Turbo Fire Gives Me Energy
Since starting our fit club two months ago, I have been doing a variety of Beachbody workouts from P90X, Turbo Fire, Chalean Extreme, Hip Hop Abs, Brazil Butt Lift, and RevAbs. We sample a different workout each week. At home, Rev Abs has been the program of choice for the last couple of months. But…I missed Turbofire, so I did the Fire 45 last night and the HIIT 15 this morning. There’s nothing like a Turbo Fire cardio workout!
Because I hadn’t done Turbofire consistently in a while, I was concerned that the workouts would be too much for me. I thought about starting with the HIIT 15. You know, start with the shortest workout. Well, I told myself that was just an excuse. I decided to do the Fire 45 last night and would follow it this morning with a HIIT 15.
I’ve got to tell you that the Fire 45 felt like it went much faster than 45 minutes. That is one of the things I love about the Turbofire program. The exercises are done in a short series which are then repeated. Music and sound affects are playing in the background and you feel like other people are there working out with you becaus of the camera set up. Time passes quickly because you’re having fun!
When you feel like you want to give up, you realize that you only have a few more little things to do before you get some relief. You see other people in the class keep moving, and it makes you want to keep moving too.
I have mirrors in my workout room. They do two things for me. First, I look in the mirror and see my progress. That makes me want to give my best. I also see areas where I still need improvement. That also makes me want to give my best. The other thing I see is that I am by no means perfect in my exercise moves. That’s ok. As long as I am competing against my personal best and moving. Everything gets easier with time.
I followed through with my plan to do HIIT 15 this morning before work, too. I am not a person who likes to get up in the morning and workout right away. I feel like I have a little more energy this morning to start my day because I did workout.
I believe I will keep this routine of a short workout in the morning. I cannot do a Turbofire HIIT workout each morning, but I can mix in ab workouts like Merciless Abs from Rev Abs or Ab Ripper X from P90X. I could even do some 10 Minute Trainer. It sure was good getting back to my TurboFire though. Chalene Johnson rocks!
Can you tell I like writing Turbofire reviews? I like writing workout reviews period if they’re Beachbody workouts. If you want to read more of my reviews, click on Beachbody Workouts or search for Turbofire reviews in the search bar above.
Rev Abs Fat Burning Abs
You want a simple but effective workout that will make you sweat and challenge you to hold on for a few more seconds? Try the forty minute Fat Burning Abs workout from Phase II of RevAbs. Oh, mommy! Was I complaining about holding a low plank position on my elbows for sixty seconds in Phase I of Rev Abs? Well, how about walking low elbow planks…with a lateral leg raise? Tony Horton would be proud, Brett. That’s one tough move!
Like all the other workout routines in RevAbs, Brett combines cardio intervals with abdominal exercises, but even the cardio moves are centered around strengthening the stomach and core muscles. This workout also has three rounds of exercise moves with a small rest period in between each round. The last round is the “spice” round which is where Brett challenges you to do the exercises with a slight modification that makes you pull out all you got to do them. Needless to say, I had to modify a lot.
We did not have to do squat thrusts, crossovers, or striders in Fat Burning Abs. Instead, we did mountain climbers and sprawlers. Now, you might be familiar with mountain climbers but in the spice round he has you to take your chest to about three inches from the ground. Ouchy!
As far as the sprawlers, you are running in place with high knees during one part of the move. Then you go down to a plank position and jump back to standing and throw your hands in the air. Then, you return to running in place like you’re at football practice. The whole drill reminded me of some of the fire drill intervals Chalene Johnson does in Turbo Fire. I was certainly out of breath when Brett called mercy.
Overall, I think I will like the intensity of Phase II. The moves are more challenging – like those you’d find in 90X or Turbo Fire. The beauty of it all is you can modify and work your way up to the tougher versions. That keeps you pushing – keeps you challenged.
Ok, so what about my abs? Are my abs screaming? Yes. And, I either have really weak lower abs or Brett has found some pretty effective moves for working them out. How about jack knife twists? How about that killer exercise where we were on our backs with our legs straight up in the air? We lowered our legs slowly, spread them open a few inches above the ground, brought them back together and then, raised them back into a straight leg position. It makes me tired just trying to descibe it to you.
Great workout, Brett. This is by far my favorite Rev Abs workout. I’m wondering if P90X Ab Ripper X will be easier for me to complete after getting through the RevAbs program.
HIIT 25 High from TurboFire
I’m feeling pretty good right about now. I finished HIIT 25 from TurboFire about ten minutes ago. This is one of the high intensity interval training workouts from Chalene Johnson’s latest release. If you are not sweating and out of breath during this workout, you just aren’t giving your full effort because it is designed to do both.
Like her other HIIT routines, Chalene takes you through all the moves of a “round” before the siren of the fire drill sounds. When the fire drill sounds, it’s one minute of full effort throughout the series of exercises. Then, you get one minute of rest to get a drink, dry off your sweat and get your breath back to normal before you repeat the sequence.
