Turbo Fire Exercise Program Review
9.38/10
Quick Overview
- Difficulty
Advanced
- Cost
High
- Trial Period
90 Days
Turbo Fire is an aggressive fitness program offered by Beachbody, the same company responsible for popular programs including P90X,
Insanity, Yoga Booty Ballet, and Turbo Jam.
Turbo Fire is hosted by Chalene Johnson, a fitness expert known for her appearances on TV and in various fitness and health publications.
Prior to introducing Turbo Fire, Johnson developed Turbo Jam and ChaLEAN Extreme, two of the most popular exercise programs in the United States.
While Johnson's other programs focus more on strength building, Turbo Fire is primarily about cardiovascular fitness through aerobic activity, dance, and proper nutrition (with plenty of stretching, toning and sculpting exercises included as well). Turbo Fire focuses on interval training, in which you'll work out aggressively for a short period of time, allowing your body to continue burning calories even when it's at rest.
The goal of Turbo Fire is simple: significantly better overall fitness that you can achieve in only 90 days as a result of intense, highly energized workouts. You can complete all of these workouts, included in 11 DVDs, from the comfort of your own home.
Motivation is provided by Chalene Johnson
and her team, as well as a carefully selected
playlist of upbeat dance, hip hop, funk and
pop music.
Although Turbo Fire was designed as an aggressive, advanced physical conditioning program, Johnson made a point of ensuring that it would work for beginners and fitness seekers of any age.
Turbo Fire is an advanced fitness program comprising aerobic workouts, interval training, strength building, muscle toning and stretching. The program is intended to help you lose weight, burn calories more effectively, eat healthier and improve your mental well being. Most of the program consists of cardiovascular activity centered around High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), defined as one-minute bursts of maximum activity followed by brief recovery periods. This boosts your metabolism, resulting in a faster rate of weight loss and more prolonged weight loss that's made even more effective by the included nutrition plan.
Turbo Fire comes with several workout DVDs, each of which contain their own unique workout sessions. The number included in each workout title denotes the length of the session, in minutes. The DVDs include:
- Get Fired Up (an introductory DVD designed to walk you through Turbo Fire)
- Fire 30 Class / Stretch 10 Class
- HIIT 15 Class / Stretch 10 Class
- Fire 55 EZ Class / Stretch 10 Class
- Fire 45 Class / Stretch 10 Class
- HIIT 20 Class / Stretch 10 Class
- Fire 45 EZ Class / Stretch 10 Class
- HIIT 25 Class / Stretch 10 Class
- Sculpt 30 Class / Tone 30 Class
- Stretch 40 Class / Stretch 10 Class
The Turbo Fire package also currently includes a Core 20 Class DVD designed to target your abs.
Beachbody has also made available a Turbo Fire Advanced upgrade kit that includes the following additional workout programs:
- Fire 60 Class / Stretch 10 Class
- HIIT 30 Class / Stretch 10 Class
- Upper 20 Class / Lower 20 Class / Stretch 10 Class
- Abs 10 Class / Stretch 10 Class
Turbo Fire is primarily intended to improve your cardiovascular fitness. However, the program is well-rounded, and includes workouts designed to strengthen your upper and lower body while improving muscle tone and burning fat. By using Turbo Fire and following its week-by-week calendar, you'll improve your coordination, balance, flexibility and endurance.
Turbo Fire's workouts fall into a few different categories, include Fire, HIIT, Stretch, Tone and Sculpt. As indicated on the Class Schedule, these workouts are used in different combinations on different days. Each workout category has its own unique characteristics:
- Stretch: As its name implies, Stretch workouts warm up your muscles, improve their flexibility and prepare them for more intensive exercise. They're also commonly used as a cool-down routine.
- Fire: Fire workouts consist mostly of fast-paced aerobic activity, including kicks, punches, leaps and dance.
- HIIT: The core of Turbo Fire, High Intensity Interval Training workouts consist of short-duration, maximum-effort drills followed by quick recovery periods.
- Sculpt: These workouts allow you to build muscle, typically with the assistance of resistance bands.
- Tone: Tone workouts are designed to enhance muscle definition and improve your overall physical appearance.
The Turbo Fire fitness program is designed to be completed over the course of roughly 90 days. The program is intense, requiring you to workout six days per week. Scheduled days of rest normally fall on Wednesday, though you can easily shift the rest days around to fit your current schedule.
The Turbo Fire workouts are arranged according to a Class Schedule, included with the package. Each day, you'll complete two workouts (or in some cases, a single longer workout) for a total of between 30 minutes and 1 hour of exercise. A sample week of Turbo Fire follows:
- Monday: Fire 45 Class + Stretch 10 Class
- Tuesday: HIIT 20 Class + Stretch 10 Class
- Wednesday: Rest
- Thursday: HIIT 15 Class + Sculpt 30 Class
- Friday: Fire 55 EZ Class
- Saturday: Core 20 Class + Stretch 40 Class
- Sunday: Fire 45 Class + Stretch 10 Class
Beachbody claims that Turbo Fire can allow you to burn up to 9 times as much fat as you would with a traditional cardiovascular workout, thanks in large part to its emphasis on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). The effectiveness of the program hinges on the idea that High Intensity Interval Training will allow your body to continue to burn fat and calories even after you've finished your workout for the day, up to 48 hours later. Founded Social Metric Marcus Ho
According to Turbo Fire's real user reviews, the program is highly effective. The reviews highlight a few important characteristics of Turbo Fire:
- The program itself is extremely challenging.
