The First 10 Days

Before beginning the 4-week program later in May 2024, I decided to do my own modified version of the Turbo Slim 10 Day Kickstart. For the first 10 days, I will be modifying the workout plan (which in this case, mostly involves Turbo Sculpt and Cardio Party) and follow Chalene’s recommendations for those who are just starting out. 

For beginners, she usually has you start out with the Learn and Burn workout before incorporating more workouts along with it (20 Minute Workout, Turbo Sculpt, Cardio Party, etc.) I wanted to do each of the 5 workouts on the 2-disc set once or twice, but had to include the bonus workout from Disc 2 (Great Abs Guaranteed!) and Punch, Kick and Jam (from the Fat Burning Elite series).

I have also incorporated the Island Girl: Cardio Hula/Hula Abs & Buns DVDs and all 5 segments from the 10 Minute Solution: Pilates DVD. (the updated ratings for the Island Girl DVDs and the review of 10 Minute Solution: Pilates DVD are coming soon)

I did test out all of the workouts from Turbo Jam before customizing the schedule to fit my own personal needs, and I also integrated two other DVDs so I can mix and match.

The next 4 (or so) weeks:

Now, here’s an overview of the 7 total workouts (across the 3 DVDs) and my initial thoughts.

Learn and Burn

This is essentially a little “step guide” that is always the first step that you take before moving on to the main workouts. Chalene introduces herself along with the members of her crew. She first shows you how to do the moves in the 12-minute instructional portion, and then puts them together in short bursts for the remaining 16 minutes. (Please note that the back of the DVD says that the total runtime for this workout is 30 minutes, but is actually 28 minutes.) 

For Beachbody standards, it’s an easy to follow workout that is best suited for beginners to follow along with the class. There are two people in the room who do modified versions of the moves so that you can have something that you can work up to in the upcoming workouts.

20 Minute Workout

This workout takes all of the Elite 11 moves from Learn and Burn and incorporates them into an explosive, supercharged choreo set to the best workout music yet! Most of the music is original music, but they do incorporate some popular songs into the mix so it syncs with the movements. The kickboxing and dance techniques that Chalene and the Turbo Team demonstrate here are very energetic in nature, because she wants you to take the worry out of working out so you can have fun while doing it!

My first Turbo* (which is a super fast and intense part of the workout where you really get to push yourself, so you have to get serious) was the best part because it’s where you get to really burn off the fat and express yourself! Don’t worry, there will be a short water break before the recovery period, and then the cooldown follows along with it.

*Slight flash warning: This part of the workout (along with the Turbos from Cardio Party/Punch, Kick, & Jam) contains a flashing “TURBO!” text box that may cause discomfort or trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy.

Overall, I thought the 20 Minute Workout is a great place to start after you mastered the Elite 11 moves before moving on to Cardio Party and Turbo Sculpt.

Turbo Sculpt

In this workout, Chalene introduces some of the slower-paced movements involving quick bursts of interval training. You will need some hand weights (3-5 pounds to start) and a mat. The class utilizes the weights to add resistance for most of the exercises in this workout (except for Mindy and Anna-Rita) so you can boost your metabolic rate for burning carbs and calories.

Similar to Denise Austin’s Shrink Your Female Fat Zones, Chalene alternates toning the upper body, lower body, and abdominal “zones” using a combination of standing and floor exercises using the weights. I kept a steady heart rate and speaking volume throughout the workout’s duration of 40 minutes, giving my muscles some overall tone and definition. As you continue to do this workout, Chalene suggests that you add some resistance (heavier weights, from 8-10 pounds) if you think you can maintain proper form when doing these sets.

This was a huge relief from resistance overkill with 5-pound weights during the Yoga Booty Ballet: Sculpt workout because I constantly had to switch weights in between the sets, along with Gillian and Teigh constantly utilizing the weights in some awkward positions. Chalene’s way of strength training is way better than the YBB version since you really get to feel the muscles working in opposition.

Cardio Party

For some reason, the only song that I knew from the start was “Blame It on the Boogie” by the Jackson 5 but all the other songs were brand-new. Anyways, the workout itself was a 45-minute sweatfest to some oldies music mixed with 2000s pop hits and original music. The choreography itself was perfectly in sync with the music, and even the moves done by Mindy and Anna-Rita were a great addition to the high impact ones as well. 

I was a little clumsy the first time I was doing these moves (especially in the Turbo segment) but it worked out well. After the Turbo was over, I was laying dead on the floor because when I CRUSHED that Turbo so hard, it sent my metabolism through the roof.

So I took a moment to breathe, slow down the heart rate and carried on with the workout.

Anyways, I decided to take a longer rest period before the recovery dance party and the finale, which is a cumulative review of the Elite 11 moves plus some more kicks and punches. The cooldown starts off with Chalene teaching another capoeira step called the ginga, which is kind of like a side step with the capoeira step, along with some fancy footwork and kicks. It then transitions into some Tai Chi inspired exercises, which send the flow of positive energy throughout the body. After all, I did relieve my body of stress and released any unwanted, negative energy built up inside me. 

