Billy Blanks’ Tae-Bo – Vol. 1 DVD – Billy Blanks 

Those unfamiliar with Tae-Bo, or else too impatient to work through learning it, should note that you get what you pay for upfront in Tae-Bo Abs and Glutes: namely the abs and glutes workout, with a warm-up and cool down either side. Tae-Bo is an exercise regime based on combining dance with karate moves. Its creator has a torso that looks like it owes more to body building, and a teaching style that seems to be army inspired. This is no softie Mr Motivator, but a tough American whose workout will certainly yield results–if you can hack it. The appeal here is not only that this is unisex, but also that it’s hard work. If you can’t make it, console yourself by spotting the poor individuals who can’t keep up in the back row of the Blanks session (and that’s before the seven-minute warm up’s even over). As the man says, if you want to get those Speedos on in the summer, squeeze those butts. –Lorna V