace to be perfect. It was challenging without being too strenuous. And while I don't have the Fanny Lifter, I do own the TransFirmer (the elongated two-part step featured in the BSS4 series) and found that it worked just fine.

This really is a great cardio workout that is very short in duration (around a mere 30 minutes), so the time literally flies by and the workout is over before you know it.

It is a nice beginner/intermediate workout. I was looking for a more complex, challenging workout. However, this will be perfect for a low energy day.

I didn't much like this exercise video. I should preface that by saying that the reason why I didn't like it is that I'm not the most coordinated person. I found the step moves to be complicated and annoying. I didn't get my heart rate up because I was constantly trying to figure out how to complete the moves. I have some other videos that use a step but none of them are this annoying. I was expecting a program that would allow me to use the "fanny firmer" to pinpoint certain problem areas but I didn't expect the video to be mostly used with the step. I have several The Firm videos but none this annoying. If you are good at the step, this also might not be good for you because it doesn't really seem to get the heart rate up, even if you knew all the moves. Based on this experience, I won't purchase any other programs where a step is in use.

I like this video. I had it on VHS but my player broke. It is challenging but it doesn't kill you. I enjoy working out to this video.