Billy Blanks Tae Bo 2004 Capture the Power Foundation

Excellent workout video Read more

I've been going to Bally for over 5 years. They have similar boot camp led by an instructor for an hour to 1.5 hour. Bally has fixed and straight schedule. And the class is usually full and crowed with 20-40 people. Billy Blank's DVD let me do it whenever I can in my own room. I don't have to fight traffic after work to Bally anymore. The bonus is when I have to travel for work, I can bring it with me and play it on a laptop, too. Sweet! The intensity is about the same as Bally. Billy Blank may be more focus on the Deltoid and Shoulder. He probably thinks when you see a better upper body of yourself, you will stick with the routine. So, the idea is good. Leg exercise is a bit lacking. Nevertheless, it is a very good start on cardiovascular workout. Damage on join is less then Steps or running. It is very close to swimming when you use resistance band. Liked many other said, I don't like the bands come with it. It is worthwhile to get your own bell by a third party or get 2 dumpbells. 5-12 lb weight is about right, depending on your condition. Newbie might want to start light with 2 bottles of unopen V8. Each bottle is about 2 lb and the weight is free. After the work out, you can drink them. :) The key difference between belt and weight is that belt has progressive resistance for each motion. Weight has fixed resistance. I prefer belt and buying new belts every few months. Belt wears out; weight last very very long. Just checkout your grandpap's garage whom think he once was superman. :) Have fun and live healthy. :) Read more

I first discovered Billy Blanks about four or five years ago. My mother ordered the Boot Camp Elite program from an infomercial for herself and never touched it. One day I got tired of it just sitting there and I started using it. I lost so much weight so fast. I ate what I would usually eat but had more self-control. When I got pregnant with my son I let my body go to crap. I gained just about one hundred pounds from about six months pre-pregnancy through the last month of being pregnant. I was 293 pounds just before giving birth. Afterwards I dropped down to about 275lbs. As soon as my body could handle it, I ordered this Billy Blanks program from Amazon (the old one had long been lost). I am now down to 245 and still dropping. It's taking longer this time but the results I'm getting are real and my self-esteem is slowly rising. My goal weight is 185 lbs. and I know I can do it by the end of this year! For all you skeptics, BUY THE DAMN WORKOUTS! They will change your life, seriously. Read more

I actually sold the T3 set with the weights as the DVDs had way too much instruction and way too little workout and the T3 weights were pointless-too light to make me feel any burn.Purchased this by mistake as I didn't realize it used the T3 weights which I no longer have but surprisingly I loved this-used light free weights and heavy weights for rows and my arms were screaming!!He did some different arm excercises which I liked as straight bicep curls get boring and although I wasn't sweaty I felt worked and was enjoying the workout a lot!Also liked how each segment plays separately so if there's not a lot of time you can choose 1 or 2 only.I took off 1 star as like in many of his workouts he forgets to work other side and his Daughter Shellys constant screaming I could do without-other then that I do this one on a regular basis.Those T3 weights are only 1 pound I believe and it works just as well if not better to use light dumbells-I used 2,3 and 5 pounds for a lot of the arm work and the back excercises upped my weight to 6,7 and 8 Read more

I absolutely LOVE this workout! The disc combines an introduction ("Foundation") where you learn how to do Billy's moves, and a basic level workout ("Energy"). The moves you learn in "Foundation" are all put together in this explosive workout. Blanks combines the moves in interesting patterns. The combos are intricate, but he shows you how to do each one and you go through them slowly a few times before you go to tempo. I love the "Mind/Body Connection" philoshiphy Blanks teaches with. I will certainly be buying more Tae Bo workouts! Read more

I started out as recommended, with Mission One, which is a primer to Mission Two- you mostly just get the basic moves down and start working with the 'Billy Bands'. The Billy Bands can be awkward, even though they do seem to intensify the workout by a lot. Mission Two is tough! I thought I was in great shape. I work out on a regular basis at the gym and at home, and I am having a hard time keeping up. I am going to keep trying this and I am following the training schedule suggested. The only problems with this program are: 1) Billy can be pretty corny, and he sort of tries to give really poorly rehearsed pep talks at the end of each DVD- I think he should add more cool down and stretches instead. 2) The Billy Bands can be tricky. I adjusted them to be shorter for Mission One but for Mission Two I had to let the tension back out again because there is absolutely no way you can do Mission Two with too much tension in the bands. Even Billy has technical difficulties on the DVD with his bands. 3) The workout is so hard that you can't realistically do all of the sets without losing good form and so I find that I am getting some strain in my neck and my back- two places that you really shouldn't feel your workout. I am going to keep at it though because I have seen a difference, mostly in my upper body and abs. I have done other Billy Blanks videos and I think he goes too fast to maintain form a lot of times, but I understand that he probably does that to increase your heart rate. 4) Mission Two really works your upper body and upper abs, but there isn't as much concentration on the lower body and lower abs. I have yet to attempt Mission Three which concentrates on the abs, so I am sure that I will get a lower ab workout there. I think I am going to purchase his leg workout to try to round out the whole experience. All in all it's not bad, but I think it's a little too advanced for people who are just starting an exercise program. I am not positive I would purchase this again. Read more