Billy Blanks - Tae Bo: Foundation and Energy

This is an introduction to Tae Bo with a challenging workout at the end. The DVD is divided up in two sections which can be accessed from the main menu on the DVD. The sections inside the workouts are not broken down so is difficult to pull out portions like just the workout or just the stretch.

The Setup
The workout takes place in the Tae Bo studio. Billy Blanks is the instructor and is accompanied by a couple of individuals in the Fundamental workout and a group of individuals in the Energy workout. No equipment is needed. The small area in front of your TV is all that is needed. There were a few brief moments on the floor for stretching.

The Workout

Foundation
The Foundation is just that, the basic instruction on how to perform the moves. The moves are broken down into numbers so the user will know that when Billy Blanks calls out 1 which punch to do.

The lesson goes over the correct form for each movement with multiple practices of it. He shows what individuals may be doing wrong so it can be corrected. Doing the exercises incorrectly could cause harm or prevent the correct muscle from being worked effectively.

This isn't really a workout, it's more of an instructional demonstration that you participate along with. It's about 45 minutes in length which I must say was longer than my attention span for an activity that I was already familiar with.

The introduction is ideal for new users who are unfamiliar with the Tae Bo movements. It can also build confidence for the viewers who have seen other Billy Blank's workouts and have been overwhelmed by the fast pace.

I thought this introduction was a lot better than the one I started with a couple years ago.

There is a 20 minute stretch session with Billy and his daughter Shellie in one of the sections.

Energy
The energy workout starts out with an extra long stretch. The workout starts slowly with the moves almost being introduced again and then picks up to a faster pace.

The movement is done in 8 counts and then Billy calls out "energy" and the movement is performed in double time.

The viewer at home is expected to count along with the group to ensure proper breathing and to participate and is part of his motivational technique.

The workout including warm-up and cool-down lasted about 45 minutes.

How did Billy Blanks Do?
Billy was very relaxed in this workout and did a lot of talking. The audio was really good so it was really easy to understand what Billy was saying. There is modern beat for music in the background which helps in keeping up with the tempo.

Billy continues to teach and remind of the proper form through out the workout. He does a lot of motivational speaking in the Billy Blank's type of way. He favors inner strength and believing in yourself.

The cool down is also fairly long and is followed by the standard Billy Blanks victory speech which he always does at the end of his workouts. It sets up the foundation for his next DVD in the series called Strength and Power. Everyone gathers and Billy encourages everyone to get off the couch and get into shape for a fulfilling life.

Replay Value
I do Tae Bo every week so I found this workout particularly boring and slow because Billy Blanks workout are generally very fast-paced to the point of hard to keep up with therefore I felt the workout was less challenging (at least in my mind) than his other workouts. It will probably be helpful to replay the energy workout several times until you can keep up and perform the moves correctly because the pace is even faster in future workouts.

I think the instructional section is very valuable however instructional videos never have replay value. After the 45 minutes lesson the instructional won't need to be viewed again.

Overall
A beginner who has never seen Tae Bo workouts will benefit the most from this workout. The movements that are introduced in this video are the foundations to all of his workouts. I don't think the foundation section will need to be watched more than once.

The energy portion at the end of the workout really bumps it up a notch and is a similar difficulty level to intermediate workouts but there are longer periods of resting between repetitions.

Those who want extra motivation will be pleased with this workout. Billy spends a lot of time speaking and keeping the viewer with the program. However this is still a Billy Blanks workout and his workouts simply are not easy. It is a full energy workout.