4.04.2009

Air humping (a.k.a. Turbo Jam) review

Woo! We're having fun!!

If you find my review helpful in anyway, please leave me a comment or ask me more questions if you have them. Also, if you want me to reply to your comment, please go here to find out how to make that possible. Thanks!

Other reviews:
Here's my ChaLEAN Extreme Burn Phase Review.
Here's my ChaLEAN Extreme Push Phase Review.

Here's my ChaLEAN Extreme Lean Phase Review (includes final results).

Those of you following me on Twitter might have seen me recently tweeting about air humping in the early morning hours (you'll see what I mean in the video below).

In the past four weeks or so I've endeavored to get my life in gear (read: healthier) and that includes exercise and my diet. Since simply watching what I eat gets me zero results I've finally admitted I gotta get my biscuit moving, too. What luck I had to turn on the TV one quiet Sunday afternoon and see Chalene Johnson stumping (and humping) for her Turbo Jam program!

I'm not exactly sure what it was about the infomercial, but I was mesmerized.


And then minute 5:25 happened. And still, I was mesmerized. And undeterred.

Instead of calling the number on the screen I went directly to the website. As I navigated through countless additional offers I finally saw where they make their money. Not on the $60 program, but on the additional monthly recurring things I could have signed up for. I was steadfast in my buying control and managed to leave the site with just the program advertised. And I felt good to be doing something about my health.

When you buy Turbo Jam you get a nifty little guidebook which includes an overview, an intro to "your crew," one month schedule of workouts, Elite 11 Turbo Jam moves flash cards, an eating plan and calculator, and a dining out guide. Also included are these cool weighted gloves for "sculpting." As I understand it they are not for beginners. There are 6 different workouts including a bonus "Punch, Kick, and Jam" DVD. This is all only $60 (or 3 [easy] payments of $20 - which is what I opted for).

:: Mine arrived last Friday and I started the following Monday with Learn & Burn. Learn is where Chalene goes through her Elite 11 Moves one by one, followed by Burn where the biscuit gets worked for 15 minutes. I did that for two days, per the schedule, then did two days of the 20 Minute DVD. I can honestly say it was the fastest 20 minutes of jumping around and flailing my arms I've ever experienced. I'm not sure at what minute mark it was, but she includes a nuclear-bomb-warning-like siren to signify an anaerobic period where you run in place and bounce around frantically. I rather liked it.

:: Now here's the thing: I'm not a dancer. I'm horrible at it. I've also never done martial arts of any kind. My dance history includes my Jane Fonda and Kathy Smith videos and my kickboxing is limited to my Tae Bo DVD. I think I can say with some authority then, that Turbo Jam is doable for anyone. It's better than my aerobics videos because I can actually keep up with the moves. Chalene gives great direction and there's enough repetition that if you miss one set you can still get back in the groove and it's not too "dancey." Nary a peep is uttered about a "grapevine," "box-step," or "ball change."

(Even Anthony joined me on one of the days and he said he was sore the next day.)

Of course, I've only done two routines. I'll keep posting on this until I've done the full month of routines.

It also claims to be able to burn up to 1000 calories in a single workout. I don't really give a shit about that, I just want to get toned up and stop my constant back pain. If you're really into burning 1000 calories, then they might be bullshitting you, I don't know.

I've read a bunch of reviews on this workout and they're mostly all positive. There are a couple that are disparaging, but for whatever reason it was mostly due to the music (which I find leagues better than most digital soundtracks on workout DVDs). But I like dance music.

:: So far what I like most about this program is that it's honest about it being hard work, yet it somehow makes it fun. We'll see if my tune changes once I hit the 45 minute long Cardio Party DVD.

By the way, I've totally lost count on my 21 Day makeover. I think I'll just restart and say I'm on Day 5. I'm LOVING the recipes, too. It's my goal to stick with this. I'm Queen Quitter-of-Things. I always start out strong then peter out - don't we all?

