Good Outweighs Bad
I have started doing The Firm body sculpting system again after a 2 year break and I can definately see results after the first 10 workouts. My favorite tape is Cardio Sculpt. I find it easy to follow and quite a good workout. I don't really like the ab sculpt. It seems kind of easy and long. Body Sculpt is extremely hard! I remembered why I quit the Firm before- this video is killer on the knees. It moves so fast it is hard to protect your knees. This video also has a section on upper body which is really good- you can skip the lower body if you want. Also the hard plastic step is a pain in the but to move around on the carpeting. I find the instructor (on all of the videos) is moving on to the next move and I am still taking apart or re-assembling my fanny lifter or switching weights. The music does suck and the set is strange. Why are the girls kneeling on and lying on the wood floor-kind of stupid-bad for back and knees. Looks weird! I don't recommend to anyone with bad knees.

Not great - blahhh
I bought this set after someone recommended it, so I went ahead and tried it. Well, for starters, the instructors are fake, fake, fake - everyone is smiling while doing the workout, but ok I can tolerate a lot as long as it works, but that's the problem. The fanny lifter is a good concept, like the step, but smaller - almost too small for cardio, and just using that will get your legs in shape if you stand on it over and over - which will save you from watching the lame videos... the cardio video sucks - once you start getting your heart rate up, you stop to lift some weights, move the fanny lifter, remove the top part of the fanny lifter or change it out for the bottom part, or put the stupid thing back together (why not coordinate the workout so you group the parts with half a lifter together more?) or do something stationary and this continues throughout.

You don't get a cardio workout really, plus then they start putting in all this footsie work, that has absolutely no bearing on shaping anything - the samba, immediately followed by some lame footsie thing - which does not lift your heartrate cuz it's kind of stoppy-starty, because it's all kinda dancy, so I tried simpler moves I took from Susan Powter (which is an excellent step workout- HIGHLY recommend), with an alternate knee lift, hamstring curl, etc, and it was much better. The power sculpt video isn't horrible, but the section where you sit down on the fanny lifter and get up is hard on my knees - I'm 5'11" and that's like a kiddie stool.

That and it leaves a lot of muscle groups out. The 3rd is abs sculpt and there is nothing sensational about it - yet the video is long for an ab workout - a waste of time, really.

The videos are just fruity and smiley, the instructors are fake, during some segment, you can see one of them wants to strain, but instead, she smiles in a strained way, like she's constipated... and really the workout is just a gimmick takeoff on prior Firm videos, of course you're going to work on your legs with the lifter - or a staircase, or an elevated Rebok Step, but that's about it - how about some cardio? Then how about a full body strength training workout, then how about some abs and maybe hips or buns or something with some intensity within the same video, instead of kinda ok abs for this length of time. All in all, mediocre.

Good for Beginners and More Advanced Exercisers
I bought these tapes about a year ago and have had good results. If you are a beginner, take your time. You may not be able to get through the complete tape(s) at first. These are challenging workouts (unless you are exceptionally fit, I suppose) and can easily be adjusted by adding heavier weights as you become stronger. The instructors are easy to follow and the choreography is fairly simple, even for a klutzy person such as myself.

I actually prefer the stretching sequences here to the ones in the Body Sculpting System 2. In these videos they do not require you to do stretches while on your knees.

My quibbles: 1. The instructors usually don't give cues as to how many reps you have to do. Sometimes they do, but most of the time they don't. (In System 2, the instructors are much better about giving you an idea of how many reps you will have to do with each exercise.)

2. The person doing the modified exercises is hard to see on occasion. Most of the time she is visible, but sometimes she is not.

You do not need the Fanny Lifter to get results. I used the videos for a few months before I had the Fanny Lifter and had good results. If you have really short legs, you can use only the blue section to do the leg presses.

You will want to keep your remote handy, as the instructors move very quickly from one sequence to the next.

Fastest results yet!
I have been doing The Firm tapes for years but was getting bored with some of the more dated videos. I started doing the Body Sculpt tape about two weeks ago (just twice a week) and have noticed results faster than with any of the other Firm videos! The music is fast and energizing, and the routine is varied enough to keep my interest. Jen is a great instructor - upbeat and motivating! I am looking forward to working out with this tape again today!

Was skeptical but...You will see results!
I have always been skeptical about at home exercise videos but have always liked Tae-bo. I bought the BSS and I am absolutely in love with it. The mix of weights and cardio is great, it gives you a great workout and you will see your body start to change in 10 workouts or even less. You have to make a comittment to work it in these videos, if you slack, you will get nothing from them. Also, watch your form, with ANY exercise you will strain or pull if you dont preform good form but its easy to watch yourself with this workout. Imediately after doing the first video, I felt stronger and leaner and I would recomend these videos to anyone who wants a workout that will kick butt, build muscle, tone your body and get you in the best shape of your life!