Dance your way to Hip Hop Abs
Need some fitness motivation? “Hip Hop Abs” feels a lot less like work and a lot more like fun. (Beachbody)
By Lesley Kennedy
Here’s the downside of working out: It can be really hard to get motivated to get out of bed early before work. It can take a really long time to see results. The treadmill/stair climber/elliptical/insert-gym-machine-here can get really monotonous. Crunches are really no fun at all.
But once you’re up and at it, it’s pretty much always worth it. You have to accept Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was Gwen Stefaini’s enviable midriff. You totally don’t have to confine your routine to a gym machine. You can whittle your middle without ever doing a traditional crunch.
So, are you ready for a routine that actually makes exercise fun? It’s time to check out Hip Hop Abs.
You’ve seen the ads on TV: Beachbody’s Hip Hop Abs is an at-home program, consisting of DVD workouts that pump up your heart, tighten your tummy and put a smile on your face. (If you missed the spots, check out this video.)
Led by the fab choreographer/trainer Shaun T. (who also leads other great Beachbody workouts including Rockin’ Body, Insanity and Focus T25), there’s Fat Burning Cardio, a 30-minute hip hop aerobic routine that’s seriously over before you know it; Ab Sculpt, 25 minutes of moves that include absolutely zero crunches; and Total Body Burn, a 45-minute cardio/body sculpting workout that burns fat, but feels more like a night at the club.
As a bonus, you also get Hips, Buns and Thighs, a 25-minute routine that tones up those trouble areas in a jiffy; Hip Hop Groove, a fun 45-minute dance workout; Last Minute Abs and Buns, only five minutes, but intense; and more.
Also included is a nutrition guide to get your diet on track, a 30-day workout calendar and a measurement card and tape measure. If you’re a person who loves to literally cross to-do items off your list, you’ll especially appreciate the calendar. (OK, maybe that’s just me.)
Now, before you say, “But, I can barely walk, let alone pick up hip hop choreography,” you must know I felt the same way. Sure, I can jump in on a conga line at a wedding, and, after a few cocktails might even be prodded to awkwardly sway side-to-side with my friends on the dance floor, but let’s just say So Think You Can Dance will never come calling. Here’s the thing about Hip Hop Abs. It doesn’t matter.
The routines are simple enough for this married mother of two to easily pick up and just when you start thinking, “this doesn’t really feel like a workout,” you find you actually are dripping with sweat. While I certainly keep the blinds drawn while doing the DVDs (I’m not that crazy), my kids actually ask to join in on the fun, er, workout. In fact, my 8-year-old does many of the moves from Fat Burning Cardio all day long. And my 6-year-old loves Shaun T. so much, she has taken to telling people he is her boyfriend.
So, if you’re looking for a new routine that doesn’t take up a ton of time, works you out and is so much fun you actually look forward to it, give Hip Hop Abs a whirl. And when it’s marked down from $79.85 to just $19.95 for a limited time? Well, what are you waiting for? The dance floor awaits.
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