Fat Blaster is a cardio interval workout produced by Beach Body. As an add-on for Turbo Jam, it isn't listed in the TJ program materials, though you can probably use it to substitute one of the 30 minute cardio sessions that Chalene plans out for the program. I actually like this workout and have been doing it regularly for a few years. That said, I've got some issues with this workout.

First, from what I've seen, every TJ warm up is basically the same. It gives me a feeling of deja vu every time, especially if I did a TJ the day before. I get that the program emphasizes her Elite 11 moves, but really-- there are more steps out there! Explore the wonderful world of the grapevine! That feeling carries over into the Turbos, 2 of which I really am convinced are straight lifted out of TJ workouts.

I like Chalene, but she's more than a little showboaty. At the end of each turbo (practice and Turbo), she does her own little schtick. The first time, I was confused because there was about 7 seconds left of the practice set and it seemed like she was intro-ing new choreography, then she says "That was just for me." Uh, okay. I DID, ya know, PAY for this workout. NOT to watch you prance around.

This type of thing makes me less inclined to cut her some slack when she makes mistakes or cues things oddly. At one point, she cues her 8 knees repeater, only to (as the casts' legs are moving down) then yell at count 6 to hold it. She could have just said do 6 knees. Or "we're going to do the 8 knees, but make sure you hold it at the six count!" There are also some other instances when she says you're going to do X 3 times (and she'll even count it out) but at full tempo you actually only do 2.

Keep in mind that you don't use your left and right evenly. It seems you do more in one direction than the other, and the section with the overhead diagonal punch with the lower block only travels in one direction.

I also find it odd she say's you're doing 8 turbos. By her definition, the Turbo is when you go full out. So you do only do 4 of them here. You do each turbo at a practice tempo, "marking" the routine, then go full out for close to minutes, though not all of that period is choreographed. The first approximately 30 seconds are jumping rope, then the choreographed Turbo, finishing with up to 10 seconds of whatever, as Chalene and the cast throw kicks and whatnot. Be aware that you're going to do a lot of the same several times in each turbo. A lot of the punches she uses are at a manic tempo, and I find it impossible to use a full range of motion. Also, some of these punch sections have you pivot or jump to the side or back and then forward. Use caution if you have touchy knees.

The workout is definitely high energy, and I actually do think it is fun and fits a space in my workout. I think Chalene figured she was reusing very familiar choreography and kinda went on auto-pilot and as a result, the cueing seems awkward at points. And in an effort to maybe introduce something new to her standards, she actually does things that make it harder to follow, even though the moves are extremely basic.

Cast alert: If you are easily irritated by cast members that mug for the camera, RUN AWAY. Some of the participants in this workout act as if they are putting together an audition tape for the musical How Many Facial Expressions Can YOu Make?

Instructor Comments:
I like Chalene. She's friendly and seems to have a sense of humor. I think she's not the world's best cuer, but she brings a ton of energy. I think she's very at ease on the camera, maybe even LOVES being on camera. That said, they gave her the wrong shorts for this workout. She seemed very uncomfortable in them and was often pulling them out of her crotch. Because she was routinely adjusting them, it did draw my eye to the fact that were riding into ladyparts! Yikes!

smileydog