Tae Bo: Billy’s Boot Camp Elite Mission 2

Billy’s Boot Camp Elite Mission 2 is a very cool cardio + strength workout from Billy Blanks. It is definitely more advanced than Mission One. Mission 2 contains one 40 minute strength + cardio boxing workout and an 8 minute upper body strength bonus. I did Mission One a few days ago and noted that it wasn’t a terribly challenging workout. It was also more of a cardio conditioning workout. Well, Mission 2 really kicks it up a notch. You are using the Billy Bands for the entire workout. Billy Bands are resistance tubing with weighted handles (one pound) and loops for your feet. The first part of the workout is upper body focused. You alternate strength work using the Billy Bands with boxing moves. Then when you move to the lower body the moves are metabolic so they elevate your heart rate on their own, no cardio blasts needed. In Mission One I noted that you have to wrap the bands around your hands to get proper tension for your upper body and that is still the case in Mission 2 but Billy has you doing higher reps so there is some serious burn. It really is a judgement call. I wrapped the band around my hands for some of the moves and for others the tension without wrapping was sufficient. I noticed several people in Billy’s class struggling to get full range of motion so their bands must have more tension than mine because I was able to get the full range of motion. Several people also had to take a few personal breaks to thaw their arms out for a rep or two. And I understand–some of the exercises burn! For the lower body, I commented in Mission One that I just didn’t feel enough tension with the bands when kicking. Billy fixed that problem in this workout. You put two bands on one foot for the lower body work–so you are doubling the resistance. Then the bands brought to the opposite hip where they are secured. Or you can do like me, raise the band handles higher and secure the bands at your shoulder. I got great resistance in my lower body doing that.

There is no stretch at the end of Mission 2 but there is a short upper body stretch at the end of the bonus. You can chose to play just Mission 2, just the bonus or both workouts combined. If you do both workouts combined then Mission 2 plays first and you end with the bonus so you do get a short stretch. That is what I did but I also added on an additional longer stretch to the end–the stretch at the end of Cathe‘s Rockout Knockout. That one is great for your upper body and this workout hits your upper body hard.

I have 2 nitpicks about this workout. One has nothing to do with Billy or this workout specifically. I frequently have a problem with resistance band workouts making my neck ache during the workout and this was no exception. It is probably my own fault–I am sure I am tightening up those muscles and straining them but I honestly can’t seem to fix that problem during the workouts. Especially with some of the challenging upper body strength moves in this workout–I was definitely straining my neck. The other nitpick is that I really expected the Billy Bands to be used more for the cardio boxing but when you actually throw punches, you put the bands on the floor. In the future I can just continue holding my bands for the cardio boxing intervals but having not done this workout before I didn’t know if there was a reason we were setting the bands down. In the future I will just hold onto my bands throughout. Billy says he has you set the bands down for the boxing to let your arms thaw and I understand that but I think the boxing moves thaw them sufficiently even with resistance.

Finally, like Mission One there isn’t a lot of impact. Like Mission One this workout has some jumping jacks and squat thrusts. This workout also has some butt kick runs and high knee runs but that is only one short interval. There is not a lot of these impact moves so you can modify all of them to a low impact version if you want and it shouldn’t really impact your workout much. 95% of this workout has zero impact.

**Update: I just discovered some bands that are compatible with the bands that came with these bootcamp workouts on Amazon.

Mission 2 is 43:30 minutes (but the actual workout is only 40 minutes); 1:20 second intro; 3 minute warm up, no stretch. The last 2:30 minutes is Billy’s inspirational message–so if you decided to listen to him then stretch yourself out while listening. This workout starts with your Billy Bands already on your feet. The class behind Billy is already stepping forward and back holding the band handles at shoulders while Billy talks. But once the warm up starts, you set the handles on the floor (you keep the straps on your feet). Once the warm up is over, pick up the Billy Band handles again. As mentioned above, for first part of this workout you are alternating upper body strength work using the bands with boxing intervals. During the boxing intervals you set the bands on the floor. I need some resistance during cardio boxing so I also had one pound weights on the floor that I picked up when we put the bands on the floor, but in the future I will just continue to hold the band handles for the boxing intervals.

