FitPrime Pump

This workout has already been broken down thoroughly, so I am just going to add my own opinions. I am reviewing this workout after having done it several times. Pump is a strength oriented AWT workout with a functional fitness edge. There are brief cardio intervals which alleviate the strength work while keeping the heart rate up! Heidi Tanner leads and the workout clocks in at about 53 minutes.

This is a very well balanced workout with comprehensive strength work. The workout starts with a brief warm up of lateral stretches and squats and a dancy cha cha move, and side leg raises with a balance hold, and is about 3 minutes in length. Then down to the floor for core work, bridge with alternate feet on tall box, laying French press, and transverse abdominals and lower ab work, all of these moves utilizing a yoga block. Personally I am not fond of floor work at the beginning of a workout and sometimes skip this section if I am short on time. The floor work lasts about 6 minutes.

The workout continues with a nearly 40 minute routine of solid standing strength work with aerobic intervals. Heidi leads you through a long lunge/squat segment with an outer thigh abduction add on; leg press using a dowel and one heavy weight with calf raises (most of the leg press segment uses mini presses then gradually transitions into full leg press); plie squat with biceps; one leg squats with trunk rotation; hemispheres to work the hamstring and hip rotation; pushups and plank ladders utilizing yoga block under one hand; one set of one arm rows; a short set of triceps kickbacks followed by seated French press; posterior flies. There is some 4-limb cardio including side lunge with standing trunk lift (she uses the yoga block as resistance in lieu of a weight), quick lunges with biceps curls, shoulder/abductor work with light weight and dowel. The non-weighted cardio included two fairly simple choreographed routines which you can keep low or add hops into. The cardio is nontraditional - tribal pushes, hop steps, hip shimmying - but very fun and easy to follow along. I included the extra hops and got and kept my heart rate up there! The workout ends with some final stretches (I tend to prefer my own stretches so can't comment too much here).

This is a great workout. The WHFN Fitprime (in comparison to WHFN KickButt) is meant for exercisers over 35, and for this reason Heidi demonstrates many moves with a yoga block or light weight, or a weight and a dowel for balance, and all low impact cardio. But this workout can pack quite a punch for the more advanced exerciser if you are willing to get creative. Firstly, out of the five or so background exercisers, one or two always show more advanced modifications. Thanks to Heidi's slow and controlled moves, it is very easy to use heavy poundage on both the upper and lower body work. For instance, instead of one weight and a dowel used for leg press, I used a heavy barbell and no dowel. I also used light-heavy poundage as appropriate for the moves she used a yoga block for, and in general heavied up on most exercises. You can even use ankle weights for a couple of exercises, like the hemisphere. I use mostly 12# and 15# bells for this workout and an 8# bell for the lighter work.

I can always expect DOMS in the lower body the next day thanks to the slow and controlled leg work with heavy poundage, and in general I really get a lot out of this video. And like most Fitprimes, I just feel good when I get done. Not overworked or puke in a bucket, but definitely feel like I did something good for my body. While I enjoy most of the WHFN workouts, this one is one of my favorites and most used.

Like all WHFN workouts, the production values are excellent and the set has a classical look like the mansion set of the old Firm, but updated and fresh. Surely some people think the statues look hokey or bizarre, but I think the ambiance is perfect (I also liked the mansion set). The music score is fun and has tribal-themed tunes, some quick and spunky for the cardio and some slow and methodic (even some chanting) for the strength. Heidi did a great job, as usual, on being the lead. The background exercisers all had good form and didn't do anything distracting or annoying. The time goes by really quickly.

Done as demonstrated by Heidi, this is a beginner-intermediate level. However with the intensity modifications that I outlined and using heavier poundage, this can become an intermediate-high intermediate workout. I would recommend this to any who enjoy Anna Benson productions, AWT, functional fitness, Heidi Tanner, or are looking for an updated classic Firm workout. Grade A!

