Tae Bo on vacation?

I've been off traveling the last few weeks, which is why we haven't written much, but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing Tae Bo. I've been alternating between Sculpt Express and Turbo Charged Fat Burner, both out of the Multipack, depending on the day and how much time I have. They are the greatest! Get Tae Bo AMPED now!

Today's workout: Sculpt Express

Had a great workout with this today and learned a valuable lesson in the process. I guess I'm a slow learner because, as you know, one thing Billy stresses over and over in the AMPED! workouts is keep your muscles tight. Whether it's because I'm sometimes half asleep sometimes when I'm doing these, it doesn't always register. It did today and I had the best session with "Sculpt Express" I've had yet.
The important thing with this -- and all Billy's workouts -- is not to do them casually. Pay attention to Billy's instructinos and make sure you feel the tension in your muscles. When he says tighten up, make sure you do it specifically to increase the force of the workout. It makes all the difference in the world.
"Sculpt Express" is part of the Billy Blanks' Tae Bo AMPED multipack collection (along with "Ultimate Tae Bo" and Turbo Charged Fat Burner." If you get only the AMPED! bar and the workouts that come with it, you're missing an excellent workout. Get Tae Bo AMPED now!

Today's workout: Fat Burn Accelerator

Did this today. (It's one of the five workouts that come with the Tae Bo AMPED! package.) I like this a lot for the simple reason that I can keep up with the pros behind Billy. And it really puts me through its paces. I especially like the upper body workout with the AMPED bar, too. As usual with Billy's recent workouts, half the class has the bar, the other half doesn't. But try and use the bar. It really pushes you in those upper body exercises.

Today's workout: Ultimate Tae Bo (an hour's worth)

Today finally seemed like the day to attempt Ultimate Tae Bo, the 89 minute workout that comes with the Billy Blanks' Tae Bo AMPED Multipack.
The length of the workout makes it daunting, but Billy paces it. The movements aren't incredbily complex or straining, dropping it between intermediate and advanced level. It moves at a quick pace, though. Lots twists and punches, with a few kicks thrown in. There's no use of the AMPED! bar or any accessories. But it's really the length of the workout that's the challenge here, not necessarily the moves, though we found a few unfamiliar ones the first time around.
Speaking of twists, around the 45 min. mark, Billy, as a way of giving you a chance to re-energize yourself, actually starts doing some '60s dances -- the Twist and the Swim, though he doesn't call it that. The sight is pretty funny.
Billy takes what looks like a short break at the hour mark and comes back charging hard.
That's when we checked out this time around. But we'll give it another shot.

Tae Bo's on On Demand on cable TV

If you have On Demand (or some similar) cable programming, check for Tae Bo videos. We found Capture the Power and The Power Within on our system. You may find others on yours. It's a way to get introduced to Tae Bo if you haven't tried it before.

Today's workout: Turbo Charged Fat Burner

Given this is the second Saturday in a row we've done this one, I think it'll be part of my Saturday routine, given that our time on Saturday mornings is limited. As we said last week, it's an abbreviated workout (the disc says 23 minutes, but our DVD counter said 31 minutes) compared to other Tae Bo workouts, but it gets you sweating a little and really gets you going for the day. It's in the AMPED! multipack available through the Billy banner on the left.

Today's workout: Bootcamp Basic Training

This one's always been a bugaboo for me. Between the deltoid and the abs exercises, not to mention the power pushups and the squat thrusts with the bands, I've had trouble getting through this one at times.
I made it through the whole 55 minutes today, though not without pausing through a few of the abs exercises near the end. I kept my hands on the floor during the sit-up abs moves. That's the only way I can do it without my backbone in pain. Not to mention the studio folks can do those about twice as fast as I can.
But I did my best and that's what counts when you're having a tough go. They're not all easy.
One thing I told myself when setting up this blog is that eventually I will try all the workouts I've avoided and either publicly celebrate or humiliate myself in trying. So stick around and see if the kid lives through the workouts he's been too chicken to try.
Ha ha.

Join our new Yahoo group

We've started a new Yahoo group to compliment this page. It's called, of course, Tae Bo Revved Up!, and we want you to join in. We'll talk nothing but Tae Bo. Click the button on the left to join.

