A 40-minute workout from The Firm that alternates sculpting segments with cardio bursts. Emily Welsh instructs.

Advanced beginning through intermediate exercisers. The choreography is basic, but fast-paced at times, so it may take two or three passes to get the cardio moves down. You'll need two to three sets of 3 to 10 lb. dumbbells (the modifier is shown using no weights, which is a good place to start if you're a total beginner, but most exercisers should be able to start off using weights).

I read some reviews of this workout after the first time I did it and I was relieved to discover that I wasn't the only one who had trouble with the choreography on this DVD. It seems like a lot of people needed a few tries to get it down. The biggest problem is actually the warm-up, which is more complicated than anything else in the rest of the routine. So don't be discouraged by the first few minutes. The segments that use dumbbells are done slowly enough so that you can use a weight that is challenging, and the cardio segments are shorter and only moderately sweat-inducing. Welsh's cueing here is not that great — I needed to refer to the TV screen often to see what was going on — but the workout is solid enough and basic enough to keep this from being a deal-killer. Plus the abdominal section at the end is fantastic, geared to really fatigue your midsection — this alone makes the DVD worthwhile. It's a good 40-minute workout for most advanced beginners and a nice light day for intermediates.

 

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this latest series of workouts from The Firm. I used to save their routines for days when I wanted a challenging workout that offered up truly effective sculpting and a cardio burn. The equipment (the Fanny Lifter, TransFIRMer, etc.) may have been a little gimmicky, but they really did kick things up a notch (not to mention the fact that they kicked your rear end up a notch or two!). The latest group of workouts are moderately intense at best, and if I want to really go in for a heavy exercise session, I find myself reaching for any number of other DVDs (Michelle Dozois' Your Best Body Circuit is a fave). It seems like The Firm has changed either its focus or its audience, or both. I would not compare the newer DVDs to the old workouts — it's like comparing apples and oranges.

 

To Order The Firm: Burn and Shape