Customer Reviews

CosmoGirl! - Get Fit and Fab with Jillian Michaels

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Length:: 2:44 Mins

The workout has 8 girls who can all dance well: hip hop, pop & locks, break dance & krump which they show off well at the end the workout for 3 min taking turns.
This is set in like a gym of a school, or dance class room with windows behind & wood floor. The production is great, good sound, lighting, angles with close ups only when needed & not on girl's stomachs though none are showing too much skin which is also good. The feel of the workout is that they did the entire 30 min w/o any stopping of video or at least tried to which gives a better flow & a good feeling of being there yourself & not taking a break yourself. During the teaching & practicing sections of the routine you'll learn as you go is a semi decent beat "music" that is a bit too low in volume, way too slow in speed & is definitely looped after only a min, which got on my nerves & wasn't much better then nothing at all & no music is bad as well.
Jillian leads the intro & introduces them, but admits she can't dance & was taught for a few weeks by a couple of them. It's great she admits this & lets two of the girls demonstrate the new moves as she gives out the verbal cues. She does this well, she actually calls out, "left foot out, right arm to the side..." unlike most dance routine videos that only have counting. She always counts to 8 before starting any section or starting from the top which got on my nerves, 3-2-1 is fine enough. Now considering the above, when teaching a new step, if one of the girls doesn't jump into the last move shown fast enough, she practically yells at them, then laughs it off like she's playing. Jillian still lets her ego get in the way & takes away from the great energy of the workout. Kind of like Kathy Smith.
Pros:
production, good cuing of what body parts to move as taught, the great energy of the girls, great talent of the girls, soome of the moves.
Cons:
Jillian's ego, they should teach in slow motion flowing, not fast, stop, fast stop, needs more complex moves or different moves, some were great, others I didn't like at all, more practice more often after a few steps before moving on even then this even though better then other dance routine videos, very looped basic beat music that feels slow so doesn't inspire you to want to dance more.

I'll admit hip hop isn't my favorite & I'm more at ease/natural with latin, hula & belly dancing.
Overall I'd say definitely worth a rental, try online rental, or your library first. The moves aren't THAT hard, definitely easier compared to most hip hop dance routines. The girls are great, I hope they make another one w/o Jillian & with more practice before a new move is taught, more like aerobic PACE w/o watering down the move like aerobics workouts do.
More video clips on Youtube.

Starring Jillian Michaels of Biggest Loser fame-- and aimed towards teenagers-- "CosmoGirl! - Get Fit and Fab" is a cardio workout vid in which viewers are taught to dance in a hip hop style.

On the whole, I liked the casual, laid back, and fun atmosphere of the video; it felt less like an exercise video than a dance class. I also liked the fact that it was teaching you a genuine choreographed routine, as opposed to some videos that are really just aerobics moves with some dance moves thrown in.

In spite of its strengths, I found a few problems that knocked it down from a 5 star to a 3. First problem: learning curve. Like I said, the cardio workout teaches you a fully choreagraphed routine. It does this by going through it step by step. First, you're introduced a move in half time, then asked to practice it 2 or 3 times at actual speed. That's all well and good, but sometimes some of the more complicated dance moves are rushed through before you have a chance to really get them. As a result, there's a steep learning curve on this video. You might have to view it at least 3-4 times before getting your footing and even then it might be another 2 viewings before you can actually keep pace with anyone and have it all memorized down pat.

Another problem was the pacing and intensity of the workout. Basically, when you're taught the routine, you're not just performing each new move at least 3 times; every so often you're restarting the routine "from the top"-- and you're doing all of this without a single break. Then right after you're taught all the moves, you're immediately asked to perform the routine from start to finish for something like 4 times in a row. As if that wasn't bad enough, the pacing of it all is extremely fast. Between the lack of breaks and fast pacing, you'll be sweating profusely and gasping for air halfway through the video.

One last problem I had with this video was the "exuberance" of the dancers. Many times Michaels would have you practice a new move from the position of the one you'd just learnt. Unfortunately, whenever she'd count down sometimes some of the girls would start showboating, strutting, and vamping for the camera instead of positioning themselves. This made learning the routine confusing at times. After all, it's very hard to remember what position to start from when practicing a new move, if all the dancers aren't taking up that position to begin with because they're too busy ogling the camera.

So all in all, this video was a mixed bag for me. On one hand, it offers a genuine dance routine with the right kind of atmosphere to motivate and inspire. On the other hand, it has a steep learning curve, can be confusing at times, and a little bit too physically challenging. I wouldn't totally pass on it, though. My suggestion is to rent this video first and if you like it enough to buy it, to keep that pause button ready when things get too intense.

