TexasLaura
Cathlete
There was a lot of discussion before Christmas during the pre-order sale of the Firm's new series; Express. From the discussion it seemed that a lot of people were ordering it. Can anyone report in on the new series?
FIRM Express Series: anyone tried it?
- Thread starter TexasLaura
- Start date
crm549
Cathlete
This is a cut and paste (and paraphrase) from a review I wrote else where:
Okay. I just recently finished all the workouts in the FIRM Express System. I think many of the workouts are going to start showing up individually or in pairs in the retail market soon.
I can give you information on an indvidual workout if you like but for now most of my comments will be on the system as a whole.
The system consist of:
Kickstart Your Metabolism - Includes 10 minutes Pump It Up and 10 minutes Shortcut to Flat Abs. Jennifer Ray
Cycle 1 Ignite - Cardio+Sculpt , Cardio, Sculpt - 3 workouts each 20 minutes., Emily Welsh
Cycle 2 Accelerate - Cardio+Sculpt, Cardio, Sculpt - 3 workouts each 20 minutes, Rebakah Sturkie
Cycle 3 TurboCharge - Cardio+Sculpt, Cardio, Sculpt - 3 workouts each 20 minutes, Alison Davis
Cycle 4 Overdrive - Cardio+Sculpt, Cardio, Sculpt - 3 workouts each 20 minutes, Kelsie Daniels
Overall, I liked the system. I am in between thinking it is decent to good, but not great. I didn't like any one cycle more than another. There were individual workouts that I thought were great and some just okay.
All the workouts with the exception of Shortcut to Flat Abs include the Mini Burst. The mini burst are 8 seconds of work, 12 second of recovery. I like the idea of the mini burst, I just didn't like many of the exercises chosen for the mini burst. Mostly because the moves themselves are not naturally intensive moves. I think of some of the interval, bootcamp, HiiT workouts out there, even some of the PINK Firms - and all the exercises that they could have used but didn't. Many of the burst seem similiar from one workout to the next and there was not a lot of variety.
I do like that the workouts are 20 minutes. Coming home afterwork and knowing that my workout was only going to be 20 minutes was a big plus for me. I was like "20 minutes, Let's Do It".
Now, while I like that the workouts were 20 minutes, I didn't necessarily like how they use the 20 minutes. First of all for a 20 minute workout, about 1/2 of the warm ups used were way too complicated or maybe overly fancy is the phrase I am looking for. The warm ups that were simple and to the point got me into the workout much faster.
Also, all the workouts included or tried to include an mini ab section towards the end of the workout. I just really felt this stopped the momentum and it greatly annoyed me in the cardio workouts.
I will say I was mildly impressed by the ending stretch because for the most part, the stretch wasn't rushed. There were only two workouts that I felt rushed the stretch at then end. The majority of the workouts kept a brisk but unhurried pace.
Most of the main content (with exception of some of the burst) I enjoyed. By the main content I mean the sculpting and cardio segments. Next time I do these workouts again, I will most likely come up with my own burst.
Speaking of the burst and something else that annoyed me is the fact that the count down clock (counting down the 8 seconds) was not in sync with the instructor. Most of the time, the instructor was stopping well before the clock hit zero.
Things that I wish for the system:
1) That they had either made a fourth dvd in each cycle with each instructor doing a mini ab work and a mini stretch. (Although Jen has an ab workout on her DVD)
2) or that each workout had an extended stretch as a separate chapter point added to the DVD - similiar to Cathe's extended stretch for STS.
3) A music louder option.
4) A separate chapter point of all the burst done back to back.
5) A separate chapter point without the burst.
6) A count down clock for the 12 second rest/recovery period too.
I do think the 20 minute are a great way to burn a bunch of calories.
With Pump It Up (Jen's 10 Minute bonus workout) I burned 100 calories.
For the other workouts my calorie range was (depending on the workout) 123 to 220.
Okay. I just recently finished all the workouts in the FIRM Express System. I think many of the workouts are going to start showing up individually or in pairs in the retail market soon.
I can give you information on an indvidual workout if you like but for now most of my comments will be on the system as a whole.
The system consist of:
Kickstart Your Metabolism - Includes 10 minutes Pump It Up and 10 minutes Shortcut to Flat Abs. Jennifer Ray
Cycle 1 Ignite - Cardio+Sculpt , Cardio, Sculpt - 3 workouts each 20 minutes., Emily Welsh
Cycle 2 Accelerate - Cardio+Sculpt, Cardio, Sculpt - 3 workouts each 20 minutes, Rebakah Sturkie
Cycle 3 TurboCharge - Cardio+Sculpt, Cardio, Sculpt - 3 workouts each 20 minutes, Alison Davis
Cycle 4 Overdrive - Cardio+Sculpt, Cardio, Sculpt - 3 workouts each 20 minutes, Kelsie Daniels
Overall, I liked the system. I am in between thinking it is decent to good, but not great. I didn't like any one cycle more than another. There were individual workouts that I thought were great and some just okay.
