Billy Blanks

JennieR

JennieR

Cathlete
Does anyone own any Billy Blanks work outs? Are they tough? Are they fun and easy to follow? I'd like to get some of his work outs but I'm afraid I won't like them.

If someone has tried these, can you tell me what they're like?

Are there any other instructors out there that I should look at? I want something a little bit easier on those days that I just can't face Cathe. ;)

Jennie

~Straighten out, fly right~

Cathe Friedrich
 
I own many of them. It kind of depends on what you're looking for in a workout. Some people love the newer workouts with the gadgets, but I prefer the older, more cardio-geared videos (even though his cueing is worse back then). It's a good cardio workout and fun and I find it easy to follow because I've been doing it so long. If you start with a newer workout, you will find that it is easier to follow his cueing but if you know the moves, the older (Get Ripped Advanced, etc) are better cardio. If you belong to netflix or blockbuster or something like that, you could rent one of his videos if they have them...or you could even see if your library has any to try out.

His new Amped series (uses a 3 pound weighted bar that has adjustable length) is good, but I find it a bit hard on my shoulder since I have lingering damage from a car accident. And it doesn't work the lower body quite as much. Billy's Bootcamp is a great allover workout and uses bands to increase the toning factor (don't bother with Elite, in my opinion), but again, the best cardio ones are videos like Get Ripped Advanced, Live Advanced (those are only available on vhs), the (relatively) newer Elite Fat Blasting Cardio is good.
 
I'll agree with Jill, who I actually 'know' through the taebo boards. If you want great cardio, get the get ripped series. Amped, in my opinion, was not great. I actually sold mine to a fellow catheite. Elite is by far the worst, with bootcamp being the best. However, with bootcamp, his bands kept snapping.

WIth that said, Billy drives me NUTS! His counting to 8 with each set kills me. He also gets carried away with his talking about the spirit within pushing you more that he works each side unevenly. You might do 3 sets of 8 on one leg, and 6 sets on the other leg. Coming from the firm to Cathe to Billy, you might find his lack of organization enough to send you over a cliff.

He moves so fast that newbies get lost quickly. It's almost as if he decided while filming what to do. I'm sure that's not the case, but his lack of cueing makes it hard for newbies.

Get ripped series is a fantastic workout, but you work the body uneven. On slower days I pull out some taebo, mute the tv, and get going. But I do find it far and few between when I use it. I suggest, as did Jill, you rent some DVD's from blockbuster before purchasing.

Jessica
 
I have a soft spot in my heart for Taebo. It was the one thing that got me moving and helped me to lose 35 pounds. I LOVE the Get Ripped and Live Series. I still have them and do them every once in a while. They have great music and provide a great cardio workout. I have tried his newer series but they are not intense enough for me. I feel that he is gearing his workouts to the beginner to intermediate exercisers and not to the advance exerciser. Taebo is a fun cardio workout, I just wish his workouts were more advanced.

As suggested, I would try to rent or borrow one of his workouts before purchasing.
 
Yep, I'm a regular Tae-Bo'er. In fact, I use Cathe for weights, and my cardio is still ALL TaeBo. I'll do LIC or Low Max when I need a chance of pace - or cardio where I don't have to "think" about what I'm doing (form).

But I echo what the other ladies have said. My favorite workouts are still Live Advanced and (when I want a kick in the arse) Get Ripped.

His cueing doesn't really bother me, I've worked uneven sides with him for years and this has not had any real impact on my build. And once you get to know his "unevenness" enough, you can adjust it while you're working and go back to the other side.

I would avoid Amped, too. I have it and never use it. I find it awkward and hard to keep up with the amplifier. Elite, same as Jill said, is a waste of time. Boot Camp is great - Ultimate in that series is still one of the toughest workouts I've ever done.

In other words, if you're just starting out, get a basic or foundation video and don't count on working very hard until you know the moves (those videos move very slowly). But once you get going with it, it WILL whittle your body and give you a great workout!!!
 
I just pulled out Billy's Fat Blasting cardio the other day. It was a great 45 min workout. When they marched in placed, I either ran in place or did junping jacks. I even got a little winded in some parts. The counting aggravates some people, but I don't mind; after a while, I can tune it out. I really notice more firmness in my abs when I do Tae bo consistently.
Lorrie
 
I love the originals too. I just pulled out an advanced live vol. 1 the other day and I was sweating buckets at the end. I did have on my 1 lb. gloves too. He gets a little too motivational at one point where I just keep kicking and try to ignore the speech.
 
Lorrie, Tae Bo is what really whittled my waist as well, more than anything else (it's all that oblique using moves!). I have done Tae Bo for years and the unevenness of his sides never affected my physique, either.

I do have to say, it is very good because it's low impact. There are few high impact moves in Tae Bo and I think that's why I like it so much...many other good cardio workouts are just too hard on my knees.
 
Jennie,

If you'd like to try them out, I have his Original 8 mins. workout and Advanced workouts. If you send me an SASE, they're yours.

Marcy
 
Thanks everyone for your input.

Jill, I got your P/M. I'll P/M you later when I have more time.

Marcy, I really appreciate the offer. I'll gladly take you up on that. Btw, what's SASE stand for?

Jennie

~Straighten out, fly right~

Cathe Friedrich
 
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