Rating: Summary: Excellent Workout!!! Review: The first time I tried this workout I almost sent them back. I was overweight by 73 pounds and had to stop every 2 or 3 minutes to catch my breath. They seemed too advanced for me. But I stuck with it and have improved my overall health. I have lost 49 pounds in the last 7 months. It is challenging but gets you results!! Billy Blanks is very motivating. I highly recommend these DVD's to anyone who is serious about losing weight and getting fit!
Rating: Summary: great workouts for the body! Review: these 2 tapes are great! the first one (red on cover) is the one I do the most, it starts with the normal warm-up, punches and kicks for about 24minutes, then the second tape, it starts with the warm-up, then its some abs and buns exercises on the floor then proceeds to some cardio punches and kicks, well rounded workout for not a lot of time. All i have to say is that Michelle, can be a bit too annoying saying "all right" every minute, but after a while, you learn to block it outta your mind while doing the tapes! and one other thing, Billy always has different number of sets for ever exercise! that is annoying, and he does it on every tape! ah well.....the workout is what matters! other than that Highly highly recommend these 2 for the workout itself!
Rating: Summary: Tae-Bo Get Ripped? Review: These two tapes are way too tame compared to the Basic tape in the Live series - I hardly sweated at the end of the tapes! I returned mine as I found them to be too "beginnerish". I have been doing TaeBo for three months and have tried out the Get Ripped Advanced tapes which are much more to my liking. These tapes are great for beginners, much more realistic of what beginners can accomplish than the Basic tape in the Live Series. The bottom line is, if you are a beginner Tae Bot, by all means buy these tapes. However, if you are looking for the cardio intensity similar to the Live series, these tapes will not deliver.
Rating: Summary: Good basic kickboxing workouts Review: This 2-tape set consists of two basic Tae Bo routines. Basic Workout 1 includes floor work in addition to a standing kickboxing routine. This video begins with instructor Billy Blank's standard 5-minute stretch routine. Following the warmup comes the toning segment: 4 minutes of abs work and then 4 minutes of targeted glutes work performed on hands and knees. Then Billy leads one of his basic kickboxing routines consisting mainly of punches with some knee lifts and kicks thrown in; Billy also emphasizes the abs while in a standing position. The kickboxing segment lasts about 10 minutes, and a final 3 minutes of cool-down stretches complete this 26-minute workout. Basic Workout 2 is entirely a standing kickboxing routine. There is a similar warmup (about 4 minutes) followed by an approximately 18-minute cardio workout. Billy does a few more combinations here, and again, he always reminds you to work your abdominals from a standing position. This workout ends with a Tai Chi type cool-down segment.As an instructor, Billy Blanks is very likeable and extremely enthusiastic. However, his counting is not always accurate, and he frequently completes an uneven number of sets from one side of the body to the other. These tapes would be good for those who like simple kickboxing routines focused mainly on punches and which include some toning in addition to cardio.
Rating: Summary: Good basic kickboxing workouts Review: This 2-tape set consists of two basic Tae Bo routines. Basic Workout 1 includes floor work in addition to a standing kickboxing routine. This video begins with instructor Billy Blank's standard 5-minute stretch routine. Following the warmup comes the toning segment: 4 minutes of abs work and then 4 minutes of targeted glutes work performed on hands and knees. Then Billy leads one of his basic kickboxing routines consisting mainly of punches with some knee lifts and kicks thrown in; Billy also emphasizes the abs while in a standing position. The kickboxing segment lasts about 10 minutes, and a final 3 minutes of cool-down stretches complete this 26-minute workout. Basic Workout 2 is entirely a standing kickboxing routine. There is a similar warmup (about 4 minutes) followed by an approximately 18-minute cardio workout. Billy does a few more combinations here, and again, he always reminds you to work your abdominals from a standing position. This workout ends with a Tai Chi type cool-down segment. As an instructor, Billy Blanks is very likeable and extremely enthusiastic. However, his counting is not always accurate, and he frequently completes an uneven number of sets from one side of the body to the other. These tapes would be good for those who like simple kickboxing routines focused mainly on punches and which include some toning in addition to cardio.
Rating: Summary: Pretty Good Workout Review: This is a pretty good cardio workout. If you have a minimal amount of time, this gets the job done and gets your heart rate up. I am more bias towards the 1st workout which is a straight cardio workout as opposed to the second with floor work.
