Billy Boot Camp Box Set DVD
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Our Price: $74.94 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Sports See more product details |
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Sports reviews of Billy Boot Camp Box Set DVD
Customer Review: meehan1973
Sport shop rating: 5 Stars
I was very pleased with this purchase, it was just as described. I received the package with no issues or defects.Customer Review: Boot Camp -- Not for the Timid
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
After literally kick-boxing an aerobically weary exercise world back onto its feet with his fast-paced Tae Bo series of videos and DVDs for ten years or more, martial arts champion Billy Blanks seemed stalled, producing clones of his earlier successes that put devotees into a holding pattern. Instead of tailoring the new videos to an already Tae Bo savvy audience champing at the bit to move on to the next level, Billy and his team catered to a market of newbies yet to be captured into the Tae Bo fold.
We've all seen this system hawked on television infomercials. The heart-elevating music, the testimonials, and Billy's drill sergeant style all persuade us to buy. But did Billy take the complaints seriously and provide a system that Tae Bo veterans would find challenging?
I am pleased to shout out a resounding `yes'.
The set includes four (4) videos, "Basic Training Boot Camp" (55 minutes), "Cardio Boot Camp" (30 minutes), `Abs Boot Camp (35 minutes), and "Ultimate Boot Camp (55 minutes), and comes packaged with two (2) `Billy Bands', a workout schedule with dieting tips, motivational dog tags and a seven (7) day supply of Billy's Energy Supplements. For some unknown reason, the set offered on Amazon.com does not contain the Cardio Boot Camp session, hence making it impossible to follow Blanks' four (4) week workout plan.
The first 55 minute session is not for the faint of heart. Showcased as the video of choice for the first week of Billy's 4 week workout schedule, it starts out with 4 sets of full position push-ups and squats. Billy bulldogs you through rapid fire calisthenics combined with the familiar Tae Bo kicks and punches that only veteran Tae Bo-ers will be able to follow the first time through. Rewinding might be necessary initially to see first and then do without feeling exasperated.
About a third into the time allocated, Billy dons the Billy Bands---two (2) elastic resistance bands that are anchored by built-in stirrups and hand grips. Unfortunately, Billy doesn't supply an accompanying written instruction how-to to explain how to adapt the bands for someone less than 6 feet tall. He does demonstrate this in Cardio Boot Camp, the very session that Amazon excluded from its packaging. Go figure.
The pace of the exercise with the bands takes off like a rocket and doesn't quit---there will definitely be times when that rewind or `slow' button will come in handy to insure a full range of both negative and positive motion. With his intrepid benign bulldog style, Billy will demand yet another set from already stressed muscles and then coax out a <gasp> double-time set which delightfully even his background troop cannot sustain. Jumping with lightning speed from biceps to deltoids, rhomboids to triceps, he interjects kicks and punches that the bands force you to do with close-to-perfect form. Even so, attempting a signature Tae Bo move like, "Speedball" becomes a real chore with the bands flopping over and under the wrist, cutting into the upper arm and never quite being in the position demonstrated by Billy and the gang---at least not in the rapid-fire time he allots each exercise. In spite of this functional error, the bands do up the ante, making the completion of each set a rival to a labor of Hercules. Basic Training Boot Camp finishes up with floor work-mostly abs----an abbreviated stretching routine and trademark motivational pep talk.
In week two (2) Blanks adds Cardio Boot Camp to the mix---less calisthenics, more kicks and punches and more band work. This session at only 30 minutes is a cinch compared to the Basic Training. As is the Abs Boot Camp included in week three (3) that doesn't even use the bands and focuses on abdominal-work done while still in an upright position.
The piece de resistance comes in week (4) with the Ultimate Boot Camp-same format as BasicTraining that includes more advanced calisthenics like roll over push-ups, lunges and squats that will leave you panting.
