Customer Reviews

TaeBo Live

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Tae-Bo LIVE seems to have been designed mostly for experiencedTae-Bo enthusiasts rather than beginners, because it's a bit morechallenging that the Original version. The basic moves are the same, but many of the new moves require more balance and coordination than anything found on the Original tapes. For that reason, newcomers may want to try the Original version first. Others will find some improvements in LIVE, along with a few drawbacks. The Instructional LIVE tape is far superior to its Original counterpart (it's also almost twice as long). On it, Billy gives you several helpful safety tips and pointers to make you a better Tae-Boer -- like how to kick over the seat of a chair to keep from overextending your knees. Unfortunately, on the tape I have, the sound fluctuates erratically and continuously, forcing me to constantly adjust it with the TV remote. Then, we move from the slow and careful Instructional tape, to the fast and furious Basic tape. The Original Basic may have been too easy, but the LIVE Basic is too hard! Billy throws new moves at you so quickly, that by the time you get in the correct position to execute one move (making sure your knees aren't over your toes), he's on to the next move! I eventually got used to it after doing it several times, and pausing the VCR a lot, but I still mess up some of the steps. Another frustrating sound problem: at the end of my Basic tape, the sound drops to a whisper during Billy's closing speech. Now on to the LIVE Advanced tape, which is especially grueling, mostly due to the agonizing floor work midway through. Billy Blanks proves one thing here: you don't need to buy any of those gimmicky machines to exercise your abdominal muscles! Once you get used to doing the LIVE Advanced workout, you'll be ready for almost anything! I didn't notice any sound problems on this tape, except that some of the music used is extremely irritating -- to MY ears anyway. I like the fact that Billy includes more warm up and cool down exercises this time (the Original Advanced tape lacks these), and I like how he admits at the end of the tape that it's a tough workout (really! ). Plus, LIVE's "double times" seem a bit more realistic than the ones on the Original tape. Also included in the set is an 8-Minute Workout tape (I never used this because I don't believe 8 minutes of exercise is long enough to do much good -- just my opinion). Overall, Tae-Bo LIVE is a pretty good follow-up to Original, but the technical aspects could stand some improvement. I think LIVE works best if you buy "Tae-Bo Gold" (sold separately here at Amazon) and use that tape after the Instructional tape, and then go to the Basic and Advanced tapes. Also recommended: Billy Blanks' Tae-Bo guidebook entitled, "The Tae-Bo Way."

I love Tae-Bo. I have been doing it for a couple of years now. I bought this series because a friend told me it was a great workout. That was an UNDERSTATEMENT!! this is the best workout I have ever done. I have watched all four tapes, although I have only actually done the intro, and the basic. In just 4 weeks since I purchased them, my stomach has shrunk considerably, I can see definition in my muscles, and I feel great all the time. I would definetley recommend this to ANYONE!!

I have owned the older Tae Bo series for a few years now. They were getting a bit repetitive, so I bought the new Tae Bo Live series. WOW!!!! I was doing the advanced on the older series, so I plopped the advanced in and assumed I'd be able to do it. No way, it is total boot camp !! So, I've been using the beginner tape and it is fabulous. It will be some time before I can build up to the advanced, but I am sure the beginner workout will get me into great shape in the meantime. You would think that a beginner workout would be a bit on the easy side, but this one is quite challenging. I definitely recommend this tape to EVERYONE!! It is the BEST total body work out I have ever done.

I was very dissapointed with the Taebo Live DVD. You cannot skip the advertising that begins each of the sections and so you have to listen to it EVERY time. I also think the routines are a bit choppy. the original TaeBo Workout and Get Ripped are much better.
If you are a current TaeBo enthusiast I recommend you skip this DVD

i've been doing tae bo for over 2 years now and have all the advanced videos... yes, billy doesn't always remember to do equal sets on both sides, yes the music and some of the people in the back can be annoying (especially when they aren't doing an exercise right or not getting into it) no, you aren't learning how to do actual martial arts... but overall, this is an excellent workout. i've lost about 55 lbs. with the help of these videos and i'm in incredible shape. when i started out, i had no muscle tone at all. i was using the basic and started noticing results after a few weeks. now i'm muscular, have great abs, am very flexible and have a lot of stamina, all because of tae bo. i'm even considering getting certified in kickboxing so i can become an instructor. if you are looking to get into incredible shape with a fun workout that is really challenging, try these tapes. you'll never be bored and you'll end up with a great body. when you graduate to the advanced videos and can do the full hour without pausing, you will realize just how in shape you are (to the women considering buying this, you'll feel like you can kick anyone's butt... lol). i just caution everyone to use the instructional every so often so you can make sure you are doing the moves the right way, especially the kicks. you can really hurt yourself if you don't.

I am 60 years old and was looking for a supplement for other exercises that I do. Over a year ago, I bought the Original and after finally managing to get through the Advanced tape, I bought the Tae-Bo Live. This is much better, although, like some reviewers, I thought the music is really not the best.(I have gotten to the point where I turn the sound down and turn on a fast paced radio station). The people behind Billy are for the most part regular "folk", but there are a couple of Instructors in there, so don't think you have to keep up with them or you are a failure. I would suggest that you do some stretching on your own, prior to getting into the Live tapes---especially the Live Advanced. There is limited time, I realize, but you really need to be warmed up prior to attempting some of the moves (kicking to be exact)---maybe it is just my age, but I still groan when I am about 3/4 of the way through. If finally, you can make it through the Live Advanced, you are in much better shape than you realize. It would be helpful if you go back to the Instructional tape from time to time, since the workout tapes are so fast paced, you want to make sure you are "doing it right".

