From the description on the box, this looked like a single workout taught by alternating instructors, but it's really a video remix of several different workouts spanning the years. You can tell the editors tried to make it flow well, but even with the slick transitions, it remains a "Franken-workout," pieced together from snippets of other workouts. It lacks overall flow, and often there's not enough time to set up the equipment.

Despite the flaws, the workout itself is excellent. I find The Firm philosophy of working with several pieces of equipment to be quite effective. I don't mind swapping items into and out of the workspace frequently (it keeps me interested). If you're not into this, though, beware: there's a lot of setup and breakdown (and like I mentioned, you must work fairly quickly to keep up)

The back of the DVD lists an impressive array of necessities, but you can get by with:

- Fanny Lifter or 14-18 inch step/bench/stool
- Light dumbbells
- Medium dumbbells
- Heavy dumbbells

Optional equipment listed:

- Weight ball (i just used a 5-lb dumbbell)
- Sculpting Stick (used very briefly - you can skip, or use a cheap dowel)
- 2x4 board (didn't use at all during workout; can put below heels on certain floor work or squats if you want to go deeper)
- Barbell (i have no idea where they wanted you to use this; maybe in place of the sculpting stick?)

This delivers as promised, despite its flaws: a concentrated session of upper body work plus abs. It's definitely not for raw beginners -- it's quite intense, but adaptable (just change to lighter or heavier weights if you find you're having trouble). I will laugh at the '80s workout clothes and hair. I'll cringe at the cheesy music. I'll curse the lithe instructors breezily commanding me to to just two more sets of pushups. And I'll keep doing these things, because, overall, it's a fun and effective workout.

Are you serious about seeing results? If you are, and are ready to move from an intermediate to an advanced workout,you'll find this workout to be very effective.

Starting with an excellent warm up, and then hitting every part of the upper body, including, chest, back(upper and lower), shoulders, arms(all sides) and abs, The Firm takes you through five basic cycles in about an hour. Each cycle is broken into small segments that target a specific need. In each of the cycles, you will find some tough ab work, to strenghten and tone your core, and a few of the cycles include some great cardio that will keep your heart rate up and burning those calories. I liked that the abs and cardio were spread throughout the workout. The last segment is a nice stretch, which I felt could have been a little longer.

The breakdown: Warm-up: 4 min
Upper body work: 30 min(Total)
Abs: 15 min (Total)
Cardio: 10 min(Total)
CoolDown/Stretch: 2 minutes

There were a couple of reasons I could not go 5 stars though. The segments were pieced together in a way that did not allow for a nice flow from segment to segment. There was not enough time to set up for change to weights or a mat, etc, and barely a second to get a drink of water. I know it's a DVD and can be easily paused, but that just interupts the flow. Also there were a variety of instructors and with every change, each took a little getting used to, especially in the cuing department.

You'll also need several pieces of equipment, some of which are optional. A set of weights that vary from light to what you may consider heavy, a dowel, and a stool or chair.A mat is also a good idea for floor work. You don't have to use exactly what they use though, you can improvise. For example instead of a weighted ball, I just used one of my lighter weights held on the ends and used an old small ottoman instead of the stool.

It's an intense workout that will give you results, and that's the bottom line. I found this to be very effective, in toning,shaping, burning calories and most of all beneficial in increasing my upper body strength. I noticed after a few weeks that I can do more push-ups without going to my knees! Another up-side, is that I am much more conscientious about healthier eating, as I don't want to throw all that hard work out the window!

Get Serious...Remember to breathe, eat healthy...and enjoy!...Laurie