Billy Blanks, an avid tae kwon do aficionado, created Tae Bo in the 1990s as a way to merge boxing and tae kwon do in an aerobic workout that would appeal to as many people as possible. Instead of featuring self-defense movements and focusing on the martial arts however, Tae Bo's emphasis is on increasing muscular strength and aerobic capacity through movement.
Similarities
Both basic Tae Bo and Tae Bo Amped use the same foundation of core moves. Each exercise routine is approximately the same length; according to BillyBlanks.com, most of the traditional Tae Bo DVDs range in length from 30 minutes to an hour, and the Amped DVDs are about 45 minutes each. The calorie-burning potential that each set provides also typically is about the same. According to the American Council on Exercise, an hour of any variety of cardio kickboxing burns an average of 350 to 450 calories.
Differences
Tae Bo Amped is meant to be a higher intensity workout than Tae Bo because it involves faster, more demanding moves. Blanks often accelerates to a double-time pace in an effort to get a more effective aerobic workout. The other notable difference between the two is that the Amped workouts make use of an "Amped bar," a piece of exercise equipment that is included with the full Amped DVD set. The bar weighs 3 lbs. and is intended to add resistance to basic Tae Bo moves so that your arms and entire body will experience greater toning after using it.
Alternatives
Blanks holds the copyright on the Tae Bo brand name, so cardio kickboxing classes that use similar moves or routines across the world are not allowed to use the term without permission, but the fact remains that there are many alternatives to Tae Bo and Tae Bo Amped that will raise the heart rate and burn a comparable number of calories. Any martial arts class is a promising start, even slow-moving practices such as tai chi. Hip-hop, zumba and other cardio dance classes also maintain the pace of Blanks' workouts even though they use slightly different moves.
Warning
According to researcher Natalie Greer of Vanderbilt University's Health and Fitness Department, Tae Bo is characterized by the bouncing, jolting, high-impact stress it places on the body and its joints, and can result in long-term muscular damage if you perform its exercises incorrectly. The risk of injury is particularly high with Tae Bo Amped, since it is a more intense workout than basic Tae Bo.
Considerations
In a 1999 article for "TIME" magazine, Petra Robinson, then-vice president of the American Fitness Association, stated that even basic Tae Bo was a program for the "fitness elite" and was not suitable for beginners. Talk with your doctor before you use either basic Tae Bo exercises or the Amped program as part of your fitness routine.
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