Just tried this one today, my third from the WHFN series. I love the first on I tried, Upper Body Burn, but more recently, I tried Metaboost, and it just didn't click with me. Therefore, I was apprehensive about giving Heidi another try, but happily for me, I liked this one much better--it reminded me more of Heidi's From the Ground Up, an older FitPrime that I also enjoy.

Anyway, back to Push. It begins with nice warm-up that runs through a sequence of moves several times, similar to what Keli does in UBB. Next it's to the floor for core work, but you're also getting some leg work in with pelvic tilts, or bridge. The abs work, while thorough, wasn't all that intense, but we'll see how I feel tomorrow. Next comes triceps work; Heidi uses a yoga block, but I highly recommend a heavy dumbbell instead--I used 1 8#, and I definitely would go heavier next time. Similarly, Heidi gives you the option of holding one heavy dumbbell for all of the leg work, like the leg presses on the box which are coming up, but I actually used two dumbbells and held them on my shoulders rather than at my sides like Heidi does; doing this, I really felt these moves, especially given that they are performed at a slow, steady pace.

Before you repeat the leg work on the other side, you'll do your first cardio segment, which includes fun, simple steps, some punches, and optional jumps. After the D-side leg presses (Heidi doesn't always cue which side, so you have to remember on your own to start on the ND side first) comes a unique push-up series that has you go from push-ups into an elbow plank and back again--it sounds easy, but it's quite tough, and you're getting in some additional core work as well. Then more cardio, this time with a 5# dumbbell (which was plenty heavy here!) to do some overhead presses combined with leg balances and extensions; this segment really got my HR going, and I DID use the stick. Following this was lat work with a unique twist, literally--Heidi adds a shoulder rotation.

Dips are next, and I would recommend moving the step out of the way even though Heidi says to leave it for balance. Again, I skipped the stick and added weights, which made these tough. After another short cardio segment--this one a bit more dancey in nature and fun as well--the dips are repeated on the other side. The "step kiss" move is a squat where you bring your butt down to just touching the step; Heidi adds a shoulder rotation to this move as well. The "hemisphere leg extension" is another deceptively tough move: leaning over with your back flat and your hands on the box, you move one leg out to side and up (again, remember to start on the ND side), circle back and down, then bring the leg back up and around--Heidi does a lot of reps, and I really felt these!

"Floor kiss" was similar to a move which I've seen called "woodchop" in other videos: you reach down to one side in sort of a twisting lunge, then reach back up, twisting to the other side. I believe that this is a functional fitness move, one of several that are woven into this workout. After repeating the "step kiss" on the other side, Heidi finishes with a nice stretch, first standing, then on the floor--my one complaint here is that the stretches are not held equally to both sides.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this workout; I think I'll like it even more as I become more familiar with it. It definitely has a lower body emphasis, and if you increase the resistance, you should feel quite challenged. Furthermore, you are working hard enough most of the time to derive cardio benefits as well--my HR was in my target zone for at least half of this workout (it might have been more, but I forgot to turn on my HRM right away!). If you enjoy aerobic weight training-style workouts, don't mind a fair amount of equipment shifting, and like Heidi, I would definitely recommend this video.

Women's Health & Fitness Network Pump is part of the FitPrime series and is billed as a slow & heavy workout. It contains 5 minutes of Pilates, 13 minutes of cardio, 7 minutes of yoga and 30 minutes of weights, and clocks in at 54 and a half minutes. Heidi Tanner leads, dressed in orange and black, and gives constant instruction on modifications and form pointers throughout.

The warm up incorporates balance, mambos and dynamic stretching. The music is great in this workout, as are the colors and the production quality. Another top notch WHFN production!! Core is next with the feet on the high step alternating between hip lifts and traditional ab work. We then use two yoga blocks, one behind the back and one between the thighs, and do rolldowns. If you don't have blocks using a med ball or even a sofa pillow between the thighs would work - as long as you squeeze them - and using any prop behind your back would work as well. The idea is to give you a guide as to how far back to roll. You want to roll far enough to feel the work in your transverse abs. We then finish the core work with reverse curls.

