People are hot for Turbo Jam!

I haven't seen this much anticipation for a Beachbody product since we launched P90X -- and P90X had two years of behind the scenes build-up to create the buzz.

Ever since word got out to the hardcore aerobics and video fitness set that we were producing a line of videos with Chalene Johnson, my email box has had at least ten requests a day for the product details, launch date, etc. So, this is it - the official pre-launch notice... Monday Aug 15th the site goes live to take orders for Turbo Jam.

In case you wouldn't know a Turbo Jam from a traffic jam... Here's the "skinny":

A year ago we were contacted by Tony Kerry, a great guy who is part of the management at Script To Screen, one of the leading infomercial production companies in the universe who produced our Kathy Smith and Yoga Booty Ballet shows. His wife was taking classes called "Turbo Kick" from a spark plug of a woman named Chalene Johnson, and he thought it had potential as an infomercial. Chalene wanted to turn her popular combination of kick-boxing, dance, and meticulously remixed music, into a comprehensive video program to be sold on TV. I think Beachbody was one of four on the list of prospective partners. They sent me a package of material to look through in order to consider it. The key in the presentation was a blue binder that was a real page turner; over fifty of the most impressive before and after photos and success stories I've read from any fitness system - ever. People who had lost 30, 50, 80, and over 100 pounds were gushing about this mix of music and movement, and in particular their devotion to the program's creator, Chalene. And when I popped a VHS tape of Chalene demonstrating some moves, I knew there was something special there.


Let me put it this way; if you combined Kelly Ripa with a ripped fly girl and Billy Blanks and turned that combination "up to 11", you'd be getting close to Chalene's enthusiasm, infectious rhythm, and crisp delivery of moves... A natural for video. We set up the meeting to discuss turning her Turbo Kick success into a program called "Turbo Jam".

We loved Chalene at first sight. I think she liked us (she says it was because we wear jeans at the office). But she still had other companies to visit - including some that absolutely did NOT want to see Beachbody get this one. A month or so into the discussions, I could sense things getting off track. One of the competitors was promising a big budget for music and the same director that launched Richard Simmons into infomercial megafame. All I could do was play it straight and let the chips fall where they may. So I promised Chalene my next born child. (Kidding!) Actually, I promised Chalene that we would do our best to live up to licensing and creating the quality of music that sets Turbo apart from everything else, and assured her that when it comes to focus on the fitness and weight loss market, no one was going to pay as close attention as Beachbody. Making Turbo achieve her vision is a real priority - because her vision is incredible. Ultimately, I think it was a close decision, but my "next born" promise sealed the deal. Chalene committed to Beachbody, and we committed to create a program with her that would be as addicting as her live classes.

And here we are... The team nailed it. This is going to be a monster. We broke the bank on music, licensing awesome popular music like "Blame it on the Boogie", "Baby Got Back", "The Roof is on Fire", "Mama Said Knock You Out", "Busta Move",and a bunch of others. On top of that, Chalene is the ultimate perfectionist - she remixed everything in marathon recording sessions so that every key move in Turbo Jam has an accent; every burst of intensity has a driving beat. It's like, perfect.

But it's not all about fun and music (or is it?). It's also about results -- We were so impressed with the weight loss results of the test groups we did to validate the product (like, over ten pounds in ten days. Yes. Truly.) that we commissioned a university study to compare the calorie expenditure from an hour of Turbo Jam to other activities. Check it out: Walking = 343, Pilates = 445, Running = 537... and Turbo Jam came in at a whopping 705 calories an hour. Some people in the test group even topped 1,000 calories in an hour! That's like burning off a quarter pounder and fries from one workout! Like I said, this is gonna be a monster.

So if you're one of the couple hundred people who have been emailing me, asking "when! when! when!", ask no more... Monday Aug 15th, the next sensation in Beachbody fitness get unleashed. Prepare to have fun. Prepare to get fit. Prepare to go Turbo!