It's been a while since I posted anything here, so I'll have to post an overall update after this. My apologies for that. Additional apologies for the length of this post, as I want to do the product justice.
I was given the opportunity to review a fitness program Redlight Supplements has under their RedlightFit brand. This program is a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) style program called Tabata, which is named for its inventor, Dr. Izumi Tabata. He was trying to find a way to boost performance of Japanese Olympic athletes back in the 90's, and he came up with a system by which the athlete did alternating sets of super-high intensity work, followed by a rest period. Rinse and repeat.
HIIT has been a thing for several decades, but was heavily studied academically starting in the 80's when better testing methodologies came available in fitness labs. These scientists were then able to find what levels of intensity and duration gave the best results, and specifically and more importantly, what those results were. More on that later. Now onto the program. Note: When I was asked to review this program, I was super-excited, as I do a home-grown HIIT program myself at home. Then, I was hit by Covid. That said, this review is from the armchair perspective, as I'm still fighting the lingering effects of the virus.
As I mentioned, the program is built on the Tabata method of HIIT. You will need some weights. If you have dumbbells, great. If you're a beginner and don't, use what you have. Soup cans are great in a pinch.
The program website's layout was a bit odd. Since I wasn't actually going to work out due to illness, I went in basically pretending I was going to. I went to the program hub, and the bonuses (more on those later) were listed at the top, followed by the workouts. I didn't see the tracking sheets or calendars anywhere. I would have assumed those would be the first things you'd see, so you can plan your workouts before you actually go to start. I am a research nut, afterall.
Anyway, I clicked on the first one, Lower Tabata, and found links to the Lower Tabata workout video, workout instructions, the 8-week calendar, tracking sheets, and some coach notes. I went into the instructions and found just the instructions for Lower. That's fine, but I'm still wondering what body parts I do in what order, what days, etc. So, I click on the calendar, and there's the detail I wanted. M, T, R (that's thursday), F are workout days. Weekends off. Nice. Anyway, the first 4 weeks you do a single 30'ish minute workout on your workout days. You can modify which days if you need to due to your own schedule, but believe me, you're going to want a break in the middle somewhere. The second 4 weeks, you can simply repeat the first 4, adjusting for your increasing fitness, or you can 'double up', and do two workouts. They have suggested second workouts on the calendar. Take these at your own pace.
The workouts -
These are Lower, Upper, Cardio/Core, Total Tabata, Lower Suped-Up, Upper Suped-Up, Core Suped-Up, and Total Suped-Up. As the names imply, you have a specific focus for each workout, such as lower body. The suped-up versions are harder exercises, longer period of work, or higher weights, if desired.
The workout videos -
The quality of the videos is a bit lacking. These aren't your typical Hollywood-style fitness videos that were filmed in some big gym or purpose-built fitness studio somewhere. These look like they were filmed in the instructor, Ro Little's home exercise room. Not that it's a bad thing, per se, but there was some echo in the audio that was sometimes distracting. On the flip-side, a lot of folks might actually like this at-home aspect, making it more down-to-earth than something like Beach Body or P90X - programs that have huge budgets to work with, and world-famous fitness instructors teaching. They also have the price tags to match. These videos have no lead-in, meaning you'd better be ready to go when you click the play button, as Ro is already moving. Again, not that this is bad, it's just atypical of other workout videos I've watched. Sometimes it's nice to have a quick heads-up on what to expect for the workout. Each video is roughly 30 minutes long, and includes your warmup, workout, and cooldown.
The Instruction Sheets -
The instruction sheets for each workout explain give the time schedule for that workout, and gives instructions on each of the different movements in detail, and also pictures of it.
The Instructor -
Ro Little has a bubbly personality in the videos. She seems like she'd be someone fun to hang out with. It makes her more approachable. Having a single instructor in the videos is both a blessing and a curse. I like to have multiple people at varying levels of fitness in videos I watch, especially for things like pushups, so if you can't do a standard pushup, you can see someone in the video doing an easier version and you can follow them. Anyway, Ro has been through her own fitness journey as you can read about on her website. Stories like this are always good background to have when you yourself are struggling with health and fitness.
Tracking Sheets -
Tracking sheets are a nicety for you to use during or after your working to track how you felt, as well as specifics on weights used, etc. I personally use a small spiral-bound notebook for tracking, as it gives more space to write out lots of details.
The Bonuses -
I was very interested in the bonus materials included with the course. As you can tell by my previous posts, I've been on a low-carb/Keto diet for a long time, and have been into fitness for most of my life. This combination intrigued me. The first one, Top 100 Keto Recipes was right up my alley. I have a number of Keto recipe books, but I'm always on the lookout for additional or different recipes.
The Healthy Food Recipe Videos has some good ideas in it, although many would have to be modified for me to use for low-carb or Keto versions. I like having the videos for these.
The Six Fitness and Health eBooks bonus is a mix of different topics, including stretching, HIIT, and the Carnivore diet. I'll have to dig more into these to get more of an opinion on them, but I think these are a nice addition.
When I saw the item "The 100 Fitness Videos for Motivation", I wasn't sure what to make if them. After watching a few, I've decided that these aren't really for me. They're just not my style. Your mileage may vary, however.
Overall Opinion -
The exercises in each grouping are well thought-out. These are exercises that work major groups of muscles, which will give you the greatest return for your time and effort. HIIT has been shown to have a huge impact on the body, causing increased fat oxidation and metabolism, increasing your MaxVO2 (how efficient your body is at utilizing oxygen), increasing resting metabolic rate (burning more calories at rest), etc. That's why I do it multiple times per week. With a 30 minute runtime, you can do your workout after dinner like I do, or in the morning before you start your day. Is this worth the money? Currently, the program is on sale for $7 for lifetime access. That's a steal. I could find that much in my couch cushiouns. The regular price of $297 is a bit steep for me, though. As someone who is pretty well-versed in fitness, I would rather put together my own routine than spend that much. If the 'lifetime access' means being able to access this content forever, that's one thing. If that means that the program might be expanded, updated, or altered down the road and that content would be included as well, then the full price might be worth it.
The bonuses are the (sugar free) icing on the cake, though. You would likely spend $100 just to buy ebooks that contained the recipes and other information alone. That said, if you're wanting to get started with an at home program that includes a lot of good information as bonuses, I say go for it. I personally can't wait to get better so I can run through these videos. You can sign up for the program here or here:
https://redlightfit.com/funnel/hit-tabata/what-are-tabata-workouts-8-weeks-of-progressive-hit-tabata
I was given a copy of this program for review, but I am not getting paid any affiliate fees if you click these links.
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