The Firm Body Sculpting Basics or Strong Stride?

[lila_says]

The Firm Body Sculpting Basics DVD - Susan Harris or Strong Stride DVD - Lisa Watson? Any thoughts or recommendations? Would LOVE to hear from someone who has both! TIA

[LCC]

I had never heard of Lisa Watson so I went to Collage and looked at the clip and it looks like burpee hell to me. I wouldn't buy it on a dare. On the other hand, Firm Volume 1 is a classic, but was never my favorite classic.

So, I guess you would have to choose between classic but dated, or trendy and dated-to-be. (I hope this love affair with all things burpee and mountain climber ends soon.)

Laura (LCC)

[A-Bot]

Originally Posted by lila_says

The Firm Body Sculpting Basics DVD - Susan Harris or Strong Stride DVD - Lisa Watson? Any thoughts or recommendations? Would LOVE to hear from someone who has both! TIA

Do you mean the first Strong Stride or the new release?

[lila_says]

Originally Posted by A-Bot

Do you mean the first Strong Stride or the new release?

The first Strong Stride.

I've come to the conclusion that the ideal workout schedule for me is one day Insanity, next day weights/barre workout, next day Insanity, next day weights/barre etc. So my non-Insanity days consist mainly of doing Cathe, Ballet Body, Dream Body, (Horizontal Conditioning when up to it,) Tonique, TA, Booty Barre, Squeeze Stronger, & the orginal Buns of Steel either in various bits & pieces or in their entirety for between 45 minutes to 2.5 hours depending on what kind of day it is. I thought the first classic Firm & Strong Stride looked like good contenders for non-Insanity days.

Also, I like burpees

[LauraBella]

Originally Posted by LCC

I had never heard of Lisa Watson so I went to Collage and looked at the clip and it looks like burpee hell to me. I wouldn't buy it on a dare. On the other hand, Firm Volume 1 is a classic, but was never my favorite classic.

So, I guess you would have to choose between classic but dated, or trendy and dated-to-be. (I hope this love affair with all things burpee and mountain climber ends soon.)

Laura (LCC)

Maybe its bc we are connected by a name, but I could not agree more!

[A-Bot]

Okay, so you mean the first strong stride (that's good cause I haven't done the second one ). . I think there are advantages to both workouts you listed.

What is great about the first strong stride is it has so many different segments of so many different lengths and you can access all the chapters from the main menu - it is divided up really really well, so it is very easy to add segments into your workout wherever you feel they are appropriate. I have not done the entire DVD, but most of the segments that I tried are pilates type motions, and a lot of it is floorwork. I like them as non-impact add-ons to impact days. My boyfriend likes to do strong stride as it is though, as a whole self contained program.

The Firm #1 is definitely a more traditional total body workout with all the types of exercises you'd expect. It's not boring - it transitions a lot and hits all the main area - and there is cardio included as well as an overall cardio effect. There are all the classics - lunges, squats, shoulder press, bicep curls, and she often combines the cardio with the weights . . and then the awesome floor work section. You also can use heavy weights for a lot of the moves in this workout.

I know that doesn't really answer your question of which one to buy, but I thought it might help.

[A-Bot]

PS - I think the burpee hell described above is the second strong stride, not the first. The first one is mostly a toning program. I think there may be some cardio in the last few segments on the DVD that I have not done, but there is very little.

[alisoncooks]

Hmmm, tough call because they are so different.

I liked -- but didn't keep -- Firm Vol. 1. I just couldn't get past the dated look and Susan's breathy delivery. The moves were good, though I did modify everything to low-impact.

Strong Stride is very versatile. I was very enamored with it initially but, honestly, I don't often reach for it (sort of overwhelming for me to figure out how to create a complete workout from it). It remains in my collection as a travel workout or great collection of add-ons. (I rarely do the complete strength portions, just the short toning segments.)

Both would fit what you're looking for. Do you like to just press play & go or are you open to pulling multiple segments together to create a workout? That might help you determine which is better suited...

[lila_says]

Thanks SO much for your input A-bot! I suspect I'll eventually get both, but you've definitely made me think Strong Stride should be my first buy. Thanks again!

[lila_says]

Originally Posted by alisoncooks

Hmmm, tough call because they are so different.

I liked -- but didn't keep -- Firm Vol. 1. I just couldn't get past the dated look and Susan's breathy delivery. The moves were good, though I did modify everything to low-impact.

Strong Stride is very versatile. I was very enamored with it initially but, honestly, I don't often reach for it (sort of overwhelming for me to figure out how to create a complete workout from it). It remains in my collection as a travel workout or great collection of add-ons. (I rarely do the complete strength portions, just the short toning segments.)

Both would fit what you're looking for. Do you like to just press play & go or are you open to pulling multiple segments together to create a workout? That might help you determine which is better suited...

I actually kind of love the dated & 'sexy' aspects of Firm 1 --- I think they're funny, endearing, & will probably make the workout go by quicker. I'm actually kind of dreading the dryness of Strong Stride, but as I mentioned above, I'm both a 'cut & paste' as well as 'the whole thing' dvd user so the possibilities seem endless with that one.

Thanks for your help