Billy Blanks: This Is Tae Bo

I used to do TaeBo ages ago. I had the very first set in VHS. I had also stopped doing it a long time ago, gained lots of weight and was just slothful for a while. In 2010 I was in a friend's wedding. When I saw the wedding photos, I was devastated. I hardly recognized myself. Those pictures incited me to get myself together. I joined weight watchers, started exercising and generally trying to live a better life. I started a blog for some catharsis and support ([...]), and since the wedding, have lost 33 pounds. This is an honest review, but is obviously just my opinion.Stats: I've been weight training and running for a few years now. I'm 46 years old -- just turned in January. I have no readily apparent health problems. Presently, I weight train twice a week with a trainer and those workout include 45-50 minutes of weights and another 40 minutes of cardio. I also run or do some other form of cardio on my own 2-3 times a week.I recently had to ease up on the running and was looking for something less abusive of the body. And I remembered how much I used to enjoy TaeBo. I ordered "This is TaeBo," "Ripped Extreme" and "Cardio Explosion." This review concerns only This is TaeBo.To me, this is NOT a workout for beginners, as some of the other posts say. This workout kicks my ass, and I get similar calorie burn numbers as I get from a 3-mile run, which takes me about 47 minutes with warm up and cool down (I'm slow!). This might be easy for people who regularly do other TaeBo workouts, but this is a different kind of cardio from running and walking, so it can still be great for people, like me, who do that. I like that it doesn't have any floor work, and I like that it is virtually non-stop. There are slower parts where the moves are demonstrated, then burst of speed and power. For me, these were welcomed breaks and did nothing to break my stride or interrupt my flow. When I workout, even on my own, I go full on, all the time. Because of that, even during the shorter periods of slower activity, my heart racing and I was sweating balls. In fact, I started sweating about seven minutes in and never stopped.As to the video itself, I agree with everyone else that the counting is annoying as all hell, and I absolutely DESPISE Shelly, the blond woman who counts the loudest, shouts "Woo-sah," or some such other nonsense, inadvertently and for no apparent reason, or shouts "Fire! Fire!" If I could edit her out of the video, I would've done it after the first time I watched it.That said, if you can ignore her -- which I grant you will take a large amount of will -- I think this video is a great buy.

This is hands down one of my favorites.

This was my first Billy Blanks DVD. I had tried a few kick boxing classes at gyms and felt so lost in them I hated it and never did it again. Now having my home gym I thought I would try this since I would be alone and not shamed for being so uncoordinated. The very first time I was not able to keep up or do a lot of the kicks and combos, but Billy explains in this DVD: you have to work yourself up to be able to do the workout and that is what also kept me going/trying besides the sweat dripping off my body which told me I was working out something. Each time I do this workout I see myself improving my balance, kicks, combos, punches and cardio. This is such a great cardio workout and now I can’t get enough of it. I have a room filled with a spin bike, maxi climber, rower, elliptical and I have been considering selling it all and just doing my Tae Bo because for the first time I look forward to 'working out' everyday and I find a way to fit it in my day (even on vacation). I do it nearly every day along with 2 other Billy Blanks DVD (cardio sculpt and ripped extreme) which I have now added to my new collection and I have such a great day after my workout and an even better day if I can complete all 3 DVD's a second time in my day. Totally addicted!

I was always a lover of Tae Bo.. Since this DVD was recommended to me by a friend, I thought I'd give it a try. When I first did this DVD I was blown away. Everything in my body burned and yeah, it's a little hard to follow, but once you get the hang of it, and do it a few times you get better at it. Billy Blanks is amazing at motivating, and making you laugh. He always knows the right things to say, and when I'm about to give up, he leads me through it and doesn't make me feel like a loser if I can't do a certain workout. I do this along with Jillian Michaels 30 day shred(I do that twice a day)And I do this at either the end or beginning of my workout. I have so much fun doing this, HOWEVER, if you DO end up positioning wrong, or being "sloppy" as he calls it, you WILL pull a muscle. So you have to keep your arms and legs well aligned and have a "good technique" to it. I also love this DVD because it prepares you to defend yourself. When I workout to this, It's like defending myself from being attacked. The moves are so amazing, and I regained my skill to punch and kick.If, however, you have leg injuries, or arm injuries, I wouldn't recommend, but IF you do and decide to get this, take it slow. When you kick, don't go as high as everyone else in the video, just stay low as he says. :)

So, I tried it yesterday but only for 30 minutes (baby woke up so I had to stop ). Did the full video today and what fun it was! It's a combination of a lot of movies on fast paced music. Reminded me of Celebrity Fit dvd but with the pace of Ripped Extreme.The warm up is all on your feet, unlike most of his dvds which I like. The crew is off the beat some times but I can ignore that. There isn't too much talking from Billy and when he does, the workout continues.It covers everything. Top, mid and lower body. Pretty much total body Cardio that's a lot of fun. The video is 47 minutes of continuous fun movies, most from all the videos I already have. Then 3 minutes of cool down. The rest is about 10 minutes of tutorial. When I was done, I. Was all soaked in sweat! This is a fun video. It's intense workout that doesn't feel like work out.Love this!I wish Billy knew how much he has changed lives like mine. Am one of those pple who hate work out. But I have loved losing baby weight (35 pounds), and staying active for almost a year now! I never used to exercise and now I do these 6 days week! I recommend this to active Tae Boers. A beginner may find it challenging.

This was the first Tae Bo workout I'd done in years. I had bought a few of Billy's earlier DVDs years before and enjoyed them, but I eventually got out of my Tae Bo craze and moved onto another instructor. I eventually started getting annoyed with the other instructor and just not enjoying my workouts. It became a real chore. When I thought back to how much fun I used to have doing Tae Bo, I immediately dug out my old DVDs and ordered this as an addition to the older Tae Bo DVDs I already had. Well, I was blown away by how much fun I had with this workout. I enjoy Tae Bo and Billy's style. Since purchasing and enjoying this DVD, I have bought several other Tae Bo workouts. I can honestly say that I'm in much better shape doing Tae Bo than I have been doing any other program, and I have infinitely more fun during my workouts!

There is no doubt in my mind that this is best workout I can possible do. I am male, 48 years of age and work with my hands by the way of renovating/maintaining apartments. So lots of tools and lots of stairs to climb. I couldnt do 20 mins of this workout. Instead i had to jog for 4 months before attempting this work out. Now after a few months of this work out. I feel like someone gave me a pill that makes you feel like your 25 again. That bounce in your step. That post work feeling where you're drenched in sweat like after a martial art class and your walking home feeling like a million bucks. Billy Blanks and his step daughter make this the perfect work out. But there is martial arts and you need to developed those skills to fully understand the work out.

Everything was as it stated

I used video to get into shape. Also to strengthen my muscles for my job.

Tae Bo, for me, has always been the best cardio and full body workout out there. This DVD brings it back to the basics, but don't be fooled. This DVD is hard core. Be prepared to sweat, pant, and beg for mercy! My arms and legs felt like jello after this workout was done. LOVE IT! Billy still has great energy, and helps you get through the workout. I highly recommend this DVD.