Turbo Jam - Does it Really Take the Work Out of the Workout?

Turbo Jam, designed by Chalene Johnson and put out by Beachbody, is billed as a heart-pumping mix of kickboxing cardio and funky music dance party, designed to burn calories with a "workout that doesn't feel like work." After watching an infomercial and researching the program at their web site online at Beachbody.com, I decided to give Turbo Jam a try.

My Turbo Jam package arrived UPS just five days after ordering online, with the free expedited shipping. The package wasn't inexpensive, with three payments of $19.95 plus tax, and shipping and handling added to the first order of $12.95. There is a 30-day return period, though, and a Return sticker is included.

The Turbo Jam package consisted of two dvds, a guidebook, Chalene's Turbo Sculpting Gloves, which are weighted boxing gloves, a tape measure and a before and after measurement chart, a 10-Day TurboSlim Kick-Start pamphlet, and instructions for online support. After measuring myself from head to foot and recording the results, I opened up the guidebook.

The guidebook had information about Chalene Johnson, Turbo Jam, and Beachbody; a workout schedule, testimonials and introductions to the cast; removable cards on heavy card stock showing and explaining the Elite 11 moves that Chalene Johnson designed to make Turbo Jam unique and that are used to put together the workout routines; the Turbo Jam Eating Plan, complete with recipes, tips, grocery list and dining out guide; and a chart to write your stats in so you can track your progress. My stats chart was already written in - apparently someone had returned the package and I'd received their book. But everything else was fine, so I decided not to return it just for that.

There are two dvds in the Turbo Jam package, but they are packed full. First is Learn and Burn. Learn is a calm session with Chalene and two of her cast, teaching the Elite 11 moves that everything else is based on. The Learn segment goes fairly slowly, but I still got a little breathless, and I had to do it twice to learn the moves properly. You can use the cards with the moves printed on them, if there is one that is particularly hard for you to master for some reason.

After the Learn portion comes the Burn workout. This was a blast! It can be modified to your fitness level, so you can decide how hard the workout will be. I could not keep up with all of it, but I did not stop moving. If I had to do modified moves, or slower ones, or even just basically march or walk in place, I made sure I kept moving, and when I could rejoin the group I did. Also, there are two cast members on opposite sides that model the modified versions of the exercises, so I could always see one or the other of them if I needed to take it down a notch.

On each workout there is the option of pumping up the music or leaving it toned down. When the music is pumped up, Chalene can not be heard giving directions. She gives safety tips on form, as well as cues to the coming segments, so I found it helpful to leave the music "unpumped." There is still music, plus you can hear her. Once I've done the dvds for a while, perhaps I will prefer just the music, although I found it a little annoying being able to faintly hear her through the music.

There is a bar across the bottom of the screen showing how long each section will be and how long is left total, that I found very helpful. Sometimes when I feel done in, I can keep going if I see how short a time is left.

Other workouts on the dvds are a 20 minute workout using the Elite 11 moves, Turbo Sculpt, a 40 minute muscle toning workout; Cardio Party, 45 minutes of hybrid kickboxing and dancing; AB Jam, featuring ab and core exercises, both standing and floor work; Booty Sculpt and Abs; and a 50 minute advanced workout called Punch, Kick and Jam, wherein the enclosed, weighted boxing gloves are used. There are interviews with Chalene and the cast members, pranks and bloopers, and testimonials on the dvds as well.

The tone of the Turbo Jam workouts is friendly, even somewhat relaxed, fun and a little goofy at times, but Chalene Johnson is very likable and never annoying. I am already looking forward to doing this again tomorrow, and I can't wait to get in good enough shape to do the cardio party tape.

The Turbo Jam workout package is a bit pricey, the music is not always to my taste and my book was already written in. But on the other hand, with seven different workouts on 2 dvds, there is a lot of variety, so as I get more fit, I have something to look forward to. It will be nice to change it up from day to day, do the routines in different combinations, use the weighted gloves, and pump up the music once in a while. I actually look forward to doing Turbo Jam, which is a huge step in the right direction. Overall, I think Turbo Jam by Chalene Johnson, will be a helpful tool in my fitness quest.

Sources:

Beachbody.com, Turbo Jam

personal experience