Video Fitness

Tae Bo Live Basic Series

Comments on Vol. #4,#5,#6,#7,#7,#8,#9,#12

The Tae Bo Basic live video's are around 30 minutes and aren't as intense as the Live advanced Tae Bo's because the beat of the music isn't as fast and they are shorter. This does not mean it's easy. There is still high and low impact and roundhouse, side kicks, front and back kicks and machine gun kicks. Just not as many reps. The punching combinations are the same as the advanced. Billy will go at 1/2 tempo and then at tempo with the kicks. Sometimes he will do double time but the double time is easier than the double time on his advanced tapes just because the beat of the music is slower. With the basic tapes, I still get a great workout on days when I don't have an hour to workout. I also can work on my form since the beat is slower.

Comments on instructor: Billy is just so encouraging throughout the workout coming up to the camera as if you are there working out in the room. He also runs around checking other class member's form and let's you know that you should listen to his teaching as well. After each workout, he gives a short motivational speech talking about how you are going to stay on track. I always listen to it. With Tae Bo, it's about real people. You have all sizes, shapes, heighth and races. You have real sweat. People are really working right along with you. The set is bright and cheerful. But the most thing I love about Tae Bo is the upbeat music and the energizing instrutor. Sometimes the classes will look full and sometimes the classes will look less full. Every Tae Bo workout is different. I love Tae Bo and it really shaped up my body very quickly when I did a live advanced Tae Bo 2 times a week and a basic live Tae Bo 2 times a week. I've done tons of video's and Tae Bo is the one video that really shapes the abs that you can't get lying down. Tae Bo is all about torso strength. With every punch and kick, your abs are working. Stay consistant with it and you will see results fast.

Basic #4 has some great music and great warmup and stretch. It has some good kicks. I recommend this one. I like the Basic #4 more than the Advanced #4.

Basic #5 Is excellent . It has the song "Turn the Beat around" and "Last Dance" by Donna Summers. It also has some great punch combinations and high and low impact. There are also some squats and front kick, roundhouse kicks, side kicks and a killer hop kick at the end. Who says the basics aren't tough?! It's just a slower tempo but still challenges you. All you have to do is add 2 Basic tapes together for an hour workout. The basics are 30 minutes each. I like the static 1 minute plie hold where Billy comes up to the camera and puts his whole face in the camera and says, "I'm in your face!I'm in your face!" It's awesome. So I highly recommend #5

Basic #6 has an excellent warmup and standing and seated stretch which is rare. Good punches and high and low impact. Some of the songs are "Shy Shy hush hush eye to eye" and "If you want to ride in my Mercedes Boy". There are some great punches and kicks and also some biceps toning at the end. Just a small Tai Chi cooldown.

Basic #7 has a good warmup and good stretch. The music is great too like the song "Celebrate". Some other moves are knee ups, speed bag, knee up and punch, kick front and jack back. Also some round house kicks, front kicks, and side kicks and machine gun kicks. This tape has the most kicking in it. There are also some fast punches and back fists. There is also a song that is called "Now that we've found love what are we going to do with it". This one you should for sure get!

Basic #8 Has a good warm up and standing and floor stretches. Then you start off with floorwork for the butt to the song "We areFamily". There is tablework, side leg lifts, roundhouse kicks and leg back lifts. Then you come up and do punch and a jack, 2 knee ups and 2 punches and somefront kicks. Then some roundhouse kicks, speedbag and some front and back kicks. One song is "Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face..." The end has Some light leg toning where your hold your leg out in a side kick hold. A small Tai chi ending.

Basic #9 has the same music as the basic in the 4 pack which was a bummer. Basic #10 and #11 had the same muic as well. So this was a bigger bummer for me because #9,#10,#11 and the Basic in the 4 pack have the same MUSIC!! So be warned!!! It's not that the music is bad. It's awesome but it's repeated in too many other Tae Bo basics!! Anyway, Billy had a bad day filming the #9. His micraphone goes out, his shoe lace comes undone and his handwrap comes undone. This Basic isn't one of the best. The warmup and stretch is good and the beginning of the workout starts off to a good start with high and low impact and good punch combinations such as cross body punchs, knee up punch, speedbag and a jab and knee up side kicks. But then Billy's micraphone goes out and Shellies isn't working so you have no teaching for 15 front and back kicks on one side and 26 front and back kicks on the other side. All you have are some letters on the bottom of the screen saying " Please do not attempt to adjust your audio. Billy has done it again. He sweat so much that he has burned out his micraphone. Then Shelly is sweating a ton andit says,"Go Shellie Go" at the bottom of the screen. Finally Billy comes back and apologizes for the problem. The he does some knee ups and side kick and a grapevine with knee up. He then realizes his hand wrap has come undone so he takes you down to do some floorwork for the legs. There is a small floor stretch and that's it.

#12 is by far my favorite Tae Bo basic live tape. It has a great warmup and stretch and great punch combinations such as knee up and punch, 3 punch and knee up, scissors high impact move with 2 punches to "Shine Sweet Freedom" song. Then squat with front kick, roundhouse kick at tempo and then you do 4 sets of 8 at double time! Then some excellent speedbag with a jab, and hop front kicks and end with front punches and biicep and tricep work. The cooldown is Tai chi.

Mandy Lee
2/12/01



Video Fitness copyright © 1996 - 2024 Wendy Niemi Kremer    All rights reserved