Fantastic Workout and instructor.
The Firm: Upper Body Sculpt
This workout is one of the best Upper Body video workouts that I have seen, and by far one of the best FIRM workouts. It is tough and works every upper body muscle, primarily using "good old fashioned free weights." The instructor motivates me simply by looking at her. She is in great shape and I read that she is over 40 with 2 young children, although she does not look it, and I am impressed. She cues with perfection, she moves through the routines easily, and I am never bored. She's real, she tells you what to do with great timing, she's naturally pretty, and she's not trying to be a diva. If you don't have the products that the Firm has added, you don't need them. Use dumbbells throughout - which is what she actually does; she barely uses the sculpting stick. You also can use the floor, a chair, a stool, a stability ball, etc. The Firm did its best work with this one workout!

Ruins the Firm's Reputation!
I am an advid FIRM workout junkie, but this program ruins the great reputation of the Firm! I own and faithfully use Firm Parts Upper Body VHS tape and decided it was time for an upgrade since it was released in 2001 and I'd like to own an upper body workout on dvd. One would think that there would be progression but sadly, this workout is amaturish and takes 50 steps backwards! It was a less intense workout that couldn't make you break a sweat or bring you to muscle fatigue if you did it twice -in fast motion! I was sorely disappointed in how boring and uninspiring this Janet Brooks was! Trust me, find something else or simply purchase an older Firm VHS especially if this is what the FIRM has been putting on dvd since 2001! Perhaps they should focus on results like they used to and not upselling that sculpting stick, fanny lifter and other useless products! Trust me, good old fashioned free weights work much better anyway! Come on "The FIRM"! I know you can do much better than this!

Tough Upper Body Workout - Little/No Ab
This is a 40 minute workout that focuses primarily on the various arm, shoulder and back muscles, with nominal and brief attention to the abs.

The equipment used was the Fanny Lifter, light, medium and heavy dumbbells and the Firm Sculpting Stick. I don't have the Sculpting Stick, so I used the Firm Barbell from another era and my Transfirmer in lieu of the Fanny Lifter. The routine does the typical quick transitioning back and forth between the use of the various pieces of equipment, perhaps even quicker than normal.

I round the routine to be a tough and thorough one. While the workout has no cardio in it, it still made me work up a little bit of a sweat.

Many people have mentioned the instructor and while I won't say she's the most motivating, I thought she did a decent job. What amuses me every time I use this workout is that she looks like she's being hypnotized, as she stares straight ahead with a wide-eyed, owl-like appearance (cue cards?). Still, I think she does a good job of cuing and explaining the movements and is pleasant - not to mention being in great shape (especially impressive considering I read in some Firm literature that her day job is an attorney).

If you want a good upper body workout, don't let the instructor detractors dissuade you from giving this one a try.

Tough upper body workout, not so fun to watch
I think this is a pretty tough arm workout, even by Firm standards. There is a good mix of rep counts and exercises, to ward off boredom. I was a little sore after the first go around, and I work out pretty frequently. I think it is harder than the upper arm section in Super Body Sculpt. Two drawbacks: very little abs (but you can always do another tape) and the instructor is annoying. I have liked most of the Firm instructors, but this one is stiff with no personality.

Ow! But love it! OW!
Upper body in need of an uplift? This is the one baby! Be prepared to work it out and tough it out. Your muscles will be screaming and you might be too, but you'll be glad when you're done that you did something that is going to be worth it. Not for wimps this!