Hip Hop Abs DVD Workout

I had seen this on tv, and went to Amazon to see if there were reviews before deciding to purchase it. I purchased the set at a reasonable rate through Amazon, instead of going through the tv ad, which was overly expensive, in my view, for 2 exercise dvds. I received it a few days ago, and have tried each section.I find it a lot of fun, I do work up a sweat and get my heart rate up, and it definitely seems to really focus on the abs in the workouts and dance moves. I liked Shaun, found him to be energetic, fun, and willing to be playful and silly, which I appreciated. I also liked that he broke down the moves before going at a faster tempo, so it was easy to pick up. I found him to be an excellent teacher, and I liked his energy.Fat Burning Cardio is a dance-oriented workout, probably my favorite. The ab sculpt focuses a lot on the abs, also somewhat dance-y. The total body burn is more of a typical exercise workout than dance oriented, with focus on arms and lower body (some with weights) in addition to the ab work, you really work your whole body in that one. I personally would have liked that one to be more dance oriented as well, but it was a good workout and a good balance to the other two, makes sure I give some extra attention to the arms and buns/lower body whenever I do it. I would recommend watching "Secrets to Flat Abs" before the others, as gives specific tips to use when doing any of the workouts. The one drawback, in my opinion, was the music. It was pretty generic, and did not inspire me to want to get up and dance the way I had hoped it would. I love to dance in general, and that is one of the reasons I chose this, I am used to more fun music when dancing or exercising. I am thinking I may, once I have done all the workouts a few times and know them well, try muting the music and put on some of my own, and see if that helps. If Shaun is reading these reviews, I would love to see you redo these videos with some really fun, upbeat, energetic music that gets you more into the dancing. Oh, and one other thing I liked, he did a good warm-up and cool down on each of the workouts, which I appreciated. I am hoping to lose about 10 pounds (mostly around my middle) that I have managed to put on in my late 40's, even with keeping up with regular exercise and very healthy eating (the metabolism change as you age has seemed to kick in), I will update in a few months after using these workouts consistently to see if there is a real physical positive change as well. I think there will be, as the workouts do give a good cardio workout as well as seem to really focus intensely on the ab area.

I was really excited about this dvd. I packed on some college pounds and have only recently begun trying to get in better shape (toning and slimming) and am new to the world of exercise dvds. I tried at first to just sort of make up exercise-y things on my own but decided I needed some structure as I'm pretty lazy. I found running too monotonous and gym memberships too pricey. So I started turning to dvds I could do in the privacy of my own home whenever I wanted. I have a pilates dvd I like, but I needed to do more cardio. I looked for three things mainly. A good instructor, manageable segments, and something fun. I started out with regular aerobic dvds, which I hated since they bored me to tears. Then I tried tae bo since it looked like fun, didn't like that. Billy Blank's is sort of all over the place. Horrible cueing, uneven moves, off count, ugh. Then I saw an infomercial for this dvd and just knew it'd be a good all around workout to get you moving, get the heart pumping, break a sweat, and have fun at the same time. I definitely heeded warnings about going through the company, and wasn't about to pay 60 bucks anyway, so I came here.My main complaints with exercise dvds have been: annoyingly perky chicks, bad music, complicated moves, too long for a beginner, or just boring. I avoided all of those with this dvd. Shawn is a great teacher. He's really funny (and adorable) and makes the moves really simple before speeding up. 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. You can do one, or as many as you like and it's all very convenient for any busy schedule. Now, while I anxiously put in one workout the second I got it, I wanted to write a review after doing all of them.The first, fat burning cardio is my favorite. It's about 30min and the pace is really good for a beginner. The breaks are in all the right places and Shawn doesn't begin to throw in any difficult moves. There's a move breakdown on the dvd I accidentally ignored, but managed to keep up nonetheless and got it after one viewing. The more used to this routine I got, I began to pair this half hour workout with the 20 or so min. sculpt routine on the second disc (wish these two were on the same disc but that's ok). Then the last workout is a total body workout about 40min which really gets you sweating. Great all around content. Note, it may be helpful if you're physically able, to add light wrist weights to your workouts once you get the routines down. Nothing too heavy. But I really just love the production of these workouts. I also just bought TurboJam since they're by the same company and seem very similar in production style (including the countdown bar, dance atmosphere, and fun music). Can't wait to begin alternating these workouts with TJ workouts for a nice month of constant variety.

I am officially one week into this program and can already see and feel the results. I am just getting back into working out after a long lazy period and this was the perfect jump back in workout. The workout is easy to follow and has enough modifications for someone who is out of shape. I lost about 5-7 lbs the first week and I am thrilled. I did not loss any inches of my midsection in the first week however I did in my hips, thighs, chest and a little in my upper arms. That being said my stomach looks much firmer and I have less of a bloated gut look. For now it looks like my stomach is starting to get some definition and I can feel the new muscles throughout the day. I also have had less back pain when I am working. The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is the picture quality on these is bad. I almost returned it after I put it in thinking there was something wrong with them but they are all like that. They are worst in the beginning of each video and looks like it was recorded in the 80's. That being said it is still a great work out I just wish the quality of filming was better. I will try to update each week till I complete the course.Update: Finished the 30 days and I can see a huge difference would highly recommend. The only down side is the farther into the workout you get you start doing more than one DVD a day and it pushes up the amount of time you work out each day so by week 4 you work out about an hour.