Tae Bo- Total Body Fat Blaster
Equipment used: Billy Bands or an alternative
Level: Intermediate/advanced
Bottom line: high-repetition, integrated strength training and aerobic moves can make this a decent cardio workout as long as enough resistance is used.
I have ready many reviews of this workout online, and I am continually astonished by reviewers who’ve said that this workout is not as intense as other Tae Bo workouts. It is true that without the Billy Bands, this is a beginner or intermediate workout at best. With the Billy Bands, however, this workout is quite difficult. Using resistance bands is not like using hand weights throughout the workout, because with the bands, your core is engaged and challenged no matter how you’re moving. I have tried using hand weights and they don’t compare to using bands, especially if they’re shortened by using a slipknot. Using bands or shortened bands, I have found that I am in my training zone or higher throughout most of the workout, with the exception of the leg toning segment at the beginning.
This DVD is typical Billy Blanks in that the sets are often uneven, the cuing is not great, the music is ho-hum and the production is amateurish. In addition, there’s a pretty useless leg toning segment for the first 15 minutes or so of the workout, in which Billy is yelling, “Burn the fat!” at you. But, it’s also typical Billy Blanks in that the workout is energizing and motivating, and you feel pushed to your limit no matter what your fitness level. The best part of Tae Bo is that as your technique improves, the workouts actually get harder, because you become more capable of completing the moves at full speed and in their full range of motion. I love the fast-paced, circuit training approach and think that it is extremely effective in terms of energy-burning and training.
Overall: this workout is one of my favorites because it’s fun, really produces results, and can be a killer if enough resistance is used. If you can deal with the generally sloppy production, this workout is a gem and I think anyone would see rapid results after using it for a few weeks. I rotate through many workouts, but when I come back to this one after a couple weeks of having not done it I am always sore the next day.
See Collage Video for a breakdown of this workout.