The Firm Workout Instructors

The Firm Workout Instructors

The Cardio-vascular Workout Essentials

To accomplish a good cardio-vascular workout all you really need is a good pair of running shoes. Most cardio-vascular exercise needs little or no third party apparatus to help you accomplish your routine. Running, dancing, walking can all be done with no equipment (well, if dancing, then maybe some music would help). Other forms of cardio are step, circuit training, bike riding, swimming, aerobics and more...

With most exercise you should always remember to warm up first and cool down afterwards. This means gently stretching and moving your muscles to start off with. Suddenly moving into full exercise without building up first will cause problems such as stiffness and cramps. Ease yourself into it. Then after exercise, the cool down is basically gently moving the muscles and joints to stretch and relax, as your body returns to its normal pace.

Running:
Make sure you have a good pair of running shoes. The technology put into these shoes nowadays is highly researched and designed to reduce shock to the feet, ankles, legs and back. So don't skimp on these - you get what you pay for.

Before you start your run, be sure to warm up first. Start with a brisk walk ensuring you move your arms vigorously gradually breaking into a slow jog. It is better to run at a speed to which you can still converse. If you find yourself losing breath, slow your pace down until you've recovered. If you are a novice runner try running and walking, until you can hold your run for 15 minutes.

Now increase the length and time of your run by a couple of minutes every other time you hit the road or treadmill, until you can run for 30 minutes without stopping. Try to increase your run time by 10% each week, remember not to over do it and don't forget to warm down at the end of each by slowing down gradually. When your run is complete stretch your legs for 30 seconds per muscle, hamstring, calf and thigh.

Cycling:
Cycling is one of the best ways to get a good cardio-vascular workout.

First of all, if you are riding on the roads safety is paramount, always use the appropriate safety equipment when road riding. You can stay fit by riding a bike to work, most people work within a five mile radius of there place of work, which is a perfect distance for a bike ride.

Exercise bikes can be used in a variety of ways, general riding for specified length of time, this is like going for a bike ride with out the dangers of road riding and the weather. Warm up riding you can use an exercise bike for warming up the legs before a leg workout. Also exercise bike classes, these classes are taken by an instructor, who will put you through various levels of pace, quite like a circuit training exercise with a bike.

You may find it surprising to find that riding a bike five miles 3 times per week will improve your heart rate, your posture, skin and weight control. Some even say that riding and running are great ways of relieving stress.

Swimming:
One of the best ways to firm up and trim your body down. Due to the resistance the water has on the body swimming involves all the major muscle groups this allows the body to burn up to 20% more calories than swimming through air. Swimming a few lengths per day will keep you fit and give you an excellent workout. Swimming also has less impact on the joints than say, running.

If you wish to take your swim a little further try picking up the pace of your swim, you can work up to a great aerobic exercise and give your body an excellent workout.

Start off by swimming 1-2 lengths at a time resting between sets if necessary, after you have swam ten lengths call it a day. The next day repeat the process until you can swim five lengths without a break. Progress to ten lengths in by adding an extra length each time you return.

You can put together your own cardio raining routing in the gym, if you have a problem with this then the staff on hand will write one for you and show you how to achieve your goal. Try to make your cardio last between an hour and an hour and a half. A good start point for cardio is always a run.

This cardio workout will work for a person of medium fitness, however adjust the times and pace according to your fitness levels.

1. Run at a light pace for 20 minutes, start off at a walking pace and gradually move to a run, this helps you get warmed up and the blood pumping.

2. Rowing machine- set the rowing machine for a countdown time of 15 minutes or keep a check on your watch or the clock. Start off with a slow rowing motion to get the pace up, maintain this steady pace throughout the full 13 minutes and use the 2 minutes to slow the pace down.

3. Move immediately on to exercise bike take a stead paced ride for 12 minutes with a sprint finish for the remaining 3 minutes.

4. After the exercise bike move directly on to the step climber for a period of 15 minutes climbing on a light level to get the legs going. Try to move at a swift pace for the full 15 minutes as this is the last of the leg work you will be doing.

5. When you have completed the step climber, move onto the abs bench for some crunches. 4 sets of crunches to failure is your target for this exercise. Try twisting your body and touching your left knee with your right elbow and vice versa.

6. The last exercise in this quick cardio workout is the leg raise apparatus. Bring your knees up to your chest for 3-4 sets for as many reps as possible (failure)

After the completion of this cardio workout, remember to do a full warm down by stretching the muscles. The full workout should take you around 1 hour 20 minutes.

