Fit: Alive and Still Kicking

BILLY BLANKS, 52, has punched his way into virtually every living room in America, selling more than $1 billion of his popular workout tools. But the Tae Bo creator isn't ready to put his feet up any time soon — unless he's kicking high into the air as part of a cardio burst. He's just relocated his California studio, taken Japan by storm and has fans raving about his Amplifier, a 3-pound weighted bar that makes his blend of martial arts, dance and calisthenics even tougher.

» EXPRESS: How do you stay in shape?
» BLANKS: I like to swim, and I like to lift weights, but I don't get to do it much because I'm always teaching. I love to go outside, so I take my whole boot camp team and we climb mountains and go to the beach. We do a lot of Tae Bo in the water.

» EXPRESS: How do you come up with new moves?
» BLANKS: You start dreaming about stuff. With the Amplifier, I was just thinking of steel pipe with rubber in the middle, and I started with that myself at first. Then I took pieces of PVC piping, weighted them and put gravel in them. I made 25 and brought them to my studio.

» EXPRESS: What do your fans ask for?
»: BLANKS: They ask me if I can talk more. The exercises are great, but anybody can kick and punch. I motivate them to get up. We're all fighting a good fight, and you might as well smile while you're going through it.

» EXPRESS: You're popular with the military, right?
» BLANKS: I've been to Iraq, Macedonia, Afghanistan. We bring a part of home to them. They have PT in the morning, and we make it fun for them. We use music with their PT class. It gets their mind off what they have to do.

» EXPRESS: And you're also big with moms?
» BLANKS: I love when fathers, moms and kids are doing it together. They learn how to work as a team, and they're teaching each other and communicating. If we could get 80 world leaders in one room and get them physically exhausted, it would fix many problems.

» EXPRESS: Do you have favorite moves?
» BLANKS: I like to kick, and the punches burn a lot of calories. I like it all. If I could only do one thing, it's the roundhouse kick. It works the stomach, butt and quads.

» EXPRESS: I understand you're very involved in the music, as well.
» BLANKS: If you find a good beat, you can get people empowered. I'm in my studio making music every night. I have a top five song in Japan right now called "Boom Boom Wonderland." It's about animals. They're in the forest and they're out of shape. My daughter is a half-human/half-squirrel and she calls me to help. I start training these animals. There's a bird who couldn't fly because he was too out of shape. Then they're all smiling. I believe if you release it over here, kids will love it.

» EXPRESS: Why is music so important to exercise?
» BLANKS: I think music can inspire you a lot. Think about the theme song from "Rocky." When I left the theater, I left my car in the parking lot and ran all the way home. That's what I like about music. It can help during a workout, too. I say, "Go deep like the bass is. Give me the boom-boom." It energizes you. It makes you really want to go.