Punch your boss! (Billy Blanks: Tae Bo, The Future of Fitness (DVD))

Member Name: offy

Product:	Billy Blanks: Tae Bo, The Future of Fitness (DVD)
Date:	20/01/02 (948 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great fun, gets you fit, suitable for different levels of fitness

Disadvantages: Not hard enough if you are very fit, the motivational bit gets a bit boring after a while

How many of you have exercise videos sitting at home that are never used? I’ve just counted mine and I have 10, but the collection does include one video that I regularly use – Tae-Bo.

•• WHAT IS IT? ••
The video caption is ‘get fit, lose weight, have fun, be strong’ and also claims that millions of people describe tae-bo as ‘energising, explosive, powerful and uplifting’. I would have to agree.

Tao-bo is basically solo martial arts to music. You do a series of co-ordinated punches, leg raises and kicks to music – aerobics with a kick! The video says ‘it blends your own hidden strength with moves from self-defence, dance and music’. Tae-bo originated in America (where else?) and the originator was (supposedly) Billy Blank who made this video. Billy Blank is a seven times world martial arts champion, who is obviously very fit and flexible (oh, how I would be able to open my legs that far!). There are now classes all over the UK and they follow that same idea, although some also do some pad work where you get into pairs and punch and kick pads held by the other person.

There are a number of Billy Blank Tae-Bo videos but the one I am reviewing is the basic one called ‘Tae-Bo the future of fitness’. It is in a gold or white box with a picture of Billy Blank and his companion (called Shirley as you find out during the video). It is available from most video stores and also on Amazon for £11.99.

•• WHO IS IT FOR? ••
The beauty of this exercise video is that it is only a 30 minute workout - long enough to make a difference but short enough not to make all those excuses not to do it. You can work at your own level by starting slowly and then working harder until you find yourself virtually punching the lights out of the TV. I found it very therapeutical when I was stressed at work as I imagined that the TV was my b
oss and it felt good! The people in the video are of a wide age range and you can see they are at different levels of fitness and flexibility – they all seem to be having fun though. If you are extremely fit, this video will not be enough for you, but I can highly recommend the advanced video at this stage. One hour of non-stop HARD exercise. Incidentally I have never managed to finish the advanced video yet.

By doing the video regularly you will improve flexibility, balance, strength and fitness. Apparently tae-bo is the highest calorie-burning workout available today, burning 800 calories per hour. You can have that Mars bar after all!

•• THE WORKOUTS ••
There are two workouts on this video. The first is the 30 minute standard workout that you would compete most times. The second is an instructional introduction to tae-bo to ensure that you do not injure yourself when doing tae-bo for the first time. For example, you should not lock out the elbows or knees fully when punching or kicking. This workout should obviously be completed before doing the normal workout for the first time and it is also useful to review technique occasionally. The whole video begins with a standard disclaimer and warnings to consult your GP before beginning any exercise program.

The normal workout begins with a standard warm up for 7 minutes including stretches. The main part of the workout lasts for 18 minutes. It starts with mainly punches, than adds leg raises and then kicks. The music is uplifting and lively, but not well known. It concludes with a 2.5 minute cool down which is quite different than any other cool down I have done. It is more about breathing correctly than stretching – very good.

The instructional workout begins with a 5 minute warm up followed by a 28 minute instructional section. This includes moves from the basic video but also moves from the advanced video. It is also to music but is mo
re about getting the technique correct than a hard workout. It concludes with the same 2.5 minute cool down as in the main workout.

•• MOTIVATIONAL OR ANNOYING? ••
Being American, Billy Blank is heavily into motivation. It works for me, although hearing it for the hundredth time gets a bit boring. I can imagine it would be annoying to some people, but it is worth sticking with due to the excellent workout you obtain.

The calling of the numbers can be a bit confusing sometimes, as Billy often shouts to his companion (Shirley) to take over the counting, but then also counts himself but out of time to poor Shirl! As someone who has done a lot of aerobics in the past, I found some of the timings of tae-bo difficult at first. In aerobics you always do 8, 4 or 2 moves, but in Tae-bo you often do a 3 and 1 (e.g. punch, punch, punch, kick). I am used to it now though.

•• CONCLUSION ••
This is a really great fitness video. Be prepared to look and feel a bit silly at first. You don’t need any special clothes or equipment, but you should wear suitable trainers. It is different, fun, and it works!

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