All the workouts with the exception of Shortcut to Flat Abs include the Mini Burst. The mini burst are 8 seconds of work, 12 second of recovery. I like the idea of the mini burst, I just didn't like many of the exercises chosen for the mini burst. Mostly because the moves themselves are not naturally intensive moves. I think of some of the interval, bootcamp, HiiT workouts out there, even some of the PINK Firms - and all the exercises that they could have used but didn't. Many of the burst seem similiar from one workout to the next and there was not a lot of variety.
I do like that the workouts are 20 minutes. Coming home afterwork and knowing that my workout was only going to be 20 minutes was a big plus for me. I was like "20 minutes, Let's Do It".
Now, while I like that the workouts were 20 minutes, I didn't necessarily like how they use the 20 minutes. First of all for a 20 minute workout, about 1/2 of the warm ups used were way too complicated or maybe overly fancy is the phrase I am looking for. The warm ups that were simple and to the point got me into the workout much faster.
Also, all the workouts included or tried to include an mini ab section towards the end of the workout. I just really felt this stopped the momentum and it greatly annoyed me in the cardio workouts.
I will say I was mildly impressed by the ending stretch because for the most part, the stretch wasn't rushed. There were only two workouts that I felt rushed the stretch at then end. The majority of the workouts kept a brisk but unhurried pace.
Most of the main content (with exception of some of the burst) I enjoyed. By the main content I mean the sculpting and cardio segments. Next time I do these workouts again, I will most likely come up with my own burst.
Speaking of the burst and something else that annoyed me is the fact that the count down clock (counting down the 8 seconds) was not in sync with the instructor. Most of the time, the instructor was stopping well before the clock hit zero.
Things that I wish for the system:
1) That they had either made a fourth dvd in each cycle with each instructor doing a mini ab work and a mini stretch. (Although Jen has an ab workout on her DVD)
2) or that each workout had an extended stretch as a separate chapter point added to the DVD - similiar to Cathe's extended stretch for STS.
3) A music louder option.
4) A separate chapter point of all the burst done back to back.
5) A separate chapter point without the burst.
6) A count down clock for the 12 second rest/recovery period too.
I do think the 20 minute are a great way to burn a bunch of calories.
With Pump It Up (Jen's 10 Minute bonus workout) I burned 100 calories.
For the other workouts my calorie range was (depending on the workout) 123 to 220.
TexasLaura
Cathlete
Thanks jcmar and Saundra! Really great review, Saundra! I appreciate the feedback. Now I don't feel like I'm missing anything. I think I'll save my money and just do abbreviated (pre-mix) Cathe workouts when I am short on time.
Ya'll saved me some $$$$!! Thanks.
Ya'll saved me some $$$$!! Thanks.
NRG Woman
Cathlete
I have it and I am also lukewarm on it. I think the above review is very thoughtful and I just wanted to add one more thing. I have a lot of feet and knee issues and jumping is a serious problem for me. Anyone who does Cathe knows that you can get intensity without constant jumping. With that said when I got the FIRM Express I was glad to hear in the introduction that one of the exercisers was a "modifier". Yeah, not so much. The modifier just jumped an inch or two lower. I tried doing the workouts low impact, but was very frustrated from constant modifying. After a few workouts I was injured and have not gone back to it.
Overall I think it is a great concept, I just don't like the execution.
Overall I think it is a great concept, I just don't like the execution.
nsaeolian
Cathlete
me too
I, too, found all the jumping to be too much for my knees. I have some issues with my knees but I found there was not a lot of modifying done by the modifier, ha ha. I had poor results from my month of doing those DVDs only. And my eating is just fine. On the Firm forum, it was hinted that my eating habits were maybe to blame for my lackluster results. In fact, I gained inches on some of my body! Not what I want.
I, too, found all the jumping to be too much for my knees. I have some issues with my knees but I found there was not a lot of modifying done by the modifier, ha ha. I had poor results from my month of doing those DVDs only. And my eating is just fine. On the Firm forum, it was hinted that my eating habits were maybe to blame for my lackluster results. In fact, I gained inches on some of my body! Not what I want.
