One Month TurboFire Review

Back when I was comparing TurboFire and Insanity, I was pretty excited about my decision to purchase and start the TurboFire program.  I was in the midst of a lot of changes, and I was excited to have someone tell me what workout to do, and when.  I’d heard it was both effective and a lot of fun, and I couldn’t wait to get started. 

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Since then, I’ve completed four weeks of the program, and I’ve only missed one class (which I tried to make up on my own, without the DVD).  I haven’t followed the meal plan exactly, but it does give you a lot of leeway to make your own decisions, and I would say my eating habits were pretty closely in line with the TF guidelines anyway.  

In case you’re thinking about starting TF, here are my own personal pros and cons of the program:

Pros:

• No Gym Required – The program allows you to workout wherever, whenever.  All I had to do was set up my DVD player and I could get going.  No trip to the gym required.  I even took the DVDs with me when I traveled, and it worked out perfectly.  You don’t even need all that much space.
• Schedule – The included workout calendar was a huge plus for me because it told me what to do and when.  I didn’t have to think about what type of workout I was going to do or plan out my workouts for the week.  During a period when I didn’t have a whole lot of spare time to be thinking about these things, this was my saving grace.  Sometimes having to come up with a plan on your own can be a deterrent, but when it’s laid out right in front of you, there are no excuses.
• Equipment – All of the equipment you need to complete the program is included in the box: a set of DVDs and two resistance bands.  You don’t have to buy anything else, and everything is very easily transportable if you want to take the program on the road.
• Variety/Flexibility – The class schedule is somewhat varied, so you see the same classes enough to get the hang of them, but not enough to get bored with them.  There is also some flexibility in shuffling around longer and shorter or less and more demanding classes to better fit your own schedule – although there are some guidelines (like no HIIT workouts back to back) that should be followed.
• Decent Sweat/Burn – The classes did have me working hard, sweating, and feeling it in my muscles.
• Meal plan – The meal plan is fairly easy to follow since there are many options and ways to customize it for yourself.  Even if you don’t like some of the foods/meals, there are plenty of other options to choose from.
• Music/Fun – The music was probably the best part, along with Chalene’s upbeat personality.  The music was fresh and fun and really got me pumped up.  And Chalene actually made me want to work harder – not reach through the TV and strangle her like some other workout DVD instructors do. 

Cons:

• No Weights – By the end of this first month, this ended up being a huge negative for me because I love weights/strength training.  Chalene does do a lot of fun/interesting/new-to-me moves with the band, which I was really impressed with, but I didn’t realize how much I would miss strength training until it was gone.  She does do some plyometric work (body weight squats, planks, etc.) but I really missed the burn you feel during a good weight training session.  I also didn’t see as much results as I do when I’m lifting heavier weight, and for all the benefits of the program, I just think this is a huge piece that is missing.
• Hard to Motivate Yourself Alone – When I go to the gym or the park, there are people around, and whether they’re actually watching me or not, the thought that they might be is enough to act as motivation.  Similarly, the idea of getting through a prescribed number of reps/sets pushes me to work harder and gives me benchmarks to get through the workout.  Cardio is admittedly the toughest type of workout for me, and the only benchmarks in this program were the timers at the bottom of the TV screen.  I found myself literally counting down the minutes to get through it, which took away from both the enjoyment I got out of it and the effort I put into it.  When you’re alone in your house and you just have to keep kicking, punching, and jumping around for up to an hour, but no one is watching you, I found it really difficult to not just end up standing around or only doing every other routine. 
• Little Opportunity For Add-Ins – There really were no opportunities to sub in your own cardio or weight routines where you wanted.  Since the schedule was so tight and it had me working out for 30-70 minutes per day, there wasn’t a whole lot of extra time to add things in on my own.  Thus, if I didn’t have access to a DVD player that day, or it was really sunny outside and I wanted to get some fresh air during my workout, I was kind of out of luck.  Maybe this wouldn’t be a problem in the winter, but I had a hard time with it in the summer. 
• Doesn’t Work Me As Hard – Originally I called this bullet point “Too Easy,” but that’s not really the case.  The program itself is definitely challenging and sure to deliver huge results if followed exactly.  However, because I was sometimes unmotivated and somewhat bored, I slacked.  As a result, I didn’t get nearly as good of a burn in as I do when I’m doing other types of workouts.  I didn’t feel nearly as fit as I do/did when I’m running, weight lifting, and/or doing cardio regularly and for longer periods of time.  I did see some definition, but not much, although I didn’t follow the meal plan exactly, which could’ve certainly been a contributing factor to that lack of results.

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Overall Thoughts:

Clearly there are a ton of positives about this program, and overall, I’ve really been enjoying it. It’s different, a lot of fun, and definitely a good workout. And the fact that the schedule takes the guess work out of it for you is huge in itself. Most of my “cons” are more like personal preferences, so they might not even be factors for you. If you’re hugely self-motivated, love cardio, and/or don’t like lifting weights, etc., you might enjoy this program even more than I did.

My feeling right now is that I’m going to probably take some time away from the program to get back into the gym and more traditional workouts.  It’s not that I didn’t love it, it’s just that I’m ready for something different.  I’ll be traveling for work for the next two weeks, so I’m going to take advantage of the hotel gyms and start lifting (and maybe running) again.  I’m also looking forward to moving things outside wherever possible, since summer is already flying by.  Once I get back home, I’ll probably reevaluate and may pick the program back up.  Or, I may just throw in classes here and there as supplements to my normal routine. 

Questions:

Have you tried any workout programs you’ve really loved?

What workout programs would you like to try?