I bought this tape in an effort to build body strength and lose some pounds. It was a penny before shipping so I didn't think twice whether to buy it or not. I think that it is a great workout for beginners like myself. I do think that Billy Blanks probably should have done this video by himself. The camera focused too much on the other people in the tape and not enough on him, so it is hard to see where he places his foot and how he twists his knees during jabs. I hated that the camera was on one of the girls in particular that kept screaming, oh yeah. After a couple of times, it drove me crazy. All in all it was a good tape, even though I have to keep the volume turned down and look away from the tape. oh yea!

I absolutely love this workout! It is so much fun and you see results within the first week!!! 3 years ago, I did this work out 3 days a week, with some Pilates in between (Ellen Barrett Pick Your Spot Pilates)and was on weight Watchers and lost 25 pounds in just 3 months and felt better than ever! I was in better shape and more toned than I even had been in school. I recommend this to people all the time. It is the best!

I've been doing Yoga, Pilates and Weight Training for years. Tae Bo NEVER interested me at all!

My wife came home with a bunch of old Tae Bo's that she got at a garage sale. I thought that I'd never have any use for them.

Well, currently I've been preparing to do Tony Horton's DVD Bootcamp P90X. While I've been waiting for my shipment to come I've been preparing myself for it by doing different disciplines.

Knowing that Kenpo is one of the types of programs on P90X I figured that maybe Tae Bo would at least give me a ballpark idea of what a martial arts based workout might be like so I pulled out those Tae Bo Tapes.

Last Friday I did the "Instructional" program and found it really well done. Billy Blanks does a great job of explaining not only the moves but where you should be feeling them throughout your body. There is a definite overall emphasis on safely doing them as not to hurt the joints. Also, I had a really great time doing it which really surprised me!

Today (a week later) I did the "Basic" program and definitely found the "Instructional", even just one time doing it, prepared me for this actual workout (the instructional isn't a workout but is a great place to start if like me, you've never done anything like this).

The "Basic" program was a lot more intense that I thought it would be, I worked up quite a sweat and felt great after.

The only things I'd say to maybe be cautious of is that in the beginning warmups he does some neck movements a bit rapidly so for someone like myself with neck issues I would still do the warmups but move at a slower pace so you don't get hurt.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that in the "Instructional" program, it's not designed as a workout so not everything done on one side is done on the other. I started doing them on both side on my own so I'd at least get the feel for those.

All in all, I was very impressed with Billy Blanks as a teacher and for how much of a real workout this was.

What an amazing video! I received it today. I just popped it in. This video is not only easy to do, but you can really feel it working. I purchased this video for $1.55 and what a BUY!! I would recommend it to anyone. I am 50 pounds overweight and I can do it. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something different. Great great video!

A few years ago I borrowed these tapes from my sister when I wanted to get in shape for a trip to the islands and decided to start with the basic tape. Let me start by saying I HATE jumping around and aerobics on a whole. I was not terribly out of shape but I had lost all my muscle tone and definition in my legs and [back]. Anyway, I started doing the basic Monday through Friday and let me tell you, within 3 weeks I changed my squishy [back] and thighs into sculpted thighs with NO cellulite and a beautiful [back] (not one line or lump or bump, smooth booty)it was a wonderful feeling to put on shorts or a bikini with so much pride and confidence. My abs were like a washboard...I recently decided to start working out again and I was looking through old photos and came across a pic of myself in a bikini shot that I took on that island and then I said to myself TAE-BO!!!! I have to laugh because I always refer to those days as my glory days and when people would ask how I did it I would say "tae-bo basic" and low carbs...anyway the point is that I know it works...trust me. Needless to say, the tapes were borrowed and never returned to me and so after googling them, I found them on amazon and I purchased the basic tape and I am eagerly awaiting its arrival (I mean literally twiddling thumbs in excitement). If you want a sculpted body and a relatively manageable (you can get throught it) workout tai-bo basic is for you. I had bought the tae-bo live a couple years ago to get the same effect but I couldn't follow through it was too hard, I felt drained after, that's why I am endorsing the BASIC ORIGINAL tape because I was able to stick to it. Anyway sorry for the long review but I just had to add my 2 cents. For all the people out there, especially the ladies that are fighting to get back muscle tone and are not afraid of a sculpted cellulite free body, do tae-bo ORIGINAL BASIC workout and eat healhty meals limiting the food you know is crap and you will see results, well I did so it's worth a try.