Some at the Firm forums tend to be a little harsh when anyone comments about the workouts not working for them, so I would just let the eating comment go. Not all programs work for all users.
The FIRM workouts are no one near as intense as they use to be. That's why I switched to Cathe years ago
nightowl81
Cathlete
is the cardio similar to the moves in The Firm's Calorie Explosion?
crm, that would of been great to have different chapter points or premixes of just the blasts and just the weights...maybe the retail versions will have those options.
crm, that would of been great to have different chapter points or premixes of just the blasts and just the weights...maybe the retail versions will have those options.
esanford2003
New Member
Firm Workouts
I have used the Firm Products for years and love them. I love the Firm Express but I agree that I would like 4 workouts at least per week. I've also worked out with Cathe and I love her weight training workouts! Working out from home has been the key for me to keeping fit and losing weight!
I have used the Firm Products for years and love them. I love the Firm Express but I agree that I would like 4 workouts at least per week. I've also worked out with Cathe and I love her weight training workouts! Working out from home has been the key for me to keeping fit and losing weight!
mrsprincess07
Cathlete
I had the system and I sold it. I found it to be too repetitive and very hard on my knees. I can't handle the type of impact that they do and a lot of the moves are very twisty for the joints which was also a huge concern. I have less discomfort doing Cathe Cardio Workouts than I did with FE and that's saying a lot! IMO, the strength segments relied too heavily on momentum and not enough control. You simply went too fast to see any real strength benefits/gains from the system. I also feel that they beat the "bursts" to death; it was the same exact format in every single workout and it makes it boring after a while. It's basically all HIIT training and from reading articles and even the blogs that Cathe posts, we need more in our fitness routines than just that; and too much of it is a bad thing. Their rotation guides for anything above beginner must be downloaded off of their site which requires a membership and those should be included in the system, not charged extra for. I just couldn't see myself following the advanced version doing the workouts most days (too much HIIT according to fitness standards) and again, it's boring.
As a side note, Emily is annoying in this. I find that her 10-30 minute routines she seems rushed and frantic. I just can't stand her and listening to her talk 100 mph is not fun. Some of her comments can seem rude or degrading, for Example- she often says "don't be lazy". Rebekah (sp?) is a Whoop-er in this series. It grates on my last nerve. I don't like Whooping and I find it distracting. Some people don't mind, but I got tired of it after the 5th time in 10 minutes.
If you or anyone does decide that they want it, wait about another 10-12 months. After about the 2 Year Marker of a Firm System being out on the market, they seem to take a price dive. The Wave after 2 yrs was selling for $49.99 just like every system before it. After 3 yrs, it's now selling for $29.99 (amazon as of last week- although it fluctuates). In 10-24 months it's going to be the price of 1-2 DVDs, a far better deal especially when IMO, it's not worth the current $89.99.
Edit: As someone else mentioned- the modifiers don't modify. That is honestly the truth and confused me the first couple of times I did some of the workouts. It also doesn't make since that they are releasing the workouts (2 workouts per disk) for individual retail. Every 3 months another comes out. No premixes, just what you get in the FE system but less DVDs. That and they mix and match workouts from various Cycles. Not the best system they've released and one of the first Firm workout Series I would not recommend in a long time.
As a side note, Emily is annoying in this. I find that her 10-30 minute routines she seems rushed and frantic. I just can't stand her and listening to her talk 100 mph is not fun. Some of her comments can seem rude or degrading, for Example- she often says "don't be lazy". Rebekah (sp?) is a Whoop-er in this series. It grates on my last nerve. I don't like Whooping and I find it distracting. Some people don't mind, but I got tired of it after the 5th time in 10 minutes.
If you or anyone does decide that they want it, wait about another 10-12 months. After about the 2 Year Marker of a Firm System being out on the market, they seem to take a price dive. The Wave after 2 yrs was selling for $49.99 just like every system before it. After 3 yrs, it's now selling for $29.99 (amazon as of last week- although it fluctuates). In 10-24 months it's going to be the price of 1-2 DVDs, a far better deal especially when IMO, it's not worth the current $89.99.
Edit: As someone else mentioned- the modifiers don't modify. That is honestly the truth and confused me the first couple of times I did some of the workouts. It also doesn't make since that they are releasing the workouts (2 workouts per disk) for individual retail. Every 3 months another comes out. No premixes, just what you get in the FE system but less DVDs. That and they mix and match workouts from various Cycles. Not the best system they've released and one of the first Firm workout Series I would not recommend in a long time.
Last edited:
TexasLaura
Cathlete
Thanks for the updates!