User rating
Keep up with Diets in Review
Get Weekly Email Updates (sample)
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our RSS
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Follow us on Pinterest
Home 
Diets
Fitness
QUICK FACTS
Start the Diet Now Advertisement
BACKGROUND
PRO
CON
DIET and NUTRITION
EXERCISE
CONCLUSION
Common Misspellings
Whats better than
The FIRM Express?
Diets
Fitness
QUICK FACTS
Start the Diet Now Advertisement
- Established: 1979; purchased by Gaiam in 2005
- Founder: Anna Benson, Cynthia Benson
- Headquarters: Columbia, South Carolina
- Accessibility: Fitness DVDs available online
- Diet Type: Exercise focus with included nutrition plan
- Gender: Female
Do You Know the Best Diets of 2024?
BACKGROUND
The FIRM has been a trusted name in exercise and fitness for many years. The workouts produced by The FIRM have been empowering women to work towards their best bodies and achieve total body fitness. Now The FIRM has a new workout series called The FIRM Express which promises to get you thin in 30 days with three times weekly 20 minute workouts. Like all of the workouts by The FIRM, this program combines cardio exercises with weight training to get results faster and help you burn more fat than traditional cardio alone.
The Firm Express offers a plan that can help you “Get Thin in 30”. Within 30 days, you will go through four different cycles of DVDs that are specifically sequenced to optimize weight loss. The best part of The Firm Express is that you only have to work out 20 minutes, three times each week. With The Firm Express, you can burn up to nine times more fat than with traditional cardio workouts. Currently The Firm is the only fitness innovator using this revolutionary technique.
PRO
- Burn up to nine times more fat than with traditional cardio workouts
- Program gets great results in just 30 days
- Only requires three 20 minute workouts per week
- Uses mini bursts of intensity along with cardio and sculpting exercises
- Continue burning calories after your workout
- Created by trusted The FIRM master instructors
- The FIRM is a trusted name in fitness
- Online support included with program
CON
- Program is a bit expensive (3 payments of $29.99, as of July 29, 2011) for only 30 days of workouts
- Focuses heavily on exercise; meal plan is rarely mentioned
- The workouts fall below the recommended amount of exercise for optimum health
- No stretching is done before the workouts, so risk of injury and muscle pulls is high
- Compound strength exercises move quickly, can be confusing and are difficult to keep up with
- Each DVD is only used once in the whole 30 days
- Weights are needed for many workouts, and not included with the program
DIET and NUTRITION
There is a meal plan that comes with The FIRM Express program. This meal plan allows you to choose meals and snacks from a 30 day customizable Express Fat-Burning Meal Plan. You have the freedom of picking your meals and snacks, so you are in control of what you eat each day. Combining the eating plan with the workouts will give you maximum results.
The Express Fat-Burning Meal Plan comes with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack recipes you can choose from. Calorie ranges are given based on your starting weight. No guidance is given on choosing meals and snacks outside of the meal plan, so you are on your own when choosing other foods. Portion control tips are also included so you can eye ball the correct servings.
EXERCISE
The Firm Express focuses on getting you maximum results in the short period of 30 days. There are four different cycles that you go through with this program. Each cycle includes three different workouts. You will only be doing three workouts per week, all of which are 20 minutes long. The different cycles are Ignite, Accelerate, Turbocharge and Overdrive. You will receive a fitness guide that will guide you through what DVD to complete on each day.