- The diversity of the included workouts makes the program far more bearable.
- You can achieve enhanced muscle definition and tone, not just weight loss, by using the program.
- The music is upbeat and conducive to the workouts.
- The instructor, Chalene Johnson, is motivational, energetic and articulate in explaining the workouts.
While some users only utilize the Turbo Fire DVDs, those who perform the workouts in combination with the fitness guide and nutrition guide typically see the best overall results. As you master the program, you can use resistance bands to increase the effectiveness of the program.
One of the biggest advantages of Turbo Fire is that it requires very little equipment, and most of the equipment that you do need comes with the package. You can perform the vast majority of the moves on your feet, though a yoga mat can make the stretching and sculpting workouts more comfortable. Resistance bands, which heighten the intensity of your workout, are included. Since the program is delivered on disc, you'll need a TV and a media player capable of playing DVDs.
Individuals seeking the most complete Turbo Fire package in terms of included equipment should consider supplementing the base Turbo Fire fitness program with the Turbo Fire Advanced Deluxe upgrade kit. This kit includes five additional workouts as well as a Jump Mat (essentially a padded yoga mat) and Turbo Sculpting Gloves, designed to increase the cardiovascular intensity of your workout by up to 96%.
If you haven't already, you'll want to purchase a pair of high quality cross-training shoes, an absorbant towel (you'll sweat a lot with this program), comfortable, lightweight clothing and a water bottle. If you're serious about maximizing the effectiveness of your workout, you might also consider the purchase of a heart rate monitor.
Turbo Fire is designed for those who are already able to perform intense cardio workouts for 30 minutes or more, several days in a row. If your cardio workout experience is currently lacking, you can work your way up to the more demanding components of the program by initially sticking to the introductory workouts. All of those who try Turbo Fire should have a healthy heart and strong joints and knees, as the program includes high-intensity aerobic workouts that require agile motion and high levels of mobility.
The Turbo Fire fitness program is backed by Beachbody. As a Turbo Fire user, you'll have access to the following customer support channels:
- FAQ database
- Live chat
- Email via embedded web form
- 24/7 toll-free phone
Beachbody also offers a moderated message board community in which users can offer one another support and share their experiences with Turbo Fire.
The Turbo Fire fitness program can be purchased for 6 monthly installment payments of $ 19.95, plus $ 24.95 shipping and handling. Expedited shipping, which allows you to receive your package in 2 to 4 business days, is available for an additional $ 9.95. You'll have the option of paying for the entire package with a single payment of $ 119.70 plus shipping at checkout.
In addition to the 11 DVDs, fitness guide, class schedule and Lower-Body Band included in the Turbo Fire package, Beachbody is currently offering the following free upgrades:
- Turbo Sculpting Band
- Core 20 Class DVD (designed specifically for working your core)
- 5-Day Inferno Plan (which teaches how to lose 10 pounds over 5 days)
- Nutrition guide (with healthy, high-energy recipes)
Several upgrades are now available for the Turbo Fire total body fitness program. Some of these upgrades include Turbo Fire Advanced, Turbo Fire Advanced Deluxe and Turbo Fire Greatest HIITs.
Turbo Fire Advanced is a challenging workout series for those who have completed the original Turbo Fire program. It includes five workouts spread across four DVDs, as well as a free TurboTracker fitness journal, and can be purchased for one payment of $59.70.
Turbo Fire Advanced Deluxe includes the same five workouts packaged with Turbo Fire Advanced, along with weighted gloves and an exercise mat. Turbo Fire Advanced Deluxe can be purchased for a single payment of $119.70.
Turbo Fire Greatest HIITs is a one-DVD upgrade kit intended to supplement the original Turbo Fire package. It includes one 20-minute workout comprising a series of High Intensity Interval Training exercises, designed to help you burn fat and calories faster than with other forms of cardiovascular exercise. Turbo Fire Greatest HIITs can be purchased for a single payment of $19.95.
Turbo Fire: The Complete System comprises everything included in the original Turbo Fire program, Turbo Fire Advanced Deluxe, and Turbo Fire Greatest HIITs. In short, this is the most complete Turbo Fire workout program available. Turbo Fire: The Complete System can be purchased for one payment of $239.40.
Summary
The Turbo Fire fitness program is ideal for anyone looking to get serious about their overall fitness and health, particularly those concerned more with cardiovascular fitness and weight loss than muscle building. Turbo Fire is particularly appealing because it contains virtually all of the equipment you'll need to get started, aside from items that you probably already own such as gym shoes, a TV and a DVD player.
Turbo Fire lasts for 90 days. Although this may seem daunting, the program is expertly paced and organized, and most users find that the time passes quickly thanks to the upbeat music and high-energy, motivational instruction provided by host Chalene Johnson.
Although Turbo Fire is relatively costly at $ 119.70 plus shipping and handling, the price is comparable to other premium fitness programs such as P90X. The fact that the program is so comprehensive, and that it comes with a 90 day trial period, makes it a smart buy for anyone seeking an aggressive approach to getting in shape and staying fit, regardless of prior experience and age.
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