Tie One On

I'm reviewing this workout after doing it once.

General workout breakdown: Carolyn's already given a good overview of this, so I'll just add some details.

This mostly low impact high/low or floor aerobics video runs almost exactly 60 min.

After about a 40 sec. intro from Charlene, the first song (5 min.) starts off slowly with basic moves into a basic combo to warm you up.

Charlene and her crew lead you through multiple short combos or blocks of relatively simple choreography, drawing from basic aerobics and simple athletic moves. Her combos are never particularly long (usually 3-6 steps or so combined together), and Charlene tends to do a few repetitions of a step before moving onto the next in the combo, so you won't be combining a lot of different steps into an elaborate pattern. There is no TIFTing (taking it from the top); once you're done with a combo, you throw it away. That surprised me: I expected with a title like Tie One On Charlene would be adding on blocks to build up a routine, but I guess the name comes from the fact she's tying moves onto each other to make little combos.

Charlene ends with a slower song with simpler, smaller steps to cool you down (about 2 min.), followed by fairly long held static stretches for the hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and hip flexors plus a little balance work to strengthen the ankle (just over 7.5 min.).

Level: I'd recommend this to intermediate exercisers comfortable with basic hi/lo choreography. I agree with Carolyn that the "advanced" designation seems to be because of the length rather than the intensity or complexity. If you have some endurance but still work out around a beg./int. level, this would be a good challenge. More int./adv. exercisers should put some oomph into the moves to make this a moderate steady state workout.

I'm normally an int./adv. exerciser, but I'm doing cardio at a more intermediate level these days between my recent health issues and the heat of summer taking over my workout space. I do love choreography, including choreography with TIFTing, but I don't always want to do something complex. I was able to follow this one without any troubles the first time through. This one packs a surprising punch in terms of cardiovascular challenge: I wasn't expecting this to be that intense after preview, but it's one where you more than get out of it what you put into it.

Music: I agree with Carolyn that not only is the music too low but also a more interesting soundtrack than this generic upbeat exercise video stuff would have boosted this workout's fun factor.

Set: You know, I'm indifferent to the all-white set. I don't love it, but I don't hate it, and it doesn't keep me from enjoying the workout, either. I'd rather have too little than too much going on in a set, although is extreme minimalism, and if I had to choose, I'd rather have bright than dark, not that I have any real objections to the Evolution "black abyss" set or Leslie Sansone's so-called "bat cave." I didn't find the set as disorientating as I thought I'd might as long as the camera stayed still, but when it started panning up or down I experienced some spatial confusion. (Despite my comment on sets in my reviews, I usually could care less. I can count on one hand the number of times a set has been a contributing factor - but never the main reason - I've gotten rid of a workout.)

Production: clear picture and sound, camera angles that are more helpful than not.

Equipment: a pair of sneakers.

Space Requirements: You should be able to take a step or two in all directions (front, back, left, right). I probably could have share my space of about 5-6"deep and 7-8"wide with someone else while doing this workout.

DVD Notes: Your main menu options are Warm Up, Cardio Component (there are no chapters within the bulk of the workout), Cool Down, and Stretch.

It may be worth noting that my copy, which I purchased recently, came in one of those slim plastic cases.

Comments: I bought this at the same time as I bought Stand Up and Be Some Body. That has two separate hi/lo workouts of almost 30 min. each instead of one hour-long workout. Tie One On resembles the basic format of the first workout on Be Some Body, which consists of separate blocks that aren't TIFTed together, but is about the same intensity of the second workout, where the moves have a little more oomph. The choreography and concluding stretches are similar across both DVDs, but I didn't feel like Tie One On was merely one of the Be Some Body workouts expanded out to fill an hour because Charlene combines steps in a way that's just different enough to make the choreography feel distinct from one to the other. Which one you should get depends entirely upon which one would fit better in your workout time slot. I happen to have some need for both half-hour- and hour-long workouts, so I'm happy to have both, but you're not missing an amazing, fantastic, party in a box workout if you only opt for one of this pair.

I happen to be a big fan of steady state hi/lo workouts, which are totally out of style these days with the athletic interval and dance workout crazes. I have to work hard at cardio endurance. The best way for me to develop and then keep endurance is to do longer, more moderate workouts with some consistency, and choreography is the sugar that makes that medicine go down for me, as I need to have some mental engagement when I'm working out (unlike my dh, for example, who wants to zone out). This is the sort of workout to fill that void on days when a walking video seems too unexciting but when I'm not prepared to spin and/or keep a lot of combos in my head.

I was so close to getting this one when Collage carried it several years back but didn't for some reason. I'm glad it's still available on Charlene's site.

i love charlene, her friends and her low impact cardio workouts (floor and step) and this one is no different.

it is billed as an advanced level workout though and i really dont see why. i would say that it is at the intermediate level. maybe she says that it is advanced because it is 60 minutes long?? i dunno, but i still say that it is intermediate...lol.

lots of fun and easy choreography in this one as well as her others. done on the pure white background but charlene and her 2 friends wear red outfits so they are certainly easy to see on the screen.

my only real complaint about this workout is the lack of music. there is some but it is so low that i could barely hear it, so it might as well not been there

at all. some good music would have really been the icing on the cake for this workout.

i still enjoyed it quite a bit and it did not make me feel like i was going to keel over. actually i found the cardio to be moderate so next time i will use bigger movements to up the cardio factor.