HIIT 25 consists of a warm up period, four rounds done twice, and a cool off period. Expect to do a lot of jumps, jacks, burpees, and high lows as well as high knee running, skiing, and side lunges. It felt like all the moves of Turbo Fire excluding kicks and punches.
Was it a challenge? I thought it was a mental challenge me because I wanted to give up a few times…you know, cut the minute short a little. I felt like I couldn’t do one more burpee. Then, we were done. Were we actually in cool down? Did that workout really go that fast?
That’s what I really like about the HIIT workouts. You focus so much on a short period of time. Then, you forget about it as you focus on a new set of exercises in another short block of time. Before you know it, you’re done. I feel a great sense of accomplishment after a HIIT workout, probably because I tried to push myself and refused to give up.
TurboFire HIIT workouts are easier for me than any other form of cardio. I tend to get bored with cardio if it is constant repetitive movements like walking on a treadmill or elliptical machine. I think that’s what was appealing about the cardio in P90X, too.
Although the cardio in P90X was somewhat limited in my opinion, Plyometric X, Cardio X, and Kenpo did mix it up and keep it fun. Ok, so maybe plyo wasn’t fun, but Kenpo makes up for it. And what about P90X Yoga X? Yeah, I think parts of that 92 minute power yoga workout could be considered cardio. It’s too bad P90X didn’t include a HIIT workout though. It makes me wonder what type of cardio we’ll find in p90xMC2 when the new PX90 is released.
My endorphines are on fire! I’m feeling good. I love those TurboFire HIIT workouts!
90 Days of Rev Abs with Brett Hoebell
I’m still working on my Turbo Fire, ChaLean Extreme hybrid so what I am about to write surprises even me. My best friend is new to Beachbody and wants to do Brett Hoebell’s Rev Abs but has challenged me to do the workout with her for accountability. She lifts weights, does cardio and yoga but does not quite have the abdominal definition that she would like. Is Rev Abs the right product to get those cut abs everyone wants? Well, we’re about to put it to the test.
I have accepted the challenge and will be sure to write about our progress reports. I plan on continuing to mix in Turbo Fire and ChaLean Extreme. I have watched some of the video footage for Rev Abs. I am familiar with some of the martial arts type of moves Brett uses. They are similar to some of the martial arts exercises in Tony Horton’s P90X and Chalene Johnson’s Turbo Fire. That is right up my alley!
When the program arrives, I will review the workout schedule and get a better idea of how I can mix my two favorite programs without over exercising. When you get a new Beachbody work at home fitness exercise program, it is important to review the whole program before starting your first workout.
Rev Abs is a 90 day ab solutiona that has nine workouts on seven dvds. One of the techniques Brett uses is Capoeira. I was first introduced to Capoeira in Turbo Jam with Chalene Johnson. From what I hear, Brett specializes in the development of sizzling six pack abs by attacking them from six angles and teaching you how to engage your abs when you are doing other exercises such as squats.
With workouts such as Mercy Abs and Merciless Abs, I think I might be looking forward to some P90X Ab Ripper X. Oh, my. Like many people, working the abs is not my favorite thing. If I miss a workout during the week, it is probably an abdominal session. Maybe that is why so many people do not have the flat, sliced abs they want.
Can ordinary people get abs worth bragging about? Can we get abs worthy of a digital camera? We are about to begin a Rev Abs journey sure to answer these questions.
By the way, if you have not heard of Brett Hoebell (hoe – bell), watch The Biggest Loser this season. He is one of the new trainers. I think I will tune in to get to know him a little bit better as a trainer. In the meantime, I have some Turbo Fire to do today. Stay tuned for more updates on Rev Abs.
Insanity The Asylum: Shaun T’s New Program
If you are an extreme fitness fan, you might have already embarked on the 60 day Insanity workout that Beachbody and Shaun T released this last year. Insanity uses maximum interval training with very short rest periods. Shaun T created this program to use only your body weight. No equipment required except maybe a towl and mop to clean up all that sweat!
Although Insanity might be new to you, it’s been on the Beachbody work at home fitness dvd menu for quite some time now. It was released before Chalene Johnson’s Turbo Fire. Here’s a quick look at what Insanity is all about:
That makes me tired just watching that short clip! If you haven’t tried Insanity or if this is the first time you have heard of it, you can read more about this intense Beachbody workout on my Insanity page.
If you are an Insanity veteran, here’s the latest news. Beachbody and Shaun T are releasing the sequela to Insanity this winter. We’re not sure exactly when it willl be released but if you contact me and indicate your interest, I’ll be sure to let you know the day I get the release date.
The name of the new program is Insanity The Asylum, Volume I: Sports Performance. Here’s a clip from youtube of Shaun T announcing the new program.
Me and a few other coaches in our area are starting a Fit Club to workout together once per week. One of the cool things about the Fit Club is you’ll be able to try out workouts before you commit to a program. Although my coach has done Insanity and loves it, I haven’t tried Shaun T’s workouts, yet. I look forward to doing this in one of our Fit Club sessions.
Beachbody has some cool stuff lined up with the sequel to Insanity and the new P90X coming out next year, too. It’s going to be an amazing year! Are you a member of Beachbody, yet?
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