A breakdown of the different cycles is listed below:
Ignite
- Uses weights between eight and 12 pounds
- Sculpt section offers classic sculpting routines with lighter weights with Mini Bursts to spark metabolism
- Cardio section offers straight forward cardio moves with four rounds of Mini Bursts
- Combined cardio and sculpt section is fast paced and combines low impact cardio with 3D sculpting
Accelerate
- Uses weights between eight and 12 pounds
- Sculpt section offers a slower pace with heavier resistance to burn calories and target muscles
- Cardio section offers the addition of plyometric jump transitions and sports drills
- Combined cardio and sculpt section follows the same format as Ignite with faster paced Mini Bursts and heavier weights
Turbocharge
- Uses weights between five and 10 pounds
- Sculpt section is low intensity with moderate weights to sculpt strong, lean muscles
- Cardio section includes high powered Mini Burst progressions using kettlebell style exercises
- Combined cardio and sculpt section uses balance and agility progressions to keep the body guessing and progressing
Overdrive
- Uses weights between five and 15 pounds
- Sculpt section slows down the pace and uses heavier weights; lighter weights are used during the Mini Bursts
- Cardio section uses kickboxing moves while you hold weights for calorie burn and a boost in metabolism
- Combined cardio and sculpt section uses targeted toners and cardio blasts for a total body workout
CONCLUSION
Whether you are familiar with The FIRM workouts or just starting an exercise plan, The FIRM Express offers a fat blasting program in just 30 days. While this is a hefty claim, the DVDs themselves are great, intense workouts that can be used over and over again, and for those that have more weight to lose, you may need to do additional rounds of the program. For those in great shape, and used to working out more often and for longer than 20 minutes a session, the program may seem like a step backwards.
The FIRM Express is the newest development from The FIRM, and offers you quick weight loss without devoting hours each day working out.
Common Misspellings
the firm express, the firm workouts, the firm dvd, the firm express meal plan, the firm express workouts, the firm dvds, the firm fitness, the firm fitness program, the firm express fitness program, the firm express fitness dvds
How Does The FIRM Express Compare?- Product Name
- User Rating
- Easy to follow
- Cheap Price
- Fast Results
- High Protein Diet
- 91/100
-
-
- Dukan Diet
- 89/100
-
-
- Paleo Diet
- 87/100
-
- Plexus Slim
- 77/100
-
- The FIRM Express
- /100
-
-
Featured Diets and Supplements
The FIRM Express?
User Feedback
(Page 1 of 2, 21 total comments)Brandi
I got this several years ago. It's horrible. I have been active and in shape all my life. I wanted something new, variety. This was above and beyond any normal healthy persons skill level. I popped in the first cd knowing it takes a few times to get the routine down. I tried. Oh My God!!! Seriously, I stood in front of my tv, mouth gaping open, wondering how the heck..... seriously how the heck. And that was the first one, the easiest level.
posted Mar 6th, 2017 4:53 pmSo total waste of money.
Danielle Gute
+Where can I get the vitamins that I purchased with the video when I bought it? Please help! Thanks!
posted Apr 24th, 2015 11:26 pmJoyce
+I was forced to take time off from exercise because of various injuries. After physical therapy and other methods to get healed, I was always back to the pain. Anyway, unhealthy eating soon followed and before I knew it I gained over 30 pounds. I tried to get back to working out on a regular basis but always seemed to overdo it.
posted Sep 24th, 2014 9:41 amFinally, I tried the thin in 30. It was the perfect answer for me to get back into an exercise habit. It was short enough to keep me from over doing things and getting injured and enough to get me to feeling somewhat healthy again. I needed this program. I am now doing the tapes almost everyday but with some rest days two times a week. Sometimes I will do the bonus tape in conjunction with the other tapes if I have time or energy. It is the perfect combination for me and where I am at physically.
Great workout! For those who are complaining about the warm ups or cool downs, just warm up or cool down on your own. Or do the warm up from another tape and then do the express tapes. For those who have a difficult time following along, as I did with the last two cycles, just watch the tape before and learn the moves step by step. It is fun!
