I Showed Up Today for Tony's ONE ON ONE Medicine Ball Core Cardio

Dear Boys and Girls,

Wouldn't it be great if we always felt like working out? I bet that many people beat themselves up because they don't always feel their mojo. Well, kids, I'm here to tell you what Tony Horton always tells you: You just have to show up! Yes, it WOULD be great to always feel motivated and energetic. But given life's demands, and well, just life, it's not possible. We have our energetic days and we have our blah days.

I'm in great spirits today, but the last thing I wanted to do this morning was workout. I wanted to be at the Farmer's market, I wanted to read my new book on investing, I wanted to be blogging (hurray), but I did not want to be exerting myself physically today. It is just one of those days.

But, I did it anyway, because I know that getting results is about showing up six times a week and eating clean. And guess what? Tony showed up, too. He confessed at the beginning of our session that he felt "spent" from the previous workout. Of course, Tony is Tony and I imagine he rarely does a workout half-heartedly. But, I'll take his word for it and believe him that at least for today he wouldn't go at full intensity.

It was a great workout, not as long--only 37 minutes, it felt shorter--than the regular P90X workouts. Working with the medicine ball gave me something new to focus on, so I wasn't 100% obsessed about how I didn't want to be there. Well, I sort of was. I kept thinking, Should I stop?

I wanted to stop after every four or so minute set. But, I didn't. Just like he said in the video, I knew that I would feel better afterward. And I did. I do.

This is not a killer workout like plyo, but it's a very good one. And you can always bring up your intensity, with this or any workout.

Okay, now that my workout is out of the way, I'm ready to go have some fun.

Bring it!

Barbie, PhD

Hanging With the Boys

Dear Boys and Girls,

I've never been an athlete, nor have I ever been a girl to hang with the boys, especially not when it came to sports. I guess BeachBody changes you in more ways than one. That's a great thing.

During Tony's beach workout last Sunday, I was determined to climb the 25 foot rope that I had previously been unable to climb. It felt great! And of course I had to strike a pose for the camera once I reached the top!

I love that a few videos that helped me lose weight also changed the way I think about myself and the activities I now enjoy.

Another great thing about the BeachBody experience is the amazing people I have had the opportunity to meet. The man in the red tank top is, of course, Tony Horton. The upside down rope climber is my boyfriend Jason. The rock star in the green is his childhood friend, Jeffrey Ambruster, who thanks to Jason, discovered P90X and lost 45 lbs and changed his life, too.

Life is good, what can I say.

Over and out!

Your friend in fitness,

Barbie, PhD

Barbie's Review of Tony Horton's One-on-One Killer Abs

Let me preface this review by saying: I hate working out my abs! Does anyone actually enjoy abdominal work? Well, I have to admit, I generally feel an top-of-the-world kind of feeling after completing any of Tony's ab workouts, not because I enjoy them so much, but because I am able to get through them.

So, when Tony's One-on-One "Killer Abs" arrived in the mail, I, um, put it on top of the console table and left it there for over a week. A friend had mistakenly told me that the workout was almost an hour-long. Are you kidding me, I thought? I can hardly get through 15 minutes, how am I supposed to suck it up for 60?

But, tonight, I was ready to take one for the team and complete all sixty minutes, just so I could bring you this review. Please do show Barbie some love!

To my delight, the workout runs slightly less than 24 minutes. Ahhh, even before having started, I felt as if I were already in the home stretch. 24 minutes vs 60, piece of cake!

How was it? Was it really a Killer?

Tony's One-on-One Killer Abs is simply Ab Ripper followed by Ab Ripper-X, only this time, you do 20 reps instead 25 for each exercise (for a total of 40 moves, I believe). So, if you're familiar with Abripper or Abripper-X, like I was, there were no surprises.

Tony's relaxed, let's-just-get-this-done, almost sedated attitude made it seem doable and strangely relaxing. How could an ab workout be relaxing, you ask? Well, I'm not sure, but it was. Hm. At any rate, by minute 24, I had completed over 400 situps and felt that I had had a good workout.

