Customer Reviews

HIP HOP ABS by Shaun T - Maximum Results Set - Level 2 - Fat Burning Cardio, Ab Sculpt, Total Body Burn

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Sean T. is very friendly, personable, confident, jokes around, is truly into dancing & wants to share it. He can be compared to Will Smith's personality. He's relaxed & actually talented & fluid when he dances. He really does everything slowly at first before going to temp & breaks most of the moves down. The workout portion he does all at once, no stopping/starting like most high end fitness videos & he talks with the dancers. He uses the same backup dancers for all the workouts & other portions. When he remarks on a song, you know he hears what you hear so they are on beat. He never let's you stop moving on these workouts, you can only go down to step touches w/standing ab crunches. 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 which I listed below.

Disk 1
FAT BURNING CARDIO - 43 min
This may have looped dance beat music, but I LOVE this workout. Why? It's 80% real dance moves! Hip Hop ab flexing, dip, stomping, frat step, dip side/side, double dutch, kick/knee, washing machine, etc. He even repeats some moves in a routine to keep you going. The only non dance moves were a little jumping jacks though he tries to add a little flava to it, hoping (though more side to side like hip hop) & simulated jump rope. THIS is how ALL his workouts should be.
AB SCULPT 2 - 32 min
The music is looped back beats, but not too bad, better then most fitness dvds. But very disappointed since they said real music in the tv ads. Most of this aerobics section is using weights or weighted gloves. There were about 5 real dance moves, the rest aerobics with a lot of emphasis on standing ab crunch types, knee lifts & kicks. This portion I'll admit made me sweat, though, as I've said, I don't like aerobics & was hoping for more dance moves like the tv advertisement. Mat Work (10 min) Easy plank on knees w/arm raises, then normal plank with 1 knee to chest, then 1 arm raised. Those were nice & challenging. The rest is easy, just sitting with feet on the ground & twists or arm raises weights. Ends with child's pose, sitting fwd bend, cobra, reclined kneed to chest spinal twist.

Disk 2
TOTAL BODY BURN - 45 min
Ok, after viewing now 7 of his cardio/toning workouts within a month (not counting the dance floor ones), I can definitely see a lot of repetition. Like the level 1 total body burn, this has a lot of free weight use, much more jumping jacks & simulated jump roping then all the others, plie/jump up in air, think some kicking & punching. I have to admit by now I was getting bored with seeing the same moves & FFWd a lot. There were a couple dance moves, but most were all done on his other dvds & like said, almost all done on Fat burning Cardio 2. The only new move that had was doing the butterfly with both arms & both legs at the same time with weights. That is a fun, old school move. Mat Work (10 min) the first 4 min are more dance step moves, one hard of touching you hand to ground & back up again. Suddenly you drop into push ups 8x, step touches in between, push ups, step touches, that ab "c" of sitting on your butt with knees bent & turning torso ( I find easy & do yoga boat pose instead).
Learn To Dance "Get abs or die trying" - 21 min
Club looking place w/lights & a dance floor (like the commercial), Shawn w/3 female & 1 male dancer showing a pretty stylish dance routine they teach you. He shows you the routine normal speed, then teaches the lower body 3-4x 1/3 speed, adds the upper body 3-4x 1/3 speed, then both at 1/3 speed 3-4x, then normal speed 3-4x. He doesn't count much at all, he gives you body cues of what to move & direction. When connecting the previous learned moves to the present moves, he will go slow 2x to help you connect them together. This is the best way to teach & I'm very happy he's teaching it that way. At the end, you only do it 4x in a row w/o stopping.
I tried to do this & I was completely lost even on the first set of about 5 moves (he taught about 5 moves in the level 1 as well but since beginner's were familiar I didn't have much of a problem). I wish he would only teach 1-2 moves depending on complexity about 2-3x 1/2 speed & 5x normal speed before moving. For moves such as these, it's needed. I will try this again sometime in the future.

Like I said in the Total Body burn, a lot of repetition & too much aerobics & not enough dance moves. All I want is dance moves that are repeated several times before moving on to keep the heart rate up. That's dance aerobics (though most unfortunately are watered down). Dance instruction is teach 1-2x 1/2 speed & normal speed 1-2x which I don't like. Not sure how long "Hip Hop Dance Party" has been out, but his "Rockin' Body" just came out this month & I hope they have that, but I'll wait for reviews before trying. If you're a beginner & can't stand not being able to keep up even though there's a modifier model, get the level 1. If you're a beginner & don't frustrate easy & want to save $, only get this. Intermediate & Advance, only get Level 2.

If you don't know what Hip Hop Abs looks/dounds like check clips on youtube or do a search on google videos, etc.

I just finished the first level and started Level 2. I'm 55 yrs and been doing Tania's routine. I've developed a much tighter abs, lost only a few pounds; however gained much needed muscle mass. I would definitely encourage people to try this and know they won't be disappointed. I'm even doing crunches while driving on cruise control. My posture has improved too. It's definitely a challenge but worth every tuck for tight abs I've gained.

I am so glad I found HIp Hops Abs - my friends laugh about the Tilt, Tuck, Tighten techniquie...but definitely notice the change in my physique and level of fitness since starting with Level 1 back in April. I've owned Level 2 since mid July and LOVE IT! Total Body Burn 2 is my personal fave...closest thing to a home-based bootcamp workout that I've found that can really kick your butt if you stay at Shaun's level of intensity. Ab Scuplt 2 definitely gets your abs burning, especially with all the plank work on the mat. And Fat Burning Cardio 2 is right behind Total Body Burn 2 in terms of really pushing you through a workout without the use of the weights or a mat. Also love the extended workouts on Total Body Burn and Fat Burning Cardio...one is 43 minutes, the other is 45 minutes...which is the perfect amount of time for a morning workout.