Today's workout: Sculpt Express

Sculpt Express, available through the Billy Blanks' Tae Bo AMPED multipack at Billy's website, is an invigorating 45 minute that concentrates on exercises designed to tighten up your body.
Many of the moves feature punching using the AMPED! bar. The most challenging part, though, is near the end when Billy and co. wave the bar to one side with one hand like a magic wand, putting heavy pressure on your wrists and biceps. You can hear many of those in the studio (including many off-camera) really pushing themselves to get through this exercise. The result is your biceps and arms feel renewed.
A great workout and a great reason to pick up this multipack.

The AMPED! multipack is available through the Billy banner on the left hand side. Get it today!

We want to hear from you

Want to let everyone know about your experiences with Tae Bo? Add a comment after this (or any of our other posts).

Turbo Charged Fat Burner: a great wake-up call

Saturday's usually my rest day for Tae Bo (we bowl Saturday nights), but we decided to try "Turbo Charged Fat Burner," a 23-minute workout that's part of the AMPED! multipack .
It's a fast-moving workout for those with only a little time. Most of the moves will be familiar from other AMPED! workouts, but instead of four segments, Billy cuts them back to two.
Because it's so fast-paced, you'll find you'll definitely work up a sweat. This is a great way to jump start a busy day. We'll definitely come back to this one and we think you will, too.

Order "Turbo Charged Fat Burner" in the three DVD AMPED! multipack (along with "Ultimate Tae Bo" and "Sculpt Express") by clicking the Billy banner on the left.

Billy Blanks' two new Tae Bo Celebrity Fit workouts -- first review!

Billy Blanks' Tae-Bo - Get Celebrity Fit - Cardio and Billy Blanks' Tae-Bo - Get Celebrity Fit - Sculpt : Billy Blanks' latest two workouts, which hit stores on March 6, are, in one respect, a nod to the Tae Bo workouts of earlier days. There's no AMPED! bar, Billy bands or ball weights. It's just you.
Both start out with light warmups with speedbag, light stretches, neck and shoulder rolls, butterfly stretches and toe-touching that Billy often incorporates in his workouts.
The actual workouts, both single disc sets, alternate between slow sessions (so you can grasp the movements) to accelaterated-paced exercises with added punching, kicking, slides back and forth, knee pulls and raises and body twists.
In CARDIO, the workout includes several segments with cross-body movements. The final minutes include new moves where Billy has you alternate punching and jumping, then doing a forward-backward speedbag. Billy constantly tells you to keep the abs and triceps tight for maximum results.
In SCULPT, the focus is on punching and kicking, both forward punching and backward kicks, plus some side kicks near the end.
Both workouts feature almost constant movement, something Billy's more recent workouts have focused on. Billy keeps the pace moving quickly. They also each include a special features section with a demonstration of Tae Bo movements by Billy and an interview in which Billy discusses his life and how he got started with Tae Bo.
Tae Bo fans enjoying the AMPED! workouts may find these not as intense. But these workouts are certainly more challenging than the Tae Bo and Tae Bo Live! workouts of a few years ago.
And either way, these discs will give your workouts an enjoyable energy boost.

(You can order the discs through our Tae Bo Revved Up! Amazon.com store in the left-hand column.)

AMPED multipack has arrived

We'll write more about these in the next few days, but the multipack arrived today. Turbo Charged Fat Burner is 23 minutes, Sculpt Express is 45 minutes and Ultimate Tae Bo is 89 minutes! Each DVD comes in a small cardboard sleeve. Here are the descriptions of each taken from the back of the DVDs:

Turbo Charged Fat Burner is a condensed but intensely fast-paced workout packed with powerful, AMPED-up sets of intervals for an optimum fat-burning experience. Billy instructs on the correct form to prevent injuries while challening you to work harder, boosting your confidence. High energy, high intensity and high fat burn -- it's all here in one workout. (23 minutes)

Sculpt Express is a total body workout designed to give rapid results. Using special combinations of punches, kicks and other moves done at a slower pace followed by an exciting, heart-pumping, AMPED-up pace, you'll sweat hard but be rewarded with a toned, scultped body. (45 minutes)

Ultimate Tae Bo is the workout to do when you want a super intense workout. This workout involves non-stop, high-energy moves that will provide an extreme, heart-pumping fitness challenge. Billy keeps your whole body -- feet, arms, legs and shoulders -- moving every minute. You'll sweat hard and feel energized as you experience the ultimate Tae Bo workout! (89 minutes)

