When it's time for class to start, people turn their bluetooth technology off, the music gets cranked up and people start getting ready for an energizing and invigorating workout thanks to the Billy Blanks Tae Bo routines. When Billy Blanks gets in front of a room full of eager students taking a break from Beer brewing at home, they can feel his energy and passion and are swept along to better fitness as they follow his movements through the class. As a world-renowned fitness instructor and martial arts champion, Billy knows how to motivate people to get fit and feel good.

The Tae Bo workout sessions include a grueling series of punches, squats, kicks and other movements that are done to the rhythm of high-energy music. And, in these workouts, it is not just the music that is high-energy. Billy Blanks himself seems to have boundless energy as he leads people though the challenging workouts, demonstrating the moves with vigor and shouting out encouragement to the class.

There is no doubt that the Billy Blanks Tae Bo routines are not designed for the timid or weak, either in body or in spirit. But, even people who are not in great shape and who are overweight are able to follow the Tae Bo exercises to get themselves in shape. Billy takes special care during his instruction to show people how to modify the movements for beginners and he often cautions against trying to do too much, too soon.

The Tae Bo fitness routines have been called a combination of karate and kick boxing, set to upbeat music. Billy first started experimenting with combining movements from these different disciplines in the basement of his home almost two decades ago and eventually brought his innovative routines to California. With the strong interest in fitness in California, Billy found an instant audience of avid followers and soon was also teaching his approach to fitness to celebrities such as Lisa Rinna, Wayne Gretzky and Paula Abdul.

It wasn't long before this sparked a new fitness craze and the Billy's Tae Bo fitness infomercial was launched. This introduced the Tae Bo video workouts to a much wider audience and soon Billy Blanks became a household name. Even more importantly to Blanks, his Tae Bo exercise videos were soon changing peoples lives.

The fact that Billy's Tae Bo workouts and videos ever came to fruition, borders on the miraculous. Billy started out in life in a situation that most people would consider a disadvantage. Born into a poor, black family, he was the fourth child of 15. He had hip problems, struggled to learn because of dyslexia, and was almost kicked out of the first martial arts class at the tender age of 11. Undaunted, Billy used a mirror to learn how to correct his motions for his impairment in order to do the required moves and before long he had won a number of karate titles.

Some people get the sense from the Tae Bo workouts that Billy himself is on a mission. And, they are not far from wrong on that count. Billy has been quoted as saying that he believes that Tae Bo is the only exercise workout that can give a person everything they want. In addition to the physical aspects of his workout, Billy also interjects comments and motivations that are meant to bring the mind and the spirit into the fitness quest.

Acknowledging the huge following of avid fans of the Billy Blanks Tae Bo programs, it is obvious that his energy and enthusiasm has touched people and has motivated and inspired them. Even after almost a decade on the market, the Tae Bo video sets continue to be listed among the best selling fitness videos of online retailers and whenever he releases new workout routines, they are also an instant hit. Just in time for holiday gift-giving, or recovering from holiday indulgence, Billy is releasing his newest routine called Ultimate Tae Bo, which is a 90 minute test of mental and physical endurance.