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Gospel Dance Aerobics

Firm: Firm Parts - Total Body [2 Pack] - $29.99 Includes:The Firm: Firm Parts - 5-Day Abs (1994) The Firm: Firm Parts - Standing Legs (1994) The Firm: Firm Parts - Upper Body (1994) The Firm: Firm Parts - Tough Tape 2 (1999) The Firm: Firm Parts - 5-Day Abs While the name might be confusing, The Firm 5-Day Abs promises noticeable results in ten days. The plan consists of five different daily stomach workouts. Viewers have responded well to this variance in exercise videos, with day four reputed to be the toughest. The instructors are helpful and work every part of the abdominals. The Firm works best in combination with a continual exercise routine. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide The Firm: Firm Parts - Standing Legs This episode of The Firm Parts concentrates on toning the lower body through the use of standing leg exercises. Five separate segments, with five separate instructors, are each introduced by host Salina Bartunek. Exercises include lunges, leg presses, adductions, and squats. Equipment supported by this video includes dumbbells, ankle weights, and the Fanny Lifter. The workout is bookended on each side by periods of stretching exercises. The pace of this video is intense and the exercises, while certainly effective, may be too strenuous for beginners. However, those workout fiends in search of a challenge should step right up to Standing Legs. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide The Firm: Firm Parts - Upper Body The Firm Parts: Upper Body is a challenging workout designed to sculpt the chest, arms, and shoulders. Using hand weights, instructor DePrise Brescia teaches routines from The Firm's acclaimed total-body volumes. Brescia encourages women to use light weights for developing a strong chest, solid shoulders, firm arms, and back. She suggests that male viewers use heavier weights for similar results. Scientifically researched, this upper body workout includes a thorough half-hour exercise segment and a ten-minute warm-up and cool down. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide The Firm: Firm Parts - Tough Tape 2 In this tape, The Firm has taken the best segments from their Crosstrainer and Total Body series to create a workout that targets the upper and lower body problem areas. Upper body exercises include lots of biceps curls, French presses, and push-ups. The lower-body segments cover leg extensions, squats and lunges, and polymeric jumps. This workout requires a step and a minimum of two sets of hand weights. ~ Heather M. Fierst, All Movie Guide

Firm: Total Body Makeover - $12.99 Includes:The Firm: Total Body - Time Crunch Workout (1990) The Firm: Hard Core Fusion (2007) The Firm: Cardio Party (2007) The Firm: Sculpt-Ilates (2008) The Firm: Total Body - Time Crunch Workout In this installment from The Firm, instructors Susan Harris and Kai Soremekun lead the viewer in a total body workout. Soremekun gives instruction in floor and step aerobics, while Harris leads the weights and cool-down sessions. All of the major muscle groups are targeted. The viewer will alternate between demanding aerobics and weight and standing floor workouts and can control the intensity of the workout by varying the amount of weight used. Equipment needed is an aerobic step, dumbbells, and optional ankle weights. ~ Linda J. Shriver, All Movie Guide The Firm: Hard Core Fusion Including a 55-minute comprehensive workout as well as a 35-minute "express" workout, this fitness program offers a cardio section for calorie and fat burning, as well as body shaping strength training section targeting all areas of the body. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi The Firm: Cardio Party This fitness program offers a fun, high energy cardio workout designed to burn as many calories as possible in a 40-minute time frame. Though the workout is appropriate for intermediate exercisers, beginner modifications allow people in all levels of fitness to participate. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi The Firm: Sculpt-Ilates This 50-minute workout uses the principles of Pilates and incorporates the use of a band in order to encourage maximum fat burning and muscle toning results in the shortest amount of time. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

The Firm: The 500 Calorie Workout - $12.99 With seemingly every workout video on the market touting vague or impossible results, this one relies on concrete math for its promises: it burns 500 calories, guaranteed. Created with precise intervals and intense movements, the 60-minute routine is guaranteed to eliminate its target number if executed properly, and fitness expert Kelsie Daniels makes sure each element of the workout is thoroughly demonstrated and explained, so no viewer is left too confused to hit the mark. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi

The Firm: Ultimate Fat Burning Workout - $14.99 Cardio training combines with strength-building exercises to build muscles and blast fat in a forty-five minute workout hosted by fitness expert Alison Davis. Whether it's your arms, legs, abs, or chest that you're seeking to sculpt, this low-impact workout does it all. Required equipment includes a pair of three-to-five pound dumbbells. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Fat-To-Firm Fitness Ball Workout for Dummies - $12.99 The stability ball has become one of the most popular tools in aerobic workout programs, and for a good reason -- used properly, it can help to tone and strengthen the main muscle groups and help improve balance and posture. Fat-to-Firm Fitness Ball Workout for Dummies is an exercise video which demonstrates the right way to use the ball and integrates it into an effective exercise routine that can be easily modified for a variety of skill or fitness levels. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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