Cathe Friedrich's Pure Strength series DVD

Cathe's Pure Strength

A few weeks ago I came across Cathe Friedrich's Pure Strength DVD. I got a bit excited and decided I would try it out.

Wow! What a workout. Now, I had done her MesoCycle 1 Endurance a few weeks before (meaning I did all 12 DVDs (3x per week for 4 weeks) and had finished the cycle a few weeks prior to finding Pure Strength.) I must admit that I really liked the Pure Strength series. I liked it better than MesoCycle 1. I haven't quite figured out why, but I did. So much so, that I continue to do the Pure Strength series.

The Pure Strength DVD consists of all three of the Pure Strength VHS workouts - Strong Legs & Abs, Chest, Shoulders & Triceps and Back, Biceps and Abs.

The format of the workout is very similar to MesoCycle 1. You do each of the workouts 1x per week. You use heavy weights to build strength and lighter weights to build muscle endurance. None of the workouts are very fast paced so you don't really raise your heart rate, but Lower Body does raise it a bit due to using those large muscle groups.

Strong Legs & Abs is a series of squats and lunges but she also incorporates the high step and lying floor work. My favorite is the high step step-ups. They really work the quadricep muscles and glutes. I also really like the floor work with the body bar. It's perfect for the those inner and outer thighs (and I'm all for anything that will help reduce the size of my saddlebags.) This workout lasts about 70 minutes because you end with an AB-soultely amazing ab routine right after doing a  series of bridge lifts with your feet on a low step.

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps works the chest with a series of pushups, chest flys and chest presses then moves onto the shoulders with moves like the Arnold press and side lateral raises. You finish the workout fatiguing the triceps with moves like tricep dips and cross-body kickbacks. Super tough and you're finished in 40 minutes. No ab work in this program, but they need a day off after the tough sequence in Strong Legs & Abs.

Back, Biceps & Abs uses very heavy weights and you start with working the back muscles. I especially like the T-bar and bent over rows. Then she moves you through a very tough sequence of bicep building moves. Not only do you do regular bicep curls with a heavy barbell, you also do seated concentration curls and negative curls. After completely fatiguing your biceps you are in for a real treat with the super intense abdominal exercises.

I have come to realize why I like the Pure Strength series of workouts better (so far) than the MesoCycle (particularly vol 1) workouts. First Pure Strength has a shorter time duration. Second, I really like the ab routines. Third, I have really enjoyed the sequencing of the exercises. And, fourth, you don't need nearly as much room or equipment and get just as good if not (in my opinion) better workout (and a whole lot easier on the wallet.)