FitSugar

DVD Review: Billy Banks Tae Bo Amped Series - On Sale!

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:30:00 -0800

Last Winter, I worked out with the Billy Blanks Amped Full Throttle DVD and thoroughly enjoyed myself while burning up some serious calories. The DVD is part of the Amped Tae Bo series. In case you missed it, all four of Blanks's Amped DVDs are available (and on sale for $36) in one set, complete with the expandable accelerator weighted sculpting bar.

If you're not familiar with Tae Bo, it stands for Total Awareness Excellence Body Obedience. It's basically like boxing aerobics. Expect a lot of punching, kicking, heavy breathing, and very little resting.

To find out more about this DVD series read more.

These four cardio DVDs are intense, fast-paced, and high energy. They're the kinds of DVDs you pop in when you need to move, but can't get out for a run or to the gym. The Amped series will make you feel like you're in a real cardio class since Billy and 10 people behind him work it and glisten with sweat. You may find it comforting that everyone counts out loud for the entire video, but I found it a little annoying, so I just turned down the volume and pumped up my own music. You can use the three-pound accelerator bar to make the movements more intense, or just move your arms without it. Billy is one encouraging dude, and his little pep talks throughout the videos make you want to work hard. Get ready to burn some major calories with these four 30- to 55-minute workout DVDs. Order them straight from the Billy Blanks website.

Move It At Home: Billy Blanks Full Throttle Amped

FitSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:00:00 -0800

Did you know that Billy Blanks is still kicking ol’ school? He just released a new series of DVDs and the other night I checked out Billy Blanks Amped ($17.99). I was impressed that the DVD wasn’t over produced and you could tell that the workout was shot in one take with many cameras, so the folks exercising on the DVD were working with you. Billy Blanks does not slow down. He has, however, lost the ability to count and has hired a young, cute but fierce, fitness professional to count on set for him. Together they make quite a team.

The workout is tough and when using the amplifier sculpting bar, an extendable hand weight, it gets even tougher. The amplifier weighs just a little over three pounds (according to my kitchen scale).The workout is shot with only half the class participants using the amplifiers, so if you don’t have one there is still plenty for you to do. The class goes through many kick boxing motions at different speeds, so you're working both your endurance and your speed, your slow muscle fibers as well as the quick twitch. Bouts of straight up kick boxing moves are thrown into the mix ensuring that your heart rate stays in the upper zone of moderate and the lower zone of intense. I wore my trusty heart rate monitor and burned well over 300 calories for my time investment of just under 60 minutes low impact.

I love that you can see everyone sweating. It inspires you to work hard. Blanks likes to get up close to the camera and tell you to push harder and not to give up. It is part Mr. T, part inspiring coach and oddly effective.

To see what the amplifier looks like, just read more

You can order this DVD from Amazon. Or you could go for the entire Amped package for $39.95, which includes 5 DVDs, the amplifier body sculpting bar, and other health perks!

FitSugar Readers' Top 8 Favorite Fitness DVDs

FitSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:48:00 -0700

Every week I tell you about new exercise DVDs I've tried and would either recommend or throw to the curb. It's nice to get other people's opinions though, so recently I asked FitSugar readers to share their favorite Fitness DVDs. Check out the list below if you're looking for something new to try at home.

Self: Bikini Ready Fast: Ellen Barrett ($10) - If you want a "full body workout," urban chic 101 recommends this Self magazine video.
The Firm: Hard Core Fusion ($14) - An anonymous FitSugar reader is a fan of this Hard Core Fusion DVD, made by The Firm, and Flexrx is a fan of The Wave DVDs, also made by The Firm.
Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred ($9) - mng355 recommended this DVD along with many other Fitsugar readers.

To see the five other favorites, read more.

Exhale Spa: Core Fusion ($15) - Both Body Sculpt and Pilates Plus were recommended by Fawness because the core moves are effective and if you stick with them, you'll definitely see results over time. I'm a fan of them too.
Hemalayaa: Bollywood Booty ($15) - This upbeat video by Hemalayaa was recommended by a few FitSugar readers such as kedson and tamaradulva because it's a fun way to burn calories. I'm also a fan of Beautiful Belly and Bollywood Burn.
The Tracy Anderson Method Presents Mat Workout ($25) - FitSugar reader TA junkie who says, " I love the little-to-no cueing and the workouts are very effective."
Billy Blanks Cardio Bootcamp ($6) - SunnyMutt and a few other FitSugar readers are fans of Billy Blank's Tae Bo workout DVDs. He has many to choose from and they're all great because he's so energetic and encouraging. You get a great workout.
Workout: One-On-One Training with Jackie ($9) Many FitSugar readers including nikolem2 and witchbaby love Jackie Warner. They think it a great workout and clasen5 said, "Jackie's workout gets everything in - lower body, upper body and core. It is a great, make me really sweaty, workout. Give it a try."

