Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is Cathe Friedrich's Pure Strength workout series from 1999, it is split up into 3 separate workouts.Legs & Abs, Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, and Back, Biceps & Abs.The leg workout is around an hour, where the upper body workouts are under an hour.This is a great strength series, some might think it's a little dated but I like it quite well, plus it will work you hard.You will need dumbells (a barbell and bodybar are used but dumbells can be substituted), and a stool or high step.
The first workout is mainly legs, though there is a short ab segment at the end.You will start with standing leg work, here you will see a mixture of strength and endurance exercises to fully fatigue the legs.You will start a light set of front and back lunges, then moving into a little heavier set before doing static lunges with a heavier barbell.Next you will do a light set of side to side plie squats with a body bar, then a heavier set of stationary plie squats with a heavy barbell. In preparation for the next exercise squats, you will do a set of step ups which are the same as leg presses often seen in The Firm videos.Following this are a set of squats with a barbell and a very tough set of sit and stand squats (similar to The Firm's hover squats).After all that you will do quarter deadlifts which are pretty hard to do with good form, I often modify these with normal deadlifts.To finish out the standing segment, you will do a few sets of calf raises.There is a shorter floorwork section following the standing work, it mainly consists of inner/outer thigh raises and hamstring work, some of which is done with a body bar.I personally either use a light dumbell or ankle weights for this segment or sometimes no additional weight at all.A short abs routine and stretch concludes the workout.
Chest, Shoulders and Triceps is the next installment in the series.After a short warmup, you will do chest work.Here you will see pushups, bench presses (light & heavy set), incline bench press (using a barbell & dumbells), incline chest flies and a combination incline chest fly and bench press exercise.For shoulders, you will do an Arnold press (an overhead press with a twist at the top), seated clean & press, side lateral raises, seated rear deltoid raises, and seated side lateral raises.Finally for triceps, you will see a close grip dumbell press, lying tricep extensions, cross body kickbacks and tricep dips.I particularly liked the selection of the tricep exercises, I don't typically care for tricep kickbacks so it was nice to see other exercises used here.
Back, biceps and abs are the final installment in the series.You will start with back work, included here are T-bar rows, bent over rows, one arm rows and shrugs.The bicep work consists of barbell curls, seated dumbell curls (hammer and traditional with rotation), barbell negative curls and seated concentration curls.The concentration curls are done in single time, I would have preferred a slower count myself but that's just a minor quibble I have.To finish out this set you will do some abs and lower back work before stretching out.
Overall, this is a fine strength training DVD.Lots of variety in all the exercises so all the muscle groups are worked thoroughly.Many seasoned Cathe fans may find this DVD easier than her more current workouts, but I find that I get an excellent workout with this without those dread low end exercises that are often found in her more current offerings.Cathe's instruction is first rate here, she is pleasant, encouraging and has excellent form pointers and tips in general.Again some might feel this is a bit dated, but I enjoy it nonetheless.5 stars for this one.
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Product Description:
Strong Legs & Abs is a thorough leg & ab workout that leaves no lower body muscle untouched. The workout begins with a warm-up and follows with a tough standing leg workout. It then continues with classic floor work that is enhanced through the use of resistance. The workout concludes with a challenging abdominal routine and stretchSome of the new and featured moves are: alternating Plie squats, sit and stand squats, step ups and creative calf and hamstring exercises. Chest/Shoulders & Tricepsbegins with a brief warm-up followed by unique & classic chest, shoulder and triceps exercises.The chest routine focuses on inclines, declines and negatives to to enhance and recruit new muscle fibers. The shoulder routine puts a twist on some classic moves (ie; Arnold Press instead of standard overhead presses.) and also incorporates some compound exercises ( seated clean & press) to enhance special shaping techniques.The triceps routine brings back some favorites (dips with barbell) plus introduces some new exercises (cross body kickback) to activate all three heads of the triceps muscle.Backs, Biceps & Abs begins with a warm-up followed by a thorough back, biceps and abdominal routine and ends with a relaxing stretch.The emphasis of this video series is on strength and is similar in style to Maximum Intensity Strength. The back routine consists of exercises including: T-Bar Row, Bent Over Row, One Arm Row, and shrugs. These exercises target all areas of the back and assist in the development and maintenance of good posture. The bicep routine includes the following exercises: Barbell Curls, Seated Dumbbell curls, negative curls and concentration curls. Various hand grips will not only target the biceps but also the forearm muscles as well.The abdominal and spinal erector workout will provide a strong support system for your everyday functions. This will not only enhance your posture but will help prevent unnecessary back pain.
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