The Firm: Jiggle Free Arms

Jiggle Free Arms is apart of the bonus/add on series for the Body Sculpting System 4 Series (BSS4); The Transfirmer. You will need to have the Transfirmer Box or a Step bench and slanted riser in order to do this workout. If you do not, some of the cardio will through you for a loop. This is a really good workout that gives you both cardio and weights, no abs, and stretch in approx 34 minutes. Unlike other Firm DVDs, in this workout you do not do the cardio and weights together, they each have their own segments. Biceps and Shoulders are worked hard and thoroughly in this DVD. The only chest work is a set of incline pushups done on the Transfirmer Box along with a short set of dumbbell presses. After doing the Firm for a while it is easy to see that certain DVDs work certain muscles groups more than others. I find this DVD very effective for the shoulders which many DVDs IMO don't do enough of. A DVD that would compliment this one would be The Firm's Total Body Toner as it hits the Back and Chest more so.I am only giving this 4 stars bc like I mentioned above, the Chest is not worked hard enough. Even just an additional set of pushups would have been nice to really bring this muscle group to failure. Since this is an Upper Body & Cardio Only workout, I would have also liked to see more work for the Middle Back. However, this is solved by doing other Firm strength workouts during the week. Modifications are shown for step height as well as body positioning for various exercises. The only thing I would recommend is using a mat for the strength work and pushups done on the TransFirmer. I have Cathe's Step Bench Mat by Altus and it works perfectly for this. I wish there were more Upper-only DVDs on the market. But until more become available, this one will do nicely.

Jiggle Free Arms is a really enjoyable workout. I have been doing it for over a month now and have yet to be bored with it. I work out almost every day and I alternate this video in with Zen Mama, Fit Mama, and various FitTV All Star Workouts. I happen to be pregnant (7 months) right now and have to do the modification that Alison shows and I have to skip the chest workout that is done on your back. But that does not take away from my ability to review and enjoy this video.I do not have the Transfirmer. Instead, I use the regular step with the riser that I already had and I use a regular bench for the parts that would require you to sit on the staked Transfirmer. There is no need for the Transfirmer with these things.As for the cueing that other reviewers have complained about, I do agree that you might be confused the first few times especially if you have never taken STEP classes before. But after several times, you will eventually get everything and you will really ENJOY how varied and and quick the cardio parts are. It absolutely will prevent you from getting bored. The 30 minutes goes by so quickly because of the fast and variable cardio parts.About my arms, I think it will take a bit longer for me to get cut arms since I skip one 5 minute section of the video, but I definitely think it is working! I HIGHLY recommend this video!

This is a very quick workout that really packs it in. The workout alternates between arm weights and a cardio workout so you are trimming down while building definition. The routine is fun and easy to follow and you will start seeing tone in your arms very quickly. Everything is easily modifiable for beginners to more advance. It is recommended that you start with 3 lb, 5 lb and 8 lb weights, but beginners can start lighter and you can go heavier as you gain strength. You will need the 14 inch Firm step, however if you have a different stepper or can find one, that can easily be substituted.

This is a great upper body work out Stephanie was awesome.. There are 2 low impact step aerobics to get your blood pumping .. When your body isn't feeling challenged anymore you can add weights during low impact and increase weight during the routine .. I do not have the transfirmer so I did have to pause a couple of times to switch from my traditional step to my inclined step. Search incline step here and you will see what I mean and it took be about 1/2 a minute .. I think it is a lot of fun .. I did get a good workout and this workout is quick and not boring . This work out is for advanced and beginners .. Beginners for low impact use the lowest riser possible and no weights and focus on form.. For those advanced users increase the weight u might need 10 and 12 lbs and raise the height on your box.. Now for those that love aerobics and know all those fancy flying ballerina moves lmbo you will not find that here good work out but just the basic moves ..

I agree with previous reviewers who said the cueing is inadequate. Being almost entirely unfamiliar with step vocabulary, I found the patterns baffling. I think the workout would have been better if the instructor allowed a few more repetitions of each move instead of changing every few seconds. On the other hand, trying to learn the moves made the time go very fast, and I'm pretty sure that in a month or so, I'll have it down. In the meantime, I just keep moving--albeit out of step with the rest of the "class"--and I keep my heart rate high, which seems like the real goal.With regard to the strength component of the workout, I think someone who lifts weights will find the dumbbell routines familiar and only moderately challenging (though, obviously, adjusting the size of the dumbbells allows some customization).For others who might be wondering whether it's necessary to have a "Transfirmer" in order to make use of the video--it definitely helps. I have tried the video with no step at all and with a regular step. You'll get a workout with no special equipment, but the Transfirmer has variable step height and an incline position that are pretty useful. The video comes with a discount offer on the Transfirmer, and I would recommend picking one up.