Staying on the floor, Heidi uses the yoga block over her head to do triceps extensions. Easy to modify this up - just grab a weight. I used a 12 pound one but will go up to 15 next time. Just make sure to EXTEND the arms, not lift them over the head as in a pullover motion, to work the triceps. Burner!! Triceps kickbacks are next, leaning over the tall step. I do these standing, and used 2 5# dumbbells. We don't do many, so next time I will use 8# dumbbells. Seated french press is next, and again they are slow but we don't do many, so my 12# weight will be a 15# one next time. What struck me by this time is how fantastic this workout was in terms of easily modifying it!! Also, even though my brain thought I wasn't "working hard enough", by this time I was really feeling it! It's deceiving!!

Leg press is next, and this is slow, on the non-dominant leg first, using a weight and the stick. You can lose the stick and pick up two weights and probably be fine if you are used to working out and doing leg presses. A cardio tune is next, and Heidi tells you how to increase the impact and intensity. It's short, so go for it! We then do leg press on the other leg, then move on to a push-up sequence. VERY deceiving!! My pecs were really burning by the end of this one!

Shoulder work is next, using one light weight (and when she says "light" listen to her!!) and the stick for balance, working one leg and one shoulder at a time, with a balance challenge involved. My shoulders were burning at the end of this one!

One arm lat rows are next, working each arm, then a seated posterior delt sequence. Dips on one leg are next, again using a weight and the stick for balance. We do one arm biceps curls with this one, so using the stick until you get used to the balance challenge might be a good idea. One side is worked, then it's on to the next cardio tune. This one is FUN! A rock step which again Heidi shows you how to modify up, tribal pushes and slides. Fun! Fun! Fun!

We then do the dip sequence on the other side, then move on to squats focusing on one leg at a time. She again uses a weight and the stick, but I used two weights this time. Both sides are worked, and she includes what she calls hemispheres, which are super tough hip circles using the tall step as a balance tool. It's a great stretch for your hips as well!

A lunge sequence is next, using a small weight and the stick. It's faster, and we then do side lunges with the yoga block which will remind you of some of the moves in the TLP's. You can easily use a medicine ball here or a weight in place of the yoga block, and you'll recognize the functional fitness moves here.

The stretch uses the stick, lots of balance, and plenty of yoga moves. A wonderful workout!! A solid A!!

I may be wrong, but Pump really really reminds me of the old FP Just Right Weights+Cardio+Yoga that Anna Benson lead.

Essentially, this is a weights workout that incorporates some yoga inspired stretches, some pilates inspired floor work and a scant amount of cardio. Billed as a fusion workout, with functional fitness, it is, in fact, your standard weight training moves (with a few variations of tall box work) with some old school floor work, some pilates, some yoga, some stretch. there is no cardio worth mentioning- certainly not enough to improve your cardiovascular condition.

This actually isn't a bad workout, for what it is. It isn't what the package states, though. I didn't care for it for a few reasons. I have lots of weight workouts and this didn't seem as good or as fun as those. If I'm going to do a weight/aero combo, I want something with more cardio and better weight segments- this bored me. Most of the music bugged me. gregorian chants do not motivate me to workout! I like the colors of the set, but the statues, murals and the art over the mirror are ostentatious. the set reeks of pretention.

There's something disorganized here. Get the step, put it away, get a block, get on the floor, get up... there's no way to get a buzz since your constantly moving your equipment around and changing things. theres no consistency to really get into something. Sometimes it even seems to throw Heidi off. At one point Heidi says to put away your heavy weight and stick, get the block and step, then immdeiately says to get the stick and weight again. You mean the ones I just had?

Overall- its an okay basic weights workout emphasizing the lower body with some yoga-ish stretches and some pilates-ish floorwork for abs. Theres one functional fitness activity and barely five min. cardio. Occassionally Heidi seems like a schoolmarm in this workout, but usually seems very nice.

Final verdict- trade pile.