Total Muscle Shaping

[Guest guest]

I did this early this morning but this is my first chance to sit down and type up how it went and it is almost 10 PM. Insane day. This was a virgin workout for me, took the plastic off it yesterday and did it today. Huckabee leads it and it is done on the FIRM box but I used my TransFIRMer. I am having workout amnesia so I can't describe the sequences at all but here's random thoughts:

* classic FIRM so mix of 50% weights & 50% cardio

* technoish music that was very lively and fun but a little too loud and it was sometimes hard to hear 's cueing

* cardio is mostly uncomplicated except one segment toward the end where she kept adding on too quickly for my taste but I did well enough with it overall

* no breaks between sculpting exercises so if your heart rate was up from one exercise she kept it up for the next one too! That made it very challenging to use heavier weights and I had to go from 12s to 8s for some, especially when she went from intense lower body right into lower body combined with overhead presses!

* each block of sculpting work was all built up from one base exercise with a single muscle focus to progressively more combined exercises, usually with upper and lower body involved. I had to keep changing weights in the middle of sets because I'd start very heavy and it would seem reasonable, then she'd start layering more and more onto the base move and pretty soon what seemed like a pretty straight-forward (for the FIRM) compound exercise became mega-compound (but not at all confusing somehow) and way too difficult for the heavier weights. This is one workout where I'm more likely to use the standard 3, 5 and 8 lb. dumbbells next time around! I'm not sure which is worse, starting too light or starting too heavy but I've done both in this rotation!

* sculpting work was creative and interesting. One started with leg press off the side (box in 14" position), then eventually moved to leg press with leg abduction at the top and I think something else with the arms too but I can't remember. There was also leg press off the side then do squats moving to the other side of the box, do a leg press of the other side and come back up doing squats again to the other side.

* abs work was on the box and floor. On the box in the incline position was hurting my lower back, not sure if it is me (weaker back and abs) or the work itself. It was very tough. Floor work was easier but not easy.

* the cardio was intense and fun, definitely kept the heart rate up. Mixture of floor and step work, including some step using the incline.

* she always starts with a base move and then adds power to almost every cardio routine and either she or someone else shows advanced and intermediate options for many exercises while Libby does beginner modifications. Very easy to find your level but still, not for beginners unless you're already comfortable with FIRM style workouts and fast moving add-ons and definitely have a base level of endurance, it is intense!

* stretch was pretty good but, as always, I'd like to hold the stretches longer.

* 's cueing was excellent, but, as I said, the music seemed a little too loud sometimes.

* I am loving lunges off the incline, they are so much more comfortable and I can really get into the move instead of also focusing on keeping my balance.

It is 45 minutes long and I burned about 250 calories but I think it will be higher when I'm more comfortable with the workout so I can put more into it instead of learning it so much. Anyway, I really loved the intensity of this workout, it was very tough without being a help I'm dying tough and overall really enjoyable too!