For the average college student, finding time to exercise between class, work and the inevitable parties can prove challenging. Along with time constraints, students are also usually strapped for cash, limiting their options for health club memberships and expensive one-on-one training sessions. However, exercise videos can offer a quick, inexpensive and effective workout for anyone.
Tae Bo, Pilates and and The Firm are three exercise crazes which have gained popularity in the past five years. This article describes all three videos and, and rates them based on calorie burn, ease of use/choreography, music, recovery time, and overall.
Tae Bo Cardio
Tae Bo Cardio, produced by Billy Blanks, is a high-intensity cardiovascular workout that stretches the body as well as strengthening the muscles in the arms, legs and abdomen. Of the three videos, Tae Bo concentrates the most on the abdominal area by shifting body weight so the abs get a good workout.
The Tae Bo Web site, www. Tae Bo.com, offers simulated versions of the different exercises. The most difficult moves are the kicks, such as the extended roundhouse kick and the crescent kick.
The music, which is hip, but extremely repetitive, matches with the movements, picking up the pace when an exercise gets more intense. Throughout the video, when Blanks is ready to step up to the next level, he yells “cardio” and the pace of the exercise nearly doubles.
There is little to no recovery time between different exercises in the video.
According to the Tae Bo Web site, a full hour workout will burn 800 calories, but according to www.FitDay.com, which determines calorie burn by weight, the 45-minute video will burn around 244 calories for an individual with normal weight, according to their height and age.
Overall, the Tae Bo video is helpful if an individual is looking for a cardiovascular workout and can maintain a fast pace, with little on-video instruction about how to mimic the moves.
“With Tae Bo, the heart rate goes up too quick without warming up,”said Kristin Kellog, a kineisiology junior and former SLU cheerleader. “Pilates is a good way to be more flexible without making your heart rate go up too quick.”
Pilates Conditioning
Pilates Conditioning for Weight Loss is taught by Suzanne Deason, and features three different levels of a single exercise, performed by three seperate individuals.
Before beginning the exercises, Deason said, “Pilates is using breath to connect the mind and body.”
The first part of the video, Creating Awareness, focuses on rythmic breathing and using the pelvic floor.
The next part, Workout, begins with a foot and ankle workout, while lying on a mat on the floor.
More intense moves are the lower body leg lifts, the spine stretch, the mermaid and the hamstring stretch. All of these moves create the feeing that the hamstings, legs and the upper and lower back are being stretched.
It is easy to understand directions from Deason, because the music is very light and mellow.
According to the FitDay Web site, doing an hour of low-impact exercise, such as Pilates, will burn approximately 217 calories for a person of normal weight, according to height and age.
The Firm Cardio Sculpt
The Firm Cardio Sculpt workout video is a cardiovascular workout that uses three and five pound weights as well as a step-up device called the “fanny lifter.”
“This 30 minute, time-saving workout combines and sequences moves to provide maximum results in minimum time,” said Lisa Kay, the instructor of The Firm.
This workout is more aerobic in style, emphasizing the lunges and arm lifts using the two types of weights. The Firm exercises do not include as many kicks as Tae Bo, and the exercises keep the viewer moving in a small area.
Moves such as lunges, pulses, jumping jacks and double bicep curls, done to more intense, loud music, make this video different from both Tae Bo and Pilates.
According to FitDay.com this 30-minute high intensity workout will burn about 163 calories for an individual with a normal weight, according to height and age.
The Pilates workout video presents the most informative and easy to follow method of exercise, but does not burn as many calories as the two cardio videos. The ease of use, soft music and combination of stretching and lengthening makes Pilates the No.1 video.
Video workouts promise variety, convenience
March 18, 2004