The Firm: Total Body Toner

Total Body Toner is one of the pink (so later) Firm workouts that is led by trainer Allie Del Rio. Wow! This was an incredible workout! I bought a lot of the pink Firms near the end of my Firm period so I didn’t do them as much as the older Firms, plus some of them I never even tried. This is one of those workouts. By the time period pink Firm workouts like this one came out I was doing Jari Love and ChaLean Extreme primarily. I was still in the habit of buying everything the Firm produced–I just wasn’t doing them! So this workout was all new to me and it is impressive! It is a total body strength workout that moves non-stop so you are getting cardio, too–metabolic strength training. One bonus is that it is not moving so fast that I was unable to change weights. As always, the way to get the best workout for your fitness level is to use appropriate weights. Use lighter weights if you are a beginner, heavier weights if you are intermediate. The weights listed in the break down below are what I used, but after doing the workout once, I do see places I could potentially heavy up on in the future. This workout is a definite winner. And Allie Del Rio is still my favorite Firm trainer!

It’s been 3 weeks since my last and final chemo so my strength and stamina is returning. So rather than ending my workout after 40 minutes, I wanted more! So I finished this workout off with one of the workouts from Allie’s Firm: Time Crunch Cardio which contains three 20 minute workouts. I used the Cardio + Sculpt Combo workout and it finished this workout off perfectly, giving me an hour of total body metabolic strength work.

Total Body Toner is 40:30 minutes; 1 minute intro, 5 minute warm up (warm up includes lots of push ups) and 2 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells in various weights. There is a beginner modifier. The weights listed below are what I used.

Circuit 1: light dumbbells, I used 6 pound dumbbells for this entire circuit; I believe this circuit is just an extension of the warm up.

1. Step touch side to side w/ alternating upright row
2. Side lunge w/ one arm row
3. Repeat #1
4. Repeat #2 on other side of body
5. Squat side to side while scooping both arms from side to chest level
6. Repeat 1-5
7. Continue scooping arms but no squat; add alternating toe taps to front
8. Repeat 1-7
9. Alternating forward lunges; add alternating bicep curl; hold in static lunge while doing 3 alternating bicep curls (keep alternating lunges)

Circuit 2:

1. Lunge to side while bringing DB down toward shoe and when you stand (facing front) pull DB back into a back row (one 15# DB)
2. Side lunge holding DBs at shoulders; add a pulse at bottom of side lunge; pulse changes to knee lift (15# DBs)
3. Single arm back row; keep arm at bottom of row and lift back leg and hold (balance move) (one 18# DB)
4. Alternating forward lunges but hold each lunge while doing 3 alternating bicep curls (10# DBs)
5. Squat and do a concentration curl (working arm pressed against inside of thigh) (one 15# DB)
6. Straight arm side raises; raise arms/DBs to side then to front, back to side then lower (8# DBs)
7. Alternating front raises (8# DBs)
8. Wide squats holding DBs at shoulders (18# DBs)
9. Step squat side to side; changes to plyometric squat jumps (no DBs)

Circuit 3:

1. Lunge to side while bringing DB down toward shoe and when you stand (facing front) pull DB back into a back row (other side of body from Circuit 2) (one 15# DB)
2. Side lunge holding DBs at shoulders; add a pulse at bottom of side lunge; pulse changes to knee lift (other side of body from circuit 2) (15# DBs)
3. Single arm back row; keep arm at bottom of row and lift back leg and hold (balance move) (other side of body from circuit 2) (one 18# DB)
4. Alternating forward lunges but hold each lunge while doing 3 alternating bicep curls (10# DBs)
5. Squat and do a concentration curl (working arm pressed against inside of thigh) (other arm from circuit 2) (one 15# DB)
6. Rear delt fly; changes to alternating flys; alternating front raises (8# DBs)
7. Wide plie squats (DBs on top of thighs); add doing a plie squat then sliding one foot in to the other as you stand, alternate sides (18# DBs)
8. Forward lunges (stay on same leg); changes to plyometric jump lunges (jumping in stationary lunge); repeat on other leg (no DBs)

Circuit 4:

1. French press (overhead tricep extension) (one 18# DB)
2. Reverse lunge w/ one pulse at bottom of lunge; add overhead press when pulsing; add lifting back leg off and raising up onto toe when doing overhead press (8# DBs)
3. Tricep kickbacks; add a pulse at top of kickback (8# DBs)
4. Repeat #2 on other side of body
5. Bent over double arm back row; keep arms at bottom of row and lift one leg and hold (balance move) (18# DBs)
6. Wide leg deadlifts (25# DBs)
7. Alternate raising legs to the side; add a squat after each leg lift; add a tricep/bicep move (one arm bicep curls while the other arm does a tricep kickback but to the side) (6# DBs)
8. Deadlifts (25# DBs)
9. Forward lunge and hold, twisting torso to side, alternate legs; add a bicep curl; stand on one leg, other knee raises and DBs held together in front of body (balance move) (10# DBs)
10. Alternating side bends (arms/DBs at sides of body) (10# DBs)

Circuit 5: I used 10# dumbbells for this entire circuit.

1. Straight arm plank hold; pull knee in toward opposite elbow, alternate legs
2. In knee plank, holding DBs, rotate into modified side plank pulling DB up to shoulder; continue move but on toes now
3. Lay on back w/ bent legs twisted to side and hands behind head, crunch upper body; add pulling in top knee when crunching up and kicking leg out when lowering head/shoulders; add pulsing up at top of crunch while pulsing knee in 3x
4. Lay on back, knees bent, feet on ground and place DBs on hips, lift and lower hips into bridge
5. Repeat #1
6. Repeat #2 on other side of body
7. Repeat #3 on other side of body
8. Lay on back, knees bent, feet on ground and place DBs on hips, lift and lower hips into bridge; raise one leg and continue lifting and lowering hips
9. Still on back, raise both legs straight to ceiling, push DB up toward opposite foot, alternate arms; changes to reverse crunches (legs only, still raised straight to ceiling)
10. Still on back, hands behind head, bicycle legs; add upper body, elbow toward opposite knee (full bicycle)
11. Extend arms overhead and cross hands and extend legs straight, crunch up arms/head/shoulders; add lifting one straight leg when crunching up