My boyfriend asked for a Christmas list from me and I'm thinking of asking for these. Do any of you own these? If so, do you reccomend them? I usually do WATP and I love them but just wanted to try something new.

Tried a summer rowing program but was intimidated when I "caught a curl". Since my arthritic knees have forced me to give up running I thought maybe I would give rowing another try.

Thanks for your tips everyone. I plan on going by the public library soon so I'll be on the lookout for them there. I think it is best I try before he buys especially in this case as I'm still not that advanced and they may be so hard I get frustrated and don't use them very often.

I did grow up in western PA and still have family there. But now I'm in northern CA where I can row year-round! Are you a rower?

Susanrows: Are you from western PA. I know Leslie Sansone is, and it sounds like you also row. I'm writing from Pittsburgh.

Or rent them from the video store/Netflix.

You could also check with your local library and see if you can borrow the videos to make sure you like them before committing the money to buy them.

I agree with the above post. I use the FIRM for all my weight training. They are very good but also hard. You can always start without weights and then progress. As your ability to do the workouts improves, you increase your weight.

I love my FIRM videos and I have lots of them. But I don't think they're for everyone. My suggestion: go to collagevideo.com and read the descriptions of all the FIRM videos. There are lots and they vary by length, intensity, focus, equipment needed, etc. Collage is a pretty good resource because they'll tell you which ones involve complicated choreography, exactly how long each segment is (standing toning, floorwork, cardio, warmup and cooldown) and what year it was produced. And if you get one that seems too intense at first, don't give up. They always get easier after a few tries.

PS - I went to high school with Leslie Sansone. Did you know she was homecoming queen?