34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Alternative!, March 11, 2004
This review is from: Lotte Berk Method For Beginners - Hip Hugger Abs (DVD)
I am a dancer turned teacher, therefore, I have been doing situps and ab strengthening exercises for a long time. This video (if done with correct positioning) will give you great results. Be aware you most likely won't feel a burn like you will after a hundred crunches. These exercises are designed to FLATTEN your stomach, where most of the crunches and situps people do build muscles that bulge out. Stay consistent and you will be extrememly pleased with the results.
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
lotte berk method for beginners, August 16, 2003
This review is from: Lotte Berk Method For Beginners - Hip Hugger Abs (DVD)
Out of all the workout DVDs that I own this is the one that I enjoy best and that gets me the results I want. It includes yoga poses and uses pilates. There are three instructors at all time which is better than just having one or eight! One of them demonstrates the beginner stage, the one who's instructing you demonstrates the intermediate and the other one shows the advanced level. The instructor reminds you throughout the DVD how to hold yourself, reminding you of how to place your neck properly, to hold in your abdominals which is very useful since if you're like me you'll tend to forget. I have the complete lotte berk workout, my favorites are 'hip hugger abs' and 'muscle eats fat'. You'll feel very relaxed and good with yourself and stronger after doing these workouts. I highly recommend this.
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Small, isolated movements target the abdominal area, March 15, 2005
This review is from: Lotte Berk Method For Beginners - Hip Hugger Abs (DVD)
The Lotte Berk Method is a form of exercise developed by Russian dancer Lotte Berk and brought to America by Lydia Bach. Drawing from dance and other similar disciplines, many of the exercises require the use of a ballet barre, and the focus is on making small, precise movements to facilitate the development of long, lean muscles. Unlike the other videos in this series, however, the movements in Hip Hugger Abs, which work the abdominal area, are performed entirely on the floor without the use of a barre.
Like all of the Lotte Berk videos, this workout begins with high knee lifts to warm up. Instructor Suzanne Cook leads two other Lotte Berk instructors, one of whom shows modifications. Also included in the warm up are push-ups: 2 sets of 10 on your knees, and then 2 sets of 10 "reverse" push-ups, performed with your hands behind you and your chest up to switch the work to the triceps. After the warm up, the workout moves to the floor. Starting in a seated position with your knees bent, you lean back, tilting your pelvis, pulling in your abdominals, and holding a sort of isometric contraction. You perform several repetitions and also several variations, such as holding one leg in the air. By the end of this segment, I could definitely feel my abs working!
Next comes a series of Pilates inspired movements. Beginning on your back, you lift your bent legs in the air and dip your toes to the ground; you then perform the same movement with straight legs. Moving on to your side, you do a single set of side leg lifts, and to finish, it's on to your stomach for a few brief holds of elbow plank. Although all of the above are effective movements, I don't think that enough time was devoted to the individual exercises, and I didn't feel very worked out after this segment. The workout ends as all the LBM videos do with a "Shape by Stretch" section in which you perform several different stretches to finish at a total of 26 1/2 minutes. While there are certainly some merits to this video, better abs and Pilates workouts are available.
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