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can....

:: 4/16/09 Update: I'm about done with week 3 and I have done all the routines (all 5 basic ones). The Ab Jam routine consists of 10 minutes standing and 10 laying down. It's a fast 20 minutes and you really feel it the next day without feeling absolutely TORTURED during it. I'm still trying to figure out the "tuck" position. I'm thinking that with more muscle development it will come more easily to me.

:: The Cardio Party is 45 minutes long and, again, is fast. I don't know how this woman does it, but she makes tedious jumping around in your living room actually bearable. She has a counter on the bottom of the screen and the time is broken up into several different segments. Both cardio routines (the 20 Minute and Cardio Party) have an anaerobic set a little bit past the half-way point. The remainder of the workout is recovery and it feels really, REALLY good.


:: Turbo Sculpt requires small weights (which you don't find out about until you push "play," and I found that irritating) and is all about slow control. It's also 45 minutes long, with a brief time spent laying down at the very end. Despite the slow movements, it also went quickly.

:: I haven't seen any visible results and I've been religiously doing routines for 3 weeks. But I'm not all that surprised. It usually takes at least 5 weeks of consistent work for anything to happen to me. I DO feel stronger and my back is waaaaay better. So despite not losing weight or anything, I'm still motivated to work out because this seems to be helping me be pain free - yay!

I'll update again in a week. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do after the month of suggested workouts and I don't want to have to pay for more...

:: 5/30/09 Update: It's been several weeks since I started this program and my back pain is virtually gone. HOWEVER, I haven't lost a pound. My mother insists that I look more toned, but I don't really believe her (she's my mom, she has to say that, right??). I was an athlete for years and cross-trained and therefore I'm thinking I need to add some serious weight training to all this cardio. I think if I did the Turbo Sculpt routine over and over I'd start seeing some figure-changing results. As it stands today, that's not the case.

:: This isn't to say I think the Turbo Jam series doesn't work. On the contrary, it does work! I'm a lot stronger, pain free, and I feel better over all. And I really stand by this statement: I just bought the ChaLEAN Extreme program and will be starting tomorrow. I'll link up to this post at the end of Week 1 (June 8th).

11 comments:

  1. I saw your tweets about air humping; googled air humping exercise and found this on your blog! I have to pee and I'm scared it might come out because I'm laughing and giggling in anticipation of minute 5:25 on the infomercial. THANK YOU for sharing. I feel complete today.

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  2. I agree with you about not seeing the immediate results, I actually do turbo kick class at my local gym base off of the turbo jam, and have seen some amazing transformations on people doing the program, I am just starting again after taking a year off and have found that I feel incredible when doing the workouts. If you have a local gym that offers these type of classes they are great, if not you might check with a team beacybody coach (free to sign up) about additional rouds for people using the product at home. Hope that helps.

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  3. Your blog made me laugh out loud!
    I have been doing Turbo Jam for about 4 years now and believe it or not, I am still not sick of Chalene Johnson, nor am I sick of the workouts. I bought her ChaLEAN Extreme as a gift to myself for Christmas and I love it and am very satisified at how toned and how muscular I am. Keep it up and you will definately see results soon! Good luck!

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  4. Great review! I agree with so much of what you said regarding both Turbo Jam in general, and Chalene specifically. Yeah, she may be a bit cheerleader-esque, but I find her very motivating and funny, like someone who's actually probably pretty cool if you met her. And the workouts FLY by, which is the reason this has been the only routine I have stuck with. I have all of the Turbo Jams, except Cardio Party 2 and Turbo Jam Live, and I've been doing them since April 2008. I have lost about 60 pounds and gotten into better shape than I've been in since high school. I do like to change it up every now and then, so sometimes I jog or bike, but Turbo Jam is my primary fitness routine. I love it, love it, love it. Currently I am trying to work up my nerve to order Chalean Extreme. Weights are my my unfavorite thing in the whole world, so I really will have to fortify my resolve and commitment to it before spend the money on the program.
    Anyway, just wanted to share my experience and thank you for posting yours. Wishing you continued success!