If you're on a budget and already own Abripper-X, I think you could save yourself the cash. If you're a Tony enthusiast and are looking for a change of scenery, get it! It's a good addition to your video collection and with Tony, you really can't go wrong.

Bring it!

Barbie, PhD

Barbie's Review of Tony's One on One, ROAD WARRIOR

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give Tony's previously reviewed One-on-One with Tony's "Plyo Legs" a 6. It was a pretty good workout and different enough from Plyo-X, not to mention cheap enough ($19.99 regular price or $14.95 with my coach's discount), to add it to my collection. But, one thing that annoyed me and that sticks out in my mind weeks later, is how much Tony talked in that video.

That said, I was a bit hesitant to purchase the 2nd video in Tony's One-on-One collection: ROAD WARRIOR. Why did I just put that in caps? Because, boys and girls, it simply ROCKED and far exceeded any and all of my expectations. If you love Tony's humor, this is Tony at his best. Tony sings and improvises his own songs, dances around like a maniac, makes tazmanian devil fart sounds (charming, I swear!), and um, rips his shorts while doing some squats. He also gives some shout outs to the folks on the community forums (Papi and CanadianGirl, for example). Tony, Tony, could you say my name next time?

As far as the workout goes, get ready to get your butt WHOOPED.

Here they are, Barbie's Deep Thoughts on "Road Warrior" (Disc 2):

What it is:

Road Warrior was specifically designed for those who travel, but who still want to get in an awesome workout. P90X, we all know, is beyond awesome, but doing the resistance work while on the road is if not impossible, pretty difficult. Most people don't want to lug around their pull-up bar or many can't find a place to hook their resistance bands.

This is a TOTAL BODY workout based on P90 that requires ONE BAND. Talk about simple! The beauty of this workout is that you can switch the resistance band according to the kind of workout you want to get. If you're in the mood for a light, but still tough workout, go for the red. If you're feeling like a monster, go for the black band. I'm not kidding, after this workout (with the red band) I had to make the next day a rest day! I was sore with this baby!

The workout consists of four VERY FAST PACED ROUNDS in which you work out your Chest, Back, Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, and Legs/Butt in that order. Tony transitions very fast from move to move, so I would highly recommend previewing the video to get the most out of the workout and to avoid frustration. The speedy transition will have you breaking out into a sweat in no time. As if the first three rounds were not fast enough, the final fourth round is a "speed" round. All I can say is: FUN!

Stretching:

For the warm-up portion of the video, Tony let's us do what we want and/or need. For those who already know how to stretch, this is perfect. For the stretching-dummies, you'd do best to follow Tony, which includes acting the charming fool.

Moves:

Many of the moves are based off of P90. That doesn't mean they are identical. Thank Heaven for that, I found P90 a total sleeper. There are also some P90X moves such as "run squat stance" and "side tri rise" as well as some new, fun moves!

Ladies and Gentlemen, if you're looking for an addition to your video library, this is a great investment. Barbie gives this video a 10!

Bring it!

Barbie, PhD

Product Info: Tony's One-On-One Road Warrior (Disc 2)

Item #: MDTHDVD2102

Tony Horton One on One: Road Warrior - Home Direct

You’ve never worked out with Tony Horton like this before. No set, no cast, NO MERCY! Are you ready to go ONE on ONE? Every month, a new workout will be delivered to your door. Plus, get a FREE DVD wallet to hold your new workouts!