Jo G
I agree these workouts are not safe for beginners or me. I found them to be too fast and too many exercises in 20 minutes. Heavy weights are used at a fast pace and this is sure to lead to injuries. If you want effective, good form practicing workouts try Jillian Michaels. She is the queen of the 20 minute workout that works and is safe!
posted Jan 17th, 2013 10:45 pmLisa
+Okay, all of you naysayers out there who say you cannot reap any benefits from doing the Firm Express 20-minute workout for only 3 times a week, I am here to tell you that you CAN. I am living 'proof'. I have been doing only the Ignite series (I bought it off of Amazon.com) and I've been doing it ONLY three times a week. In less than six months (without changing my eating habits at all) I have went from a size 17 to in between a size 15 and 13. Now, some might say that is slow progress. But I'm okay with that. This is something I plan on doing for the rest of my life. And I plan on doing it for only 3 times a week. I am a huge believer in The Firm. And I can personally back up their promise that if you do their Express workouts three times a week, that you WILL see results. I am looking forward to seeing my results 6 months down the road. This workout system is awesome because I have no more excuses, and I love doing it. 20 minutes is a lot easier to talk myself into doing, then it was those hour-long workouts that I used to do. And which one will be more effective? The hour-long one you DON'T do? Or the 20-minute one that you DO, do?
posted Jan 13th, 2013 6:15 pmmissy1
+It is a good workout if you do 2 DVDs a day, not one every other day. I mix them in with my other Firm DVDs. Do not order from the Firm directly (they have a lot of problems). You can buy these at Target.
posted Feb 23rd, 2012 3:05 pmHeather in Seattle
I trust the Firm and have used their programs for over 27 years. My mom was an aerobics instructor and got us on these after she quit teaching. The standard programs are typically an hour or more in length (PLUS warm up and cool down) and are SUPER-CHALLENGING if you are out of shape or if you have a lot going on in life and can't dedicate the time.
posted Feb 12th, 2012 11:14 pmThis program is fantastic A) if you are short on time and just need to work in a routine to keep fit, or B) you are just starting out (or just getting back into it) and need a gradual and easy-to-follow road map.
The diet plan is nothing earth-shattering. It's what we all know we should be doing. Eat smaller, controlled portions. Incorporate lean protein, complex carbs, more fruit and veggies. Blah, blah, blah.
I haven't seen anyone mention it, but I'm actually going to try combining the South Beach Diet with the Firm Express Workout Plan. I know from experience that South Beach works, plus you can eat as much as you want, so it's not a restriction on top of a behavioral change.
The kickstart plan goes four days in a row, but afterwards everything is M/W/F. I think you are only limited by your will to change if you can't commit to that. Plus if you want to up the intensity, just add another 20 minute workout in once or twice a week. Or go two on, one off. Get creative and get started!
If you dedicate yourself for one month, that's $3 per day and you'll only see each video ONCE. If you dedicate yourself for three months, that's $1 per day and you'll only see each video THREE TIMES! At 20 minutes each, I might actually become a morning exerciser after all!
Come on already!!!
Lesia Ramey
-these people are the best rip off artist there is...I would not recommend anyone getting this program. They sent and charged my card for vitamins that i never ordered which was sent back 2 weeks before Christmas and they charged my account for Jan. which put my account into overdraft and would do nothing to fix the problem no matter how much proof I had to prove them wrong...I will never ever deal with them again....please everyone be warned..DONT DO IT>>LOSE WEIGHT ANOTHER WAY!!!
posted Jan 31st, 2012 6:26 pmSarah
?Does the Firm Express work or not? i See Everyone Complaining About The Shipping And That There Is No Way You Can Recieve A Good Amount Of Weightloss By Only Working Out Three Times A Week For Twenty Minutes. Here Is My Question Does it Work Or Not.
amy
Do you have a website for cd imports - I checked cdimports [dot] com and couldn't pull up the firm express - that's a great price you got, what curious if you have a link for it. Thanks, Amy
posted Jan 11th, 2012 3:29 pmJes
+I ordered my dvd's through another website (cd imports) and I only paid $57.94 S&H included!! It came with everything that they advertise and I got my dvd's in less than 10 days!!
posted Jan 7th, 2012 7:41 pmKim butler
?How long do I have to return The FIRM Express DVDs? Is the bonus,and the get started booklet is mibe to keep,if I return the 12dvds back? Question about the trail of the frim express,if I donot want to keep it how long do I have to return it?also is the bonus is mine if I do do keep the firm dvds,also is the 4 day ki,k start plan is mine if I donot keep dvds to.
