Tae Bo Advanced (2012) is a 60 minute, advanced, non-stop cardio workout that is high intensity right from the start. The set is bright and the cast is somewhat familiar (of course Shelley is present, as well as a few people I recognized from his PT 24/7 set). There is the typical 8 rep counting out loud of each movement throughout the workout that is signature Tae Bo. Although it's not indicated on the front or back cover of this workout, Billy calls this workout "Push It". I noticed right away that Billy's voice is much louder than the music. The more I turned up the volume to hear the music, the louder he got. That was an annoyance for me since I personally prefer a nice, louder beat with kickboxing workouts.

It begins with a warm-up, if you can call it that, with fast jogs forward & back, side taps, speed bags, overhead reaches side to side, knees up, front jabs, upper cuts, etc. It was a little too fast for me right off the bat and I wish it had included some dynamic stretching like some other Tae Bo's I have tried, but it did not.

You will find familiar moves such as round house kicks, front/back kicks, crescent kicks, kick/punch combos, arm circles, jumping jacks, etc., as well as push-ups, mountain climbers, jump squats and more. Most of the moves/combinations started out slow and then were performed at double speed. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to why he would do one move after the other either. I suppose there doesn't have to be, but it was kind of like "Here's the move, now do it while we count down. Now here's the next move... etc". It just lacked any kind of flow for me that I normally enjoy. The cool down starts at 56:13 so expect to be working hard for almost an hour right from the start! It truly earns the name "Advanced".

MY IMPRESSION
I tried to like this workout, I really did. I don't know how to quite explain it, but I just didn't connect with it like I have with other Tae Bo's. However, I was drenched in sweat and winded by the end so I have no doubt that this is a calorie scorching workout that will burn fat and tone you up from head to toe (though note that there are no separate segments devoted just to toning). I just won't be reaching for it again. It filled me with dread and I clock watched the whole time. I'll be honest and also say that I just don't prefer doing intense cardio workouts for an hour. It just felt too long and overkill-ish for me. As I mentioned above, I wish I could put my finger on it; it just didn't engage me like the older ones. I prefer the old school "red carpet" Tae Bo's that seemed more fun!

furmomof4