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.