Bottom line: Despite his commercialism, Blanks does deliver the goods with this series. Unless you are in peak athletic condition, completing both 55 minute sessions ascertains waking up the next day with a little pain. The two half-hour sessions provide great breathers for either a day when less exercise is more or when a warm-up to a jog or other aerobic activity is necessary. Unlike the 2004 Capture the Power series, this Tae Bo offering builds on what you already know, progressing you to the next rung in the Tae Bo ladder. Recommended for all Tae Bo devotees.
Customer Review: Boot Camp -- Not for the Timid
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
After literally kick-boxing an aerobically weary exercise world back onto its feet with his fast-paced Tae Bo series of videos and DVDs for ten years or more, martial arts champion Billy Blanks seemed stalled, producing clones of his earlier successes that put devotees into a holding pattern. Instead of tailoring the new videos to an already Tae Bo savvy audience champing at the bit to move on to the next level, Billy and his team catered to a market of newbies yet to be captured into the Tae Bo fold.
We've all seen this system hawked on television infomercials. The heart-elevating music, the testimonials, and Billy's drill sergeant style all persuade us to buy. But did Billy take the complaints seriously and provide a system that Tae Bo veterans would find challenging?
I am pleased to shout out a resounding `yes'.
The set includes four (4) videos, "Basic Training Boot Camp" (55 minutes), "Cardio Boot Camp" (30 minutes), `Abs Boot Camp (35 minutes), and "Ultimate Boot Camp (55 minutes), and comes packaged with two (2) `Billy Bands', a workout schedule with dieting tips, motivational dog tags and a seven (7) day supply of Billy's Energy Supplements. For some unknown reason, the set offered on Amazon.com does not contain the Cardio Boot Camp session, hence making it impossible to follow Blanks' four (4) week workout plan.
The first 55 minute session is not for the faint of heart. Showcased as the video of choice for the first week of Billy's 4 week workout schedule, it starts out with 4 sets of full position push-ups and squats. Billy bulldogs you through rapid fire calisthenics combined with the familiar Tae Bo kicks and punches that only veteran Tae Bo-ers will be able to follow the first time through. Rewinding might be necessary initially to see first and then do without feeling exasperated.
About a third into the time allocated, Billy dons the Billy Bands---two (2) elastic resistance bands that are anchored by built-in stirrups and hand grips. Unfortunately, Billy doesn't supply an accompanying written instruction how-to to explain how to adapt the bands for someone less than 6 feet tall. He does demonstrate this in Cardio Boot Camp, the very session that Amazon excluded from its packaging. Go figure.
The pace of the exercise with the bands takes off like a rocket and doesn't quit---there will definitely be times when that rewind or `slow' button will come in handy to insure a full range of both negative and positive motion. With his intrepid benign bulldog style, Billy will demand yet another set from already stressed muscles and then coax out a <gasp> double-time set which delightfully even his background troop cannot sustain. Jumping with lightning speed from biceps to deltoids, rhomboids to triceps, he interjects kicks and punches that the bands force you to do with close-to-perfect form. Even so, attempting a signature Tae Bo move like, "Speedball" becomes a real chore with the bands flopping over and under the wrist, cutting into the upper arm and never quite being in the position demonstrated by Billy and the gang---at least not in the rapid-fire time he allots each exercise. In spite of this functional error, the bands do up the ante, making the completion of each set a rival to a labor of Hercules. Basic Training Boot Camp finishes up with floor work-mostly abs----an abbreviated stretching routine and trademark motivational pep talk.
In week two (2) Blanks adds Cardio Boot Camp to the mix---less calisthenics, more kicks and punches and more band work. This session at only 30 minutes is a cinch compared to the Basic Training. As is the Abs Boot Camp included in week three (3) that doesn't even use the bands and focuses on abdominal-work done while still in an upright position.
The piece de resistance comes in week (4) with the Ultimate Boot Camp-same format as BasicTraining that includes more advanced calisthenics like roll over push-ups, lunges and squats that will leave you panting.