I originally purchased the Tae Bo Live series on VHS several years ago, and I loved it so much that I wore the tapes out, and thus I began my search for the equivalent series on DVD.

I am pleased that all four of the workouts from the Tae Bo Live series were put onto a single DVD, instead of each individual workout being put onto individual DVDs a-la the Capture The Power series.

Now, there has been complaints about this DVD edition regarding large amounts of advertising towards the beginning of the DVD that is impossible to skip. I was wary of this the first time I put the DVD in my player, but was surprised that while I could not skip the advertising using the forward chapter button, I was able to skip is using the button that takes you directly to the menu - this is what I use to skip beginning animations in my Lemony Snicket DVD, my Chocolat DVD, and various other movie DVDs that I own, so I don't find this to be a problem. I'm not sure whether this is due to my player being multi-zonal or that I'm in New Zealand and there are manufacturing differences between the majority of Amazon consumers, but I certainly don't find myself grumbling about being forced to watch advertising. Even if I were to not be able to skip it, I would march in place while the advertising was on so that I would be a bit warm when the workout actually began.

The quality of the DVD edition compared to the VHS edition is fantastic, though one thing that surprised me is that the music is different. I'm not too bothered by it, I just didn't expect anything to change after re-releasing the series on DVD.

Here is what you get:
1. Instructional Workout - 52 minutes of introduction to proper form using the Tae Bo technique.

2. Basic Workout - 34 minutes of kickboxing cardio. If you want to get some toning in, I recommend that you rotate this workout with another toning workout, eg: "I want that body" by Tamilee Webb or "Lift weights to lose weight" by Kathy Smith (or even "Shrink your Female Fat Zones" by Denise Austin, for females only!)

3. Advanced Workout - 55 minutes of kickboxing cardio with ab and lower body toning thrown in. This is a more well rounded workout than the basic workout, and if you're looking for a no-nonsense, all angles-all areas covered, this is it.

4. 8-minute Workout - The workout in its entirity is more like 15 minutes long, due to Billy's warmup and cool down. I do this during the week before I go to University, and is fantastic for time-pressed people. I don't think you should attempt this thinking it is easy though - make sure that you can do the Basic workout first; the length of this workout might mislead you!

I can't compare this to the original series, since I haven't tried it, but I do know that on its own, Tae Bo Live is intense, hardcore, and a whole lot of fun!

[side note] I purchased this from the Amazon marketplace, from the seller michelle9762 - highly recommend their service.

I was an avid aerobics person for a few years before I started with the first Tae-Bo tapes. This set of tapes I think are much more intense. I do the basic workout probably 3 times a week. It's a great way to get motivated before work.
The Advanced workout is not for the beginner by any means. You really have to want it.
What REALLY annoys me with the advanced workout is Billy's counter-part who is constantly yelling "Come on you guys", "WHEW!", "All Right!", and a number of other phrases meant to keep the motivation going. Which is all fine and dandy, but this is so over-done that it makes you want to turn the volume off. And that's only in the first 10 minutes of the workout.
My recommendation: leave the talking to Billy and just count.
But please don't get me wrong: this is a great set of work out tapes. It just requires patience....

I own the Basic and 8-Minute workout videos from the original Tae Bo Live VHS set. I started with the 8-Minute tape, thinking that the shorter length would make it easier, but that is NOT the case! Instructor Billy Blanks jumps right into this workout with a very short (2 1/2 minutes) and fast-moving warmup; he moves much more quickly than his usual warmup pace here. As the title suggests, the main part of the workout is about 8 minutes long. Billy covers only a few types of punches (jabs and uppercuts) and includes only one kick sequence at the very end. However, there are a lot of standing moves to target the abdominal area, such as knee lifts and heel touches. Billy then leads you through about 2 minutes of static holds for more core work as well as balance, and the workout ends with approximately 1 1/2 minutes of Tai Chi type cooldown moves. Thus the entire workout lasts about 14 minutes.

The Basic workout is the toughest basic Tae Bo I've encountered so far, but it is also the most interesting, as Billy includes a greater variety of punches and kicks as well as more punch-kick combinations. This workout begins with a 4-minute warmup and then moves right into punches, placing an emphasis on your waist during the moves. At one point, there is a particularly tough arms segment requiring you to hold up your arms for what seems like forever--my shoulders were screaming! The legwork is also challenging, as you will perform several different types of kicks--including front kicks, side kicks, back kicks, and roundhouse kicks--in several different combinations. Although a few of the combinations were a bit hard to follow, I really enjoyed the variations that Billy included in this workout. This workout also contains some static holds (about 1 minute), and it ends with an extremely quick 1-minute stretch; the entire program clocks in at 31 minutes.

These Tae Bo videos are perfect for anyone looking for an interesting, varied kickboxing workout with a nice balance of punches, kicks, and combinations.

Overall, very good so far. Most people coud do this, though maybe not with the speed or grace of the instructor. My wife and I haven't had any trouble getting up the will power to do this regularly because it is fun and Mr. Blanks is interesting to watch and listen to. The heavy focus on safety is good too.

As far as why it didn't get five stars, it really is too much in places. The basic workout starts where most would call advanced. Related to this, the stretching and warm-up that should is done at the same up-tempo pace... It feels more like the workout has started without a warm-up session. Also, the instructor doesn't always balance the left and right sides... He will either do one side longer than the other, do a slightly different exercize, or forget entirely to come back to one side after doing the other.

That said, if one works around these issues by ignoring the instructor's pace when it gets too much, and doing the same exercize on the right as the left even when the instructor is doing something else, this can be a really good and fun workout.