I love Billy's encouraging words, it helps move along the workout. Do this for about a month or so if your a regular exerciser than progress to the advance, which is going to be my ultimate workout goal.
Rating: Summary: A good basic workout: better DVD format Review: This is the third in the Taebo series of workouts I have purchased in two years (the first was the original studio workout I purchased on VHS and the second was the complete Taebo Live on DVD). I've had this set for a week and a half, and have worked out with it five times. I purchased this set after having fallen in love with the original Taebo Live DVD set, and I cannot say that I am at all disappointed. As ever, the workouts start quickly, getting your blood pumping and your body stretched out. The Basic Workout #1 is, to my tastes, a bit tame. Remember, I've been doing this for a while now. I should purchase the Advanced set next, but as I am the mother of a year old baby, often I have only one half hour to spare and would rather feel I've completed a full workout. If you have the original Taebo Live Basic Workout, you will understand what I mean by tame. There is a definite decrease in the amount of strenuous kicking required in the Get Ripped Basic Workout #1. I think that for the beginner, this is a good idea. In fact, I believe that this Get Ripped Basic Workout #1 is more in tune with what a beginner can accomplish that the original Taebo Live set. The Taebo Live Get Ripped Basic Workout #2 takes the viewer right into a rather strenuous stretch routine which goes directly into a workout that targets stomach and butt muscles. This section lasts 8-9 minutes and is intense. I felt the results the next day. Man, was I sore. After this section, you get up off the floor and get kicking. The tone in this 2nd workout is far more energized, and the group is quite lively. This is not exactly a BEGINNER workout (very unlike Basic #1). (BTW no amount of ab workouts with the ab-rolling gizmo I bought ions ago ever made me feel this sore - and I guess that's why it never worked!) The 8 minute workout is a tough one. Don't think it's an easy out by the length of it. It's very energized and requires a good deal of stamina. And again, the 8 minute refers to the actual workout time, not the warm up or cool down sections. All in all, it's more like 15 minutes. A note about the DVD itself: If you bought the previous Taebo Live DVD set, I think you will be as pleased as I am that the navigation leads you directly into the workout, instead of the advertisements for active wear, the scripted music video sequence, etc. I did not really like the fact that after the workouts in the Get Ripped DVD, I was subjected to Malibu Naturals advertising - a vitamin reselling program that states that you can be fit while "realizing your financial goals." Gimme a break! Also: The Special section is in fact just a string of more ads... no interview with Billy Blanks this time, and the Taebo Heroes section is just the infomercial all over again, unlike the original "Live" where individuals were interviewed in regard to their accomplishments. All in all a good purchase... a very good workout.
Rating: Summary: Boot Camp Review: This isn't a work out, it's boot camp. If you aren't in really good shape, or like to be able to move the next day, DO NOT DO THIS. Try Windsor Pilates instead, work your way up to this. Other wise you'll be in serious pain the next day! His counting is terrible and does too many reps on one side and not enough on the other....
Rating: Summary: I love Tae-Bo more now then before! Review: This was the 2nd Tae-Bo tape/DVD I purchased, the first being Tae-Bo Gold, which helped me lose 25 lbs. Since I was a beginner (and 185 lbs), I got Tae-Bo Gold, as was recommended by some others on Amazon.com, and I love it. But I have to say, until I tried this basic workout, I had no idea just how exciting Tae-Bo could be! It gets your heart rate up, every muscle working and is extremely motivating along with being challenging. It's a lot of fun. I plan to use it almost daily to assist in my further weight loss, & I recommend it to anyone who is already on the road to fitness but needs that extra motivating boost. To folks over 40 or beginners of every age who need a starter tape that really works, go for Tae-Bo Gold for a while, then get this edition. It works!
Rating: Summary: Great Cardio Workouts Review: Though these are called basic, they will still give you a great cardio workout. The moves are explained well enough that a beginner could start here without the instructional videos. One of the videos starts out with a short abs workout and dog-style glute exercises and then goes into cardio and the other is entirely cardio, but both have a good cardio workout. There are enough repetitions to make you sweat, but not so many that most people won't be able to complete them. The combinations are easy to follow, and the instructions are clear. It is a little annoying the Billy Blanks always says go right when he's going right when most people following will be doing mirror images to follow along and thus going left, but that's a small complaint. These two videos are a great addition to any workout plan and work great for cross training. For longer workouts just move on to the advanced tapes.
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