70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is hip-hop, September 8, 2004
I just want people to know that this is a hip-hop workout and difficult for some of us due to all the jumps, twists, and general joint-popping. I would have liked to have known that before I ordered it.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This one awakened the dormant dancer in me. . ., April 12, 2001
Paula Abdul--choreographer to the stars--and two of her colleagues lead a workout which will challenge your feet and leave you sweating. As far as I know, she's not a certified aerobics instructor, but she had Karen Voight serve as Fitness Consultant for this video, and that was good enough for me. She's taught dance routines for years. Much of what she did for George Michael, Janet Jackson, and the guys from ZZTop probably involved getting them to relax and not worry over how goofy they felt when they couldn't get the steps the first time around. She does spend some time talking about that before you begin this routine. In the words of the customer service experts, she practiced good expectations management there. So I wasn't surprised or disappointed that I couldn't get it all the first time, either. Heck, I like a challenge!
You can't do this if you're sleepy. I've never tried it at 5:00am. To me, it's more of a "let's dance and have a party" routine, and one I want to be fully awake for. And there are no modifications given for those who want or need a gentler routine. But this is an intermediate program, after all. I've found that if I didin't snap my neck all the way around, bend my knees too deeply, or jump--just raise my arms toward the ceiling and go up on my toes--then I was all right. I'd also encourage folks who want to keep their heart rate up to use a full range of motion dring the "teaching" segments of the routine and really lift their knees up during the "march-it-outs." I found that even the "YMCA cooldown" (which is really goofy but fun, anyway!) can be aerobic if I made my moves bigger. If this sounds like too much work, then pick up a Kathy Smith or Donna Richardson video, practice the low-impact modifiers they teach, and come back to Paula's program later!
Having given those caveats, I still think this is a great, fun, inspiring workout. Paula is beautiful and she's passionate about dancing. This tape is her way of making some of that accessible to the masses. You've gotta love her for that! One exerciser is 42, another is 50--so it's not all 20-somethings. I knew going in that it would take consistent practice to master the dance steps. After a month, I had most of them learned, and abandoned my "modifications" to really go for it. I'm also glad to see an aerobics tape which includes abdominal floor work after the cooldown. If I do ab stuff even a little bit following an all-out cardio routine, my back usually benefits from the stretching and muscle work, too. The most important things are to not get discouraged if you can't get all the steps down in a week or two, and as Paula says, "don't give up" and "have a great time!" I didn't and I did. Hope that's true for you, too!
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Paula Abdul's Get Up and Dance, April 16, 2000
I think this video can be really awesome, alot of fun and a fantastic workout. I agree with a few other people's reviews. I went through the tape once and could not follow it. Its a workout that you definitely need to learn in steps. That's what I am doing now. Even though I could not follow Paula's steps when I tried it the first time, it still gave me a workout with sweating. I wanted to continue and learn the steps all at once but I knew I wouldn't be able to get up tomorrow morning. So I will gradually learn it and I am sure in time I will be able to follow her all the way. I really love dancing so I know I will love it when I can do all of it. In my opinion if you don't like dancing, this isn't the tape for you. Its fun and very challenging. I do believe though the people in the video are either professional dancers or they spents hours learning the steps in this video. You cannot learn it in a one shot deal. But I would say if you love to dance, love aerobics then this is definitely the workout for you. Thank you for letting me express my feelings about this video.
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