milika nabajja
I would like to get a dvd but i want to pay cash on delievery
posted Nov 16th, 2011 9:01 pmPERSIS HEPBURN
i AM A 65 YEAR OLD WOMAN WITH A VERY SEDENTRY LIFE STYLE HAVE DONE ANY EXERCISES IN YEARS. i WEIGH 170 LBS. I AM DIABETIC, HYPERETENSIVE, AND HAVE HAD AN ANGOIPLASTY. IS THIS SAFE FOR ME?
posted Sep 22nd, 2011 5:19 amErika
HORRIBLE! I received an e-mail that the product shipped on August 2nd but because it was to Canada, they were unable to provide a tracking number. It is now September 15th and I haven't received a thing. I demanded my money back so we'll see WHEN I get that resolved. Their customer service reps are useless. I was given the runaround and it was disgusting how inconsistent each rep was. They offered either a replacement product with expedited shipment (3-4 weeks) or a full refund. I'll be damned if I'm going to wait almost 10 weeks for videos. I have no idea how or why it takes so long to ship from the US to Canada. We're not even overseas!!!! For those who want to get in shape for next summer, I suggest you order from now. You may be in luck and get it by May 2012!
posted Sep 15th, 2011 12:52 pmCindy
-It really upsets me when they say delivery in 7-10 days. It has been 8 days and it still has not been shipped! False advertising!!!!!
posted Aug 15th, 2011 4:26 pmKelly
After I wrote this review, I purchased a heart rate monitor and figured out why I didn't get any results with these workouts. I couldn't get my heart rate up high enough, even when I went as hard as I could on each move. It would temporarily go up during the bursts, but since the bursts are so short, I would quickly recover adn the end results wasn't enough calories to make a difference. This might be resolved by stacking the videos, but I would rather do one longer video.
posted Aug 3rd, 2011 3:11 pmI realize the faster moves (and the up and down of a lot of the bursts) might be hard for someone who hasn't worked out at all, but definitely they aren't for someone who works out a lot. I tried adding them in as a supplement to my other workouts, but found I'd rather walk, jog or bike.
It's a tough call. The workouts aren't a total waste. Anything you do is better than nothing. I was only saying that the BSS1 workouts were better for ME. Even as a beginner, I saw much better results, burned more calories, and got a better overall workout with BSS1. And you can get that system for about 1/3 of the price. So that's why I recommended it.
I have given away my Firm Express to a friend who enjoys it. And have a sister who might benefit the same! So there's definitely a market for it. I just PERSONALLY wouldn't buy it again, especially if, like me, you were hoping for something similar to BSS1, BSS2 or the older Firms.
Petie
As I read the other comments, I wondered whether any of the contributors actually bought and used the program.
posted Jul 31st, 2011 12:06 pmKLH
While I agree with Kelly, that you cannot get fast results from a 20- minute workout 3 times a week, I do not agree that you should not purchase this system. The variety in the workouts, as well as the intensity of the workouts is well worth it. Then, just add in 20 minutes of additional cardio and or sculpting, as well as exercise 20-30 minutes two days so you get in 5 days of exercise. This is primarily aimed for those trying to lose weight. If you are not, I think the 20 minutes for 3 days is perfect. These are very good workouts, and they will get you sweating and sore (in a good way). In my opinion, they are worth the cost!
posted Jul 20th, 2011 9:44 amML
For those thinking about purchasing the Firm Express: You should know that when you order online and start to finalize your order, do NOT be fooled about the free vitamins. If you click to accept it, it will automatically charge you 3 payments of $29.99. I am now trying to have them cancel that out of my order (but I'll have to wait until Monday to do anything about it since it's the weekend and customer service is not open). If you call this number: 800-736-0652 for help, don't waste your time. Those people don't know anything and can't help. All they do is take orders. I've never had a good experience purchasing infomercial items but took a risk with this because it seems to be promising. Ordering infomercial items are always such a hassle & so shady.
posted Jun 25th, 2011 3:34 pm