Hip Hop Abs DVD Review: Get a Lean Stomach Without Crunches!

by Natalie Belford

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I have many yoga dvds but I needed to do more cardio. For me a good exercise DVD has to have a good instructor, manageable segments, and something fun. Regular aerobic dvds bored me to tears. Then I saw an infomercial for Hip Hop Abs and thought it’d be a good all around workout to get you moving, break a sweat, and have fun at the same time.

I found the Hip Hop Abs workout to be fun, although not very challenging. I couldn’t believe how fast their feet were moving! After 3 times through one long workout, I can pretty much keep up and do all the dance moves.

I love working my abs but I needed some more cardio in my life! These workouts are incredibly effective, they worked my core in all new ways, and got my heartrate up for a nice calorie burn. The greatest thing about all these workouts is Shaun T himself (the instructor in the DVDs).

His instructions are clear and easy-to-follow, his encouragement doesn’t feel contrived, and he very clearly enjoys his work. He sure makes me laugh and enjoy myself! No workout can be effective if you don’t want to do it, but Shaun T keeps me coming back for more.

When he remarks on a song, you know he hears what you hear so they are on beat. He allows breaks in between the standing moves with step touches or bouncing to the beat, or on the floor work he allows you not to move for a few seconds saying how tired he is (this is too easy for him to be winded.)

Each section you can decide if you want the music much louder drowning out Shawn’s or hear his voice w/music like most workouts. The production quality in everything is great, lighting, camera angles, editing, sound quality, etc. except the music.

I’ve got to say my favorite feature is the countdown bar. Not only does it countdown the entire workout, but each section as well. I find this very helpful as many a time, I’ve just given up in the middle of a tape with no idea how much was left. But having a constant reminder that there’s only x minutes left is great incentive. I also like that each workout is about a half hour.

hip hop abs dvd review

It’s Not Really Hip-Hop..And How it Could be Better

One glaring problem. The music on these DVDs is pop music. A hip hop artist would be shot if he came out of the gate with the music on this DVD.

Anyway, even though the music was not as upbeat as I thought it would be, I kept the program and proceeded to do the exercises.

There are also several commercials on each disk, described as “Special Features,” and there are only three exercise routines on the two disks that would easily fit onto one.

The workout has moments where your heart rate accelerates but unfortunately is not intense enough to keep it up there. There are so many intervals where you are just shuffling around, I had to do jumping jacks on the spot to keep my heart rate up.

Final Verdict: Maybe worth a try

Although the Ab workouts are effective, please note that achieving low body fat will most likely require significant dietary change. This is needed because poor eating habits can easily counteract the effects of a brisk workout. For instance, one large hamburger, consumed in 10 minutes, totally negates the benefit of a very long workout.

Having said all this, I found the Hip Hop workouts fun. I expected to dance more and get a really good workout. My abs weren’t that sore the next day. For those who want a “starter” work-out video and enjoy the art of dance, this is for you.

For the beginner who hates to exercise, this is an excellent starting point but if you’re advanced you might want to try other DVDs with more challenging cardio.

Click Here to Buy Hip Hop Abs from Amazon.com