Billy Blanks' Tae-Bo 5 - Active (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

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Educational Value
How good are the presenters?
How good is the content?
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Tone Up !  Loose Weight, Different from other exercise vids
Disadvantages:	Very few available in the UK

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Many people today are looking for the next keep fit trend. The one I’m about to introduce you to, today isn’t quite so new but… It’s supprizing how many people have not heard of it.

A huge majority of people are trying to diet and follow a fitness plan and more often than not we give up because we get bored or were not seeing the benefit from doing so.

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Tae Bo
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Tae Bo was established in a Californian basement 29 years ago (1975).

But what is it I hear you ask?

Tae Bo is a Martial Art combined with Aerobics, dance moves and weight training.

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Tae Bo stands for?
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T.otal
A.wareness
E.xcellence
B.ody
O.bedience.

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Billy Blanks, who?
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Billy Blanks the brains behind Tae Bo, born 1st September 1955 in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Featuring in a huge amount of films, some of which are; Bloodfist, Kiss the Girls and Expect No Mercy.

Billy Blanks a master in Martial arts has a Seventh degree black belt in tae kwon do with also a fourth degree black belt in kung fu.

For more info on Billy Blanks and Tae Bo. I found the two following websites very helpful.

www.taebo.com
www.taebofans.com

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THE DVD
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The Dvd gives you an option of either a 30-minute Basic workout or a 1 hour Advanced workout.

These consist of an intro, a warm-up, a workout and also a cool down.

When you put your dvd into the dvd player your first screen will have two options
1. PLAY
2. Scene Selection.

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The Basic Workout
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By Selecting 1, the screen proceeds to playing printed information telling you to consult your doctor and other important information.

Some music and clapping is then played with camera’s showing different Tae Bo person’s doing moves, such as kicks and punch’s.

After this the exercise begins with a brief intro from Billy Blanks himself, starting with gental warm up exercises such as walking on the spot, moving your head from side to side, lifting your shoulders up and down.

The pace then increases with faster movements with your arms swinging, legs bending, a few stretch’s.

A good point is your never doing the same exercise for very long so it keeps your mind focused, and you’ll find yourself counting a long with every one else on the video.

To begin with you might find some of the moves complicated but your soon get the hang of it.

After the stretch’s Billy shows you some fast step movements, which members are also clapping a long to, then you’ll be doing some punch’s (into thin air I must add!). These are my favorite moves along with the kicks that shortly follow on from the punch’s.

My hardest part is trying to do the arm movements and leg movements all in cordination with each other, I’ll get there one day!

For the cool down, Billy Blanks will take you through some quad work and a few very slow moving arm and leg stretch’s.

This is a very upbeat DVD, probably not recommended if it’s your first time at Tae Bo. It would probably be a better idea to start at DVD 1. – That’s pretty much common sense.

I will be writing a review in the future on DVD Baisc Live 1 Tae Bo in the very near future as that is by far my chosen work out to burn some calories too!

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The Advance workout.
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This workout is run on the similar lines as the first (basic) but with a lot more intensity. Lots of hard work and determination, it is recommended you do not do this workout until you are completely fine with the basic one, you need to find the basic one easy before you can begin the advance.

Your find yourself doing similar movements, with a few added extra kicks, punch’s, and some very fast ones at that. Be warned this is NOT for beginners.

It is great fun though, and you will soon realise why you burn so many calories in an hour.

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Calories Lost?
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Depending on the effort put into a Tae Bo workout DVD/Video it has been said that you could burn up to 400 calories in a half an hour workout and up to 800 Calories if working out for an hour.

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Ask my Doc?
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Yes, it is recommended you consult your doctor before starting this or any other fitness programme.

Most people don’t, myself included but recommendations like this have to be made for insurance reasons, especially if you have numerous health problems, or you are currently pregnant. Which in that case exercise could seriously harm you if not consulting
your doctor first.

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Where to buy Tae Bo
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In the UK Tae Bo is still not that well known but Amazon.co.uk do sell Tae Bo DVDs.

Also I have found that people on ebay sell them quite regularly.

The price of this DVD ‘TAE BO FUTURE OF FITNESS 5 ACTIVE’ is currently £15.19 – But… in the Amazon Marketplace you can pick this dvd up for as little as £5.20 (used condition) at time of writing this opinion.

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Packaging
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Tae Bo, The Future of Fitness 5, the dvd is incased in a bright yellow case with the founder of Tae Bo (Billy Blanks) on the cover. The back of the Dvd case gives a written description in black font of what the Dvd contains.

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DVD Details.
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ReleasedApril 1, 2002

Class: Exempt

Running Time: 125 Minutes.

Region: 0

Playback: PAL

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Forget the facts what’s my view?
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I stumbled across Tae Bo about a year ago and to be honest I haven’t looked back since (No I’m not being paid to write this).

I really can not stand yoga or anything that slow paced, I need to feel that what I’m doing is beneficial and the aches and pains, racing heartbeat is a sure sign you’ve been working out.

Tae Bo really is not dull and today there are so many dvds/videos available so you’ll never be bored doing the same work out day in, day out.

I love the fact that the people who do the workouts in the videos are not all stick insects – these are normal people who are just like you and me.

Billy Blanks takes time out to show you how to do the moves properly without harming yourself. He also explains why and how these moves will help you.

I did notice a difference after only doing these videos several times, I began to feel refreshed and more energetic aswell as toning up slightly.

I would highly recommend this as ‘The’ next Exercise video you buy, you will not look back.