DVD Review: Tracy Anderson Mat Workout

FitSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:30:00 -0700

I wasn't too thrilled with Tracy Anderson's cardio dance workout. It seemed more personal performance than cardio, but I was still interested in trying her Mat Workout DVD ($29.95). Tracy's approach to body sculpting is to tone without bulking, so she avoids working the large muscle groups as well as heavy weights. Muscles are worked from a variety of angles, which makes sense since muscle fibers rarely run in a straight line. Many of the motions are small and isolated targeting the smaller, underworked, supporting muscles. She calls this "strategic muscle exhaustion," and you will feel the burn. Much of the workout reminded me of the Bar Method with a dash of sexy jazz dance thrown.

As with her cardio dance workout, this DVD is shot in a very lovely studio, with just Tracy leading the workout and soft music with a beat playing the background. The workout is divided into sections: standing legs, arm work without weights, arm work with weights, standing ab work, floor work for the legs, and a variety of crunches. All in all, I felt pleasantly worked following the workout, and my heart rate stayed slightly elevated in a fat burning zone for the majority of the workout. The entire workout takes just under an hour.

I do have some problems with the workout. To hear my pros and cons, just read more.

The warmup is incredibly short and involves some intense stretching, which if you have tight hamstrings could be dangerous. I prefer, and think it is safer, to get my body warm and blood flowing with a little light cardio before I stretch. Now, I know many women worry about bulking up and fear lifting heavy weights for that reason, but I am just not one of them. I feel this arm workout might tone the arms and give them endurance, but I am not so sure it will make my arms stronger. So in the future I will probably skip those sections. I liked the standing abs and the wide variety of crunches included in the workout. Similar to the dance cardio workout, I feel like Tracy is not leading me, the DVD viewer, through a workout, but trying somehow to make pendulum standing leg swings look sexy. She gives so little verbal cuing that you have to watch the TV constantly or you will miss something, and the worst of this is the ab routine on the floor. I would be crunching with my head positioned correctly when I would glance at the screen and see Tracy had moved onto another variation and not uttered a word. Unlike the overly chipper demeanor of Denise Austin or the infectious enthusiasm of Billy Blanks, Anderson often looks either bored or shy throughout the video, which I just find odd and uninviting.

Since I am always looking for ways to tone my booty, running and lunges do wonders, but so do back attitudes on acute angles, so I will definitely do the legs and abs part of the workout again. The only problem is the workout portion of the DVD isn't formatted in chapters for ease of locating the section you would like to follow. For arm work I will stick to my push-ups, and higher weights for strength training. Have you tried this DVD? Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

You can buy the DVD directly from the Tracy Anderson Method website.

Fitness at Your Fingertips: Tae Bo on YouTube

FitSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0700

You can find more on YouTube than just hilarious videos. In fact, a friend told me the other day that she just worked out to her computer. When I asked how, she replied, "YouTube."

She proceeded to explain to me that she found a series of Tae Bo workouts all online. I did a little investigating and sure enough you can get in a good Tae Bo workout with the help of your computer. I thought it was such a great idea, so I thought I'd share. Here are the Tae Bo Cardio Billy Blanks workouts in five parts: Part one, part two, part three, part four, and part five. They're each broken up into about ten minute segments, so if you do all five you have a good workout ahead of you.

If you've found any great workouts online, I'd love to know about them. Share your finds below.

Top Five Fitness DVDs

FitSugar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:45:00 -0800

Looking for a new DVD to add a little something different to your current routine?
Fitness Magazine recently outlined their top five picks for fitness DVDs that you may want to consider adding to your collection.

10 Minute Solution: Tone Trouble Zones! Perfect for someone who doesn't have a lot of time for strength training. You don't need dumbbells, just the resistance band that comes with the program. The 10-minute workouts target different areas, from shoulders to bum. (anchorbayentertainment.com, $16.98)
Bell Express 15 Cardio Fitness Kit. This DVD comes with a stability ball and jump rope. The video stars athlete/model Gabby Reece and shows her exercising alongside a trainer. You can do the workout in 15 minutes or add a warm-up to make it a little longer. (gotogabby.com, $29.99)

There are three more DVDs and one is a fave of mine, so read more.

Billy Blanks Tae Bo Amped. The new set of five workout DVDs comes with a weighted bar that you can use if you want to make the moves even more challenging. You'll get a great cardio workout while incorporating strength moves. Blanks' energy is contagious. (billyblanks.com, $39.95). I love the Full Throttle workout!.
Get Ripped & Chiseled With Jari Love. She does tons of repetitions, so you really exhaust your muscles. This is for those who have had experience lifting weights and want to take it to the next level. Love hits every major muscle in a big way, and you will definitely be sore the next morning. (razorfitness.com, $14.99).
Jeanette Jenkins: The Hollywood Trainer 21 Day Total Body Circuit Workout. Great for beginners. The moves are all ones you've seen before - crunches, push-ups, lunges - but have modifications to keep them from being boring. There are tips for making the exercises harder. The playlist is awesome. This DVD keeps your energy level high. (amazon.com, $9.99)