Tae-Bo™
by Renee Cloe
A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer

Although the recent Tae-Bo mania may lead you to believe that this is a new invention, Billy Blanks has actually been teaching Tae-Bo at his Los Angeles studio for over 12 years. The seven-time world karate champion and seventh degree blackbelt began developing the program when he noticed that there weren’t a whole lot of women frequenting martial arts studios. To bridge the gap between martial arts and traditional aerobics, he put together a dynamic routine that includes the cardiovascular and toning benefits of an aerobics class, the spiritual connection of the martial arts, and the practical element of self-defense. The gym-goers began beating a path to his door and, as they say, the rest is history.

After I’d seen the infomercial countless times, and heard the enthusiastic buzz about Tae-Bo on the Internet, my curiosity was piqued. I ordered a set of the tapes and was promptly hooked. I love strength training, but I’ve always been notorious for slacking on my cardio workouts. I’m very easily distracted and there are generally a thousand things I’d rather be doing than plugging away on a treadmill or stepper. In order for an aerobic activity to keep my attention, it has to be challenging and fun. Tae-Bo received high marks on both counts.

So, when I discovered that Billy Blanks was coming to town for a Tae-Bo workshop, I jumped at the chance to attend a class. As fate would have it, I couldn’t find a single person to go with me. All of my little friends scattered at the suggestion of getting up early on a Saturday morning for a vigorous workout. So, as they snoozed, I headed for a downtown convention center alone.

The class was in a large conference room, complete with a stage and two big video screens. The place was completely packed! The greatest danger appeared to be the likelihood of being rendered unconscious by an enthusiastic classmate. After signing a waiver warning me of such a possibility, I took my place among the enthusiastic mob.

Before the workout started Billy came out and talked for a bit about his philosophy and how it all began. He introduced his daughter Shellie (the wiry, intense woman from the videotapes who looks like she could twist your head off ;-). Then he demonstrated (hilariously) all the things that people do wrong during a Tae-Bo workout and how to correct those common mistakes. He had us do all the key moves in slow motion with proper form. Then he warned us not to kick each other in the head, cranked up the stereo, and turned it loose. What a blast! The energy and excitement in the room was just amazing.

I learned some new kicks and combinations and saw some dramatic improvement in my form. I can't believe how long the class was! There were a couple of times when I was shaking like Jell-O, wondering if it would ever end. He probably spent 30 minutes talking and teaching us technique, and then did a solid hour-long advanced workout on top of that. It was funny how, near the end, people would get tired and start flailing around like scarecrows, then as soon as Billy Blanks walked down the row, everyone would tighten it up and start throwing kicks like Chuck Norris! Nobody wanted to be stumbling around and screwing up with the Tae-Bo guru watching! He really managed to push everyone to a higher level.

Here's a bit of what I learned:

• If you find that your quads (front of your thigh) and hip flexors (front of the hip joint) are getting sore, it’s likely because you’re not pulling high enough on the knee raises. If you’re moving your knee up and down below hip level, your hip flexors are still doing most of the work. If you raise your knee above your bellybutton (to your shoulder!) on every pull, your abs take over the movement and it becomes a much more effective standing crunch.

• Although, Tae-Bo isn’t a self-defense course, if you incorporate some imaginary attackers into your workout you’ll see a noticeable change in its intensity and effectiveness. Every single move needs to have a purpose. You shouldn't just bop along listening to the music; you have to focus on what your intention is. Shellie demonstrated that neat little move where you jab corner to corner and then do a knee pull. Only when the class members do it, it kind of looks like we're dancing and when she does it, it really kicks butt! To demonstrate her "intention" she had two men walk toward her. She jabbed one in the face, jabbed the other in the face, and then grabbed the second man’s head and pulled his face down hard into her knee raise. That's the move! You're not dancing. You're punching one bad guy, punching the other bad guy, and then kneeing him in the face. When you do it that way, all of a sudden your movements are really crisp and precise. They have purpose! Ah-ha, Renee says...

• I learned exactly where to put my feet, shoulders, and hips on each move. Punches have to come from down low and originate in the shoulder, with abs and hips following through. While I’d always been smart enough not to lock my elbow, I discovered that I’d been slacking a bit when it came to really throwing punches with my whole body instead of just my arm. I also learned that when you remain bent at the waist doing repeating side kicks, your shoulders need to stay stationary, no riding up and down as your leg moves. Likewise, on knee raises and kicks, you can't get lazy and let your foot bang into the ground. In fact, you shouldn't release the tension at all. Billy demonstrated that by making us do 4 sets of knee raises without letting the working leg touch the ground!

• Other common sense reminders include being careful on any of those fast neck moves. It’s usually okay to roll your neck side-to-side or toward your chest. It’s generally not the best idea to roll your neck straight back so that you’re looking at the ceiling. That can compress the cervical discs, tweaking your neck in a most unpleasant manner. Also, be careful to keep your back flat during any floor work on all fours. Letting your back bend and sway during these moves is just asking for a low-back injury.

At the end of the class, instead of floor work, there were some intense new standing moves that reminded me of power yoga. You get into a position like a plie squat with your arms extended and hold it for all eternity. Like, through a whole song! You want to just tremble and fall down, but there's this really uplifting music playing, and people are singing and clapping, and Billy's telling you to reach inside yourself and find the strength, and with all that motivation and support, you miraculously don't tip over-- you hold it! It was amazing.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief when we finally reached the Tai Chi cooldown. I have never been so happy to reach the Tai Chi cooldown! So, there I was, all worked out, soaking wet, and extremely pleased with myself. I made my way out of the crowded, stuffy conference room and discovered that one of the proud sponsors was handing out fudgesicles. Woohoo! I was very hot and very happy to receive an ice cream. Then, and this was right out of a dream or something, another sponsor Russell Stover® candies, handed everyone a box of chocolates. Now my feet aren't even touching the ground-- I've just had a killer workout with Billy Blanks and I have a fudgesicle in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other! I also received a water bottle, and sports drinks, and some other more traditional free fitness goodies but the big chocolate reward really made my day.

In parting, what fun! If Billy Blanks shows up in your town, don’t miss it.