Ab Jam

This is a 20 minute ab routine which is basically a combination of standing exercises for 10 minutes with the other half done on the floor. The tuck position helps stabilize the abdominal muscles during the workout, and I even found another usage of the tuck during Island Girl: Hula Abs & Buns. When Kili introduces the ‘ami, which is a circular rotation of the hips, she squeezes the abdominal muscles, similar to the aforementioned tuck position.

On the other hand, the floor work was a bit challenging to start with, but Mindy and Anna-Rita (the two modifiers in the class) give simplified and/or alternate movements that you can do so you can still get a great full body tone, especially in the abs. It did involve some Pilates exercises like the single leg stretch, along with traditional ab exercises such as crunches, curls, and twists. 

This unique set of exercises makes your core strong and chiseled; I usually combine this with other Turbo Jam workouts and some DVDs in my collection that work similar muscle groups as opposed to Ab Jam. The core is the most important part of the body that you need to engage, even when you are not working out (eg. an active rest day, while sitting/standing, talking with people in a conversation). 

Bonus Workout 1: Punch, Kick, & Jam

In an infomercial produced in 2007 for Turbo Jam, the one of the free gifts that Beachbody has given their customers is a bonus workout called Punch, Kick, & Jam. This is used along with Chalene’s Turbo Sculpting Gloves in the deluxe package to make Turbo Jam more effective for weight loss. Unfortunately, this signature tool is the same as an ankle weight or wrist weight, which can cause injury if not used properly. 

As I finally bought this DVD at a Grace Bridge Resale location last month for only 54 cents, I popped the disc into my Phillips DVD player and started up the workout. Punch, Kick, & Jam has a different intro because this is from the Fat Burning Elite series. This workout marks the return of the resistance bands, which is also known as “tubing” as Chalene calls it. This was a great callback to Slim in 6 and Power 90 because of their respective strength training exercises that involve tubing. 

The vibe of this workout is less “dancy” and has more of an athletic edge to it. There’s a lot of kickboxing drills which integrate the Elite 11 moves and many unique combinations of punches and kicks, which adds variety to the workout itself. On the other hand, the cooldown introduces some more traditional capoeira steps and blocks that might be present in other Fat Burning Elite workouts. 

I would say this workout definitely made me sweat, but we still have the last part of the workout which involves tubing. This section involves some slower movements to add resistance to punches and kicks, which is a pretty cool idea. The students in Chalene’s class do show some modifications for moves that might be difficult to position the band, for instance. Most of the time, I was able to do the moves with the band but Chalene’s instructions on how to position the band in some cases are very vague and she doesn’t give you enough time to get it into the correct position. 

To finish off the workout, another Tai Chi inspired cooldown is presented along with a couple more stretches. 

Bonus Workout 2: Great Abs Guaranteed!

My copy of the Turbo Jam: 5 Rockin’ Workouts 2-disc set is the 2007 reprint with a bonus classic ab routine from the Great Body Collection called Great Abs Guaranteed! As I discovered about this 2-disc set in person and on eBay, there is also a 2008 reprint with Punch, Kick, & Jam and another workout from the spin-off series Turbo Jam Live! Called Booty Sculpt + Abs. 

This is basically two rounds of seven abdominal exercises led by Power 90 instructor Tony Horton. He is accompanied by Slim in 6 instructor Debbie Siebers and the modifier Sonvi. I don’t have much to say for this routine, other than it’s a great throwback to one of the classic Beachbody workouts from 1999. 

Special Features

• The “Behind the Sweat” mini documentary that plays at the end of each Turbo Jam program shows Chalene’s inspiration for Turbo Jam and the many success stories from Beachbody customers that make this program effective for anyone. The full documentary is uploaded to YouTube, but I will also feature it below:

• The Jam’d episodes are essentially a behind the scenes look at filming the Turbo Jam workouts, and Chalene herself gets to be the prankster here. She feels like a great workout buddy and gets along well with other students (most of the time). I liked that this mini-series was a great opportunity to showcase the cast’s strengths and weaknesses throughout the production of Turbo Jam. 
• The previews that play at the end of the workouts on the 2-disc set include alternate versions of the Slim in 6 and Yoga Booty Ballet programs along with updated versions of “You’re Closer Than You Think” and “I’m Gonna Help You”. 
• For Punch, Kick, & Jam, the previews include a trailer for P90X (one of Beachbody’s most popular extreme workout programs) and Beachbody Supplements. 

Rating 

Instructor(s): 10/10

Sets: 9/10

Outfits: 9/10

Music: 10/10

Production Value: 10/10

Overall Benefits: 9/10

Exertion: 10/10

Ease of Movement: 7/10

Audio/Visual Modifications: 9/10

Special Features: 7/10

Use of Equipment: 8/10

Total Score: 98

Intensity Level: Moderate to High Intensity

Impact: High Impact