I love Hip Hop Abs Level 1, but I'd been doing it for nearly eight months and was ready to have some new routines. I know Level 1 backwards and forwards, so I was curious to see how Level 2 would measure up. Gladly, Shaun-T brought the goods!

Fat Burning Cardio Level 2 (43 minutes): Whereas there are only five main combinations in FBC Level 1, there are ten or so in Level 2, which means there's a wider variety of movement and muscle groups that get worked. The progression from one move to another also tends to be faster; in Level 1 Shaun starts with basic core movements, slowly incorporating arm and leg actions, only reaching the "put it together" at tempo after several minutes of build-up. Shaun jumps headfirst into most of the combinations in Level 2, which is no problem if you are familiar with Level 1 because a lot of the moves are similar. (If you haven't tried Level 1, however, you may be a little lost when he just tells you to go to into "Kick It," "Up Rock, "Get Busy," etc.) Not everything is the same, though: there are more difficult variations on Level 1 moves as well as several fun new ones like "Ghetto Stomp," "Booty Pop," and "Washing Machine" (my favorite!). He also incorporates some lower-body movements from Level 1 Total Body Burn and Ab Sculpt as well as Hips, Buns & Thighs. The sustained movement definitely gets you sweating, especially if you do the high-impact version.

Ab Sculpt Level 2 (32 minutes): I found that the key to getting a good burn with this workout is to use weights. The first time I tried it I didn't have weights, and the movements just felt slow and useless (and there's no "Flava" in this workout, which is my favorite part of Ab Sculpt 1). But when I tried this workout again after I'd invested in some 2-lb. weights, it was a whole different story: I suddenly felt the purpose of each movement, and man alive, my whole abdomen *and* my arms were burning like nobody's business. The cardio burn is not as intense as in the other two workouts, but I think overall the muscles in my middle and upper body got the best burn from this routine.

Total Body Burn Level 2 (45 minutes): TBB 2 is about the same length as TBB 1, the main difference being that there is only about five minutes of real mat work at the end of Level 2 as opposed to about ten in Level 1. This routine combines a lot of concentrated muscle workouts with intense cardio, though again most of the moves are just variations on exercises from other routines (there's even a section of the workout called "Cardio You Know"). Some people don't like the repetition of movements, but I think it's fantastic: since I already know the basic movements so well, I can concentrate on the new, harder twists Shaun puts on them.

As always, Shaun is super-energetic throughout the Level 2 workouts and makes each routine a blast. I hope he keeps new Hip Hop Abs workouts coming!

Amazing!!! I have volume one already and needed a little bit more so I got volume two. In this version he kicks things up a notch, but it is still fun. I look forward to doing it everyday (Monday through Friday) when my oldest son is in school and I have a minute to myself (when the baby is sleeping). My husband loves the fact that along with a better diet, Hip Hop Abs has helped me to lose those last ten pounds from having my youngest son almost two years ago.

One thing I would recommend is that you start with level one and work up. Also make sure you do the "secret to flat abs" portion in level one so that you make sure you are doing the moves correctly for an effective work out.

For the first time in three years, I am actually looking forward to bathing suit season.

Thanks, Shawn T.

I finally got back into working out.
This guy is tons of fun and will keep you entertained. Music is pretty good too!
The workout routines are just enough. Works up a good sweat and get plenty of ab work. The videos aren't too long -which is great for beginners and for people with limited time. Not too strenuous which works for my bad knee.
Its best if you have more room so you can get busy with the workout & have fun with it. But if you have a small space, you can pretty much work with it too.
Order and get ready to have fun. You'll be in shape before you know it!

THIS IS THE MOST EXHILERATING FUN WORKOUT I HAVE EVER DONE. ITS LIKE IM NOT EVEN WORKING OUT, IM DANCING AND HAVING FUN WITH IT. IF YOU WANT TO GET AND SHAPE AND HAVE FUN WHILE YOU DO IT PURCHASE THIS DVD. I GURANTEE IT WILL CHALLENGE YOU AND ALLOW YOU TO LEARN HOW TO DANCE. YOU WILL BE FIT AND GROOVING. GET YOUR 6-PACK SOONER WITH SHAUN-T. I LOVE IT!

This is a fun and challenging workout. I love the music and dancing; it keeps you motivated and excited to workout. This keeps my interest because it's more like a dance class; it's not like those other boring workouts. This is definitely a favorite of mine. I will purchase Shaun T's other dvds.

I am a 52-year old teacher and I am SO glad I ordered the Level 2 version of Hip Hop Abs! After working with Level 1 for approximately 2 months, I decided it was time to push myself more during my workouts. I was already seeing good results in my midsection after the 2 months but felt that my level of intensity needed to be higher as I became in better shape. Little did I know that the Level 2 version of Hip Hop Abs would be so much more intense! I love it! The longer sessions and the nonstop activity make for great cardio. The repeated use of weights in the Body Sculpting sessions is "spot on." As an older man who loves to dance but has been very sedentary for a long time, this type of workout is a definite blessing! I no longer have to take blood pressure medicine and I have dropped a total of 40 pounds in 4 months. I'm glad to say my wife definitely appreciates the return of the body I had so many years ago.

Finally, a cardio workout that actual keeps my heart pumping and makes me break a sweat. This is one of the first cardio workouts that I come into contact with that keeps me in my (target heart rate) and I felt results the first time. I would not recommend this dvd to someone who has never worked out before or to someone who is extremely out of shape, because it is so highly intense, it may make an individual who has never worked out quit. This dvd is for people who work out on a regular basis and people who are looking for a real challenge. You have to honestly work your way up to this dvd. For beginners I would suggest any of Kathy Smith's workouts.