Latest workout: "Rockin' Abs"

Completed "Rockin' Abs" Monday. It's just behind "Rockin' Buns" in its intensity. We found the standing abs exercises very doable, while the floor exercises were extremely hard.
There are several exercises where Billy has you hold the AMPED bar off the ground without any support. We had to put the bar down and use the floor for support for these because the pressure on our spine was too much. We suspect those of you who are younger than we are (we're 55) will handle these just fine. It also might help to have a pad underneath when you're exercising, too. (We didn't.)
Overall, it's a good, thorough workout.

Special surprise to come

Check back here in the next day or two. We'll have something very special you won't want to miss.

Today's workout: "Live in L.A."

This is part of the four-disc/five-workout set that comes with the main Billy Blanks' Tae Bo AMPED set. I'd previewed part of this one just after getting it and originally didn't think it was worth doing because it seemed a bit disorganized as compared to the in-studio workouts.
But today, for some reason, I chose to do it, maybe because it was the only one in the main set I hadn't done. And I was glad I did. It's a lot of fun.
The key here is Billy's interaction with the live crowd. In the more controlled studio, what happens is pretty predictable since most of the group is usually Tae Bo regulars. But in this live setting, done in the Hollywood Paladium theater, Billy and the team (including Shellie and Jillianne) work off the enthusiasm of the crowd. And everyone has a good time.
Most of the workout is focused on the upper body, since in the crowded theater, the participants don't have much room to work with. The movements include helicopter twirls, twirling the bar around the ankle and punches using the bar. It lasts 45 minutes and works at about an intermediate level. Anyone, even basic level Tae Bo'ers, should be able to get through this without much problem.
It's one we want to do again.

2 New Tae Bo workouts coming

Two new workouts -- "Tae Bo Celebrity Fit - Sculpt" and "Tae Bo Celebrity Fit - Cardio" are due to be released in March. They can be ordered in advance through our Amazon.com Tae Bo Revved Up store linked in the left-hand column.

No tae bo today, but ...

... did an hour on the treadmill. Jogging the first 45, then walking the last 15. Got my notice yesterday that my Tae Bo shipment, including the Ultimate Tae Bo workout (90 minutes!!) is on its way. Quick work, that! Can't wait.

A two workout day: Jumpstart Cardio and Core Express

Did two workouts today out of the Billy Blanks' Tae Bo AMPED main package: Jumpstart Cardio and Core Express. That's the first time I've done two workouts back-to-back, but I felt really good after the first one and really wanted to see if I could meet the challenge to finish the second.
I did it and without the pain I felt from the Rockin' Butts workout last week. Both Jumpstart Cardio and Core Express would be, in my mind, comparable to the Basic workouts of the Tae Bo and Tae Bo Live! days. Neither are particular intense or straining, at least in my mind. I think the worst part of both was running the AMPED bar over my knee in a genuflecting position to stretch out my abs.
One thing Billy makes clear in both workouts that seems to be new is keeping your shoulders and arms tightened as you move the AMPED bar. It adds a tension that you feel as you do the exercise. It also proves the exercise is working.
Another thing is when Billy has you drop the bar and punch without it. You really feel the difference.
One workout may be enough for some people. That's certainly fine. But it feels good for this guy to have done two. It won't happen all the time. But it feels good today.

Billy Blanks before Tae Bo

If you've hunted through the TAE BO VHS tapes on eBay as we mentioned in our last post, you may have seen the Billy Blanks Crunch videos. These are Tae Boxing (that's what they're called) workouts with Billy he did before he started producing Tae Bo workouts. There are two of them: "Master Blaster" and "Tae Boxing." You can get these for almost nothing on eBay and you can see the roots of Tae Bo in these videos. (You can see a very young Shelley in one of them, too.) Stick with the Tae Boxing video. The Master Blaster one isn't as good, though again, it incorporates some moves that Tae Bo fans will recognize.

Who knows what you'll find?

In addition to Billy Blanks' Tae Bo AMPED and the other DVDs you can get on Billy's site, there's an incredible number of TAE BO VHS tapes on eBay.
But that doesn't include TAE BO clothes.
But if you feel like going treasure hunting, try checking out TAE BO in all categories on eBay.