I loved this video, I happened to be in Wal-Mart and came across this video and I love hip hop, I know it sounds funny coming from a 26 yr old SAHM of 3 kids............LOL, my husband had doubt that I would do it more than once, but the workout is so much fun that I look forward to doing it, I have lost weight and inches and feel great about my self. Thank you Jullian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, this isn't the best workout video ever, but for the price, it's definitely worth it, at least for teens.

To start, the whole DVD is pretty nice because it's broken up into four sections: Get Real (a body image Q&A between Jillian and six teenage girls), Get Fit (a discussion about nutrition between the same girls), Get Fab (the workout section of the DVD), and Get More (some quick fitness and nutrition tips and a talk between Jillian and Susan Schultz, CosmoGirl! editor). The three non-workout sections are nice to watch the first time because they do give some good tips and some insight into dealing with the problems that a lot of teen girls do face concerning body image, being healthy, etc.

The important part of this DVD though is the workout. As the other reviewers stated, it is a cardio hip-hop routine and the moves are taught at a fairly fast pace. This is because if they were taught and run through any slower, by the third or fourth time of doing this video, one would get incredibly bored with the routine and it would no longer give an efficient workout. Now, if you have a dance background in hip-hop or even something like jazz, you should be fairly okay. It's always a little hard to pick up on at first, but the routine is simple, and the more times you do it, the easier it will become. I did hip-hop/jazz dance for about three years and was able to follow pretty well. The biggest difficulty to overcome, as with all dance instruction videos, is the fact that the dancers are shown doing the moves opposite of you since you are facing them. Once again, a dance background will help a lot in picking up on the moves even though this is a slight hinderince. The workout is a half hour long with about ten minutes for the warm-up. Make sure you don't skip through the warm-up; it really is essential once you get into doing the dance quickly. You don't want to throw something out of place. By the end of the workout I felt like I was getting a pretty good handle on the dance (this is my first time of doing the DVD) and I'd worked up a mild sweat.

In conclusion, this isn't the best fitness DVD in my collection, but it was fun and I felt that it gave me a workout. I would recommend it for any teen girl, especially dancers, because it actually gives a dance routine that is easy to follow if that is your thing.

This is a DVD that every teen girl should have and every parent should watch with their teens, especially girls. Jillian is like a big sister watching out for her little sisters. She talks and dances with young ladies who are encountering everyday life situations that teen girls have to live. She is so relatable. The young ladies are comfortable and open about how they feel and deal with life. Jillian gets them to open up and she gives sound advice. The most entertaining part is that Jillian dances. She really dances. She's not an expert and she allows the young ladies to teach her and the viewer. It is priceless! This DVD is wonderful and should be viewed by every teen girl and her parent! This a library must have.

I consider myself a decent hip hop dancer, but this video is extremely too difficult if you are not an experienced hip hop dancer. I was thrown off the entire video. It was a waste of money and will be returning it since I bought it at a CD Exchange. I wouldn't recommend it for over weight teens with little to no dancing skills. The video will just frustrate you and make you give up!

Overall rating: 1.0

This was a fun workout that makes you forget that you are excersising. And that's important for me since I'm not a fan of traditional workouts at all. You get to learn a cool dance routine that could be taken to the clubs as easily too. I do have to say that it is a bit challenging to learn. It takes several times watching the video to get it down. But that's why you have a pause and back up button on your remote. The extras on the DVD bring up some valid points that effect many women, not just teens. My only complaints are the looping music that gets pretty tedious and boring after awhile even if it does have a good beat. Also Jillian can get on your nerves with some of her mannerisms sometimes. I think she tries to fit in with the teens more than acting like the 32 year old woman that she is.

I've tried several different hip hop instructional DVDs and this was the first one I really GOT. Lots of fun, good instruction and interesting dance moves. It's also a really good cardio workout.

I love Jillian Michaels and hip hop, so I thought this would be a good combo. I haven't watched the entire dvd, but it's only because you need to learn the moves over and over, and I haven't taken the time to do that. For a teen just starting to exercise and needing a moral boost, this would be good for them. (Saving for my little girl when she gets older.)

The "Get Fab" part of the video is a little complicated. They don't show you the moves enough to get used to them. However, after a couple of times doing the workout, it gets alot easier. Overall, it is a good and fun workout.