fitprime
- Thread starter kim2511
- Start date
No I haven't but I was interested in them because I like The Firm vids. However at videofitness.com there have been reviews of some of the new tapes. Most complained about the production quality and the safety of some of the exercises contained in the vids.
I would visit vf as there is a thread re: would you give fitprime another try might be worth reading the responses.
Babs
I would visit vf as there is a thread re: would you give fitprime another try might be worth reading the responses.
Babs
veganchick
Cathlete
Hi Kim....I bought Fitprime Weights First last year. It was good and Tracy Long is the instructor. It was pretty hard but it is a good workout. The only thing I didnt like was throwing a weighted ball on the floor to bounce then catching it. That seemed a little odd to me. But all in all it is a really good weight workout.
coloradocarol
Member
I have the Weights one also. It actually is a good workout -- I was sore after the first time I did it. However, some of the ball stuff is unsafe or doesn't work in a home environment. I have a carpeted floor and the ball I have doesn't bounce on carpet. Plus, I have a low ceiling, so I can't throw the ball up like you're supposed to. There's another exercise in there that's pretty weird, where you hold a dowel by your feet and roll backwards, then roll to a sitting position. I failed to see much benefit in that one. The tape has, for the most part, been gathering dust on my shelf. I really like Tracy Long, but I don't think this one really highlighted her talent as an instructor.
I have the FitPrime Up and Down tape. When I first previewed it, I thought it looked very shoddy production-wise and the moves were so weird-throwing the 2 pound ball up in the air and bouncing it on the floor while you're doing lunges! I thought I'd made a terrible (and expensive) mistake in ordering the video and ball. Well, after having done this tape I must admit that it is now one of my favorites! It is kind of a boot camp style with 1-2 minute intervals of constantly changing work-cardio, upper bod, lower bod, core, and combo upper-lower ( Like a sequence of squat-overhead press-deadlift that keeps you in a cardio state while you're lifting.) You have to get past the production set-it looks like a hooker's cheap living room. I would say this workout is comparable to circuit max (because I don't have bootcamp yet-but I think it's more like that from what I read.) The sweat is pouring off me when I finish. And the ball work is really fun-I'm 45 years old and I need some balance and agility training as I find myself getting clumsier as I get older! At least you can preview the FitPrimes at their website now before buying. I think Collage is also offering Up and Down.
Kim,
I just sold all 3 of my FitPrime workouts. Here are my thoughts on them in no particular order:
1) Much like the old Firm (which I had used since '95) in that they are light on cardio but strong on weights, no pun intended. However they are different in that they focus on working one body side completely, usually the left and then shifting to the other (I forget what they call this). And there is a focus on yoga asanis at the end that, because I am not a yoga fan, I could have lived without.
2) The production quality was not what I expected from Anna Benson, especially in Weights First, the first video. However it had improved significantly by Up and Down, the 3rd tape.
3) It seemed to me that in the interest of being innovative some of the choreography was odd (bouncing and throwing the ball?) and some was not safe (like some of the floor work in Core First).
Shortly after I bought my FitPrime's I found my way here and am now a Cathe convert. The FitPrime's just didn't find their way into my rotations anymore so I got rid of them. Check out the reviews at video fitness for lots of other opinions. But if I were going to try one I'd suggest Up and Down with JAC. I thought that one was the best of the 3.
Just my opinion,
Kate
I just sold all 3 of my FitPrime workouts. Here are my thoughts on them in no particular order:
1) Much like the old Firm (which I had used since '95) in that they are light on cardio but strong on weights, no pun intended. However they are different in that they focus on working one body side completely, usually the left and then shifting to the other (I forget what they call this). And there is a focus on yoga asanis at the end that, because I am not a yoga fan, I could have lived without.
2) The production quality was not what I expected from Anna Benson, especially in Weights First, the first video. However it had improved significantly by Up and Down, the 3rd tape.
3) It seemed to me that in the interest of being innovative some of the choreography was odd (bouncing and throwing the ball?) and some was not safe (like some of the floor work in Core First).
Shortly after I bought my FitPrime's I found my way here and am now a Cathe convert. The FitPrime's just didn't find their way into my rotations anymore so I got rid of them. Check out the reviews at video fitness for lots of other opinions. But if I were going to try one I'd suggest Up and Down with JAC. I thought that one was the best of the 3.
Just my opinion,
Kate
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jan-04-03 AT 03:51PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi I have the weights first and up and down videos. i thought they were alright. The set seems silly to me. Too much stuff. The workouts themselves weren't too bad. I didn't mind bouncing the ball, it was different. The only problem with that was I couldn't workout early in the morning. i work out upstairs and the noise would wake everyone up. There was an interesting compound move on up and down with the tall box. I jsut never seemed to work up a big sweat( not like with Cathe where I'm drenched). Theses tapes are very similar to the firm in that they have very little cardio and seem to focus more on the lower body than the upper. Tracey Long is good. and i did like jac. I have only done these tapes 3 time each. I just don't do them, not when I can pick a Cathe tape. I've done the firm for over 10 years and found Cathe this past summer. nothing compares, Cathe seems so much better to me . I'm more excited to work out and I'm seeing better results.
I'm selling these tapes and putting the money on purchasing some of Cathe's DVDs. Just my opinion but if you really want to try them borrow one or buy one of someone for half price.
