TurboFire Greatest HIITs Review

A few months ago, I won the TurboFire Greatest HIITs workout in a twitter contest. I didn't think it would be something that I would enjoy, but let me tell you, it's 20 minutes of fun. Trainer Chalene Johnson or TurboJam, Chalene Extreme, and TurboFire fame really brings it hard, but makes the workouts seem like a good time.

I built up the same kind of sweat that I do with Insanity, but the breaks were more frequent and definitely welcome. My heart rate got up to about 85% of my max (well into the 160s) in each of the last 3 rounds and my heart rate monitor said I burned 290 calories - in 20 minutes - , so not too bad as an alternative to watching TV.

It's definitely more female directed than Insanity is, but there are a couple men in the class and it's a great workout for anyone. It reminded me of those cheerleading dance competitions you see on ESPN during off hours. There is high energy music and the routine is choreographed to the music, so you have to stick with the beat. Each progressively harder round goes through with a gentle jog through of the routine, then the 30-60 full-out second set followed by a 30-45 second break, and then repeat.

As a motivator, Chalene Johnson is definitely more supportive than Shaun T, but she still yells at you, and she got me to work. The routines did take some coordination though. The transitions go fast, but I know I don't have to be perfect, so I did my best.

It's filmed like a workout class and Chalene and two other people are on stage, and then about 20 people are in the class facing the stage but you really only see them from behind and above. As usual, I ran through the workout in my hotel room.  The cast's stage is pretty small, so from the short workout that I have, the most space I needed was for burpees. The biggest lateral movement was her version of 1,2,3s. I would say you need less room for TurboFire than for Insanity, so, depending on your height, a 6ftx6ft area would be more than enough space.

I really think this is something my wife would like in her regular rotation. She's done some Zumba, and was considering Insanity. Unfortunately, she has really bad knees and ankles, and she broke her wrist last year, so all of the push-up stuff in Insanity would be pretty difficult for her.  But if you are looking for a quick, fun workout to supplement what you're already doing, definitely check this out.  You can click on the picture at the top to find out more about the Greatest HIITs DVD.  Or click on the banner below for more about the whole TurboFire program.