What is Tae-Bo?
What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Who can participate?
How soon can you see results?
Where can you practice Tae-Bo?
Billy Blanks discovered the benefits of combining karate moves with dance music in 1975 in the basement of his California home. A seven-time world karate champion and former Golden Gloves champ, Blanks originally created the routine as a way to train himself.
What is Tae-Bo?
The name Tae-Bo stands for Total Awareness Excellent Body Obedience. Set to the upbeat music, Tae-Bo is a form of high impact aerobics. It combines Tae Kwon Do, karate, boxing and dance disciplines into a challenging program set to hip-hop music. A typical one-hour class consists of a series of jabs, punches, kicks and steps, choreographed in a series of eight-count combinations. It is not a self-protection course and should not be practiced outside of workouts.
What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Tae-Bo provides an excellent cardiovascular workout. By doing Tae-Bo, you can improve your balance, coordination, and flexibility, as well as tone and define your muscles. And it's great for weight loss, too. You can burn 500 to 800 calories in a one-hour Tae-Bo session (as opposed to 300 to 400 calories in a typical aerobics class).
There are some downsides, however. As with any high-impact aerobics exercise, Tae-Bo places stress on the body. Also, if done incorrectly, Tae-Bo can do extensive, long-lasting damage to your muscles. By starting out slowly and progressing gradually, though, you can help reduce these negative effects.
Who can participate?
Tae-Bo is a complete workout that requires above-average endurance, flexibility and strength. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), it's important to have a solid fitness foundation before beginning a Tae-Bo workout. As with any new exercise program, you should consult your health care provider first before trying it.
Tae-Bo should be done at your own rate. If you start out too hard and fast, you can put too much stress on your joints and tissues, which can lead to injuries. It's very important to proceed slowly. If you haven't been exercising and especially if you are over age 30 or overweight, it is recommended that you take it slow for at least 8 weeks. As you build strength, you can do more and you can increase your level of physical fitness.
Many women are attracted to the program as a form of strength building. Since Tae-Bo is set to music, it's a lot of fun. You build strength while enjoying yourself.
Also, while Tae-Bo shouldn't be considered a self-defense course, you can learn defensive moves through it because the program uses imaginary opponents as targets.
How soon can you see results?
Some people report feeling a change in their body the very first time they do Tae-Bo and they begin to see results in as little as three Tae-Bo sessions. Others report change over several weeks. Due to body size and the amount of body fat, for instance, everybody is a little different, and thus results will vary.
Where can you practice Tae-Bo?
Tae-Bo is a trademark of Billy Blanks Enterprises. The routines and music mixes have been designed by Blanks. The Billy Blanks World Training Center in Sherman Oaks, Calif. is the original setting for Tae-Bo classes. If you don't happen to live near the studio, you can get started on your Tae-Bo workout in two ways:
- Find an instructor who has completed the Billy Blanks Tae-Bo training course. The training program has graduated many instructors throughout the U.S.
- Buy a videotape. By watching the tape and following the Tae-Bo routine, you can get the benefits of the whole-body workout in the privacy of your own home.
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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