Recovery day, maybe.

My lower body is still sore from the "Rockin' Buns" workout yesterday. I held off my workout for a while, but ended up doing mostly jogging with a short burst of "Billy's Favorite Moves" at the end just to get in a little Tae Bo.

Ordered the AMPED multipack of Billy Blanks' Tae Bo AMPED that includes "Sculpt Express," "Turbo Charged Fat Burner" and "Ultimate Tae Bo" last night. I hear "Ultimate" is 90 minutes. OMG! Am I a glutton for punishment or what?

Review: "Rockin' Buns" AMPED workout

Did this today. ("Rockin' Buns" comes in the Amplifier upgrade bonus pack with "Rockin' Abs".) I didn't think this would be that intense, but was I ever wrong! My lower body is aching! (That's a good thing, since no pain, no gain.) The workout incorporates a lot of deep squatting and stretching. Billy gets you down deep in this one. Most of the workout features the Amplifier open to the third position. It includes a fairly unique workout in which the Amplifier bar is used somewhat like a cane to support you during your kicks and another in which the AMPED bar presses against your legs to weight it down. A great workout that'll get you in places you haven't felt before. Get Tae Bo AMPED now!

Getting up to speed with AMPED!

I've had my AMPED shipments for about a week and a half now. I was initially not sure of how effective it was going to be, but we've been converted. AMPED is really a dynamic exercise. Not as devastatingly intense as Boot Camp Elite!, maybe, but still effective.
First thing you notice about working with the Amplifier bar is the buzzing in your shoulders. The Amplifier bar is, to us, a mini version of a weight bar, but the ease of movement really propels your workout. You certainly shouldn't have to strain to lift it.
Initially, we found keeping the bar extended while working it a problem because the bar didn't seem to want to stay locked. The key is keep your hands somewhat loose on the bar and don't hold them tight around it.
We started with "Rockin' Abs," since the bonus shipment arrived ahead of the main shipment. Abs workouts, especially Billy's, are my idea of hell on earth. "Rockin' Abs" is no exception. Billy gets you on to the floor right away. We were able to keep up just fine until the exercise where Billy uses the AMPED bar like a oar. Ouch!
Billy has added one interesting new element to the AMPED workouts -- the AMPED up sessions at the tail end of each exercise. These are a great idea, somewhat like the sort of like the 8-Minute Workout sessions in the past. But these are incorporated all through the workouts and add lots of intensity.
Since the main shipment arrived, we've done Jump Start Cardio, Fat Burn Accelerator and Full Throttle. Of the three, we liked Fat Burn Accelerator and Jump Start Cardio the best. On first try, we didn't think Full Throttle was that intense, but some of the moves were new and we weren't used to them.
Another thing we like about the AMPED series is that all the discs have bonus features at the end explaining how the moves should be done. This is something we suggested recently on the message board at BillyBlanks.com (yes, we're a member) and lo and behold, there it was. Way cool.
If you're a Tae Bo veteran and haven't bought AMPED yet, do it. (You can conveniently click through the ad on the left hand side to get directly to Billy Blank's site.) Like we said, it's a step up from Boot Camp Elite, which itself was an improvement on Boot Camp. Those who have been with Billy Blanks since the beginning are aware that he has been gradually intensifying his workouts. AMPED continues the trend.
Even if you're a relatively older (55) guy like me, Tae Bo veterans will be able to jump into AMPED with ease. Newbies might want to try one of the earlier workouts to give your body a short time to adjust. It won't take you that long.

Our background in Tae Bo

We've been doing Tae Bo for about three years. We discovered it, ironically enough, when our treadmill broke down and needed something to fill in. We found Billy Blanks' motivational style really invigorating. (We also liked the fact there were guys doing the workout, a rarity in many workout tapes!) Initially, we did Tae Bo exclusively, getting away completely from the treadmill. But after about a year and a half, we got burned out and went back to running exclusively. About five months later, we decided to ease back in by alternating Tae Bo with jogging and that works out just fine for us. Oh, by the way, I'm 55. I'm not an Arnold Schwarzengger type, either. We're also very committed to Weight Watchers and have found it to be the safest and healthiest way to lose weight. We'll be talking about that here, too.