Ok, has anyone here done Tae-Bo? I fully understand the concept of aerobic martial arts classes. Yes they are kinda cheesy and they don’t show you much in that way of really defending yourself. But, how do they work for upperbody/torso fat loss/cutting? I’m interested in being lean and heavy muscled. Some bulk or mass but generally very dense powerful muscle. I want nice symetry but I also want extremely strong endurance levels and functionality.
You are planning on lifting weights too right? As for Tae-bo, it’s the same as any cardio- you just move around differently. I think it was Chris Shugart who said that your heart doesn’t know the difference between a gimmicky cardio class and doing jumping jacks in your living room.
I own a dojo and teach Fitness Kickboxing. What I will say is depending on the class/instructor it can be one mean ass kicking workout or not. What I tell people in my classes is to a great degree the intensity of the workout it up to them, how hard are they willing to push themselves.
FYI dense powerful muscle and strong endurance are on opposite ends of the spectrum
They ARE designed for the purpoose of cardio/aerobics and NOT for defense. I worked with a chick who did Tae-Bo. She came up to me after two weeks of this stuff, and actually said, “someday, I’ll be able to whoop your ass” - of course, I could have said something like “well, all I have to do is outrun you…” (she weighed close to 200lbs - pretty much FAT) - but all I did was smile and walk away.
Taken for what it actually is, Tae-Bo can be as effective as ANY other aerobics class. I'll stick to my jump rope.
Tai-Bo is a fad for weight management. Its a business first. I tried it a few times and if u notice the infomercial, people are still chubby at best on it. Yes, Billy Blanks is ripped, but he is genetically ripped. I think that its too high of an intensity for way too long. Each sessions is an hour. My HR during it was about 85% max. Serious anaerobic conditioning but not much functionality to it unless your a fighter. Even then, your opponent is not going to just stand there and let you hit them. Remember, air doesnt punch back. I think its great for overall conditioning (GPP), but that is about it.
My main complaint with it is that newbies tend to try to follow the tapes too aggressively. Lack of proper instruction regarding form combined with zeal and not knowing when to quit end up causing people to hyperextend joints, pull/tear muscles, and generally mess themselves up.
I’m familar with fighting arts… I’m not looking at Tae-Bo for that function. I’m looking to melt core fat. I’ve noticed that dancing and possibly martial oreinted aerobics could tone this area… also yes I am lifting as well. I don’t think I’ll ever stop lifting in my workout. 
Makes me feel too good… much better than cardio does, don’t ask me why. Also dancing, martial arts, and basketball are fun to melt core fat away with. Basketball is way too hard on my joints to do that much though and I’m not just breaking down and dancing here and there either…
I have been going to a Tae Bo class about once a week just for something different. It’s fun and I get a great cardio workout from it. I haven’t tried the videos so can’t comment on them. Also, just for the record I don’t expect it to aid in my self defense any more than I think the stationary bike is preparing me to win a tour de france.