Turbo Jam vs. Turbo Fire

jgas1962

I love Turbo Jam, and I'm thinking about getting Turbo Fire for my birthday. Since it's pretty pricey, I thought it would be good to get some opinions about it first. Is Turbo Fire significantly harder than Turbo Jam? Also, how's the fun factor? Turbo Jam is the most fun workout I have, mostly because of the great music and Chalene's personality. Some variety would be nice to have. I usually do the 20-minute workout plus Cardio Party on cardio only days, and Cardio Party (or a Jazzercise cardio workout) plus Turbo Sculpt 2-3 times a week. Thanks!

nikkishai

Hi! I've done both Turbo Jam and Fire. I started with Jam for 2 months, and when that started to get easy, I ordered Turbo Fire... OMG! Seriously, I love Turbo Fire. LOVE! (I've been on TF since Feb 2012 and I still LOVE IT)!!

I use a HRM, and for TJ my average HR is in the 130's... with TF it's in the 150's and peaks in the 170's during the "fire drills."

TF is faster, but uses the same moves (but in different combinations) so you don't need to start with the "new to class" options.

RoyalsFan24

I have never done Turbo Jam so I am sorry I cannot fully compare the two. However Turbo Fire is amazing!! The energy that is in the class comes through the TV and just pumps me up. Very much worth the money.

gxm17

I've been doing Turbo Jam for almost a year and I just got the Turbo Fire Starter set about a month ago. (It's low impact and only about $40 so it's nice if you want to "test drive" Turbo Fire.) I love them both and mix the Turbo HIITs with Turbo Jam and yoga throughout the week. Since you already know the moves from Turbo Jam, you should have no problem with Turbo Fire. The energy from the Turbo Fire HIITs is as awesome as people say. It's better than coffee (and lasts longer). Good luck. You can't go wrong with Chalene. She's an amazing instructor.

kklemarow

I loved TurboJam but after a while, I found I wasn't feeling challenged. TurboFire certainly does the trick! It's like TurboJam on fast forward, excellent workout and because there is such a variety or workouts, you don't get bored. Highly recommended!

sarah692

Turbo Fire is a lot harder, but just as fun. Even if you aren't ready for it yet, you'll still get a good workout as long as you do as much as you can and it's still fun.

mangojh2

Agreed its harder but its also a lot FASTER. I couldn't believe how fast it was when I started it months ago, but now I wouldn't change a thing!

jgas1962

Thanks, everyone! I really want to order Turbo Fire now!

SPNLuver83

I LOVED Turbo Fire. Def my most favorite program to date.

If you are not opposed to downloading you can get it for free at thepiratebay.org.

jenniferfey

I have done both Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire quite a bit. The general set of moves are the same, but I would certainly say the two programs have plenty of differences! I love them both for different reasons.

Turbo Jam has lower bpm (beats per minute, the music itself is slower) but that doesn't mean you're not getting an excellent workout. I actually prefer the speed of Turbo Jam, because it gets your heart rate WAY up without sacrificing form. However, after several months the workouts do become less intense (doesn't mean they aren't useful, but we all love to challenge ourselves- right?). The move combos in Jam, after a while, get a bit repetitive (the move combos in Fire are just a lot more fun/varied). I also personally find the music a bit dated (though not annoying). However, a HUGE plus in most of the Jam videos is the time tracker at the bottom which often lets you know how long you have left in a particular section. This is a feature lacking in Fire and which I sorely missed!

Turbo Fire ups the intensity in a big way! I also think the music itself is a lot more fun in Turbo Fire, but (personal preference here) I dislike how much of an increase the bpm jumped. I find it's easy to sacrifice form to keep up doing all the moves "full out" at such a fast pace. So I just have to constantly remind myself to be INTENSE but never at the expense of FORM because twisted knees and sore ankles are not worth having to take an entire week off to heal.

Also, on a similar note, I can easily do the Jam workouts with perfect form in my carpeted living room. I find the speed of Fire makes doing the workouts on carpet MUCH more difficult, and I modify a lot to keep from straining my knees due to quick twisting on the balls of feet (lots of this in Fire) which is difficult on carpet.

Overall both are great, I would definitely say Fire is significantly more intense/difficult than Jam, and if you're still struggling with any of the Jam workouts then keep at them and up intensity there before dropping the cash on Fire. However, once you're ready for Fire, jump in!