1. Upright rows with legs wide; hold isometrically at top of row
2. Extend arms out straight to sides, bring arms straight in front of you then open them
3. Place handles on floor and do alternating front jabs; changes to alternating upper cuts
4. Speed bag arms
5. Pick up handles again and do bicep curls; pulse at top of curl
6. Stand with legs wide and slightly bent, do overhead presses
7. Goal post arm chest flys
8. Place handles on the floor, hold arms in guard and rotate torso side to side
9. Alternating front jabs; changes to alternating upper cuts
10. Speed bag arms
11. Pick up handles again, lower into partial squat, do double arm bent arm side raises while tapping one leg out to side
12. Hinge forward and do single arm tricep kickbacks
13. Place handles on floor and do alternating upper cuts
14. Speed bag arms
15. Repeat #11 but tap other leg out to side
16. Legs wide, lower into a partial squat, raise arms out to sides, elbows bent and hold arms isometrically at shoulder level; keeping arms raised to shoulder level, extend then bend the elbows working the triceps (arms do not move from shoulder to elbow)
17. Place handles on floor and do alternating upper cuts
18. Speed bag arms
19. Pick up bands again and stand with legs wide, lowered into a partial squat, raise arms overhead and do overhead tricep extensions
20. Legs still wide, still in partial squat, raise arms in front of you at shoulder level, elbows bent so hands/handles are aimed at ceiling, push arms up toward ceiling, keeping elbows bent
21. Legs still wide, still in partial squat, rest one elbow on bent knee, extend other arm out to side keeping arm straight from shoulder to elbow, bend and straighten elbow, extending arm straight to side when elbow is straight
22. Place handles on floor and do alternating upper cuts
23. Pick up handles, cross bands and hold a handle/weight in each hand, squat, place hands/handles on floor, jump feet back to plank, jump feet back into squat, stand and do an overhead press
24. Uncross bands, still holding a handle in each hand, do a jump rope move
25. Stand with legs a little wider than hip width and do jumping jack arms; add legs and do full jumping jacks
26. Set handles on floor and do alternating front jabs
27. Pick up handles again, stand with legs wide, reach one hand/handle from opposite hip to overhead on a diagonal (like drawing a sword)
28. Repeat #27 on other arm
29. Repeat #27 but do both arms together at same time
30. Place handles on floor, hold arms in guard and rotate torso side to side; raise arms to shoulder level, elbows extended to sides and fists held together in front of chest, continue rotating torso side to side
31. Loop both bands around one foot, keep handles together and bring them around behind your back, hold both handles together against waist, do side kicks with leg that has both bands looped around foot; hold leg extended out to side isometrically
32. Repeat #31 on same leg but add a wide sumo squat after the kick; do it faster and squat becomes a tap
33. Balance on one leg, raise leg with bands looped on foot out to side, bend and straighten knee
34. Bands are still the same as they are in #31, foot with bands looped around foot does a heel dig forward and tap back while punching same side arm forward and back (other arm is holding handles against waist)
35. Repeat #31 & 33 & 34 on other leg
36. Repeat fast part of #32
37. Place one loop around each foot again, hold handles at shoulders, butt kick run; changes to high knee run
38. Cross bands and secure handles at waist, hinge torso forward and do back kicks; extend leg straight (still hinged over) and do straight leg raises behind you
39. Repeat #38 on other leg
40. Bands still in same position as #38, but torso is upright do alternating front kicks
41. Stand with legs wide, lower into a squat, raise arms into goal post and hold this position isometrically; on Billy’s cue, raise and lower the band 2 inches up or down; arms still at shoulder level, elbows still bent, bring arms in front of you and hold isometrically; on Billy’s cue, open or close arms 2 inches; arms still held isometrically at shoulder level, rotate hands down so fists are facing each other and hold isometrically; rotate arms again so fists face ceiling and hold isometrically

Bonus Workout is 9:30 minutes. The first 7:45 minutes is strength work. You stretch for one minute. The final 50 seconds is Shellie giving you inspirational words and the credits. This workout starts with Billy and his daughter, Shellie, already doing fast bicep curls. Shellie is using 5 pound dumbbells and Billy is using 8 pound dumbbells. I used 5, 8 and 10 pound dumbbells. You cannot use heavy dumbbells for most of the exercises due to the brisk tempo. Plus, I did this bonus after Mission 2 so my shoulders were already fried. The dumbbell weights listed below are what I used for each exercise.

1. Fast bicep curls (5# DBs)
2. Upright rows (5# DBs)
3. Hold DBs in front of you palms facing ceiling and ends of DBs touching, arc DBs out to sides to overhead, tapping ends of DBs together again (5# DBs)
4. Deadlift squat, reaching DBs to floor and when you stand, do an overhead press (5# DBs)
5. In split stance, hinge forward, do a single arm row alternated with a delt fly (8# DBs)
6. Regular bicep curls alternated with wide bicep curls (8# DBs)
7. Stand with legs wide in partial squat, pull elbows back holding DBs close to waist, keeping elbows bent push arms up from waist to just above forehead level (8# DBs)
8. Squats holding DBs on shoulders; hold isometrically at bottom of squat and pulse (10# DBs)
9. Overhead tricep extension (French press) (8# DBs)
10. Standing goal post chest fly (when bringing DBs in front of body, rotate wrists so palms are facing your face) (5# DBs)
11. In split stance, slightly hinged forward, do large single arm shoulder circles, keeping arm straight (still holding DB) (5$ DBs)
12. Super curls (legs together, knees slightly bent, keep elbows close to sides and DBs in front of thighs, do fast alternating bicep curls) (5# DBs)
13. Holding ends of DBs, extend arms overhead, elbows are bent, bring elbows together in front of face then open arms again, keeping arms extended overhead the entire time (5#DBs)