Complete Aerobics & Weight Training is part of The Firm‘s Body Sculpting System 2 and is led by trainer Emily Welsh. Emily wasn’t one of my favorite Firm trainers but I did like her, which is good because she leads a lot of Firm workouts. This system came with 3 workouts: this workout plus Maximum Cardio Burn + Abs and Total Sculpt plus Abs, the Fanny Lifter and Sculpting Stick. The Fanny Lifter is a square step with two levels (6 inch and 8 inch) that fit together so that you also have a 14 inch square step, and the Sculpting Stick is a body bar. It weighs 8 pounds and separates into 3 parts–two 2 pound “twigs” and one longer 4 pound bar.
This was as excellent of a workout as I remember! It is total body cardio + strength but some of the strength circuits really get your heart rate elevated so you are getting cardio and strength even in the pure strength segments. Circuit 8 is a Firm “four limb” circuit–a cardio circuit that uses light dumbbells to increase intensity. Use heavy enough dumbbells (I used 5 pound dumbbells instead of the 2 pound twigs) and you will get some good shoulder work during that circuit, too. With the right weights, I found this a challenging intermediate level workout. And like most Firm workouts–it was lots of fun!
Complete Aerobics & Weight Training is 60 minutes long; 2 minute intro, 6:30 minute warm up (push ups during warm up) and 5:30 minute stretch. Equipment: Fanny Lifter, Sculpting Stick and dumbbells. I used my high step instead of Fanny Lifter and I also substituted a weighted barbell and dumbbells for a few of the exercises that use the sculpting stick. Emily and crew used 8, 5 and 3 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used. The workout starts with the 6 inch part of the Fanny Lifter in front of you. There is a beginner modifier.
Circuit 1: Fanny Lifter @ 6 inches and dumbbells
- Squat w/ one foot on step and DBs held at shoulders; add overhead shoulder press (10# DBs)
- Reverse lunges off step; add bicep curls (10# DBs)
- Repeat 1 & 2 on other side of body
- Raise Fanny Lifter to 14 inches and do one arm, bent over back row (other hand on top of step) (one 18# DB)
- Tricep push ups w/ hands on step
- Repeat #4 on other arm
Circuit 2: Cardio on floor
Circuit 3: Fanny Lifter @ 8 inches, sculpting stick and dumbbells (I used one 15# DB for entire circuit)
- Stand behind step holding stick in one hand (using for balance) and a DB is on other shoulder, do a forward lunge onto step and pulse down and up before stepping back; add raising other leg behind you instead of pulsing
- Plie squats; add one arm bicep curls; add plie pulses; add sliding one foot in to other after pulses
- Repeat #1 & 2 on other leg
Circuit 4: Fanny Lifter @ 14 inches, sculpting stick and dumbbells
- Seated double arm back row; add pulses (18# DBs)
- Stand on top of Fanny Lifter w/ DBs on shoulders and step down w/ one foot and back up (leg press) (12# DBs)
- One arm back row (bent over w/ other hand on top of step) (one 18# DB)
- Hover squats w/ sculpting stick on shoulders (35# barbell)
- Repeat #3 on other arm
- Repeat #2 on other leg
Circuit 5: Fanny Lifter @ 6 inches and sculpting stick
- Holding stick in one hand for balance, do front kicks; add a squat after each kick; changes to pulse squat; squat kick again; pulse squat
- Set sculpting stick aside and do step cardio
Circuit 6: Dumbbells and sculpting stick
- Plie squats; add pulses w/ heel lifted (12# DBs)
- Bicep curls (12# DBs)
- Holding stick in one hand for balance and DB on other shoulder, step squat out to side; changes to 4 count squat; add leg lift to side (one 15# DB)
Circuit 7: Fanny Lifter, sculpting stick and dumbbells
- Leg press, holding stick in one hand for balance and DB on other shoulder; changes to stepping down to side of step; step up changes to leg raise to side (press up into side leg lift) (one 15# DB)
- French press (double arm overhead tricep extension) w/ one foot on step (one 15# DB)
- Repeat #1 on other leg
- Seated tricep kickbacks (8# DBs)
Circuit 8: “Twigs” (2 pound ends of sculpting stick) or light dumbbells (I used 5 pound dumbbells)
- Side kicks; add a punch when kicking
- Tap toe front, side and back; add arms, lifting them straight front, to side then down (Emily calls it “tri-star”)
- Step squat w/ bicep curl
- Repeat #1-3 on other side of body except step squat changes to plyo squat jump
- Tap toes to front then to side; add lifting straight arms to front then to side
- 4 front raises; 4 side raises; changes to lift front, open straight arms out to side then return to front then lower
- Start with arms held straight out in front of you then pull DBs back to shoulders
Circuit 8: Middle portion of sculpting stick (4 pounds), dumbbells and mat
- Lay on side and do one arm tricep push ups
- Lay on back and do chest fly (18# DBs)
- Pull overs using middle portion of sculpting stick; changes to skull crushers (alternate between pull overs and skull crushers) (I used two 10# DBs)
- Chest press (18# DBs)
- Repeat #1 on other arm
Circuit 9: Mat
- Lay on back, hands behind head, knees bent and feet on floor, do a basic crunch; add pulses; changes to twisting elbow toward opposite knee when crunching; add bring knee toward elbow when crunching up
- Return to basic crunch; changes to reverse crunch; add upper body crunch (full crunch); add straightening one leg while crunching (alternate legs); changes to straightening both legs while crunching; just reverse crunch w/ legs raised straight to ceiling
- Still laying on back w/ legs raised straight to ceiling, alternate reaching hands toward shoelaces; changes to reaching both hands toward laces; still crunching up, press arms out to sides
- Still laying on back w/ legs raised straight to ceiling, alternate raising and lower straight legs; changes to raising and lowering both legs together
- Reverse crunches; add upper body for full crunches; cross ankle over opposite knee and continue full crunch
- Basic crunch; extend arms overhead while continuing to crunch; extend legs straight while continuing to crunch; changes to pulsing crunches
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