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  5. I'm living in Quebec, Canada and I saw this ad for the first time today. I would say that I'm very curious about this other "tae-bo" alike training program.

    Hovewer after reading over 10 differents websites, it seems that the results are 50%-50%. The claims of weight loss is questionable with the numbers they are saying, but as any good cardio-fitness program, it's is possible on the medium-long term.

    As everyone knows, there is no magic for loosing weight and get into shape. Hard work becomes an habit after a while... unfortunately, as many others, I'm a quitter... too lazy maybe ? or simply I have't found the right training yet.

    I'm 6'3 over 290 pounds; meaning there a lot to do with me. Based on some of the hints you gave us, the effectiveness of that product is bound to the work done. Most health institutes recommends 30 mins of exercice on a daily basis; meaning this program fits right into it.

    I'll order it and see how good it will do with me.

    Thanks, I'll try to post my first impressions when I'll get the package home.

    Max
    ratchall@hotmail.com

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  6. I will be going to Miami in January and at my heavist. I just had a baby in Feb 09 and have found that I feel way too tired to workout....and..I am queen procrastinator. I always seem to FIND something to do to justify not working out. I have been contemplating buying Billy Blanks Bootcamp or Turbo Jam, I am not sure which to go with but I'd better make my decision fast...I want to lose at least 20 by January 5th...sigh...
    Yeah....Good luck to me...

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  7. I did this program end lost 15 pound in a month... with diet of course. And is a great program.

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  8. Ahhh I really want to try the turbo jam!

    How long until most people notice a result in weight loss??

    Where can you purchase it? In a store?

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  9. Thanks for the reviews on TurboJam and Chalean Extreme, they're really helpful! I do, however, think the diet makes you or breaks you. Before I started I had about 40 pounds to lose. I did two months of TurboJam and lost 25 pounds while following a pretty strict 1200 calorie diet everyday, then three months of TurboFire while following my diet 3-4 days a week and lost another 10 pounds. After a month of CLX I haven't lost any weight but only added protein and haven't cut out carbs and alcohol like I should. I have, however, lost size on CLX and gotten a lot of definition. I just cant get rid of those last 5 lbs! For those looking for a short and fun workout that gives results- I HIGHLY recommend TurboJam. Just make sure you follow a low calorie diet or you won't get the results you want! I couldn't find anything that would work for me, and the weight came off surprisingly fast with TurboJam.

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  11. I think Turbo Jam sucks. It's not really that it's a bad workout, damaging or painful or anything, but I have two large problems with it's "feel".

    One, it's very repetitive, it's the same 5 moves again and again in the new, increasingly complex combinations. True, there are some differences between the workouts, but only slight variations within them, and doing 20 minutes or more of the same 5 moves, which is taken to an extreme in the early videos, gets extremely boring.

    Two, the beat in the moves is incredibly hard to follow for someone used to dancing or music, or at least it is for me, and I've been an amateur choir conductor. Dancers usually count in eights and that doesn't fit at all here and I can't seem to find another beat either. The only way of actually following the routines is learning the exact timing of every move and making sure you're making them at the correct pace. I guess this is related to the criticism towards the music, basically, the routines aren't matched to the music, or the other way around. Also, Charlene can't shut up about what's about to happen in a while, but rarely at a fixed time before a switch between moves. The constant "Are you ready to take it up a notch!?" 2-5 reps before actually "taking it up a notch" makes it even harder to follow the rythm of the workout. This might not be a problem for everyone but I got so distracted by this I just couldn't keep up and had to find another program.

    I would instead recommend Hip Hop Abs or Rockin' Body by Shaun T if you like dancing, or Tae Bo by Billy Blanks if you like martial arts.

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