Price: $19.95

Purchase Tony's One-On-One Road Warrior **Please note: you have to be signed in to view all products. Work Out One On One with Tony Horton Today! Get up close and personal with Tony Horton and director Mason Bendewald. Every day, Tony is coming up with new exercises in his gym to keep himself and you in extreme shape, and Mason is there to get the REAL Tony experience on video. Power 90®, P90X®, and 10-Minute Trainer® were just the beginning . . . Now get ready for nonstop, heart-pounding action month after month. Here's how it works. When you subscribe, you'll get the latest workout each month straight from Tony—you'll get his latest exercise routines, right from his home to yours. Subscribers also get a FREE DVD wallet to hold a year's worth of routines! Collect all 12 hard-core workouts in this special-edition wallet, plus get a BONUS surprise workout. Every month, a fresh, new routine targeting a different muscle group will be delivered right to your door! 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee We want you to be 100% satisfied or your money back! If you're not satisfied with the performance of this product, please contact Customer Service to return it within 30 days for a full refund of the purchase price, less s&h—no questions asked. We'll ship you this workout immediately, then another every 30 days for only $19.95 a month, plus shipping and handling. It will go directly to your door and be billed to the credit card used today. You may cancel at any time.

A Second View on Tony's One-on-One Plyo Legs

Happy Sunday, Boys and Girls! One of my coaches, Heather, just posted a review of Tony's One-on-One Plyo Legs on her most awesome blog, Heather's Fitness Spot. I thought it would be good to add another perspective to my original July 11, 2008 review of the same video. Enjoy!

****
Heather wrote:

So, tonight I was in the mood to annoy my neighbors downstairs. Therefore, I decided to do some plyometrics. Jump training, how louder can I be! But, then I remembered I have my new video! Tony's One on One, Volume 1, Disk 1 - Plyo Legs, so I decided to give it a try!

Here are my initial thoughts.

The concept is, its just you can Tony! You workout in his own personal gym! Pretty cool. You get to admire his home gym and his workout equipment. I wish I had his gym!!! And I wish I had his house. The background of the outside was awesome! Ok, so my first thought was to look around the house and see his art, equipment. He's rambling on about something. (probably the workout, time,...).

I thought it was weird when he started that he recommends a warm up prior to the video. He says 5 minutes of skipping rope is good. He does do some warm up stretching, but then moves right into the video. So, that will be an I must remember to do a little warm up! The first video comes with a "wallet" for all the videos. The wallet has rooms to write notes, that will be my note.

Then he starts the workout. It's 64 minutes run time, but the workout is an hour!

What I liked about this video:

- I liked that it was a little easier then plyometrics that came with P90X!

- I liked that some of the moves were the same. It started off as a fresh warm-up because I knew what he was doing (and I wasn't really warmed up.)

- I liked that as the video went on, there were a lot of new moves. Or the moves we did in P90X were "updated" to be more challenging.

-I loved the way I was dripping wet half way through!

- I like that you do way more reps then in plyo X. I could feel it burning in my legs, tush, abs,... I think that was awesome. For example, you hold a wall squat for like 4 minutes! And, I think the more I do this workout, the more I learn it, the more balance I get, the more challenging this workout will become. Then, all the talk I between moves that I mention below will be well worth it!

Some of my favorite moves:

The wacky jacks. I could feel my abs working with that one. The other great move, the monster tires, had my thinking, I'm glad no one is watching me! There were others, but I won't bore you with listing them!

Now, what did I disliked:

- I really hated all the talk between moves. I almost just wanted him to get on with it! I think all the chatting made the workout easier to follow. But, at the same time I want more challenge. Now, it's my first time doing it, so I followed Tony. He also says, do about XX-XX reps of this move. I think if I wanted to do more reps, he leaves plenty of time to do it! then, if I need a break, I have the time.

Overall:

I would recommend this workout! I think it will be a great addition to my workouts and a great switch for P90X plyometrics. I often thought we did that workout a lot! It's done every week for the entire rotation. So, having Plyo Legs will add even more variety to my favorite program- P90X! I think if you aren't doing P90X or you think P90X is to extreme, this is a good workout to start with! It will give you a taste of what's in the X! You can always go a little slower and if you take it a little easier, it's not as tough as the one in P90X! Or, you build up and go faster and harder and it may end up being just as or more challenging then the PlyoX!

I can't wait to try the next workout, Road Warrior. Once I get it and try it, I will keep you posted!