Still catching his breath from an intense workout at Pepsi Center, Tae Bo founder Billy Blanks had newfound respect for the Denver Nuggets.

“They work for their money,” he said Thursday. “They do what they need to do to stay in shape.”

Blanks was in Denver to film the first-ever “team” episode of Celebrity Sweat, a motivational fitness program aimed at promoting the importance of exercise and wellness in the national fight against obesity.

The episode, hosted by Eric the Trainer, will be available for download for $11.99 starting Nov. 4. Of the proceeds, $4 of every download will go toward benefitting Denver-area youth programs as part of the NBA Cares initiative.

Blanks’ day started early as he joined Nuggets forwards Jordan Hamilton, Quincy Miller and Anthony Randolph for a morning conditioning workout at Red Rocks Amphitheater.

He later did circuit training on the Pepsi Center practice court and in the weight room under the guidance of strength and conditioning coach Steve Hess, who is entering his 16th season with the Nuggets.

“Most people think that all a basketball player does is shoot and dribble a basketball and run up and down the court,” Blanks said. “Steve, he’s an amazing coach. He gets these guys going through strength training, flexibility training, cardio training and aerobic training. He’s making them the total athlete.”

After a 20-minute workout with Nuggets center JaVale McGee, Blanks persevered through subsequent training sessions with forward Wilson Chandler, guard Evan Fournier and forward Kenneth Faried.

“Pretty impressive,” McGee said of his 58-year-old training partner. “What we do is a lot harder than people think.”

He got no argument from Blanks, a seven-time world karate champion and former Golden Gloves champion.

“I love the athletes who train and work out hard,” he said. “That takes a lot of discipline and a lot of focus. I have new respect for them.”

For more information about Blanks and Celebrity Sweat, visit Csweat.com.