I am very excited to say I finally found exactly what I was looking for, in terms of kick-butt home workouts...but this is not that. So for Workout Wednesday this week, I give you my take on Tae Bo Amped.
I still think its worth reviewing because for relative fitness newbies, this might be of interest, particularly if increasing basic upper body muscle endurance is your goal.
So I've admitted to falling in love with Tae Bo. I find it so much fun. That being said, I don't find it terribly challenging. I love the workout your abs and legs get, but it doesn't really get my heart rate up much.
When I saw this DVD for Tae Bo Amped, I got so excited. It adds the element of doing Tae Bo with resistance (this 3 lb weighted bar thing he calls the Amplifier). I wasn't willing to order it for $20, but figured I could just use hand weights.
With 3 workouts on the DVD, with names like Fat Burn Accelerator and Full Throttle, I expected it to be tougher than the regular Tae Bo. Unfortunately, this is not the case. In fact, I find these workouts even less demanding than the others. I started doing it with a 3 lb weight, then tried with both 3 lb weights, doing everything with double the weight of the bar they use, but still didn't find this added enough of a challenge. More weight would definitely fatigue my shoulders, but it still wouldn't get my heart rate up.
The problem is there is much less kicking, and using your legs is really what gets your heart rate up. These workouts barely make me break a sweat let alone give me any cardio benefits. Frankly, I don't recommend them for anyone looking for an advanced workout. That being said, they may be just what you are looking for if you are a beginner, or if your goal is to improve your upper body strength. That being said, I think you'd be better off lifting heavy if that's what you want.
The other thing is there is a different and kinda weird vibe on this DVD set. In one workout Billy Blanks has this strange green outfit on that makes him look like a leprechaun, and the music is much more prominent and kind of gospel-like. I am probably making it sound worse than it is, but anyways...
So this DVD is in my 'easy' pile, and that being said, that's not a bad thing. When I was recovering from that flu that hit our household a few weeks ago, it was the perfect thing to do when I wanted to start moving again, but wasn't up to doing anything really tough.
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