Customer Reviews

Fit to the Hits with Tamilee: Rock Hard Assets

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Finally! A workout that pumps up the music and focuses on having fun and being yourself.

I watched the DVD through the first time, and thought, "Bah. This looks like a waste of time, I don't think I'll even break out a sweat". But boy, did I. And it wasn't because the workout was hard, it was because I responded to Tamilee's prompts of 'giving it all you've got', and 'letting loose'. Somehow she just managed to lure me out of being in a tight aerobics shell and break out into dance. I shall admit that there have been moments where I have been so into the groove of a particular step in a combination that I keep on doing it instead of moving on.

Tamilee is good at cueing, laid back and motivating without being girly, mushy or perky. In this DVD of Fit to the Hits, she breaks out into song quite a bit. If you have the Motown Moves DVD, she sings a lot less - this doesn't bother me too much, but some people have based their entire judgement of the workout based on her singing. For chrissake, once you've got the moves down, you can switch to the music only version if it bothers you that much. For me, the breaking out into song contributes to the laid-back-be-yourself-cut-loose-have-fun atmosphere.

The moves are not complicated. Tamilee cues very well and takes you through difficult moves at half time before performing the move at tempo. If you can do a grapevine, a chasse, jumprope or a step-touch - then you can do this workout. There are a few bits of the workout which are high impact, and she doesn't tell you how you can modify them, so you just have to think of how to modify yourself.

Now, here are the songs, in order of appearance:
1 - Free Ride (Warmup)
2 - Your Love is Driving Me Crazy
3 - China Grove
4 - Rock 'n Roll Band
5 - The Kid is Hot Tonight
6 - Free Ride (Cooldown) <--- liked the song so much, they put it in twice

The only song I recognised out of all of them was Free Ride, but even then I was able to have fun and 'rock out' with all of the songs.

Now, some things that bother me about the DVD - and this is common to both of the Fit to the Hits workouts. Why the exercisers in the DVD wear school-girl theatre costumes is beyond me. Perhaps it is to try and contribute to the relaxed atmosphere that Tamilee creates with her attitude; but really they look a bit out of place for a workout. I personally prefer a streamlined appearance to the exercisers in my workouts - something that the producers of Denise Austin's recent DVDs have done very well. (Personal Training System, Blast Away the Pounds, Burn Fat Fast and Power Zone: The Ultimate Metabolism Boosting Workout).

The other thing I'm not too impressed about is the 4min Natural Journeys advert that precedes the workout. There is no way to skip over or fast-forward this advert, and is quite frustrating. If you have any of Natural Journey's more recent DVDs - like Sara Ivanhoe's 20min Yoga Makeovers or Rainbeau Mars's Yoga For Beauty series - they have changed the prdocution so that you can fast forward through this advert. It is a shame that it is not possible on this DVD though.

A lot of reviewers have complained that they have yet to find any cardio by Tamilee that matches the toning workouts from 'I want that body'. They might be interested to know that on each of the Fit to the Hits DVDs, there is a bonus cardio workout from the 'I want that body' series. On Rock Hard Assets, there is a Cardio 2 Segment from 'I want that body'; and yet Tamilee does primarily toning movements with one set of weights and a chair, she does them at such pace that it mimics cardio and elevates your heart rate. This workout is 15mins long, as per the other workouts from the 'I want that body' series.

Summary:
- Fun dancy cardio; steps not too difficult
- Good cueing
- Occasional breaks out into song, bad clothes
- Good extras
- Good music!

I had so much fun with this video. I am a bellydancer and this video is great for dancers. If you are not a dancer, watch it a few times to get familer with it. Anyone can have fun with it and burn some calories! I highly recommend it and it was the most fun I have had with a workout video. I plan to buy more of Tamilee's workouts.

This is a fun workout if you're not in the mood to workout; it gets you up and moving and Webb's authentic enthusiasm is always refreshing to get revivified by. Her dance workouts are a lot easier than her (really difficult) 'I Want Those' and 'Ten-Minute' series which are seriously excellent, but they're exactly what you want when you're not that motivated to start or you're in a bad mood or just not feeling like going out. Pop this or her other dance (rock classics) one in the player and half hour later you feel excited to hit the town and party! She boosts your confidence because she and her girlfriends dancing in the video don't give a hoot what anyone thinks about them and seem to be truly enjoying and expressing themselves. It's funny when she tells you (the camera) that nobody is watching you so you might as well break loose, and you realize she's right and you might as well! Inspirational!

Fit to the Hits Rock Hard Assets is about 32 1/2 minutes long with warmup and cooldown. Tamilee does a good job of cueing. She sang some of the time, which got a little old after a while.

There's quite a few twisting moves in this one doesn't make it easy to do on carpeted surface without modifying. Also, not a very intense workout, but still fun.

The songs were recognizable...mostly 70s rock hits (covers).

Recommend to beginners/low intermediate with a bit of dance experience.

I am fairly new to exercising, and I found this to be a great workout. It was fun, well-cued and easy to follow. This video gets me excited about working out and motivates me to get off the couch and get moving.

For those who have been exercising for a while, it may not be enough, but for someone like me it is the perfect video.

This is a totally lame workout. You won't even start to sweat and the music is so lame. I'd never even heard of these songs.

This is a must have for your set of workouts if you have ever enjoyed dancing. Tamilee includes nice little aerobic moves with fun music that makes you really enjoy the workout. There is a group of happy women and each one of them seem like they have nice personalities. Each have different body shapes which help you to feel comfortable with your own body type. I will never get tired of this workout. Will just go to others and come back to this one. All of the fun aerobic moves, with the Tamilee twist. I think that any woman from any culture will enjoy and feel comfortable in and with this workout. My original copy got damaged and I have repurchased it. It is a fun workout.

I agree with other reviewers that Motown Hits is just a bit better than this one, however, I like to alternate the two so I don't get bored. I like workouts with recognizable, vocal music, but unfortunately, the videos that use it are rare and pleasant music is such an important part of a workout.
I consider myself advanced, so of course, I have to modify this one big time, but I don't mind. I strap on wrist and ankle weights, add lots of knee lifts and jumps, whatever it takes to get my heart rate up. I like the half-hour length and usually do it before a strength workout, but mostly just on days when I feel like doing something fun. It's greatly motivating.

Totally love her exercise videos. It isn't cheesy and WOW do you feel it! It is awesome all the way!!

The DVD is great. It is fun and I can do it, MIRACLE!!! Music is great but SHE SINGS AND IT IS HORRIBLE!! It almost ruins it for me. I love the music but her singing is irritating.
Great Fun Love it!