Take care
I'm selling these tapes and putting the money on purchasing some of Cathe's DVDs. Just my opinion but if you really want to try them borrow one or buy one of someone for half price.
Take care
joannabeske
Cathlete
HI!
I have all of the FP videos and the new ones are on their way. I love them! I use only FP, Cathe, and old Firms(new ones are too easy and boring). I am an advanced exerciser. There is a lot of controversy over them but I like them. They are challenging and the time flies by when I do them. Weights First is a killer lower body workout. You don't have to use the ball. YOu can modify. I have a ball but it doesn't bounce. The new ones that are coming out don't use a ball. Cathes and FP cmplement each other well. A lot of people think the production quality isn't that great. They are not as good as the old Firms but still way better than most videos out there. The music is great though and the production quality gets better and better in each video. If I were you I would order the newest ones w Tracie Long. She is a great instructor.
I have all of the FP videos and the new ones are on their way. I love them! I use only FP, Cathe, and old Firms(new ones are too easy and boring). I am an advanced exerciser. There is a lot of controversy over them but I like them. They are challenging and the time flies by when I do them. Weights First is a killer lower body workout. You don't have to use the ball. YOu can modify. I have a ball but it doesn't bounce. The new ones that are coming out don't use a ball. Cathes and FP cmplement each other well. A lot of people think the production quality isn't that great. They are not as good as the old Firms but still way better than most videos out there. The music is great though and the production quality gets better and better in each video. If I were you I would order the newest ones w Tracie Long. She is a great instructor.
I have the first 3 FPs and am eagerly awaiting the new one (Strong Bear w/Tracie Long). I thing that Weights First is the best workout of the three, but all three have their good and bad points. I too, mostly do Cathe on a daily basis ( I am also eagerly awaiting the new DVDs), but I LOVE my FitPrimes to shake things up when I just can't do another "power 15" or single-leg lunge!! I personally think that many of the problems FP is having is because they so want to make their clients happy and this ends up back-firering because they sometimes bite off more than they can chew! The buzz about the new tape is favorable and shows that Anna is listening to her clients(the new tape is said to have much improved production quality and no bouncing balls and adequate time for equipment changes). There is nothing else like them on the market!
My biggest problem with them has been customer service. They stink.
When I was thinking of adding to my collection, I was choosing between Cathe and Fitprime. I wrote an email to Anna asking questions, and she never responded.
Then I posted in the area where the instructors "chat" and specifically asked for "customer service". Nobody ever looked or replied to my email.
I emailed Cathe and got an answer right away. She answered all my questions and I bought all my DVD's from her. I won't ever go near fitprime again. I got burned by the Firm too - towards the end, so I have a very bad impression of that whole group now.
It's too bad, I'm one of the original Firmies - back to tape 1.
Laura
When I was thinking of adding to my collection, I was choosing between Cathe and Fitprime. I wrote an email to Anna asking questions, and she never responded.
Then I posted in the area where the instructors "chat" and specifically asked for "customer service". Nobody ever looked or replied to my email.
I emailed Cathe and got an answer right away. She answered all my questions and I bought all my DVD's from her. I won't ever go near fitprime again. I got burned by the Firm too - towards the end, so I have a very bad impression of that whole group now.
It's too bad, I'm one of the original Firmies - back to tape 1.
Laura
mojolisa
Cathlete
I like FitPrime, and I really admire Anna Benson for striking out on her own. I hope she has long term success with this series. Even though I own and do many Firm tapes, I always thought the moves (i.e. ball room dancing, hokey poses) and some of the instructors (I won't name names) were kind of cheesy. The choreography in FitPrime is a lot more 'athletic'. Use this video when you want to go lighter on cardio. You may also want to increase the amount of weights you use. It all depends on what results you are going for.
Some of the best Firm instructors, Tracie Long and Carissa Foster, have aligned with the FitPrime team, and they don't disappoint in this series. Both are straight forward with an easy going, friendly style. When I first read the description that these videos were "non-dominant training", I thought that meant that the instructors would be friendly - no drill-sergeant style teaching. Silly me! They were talking about training the left side of your body before training the right side.
Anyway, even though I do like the instructors as well as their attempts to be creative, I'm not too crazy about the set. The zebra rug, those fluffy stick things and that huge mirror remind me of a 1980's bachelor pad. Also, I don't bounce my ball on the carpet, I just do bicep curls with hand weights, or bring the ball across my body.
See if you can trade for this on VF, or if you can buy it on the Firm YaYa Swapmeet. I've also seen them listed on Ebay.
Lisa
Some of the best Firm instructors, Tracie Long and Carissa Foster, have aligned with the FitPrime team, and they don't disappoint in this series. Both are straight forward with an easy going, friendly style. When I first read the description that these videos were "non-dominant training", I thought that meant that the instructors would be friendly - no drill-sergeant style teaching. Silly me! They were talking about training the left side of your body before training the right side.
Anyway, even though I do like the instructors as well as their attempts to be creative, I'm not too crazy about the set. The zebra rug, those fluffy stick things and that huge mirror remind me of a 1980's bachelor pad. Also, I don't bounce my ball on the carpet, I just do bicep curls with hand weights, or bring the ball across my body.
See if you can trade for this on VF, or if you can buy it on the Firm YaYa Swapmeet. I've also seen them listed on Ebay.
Lisa