Bottom line: Despite his commercialism, Blanks does deliver the goods with this series. Unless you are in peak athletic condition, completing both 55 minute sessions ascertains waking up the next day with a little pain. The two half-hour sessions provide great breathers for either a day when less exercise is more or when a warm-up to a jog or other aerobic activity is necessary. Unlike the 2004 Capture the Power series, this Tae Bo offering builds on what you already know, progressing you to the next rung in the Tae Bo ladder. Recommended for all Tae Bo devotees.
Customer Review: Somewhat Challenging
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
Let me start by saying I'm a Personal Trainer (part-time) and wanted to offer my clients a boot camp, but not the traditional type. I'm a huge fan of Tae Bo and do it at least 3 times a week at a Martial Arts studio along with Kick Boxing. I realize that not everyone is able to complete the various levels of Tae Bo or what is included in this package. Therefore objectively let me say first that the Ultimate Boot Camp is an ass-kicker! I watched Basic first without doing it just to see what it was. It was a bit easy for me, yet I knew that for most of my client - all of whom have never taking a tae bo class - would find this challenging. I loved the addition of the resistance bands for resistance training. As a trainer, it is way easier for me to cart these to a location rather than free weights and given the amount of reps Billy has you perform, makes this almost harder than using free weights. The part that is difficult or more clumsy than difficult is maintaining the tension if you're short. I bought bands for my clients or used ones I had in my studio and had to wrap or change to make it more tense. That being said, if you're more advanced in cardio, Basic is fairly easy, but you will sweat. Moving on to Ultimate was another whole story. As a trainer and experienced Tae bo fanatic, this was challenging to say the least. The emphasis on resistance was harder with the bands and the repetition was unbelievable. The kicking part with the bands was a bit awkward and given I have strong legs, didn't offer too much, but the upper body was a handful. I was sweating as much if not more than in Tae Bo, the first time I did it and boy did my shoulders feel it. The amount of sumu squats was great for the butt and the abs portion challenging. Now, I haven't tried the abs DVD yet but I did purchase the cardio bootcamp and lower body. Cardio I found easy but it was a good 25 minutes workout if you don't have a lot of time. Havne't done lower body yet, but will. All in all I think this is a good product and will get your heart rate up and if you stay with it I honestly believe you will get results. Oh, and there's a very healthy eating plan included. It's very easy to stick to and the foods are good and nothing that you won't like or feel deprived. It's well balanced in Carbs, Protein and Fats. It's 1400 calories and as long as you're burning about 2000 / day, you'll lose about 1.25 a week. If you're a woman and cut out one snack you'll lose probably about 2 lbs a week, but that's assuming you do these workouts everyday and maintain a caloric deficit of 1000 calories / day. Take in 1200 and burn 2200 or 1400 in and 2400 out. My estimate on the ultimate for me was probably about 300-400 calorie burn for about 50 minutes.Customer Review: Billy Blanks Boot Camp
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
Good work outs. It's nice that it includes a 4 week workout plan too for you to follow. The -1 star is because it does not include the Cardio Boot Camp-which as others have said is required for the workout plan. However it's not expensive to buy that DVD along with this set, and I believe it's cheaper ordering them both from Amazon then it would be to order the complete set+shipping on Billy Blank's site.
Also the "Billy Bands" are ok, not great..the parts you put your hands through are quite bothersome at first, scraping at your skin, but if you slide the handle down towards one end you can work with them better. I would much rather have a set of 1 lb. wrist/ankle weights than use the bands. You do get used to them and they're not bad after the first couple times though.
I have not watched the 3rd DVD(ultimate) yet, but for the first two the Basic is good, Ab video is just ok, I'd say there are better out there.
The only other Tae Bo videos I've watched were the "Get Ripped" series, which is much older but I felt that they were better actually. I felt I was just getting a better workout.
All in all it is a good workout and fun to do, and for your money not a bad price.