Hip hop abs is a home DVD workout program, designed to tone your whole body with a special emphasis on your abdomen. Though it is marketed differently from other holistic workouts, it still offers an all-around improvement of your body. It is not just about core and abs, but rather thighs, legs and butt and an overall muscle definition.
Given the fact of how many comments our previous reviews generated, and how well-received they were overall, we decided to take another Beachbody workout program and put it under a lens, again. For readers to be well informed and able to make an honest judgment we knew we had to hire someone to help us; someone who – putting it mildly – is just as detailed and just as obsessed when jumping into a new exercise routine.
A close friend of ours and supporter of Lifestyle Updated from the beginning, Adriana took the challenge and pledged to complete Hip Hop abs from back to back, and then, in parallel to how we describe workouts, write the most detailed review of Hip Hop abs on the net.
Adriana, I leave them to you…
What is Hip Hop abs?
The Hip Hop Abs workouts last from 24-45 minutes and along with the slow-downs and stretching they are over in what seems as even less. The dance aspect of the program forces you to concentrate on the movements alone, and while other workouts know how to bore you down with repetitiveness, Hip Hop abs keeps you engaged and animated throughout. It’s an easier workout program compared to something like the new Insanity Max 30 workout, which is considerably harder. Read more about it in this Insanity Max 30 review.
It’s more comparable to the Cize workout by Shaun T.
You also get a 30 day workout calendar that is easy to follow and keeps you accountable, along with a nutrition guide that really came handy.
Oh, and as to further track your results, you will get a tape and a measurement card. Thanks Beachbody.
Also, now you can now stream it with the new Beachbody On Demand streaming service, read more in this Beachbody on Demand review.
On a related note, if you’re looking for something more customizable and affordable, we’ve launched our own fitness workout platform.
How does it work?
Providing that it is a cardio dance routine, many guys from the fitness industry would give you the eye when you mention Hip Hop abs. But unlike Zumba and similar half-intense activities, Hip Hop abs is designed with the purpose to target your core from multitude of angles, all the while making it contract and release. Each move throughout the workouts, though at times hard to tell, is somehow activating the core.
All in all the workouts force you to maintain one rather prolonged isometric crunch, thus activating your abs while still doing cardio. This accounts for the fast drop in size around your abdomen.
Now let us be realistic as well here- unless you are willing enough to actually break sweat, pressing the play button 30 days in a row won’t move you even an inch.
You will have to follow the calendar- of course to the most of your efforts- and try to apply the principles of healthy eating from the nutrition guide. They advise you on specific foods to eat, and combination of meals to prepare, that are going to speed up your progress and make your abs showing even more.
The nutrition plan, and I say this with certainty, is not a wholly script- you can modify, add, and even ditch it entirely. What you need is eating healthy and making sure your body has all the necessary nutrients in order to repair the muscle tissue thus making it burn more fat and get an even better tone.
If you are new to healthy diet and ingredients, then by all means follow the book – it is short, provides meal recipes that are easy to moderately complex to prepare, and might even end up transforming your eating habits- I now know for a fact that I can restrain myself from every cookie offering my mother throws at me.
What to expect from Hip Hop Abs?
Get Hip Hop Abs and all other Beachbody workouts for just $99
Irrespective of Adriana’s results, this chapter needs to be placed first. And here is why; before she got her hands on the workout, I wanted to offer my experience in fitness and predict, with as much certainty as I could, what this workout was going to deliver. The bet was placed, and so here is my prediction and what to expect at the end of your 30 days:
- Lose somewhere between 10 and 16 pounds
- Drop couple of inches from around the waist
- Tone your butt and legs, especially thighs
- Small and nicely carved six pack, or at least a very well defined and flat abdomen
- A significant drop in body fat percentage
- Improved cardio, endurance, and agility
- Greatly improved coordination (something that even very advanced workouts lack to offer)
- Easy routines and lack of intensity
- A lot and lot of fun
My results with Hip Hop abs
Slightly differing from some aspects of his prediction, I still had to pay the bet. Here is where what he predicted came in conflict with what I experienced and where I proved him right.
- First thing first, I lost almost 18 pounds. And I wasn’t overweight at all before I started. Now while he can prescribe this to measurement fluctuation (I did weigh myself in the morning), it is still somewhat more than his prediction. Most of my weight was lost, as I suspect, in the lower parts of my body. Namely, all the continuous movements made me lose a great deal of fat tissue off my thighs, and the calves became defined as well, meaning I drained some fat tissue from there also.
- I toned my legs and butt, but also noticed a definition showing in my shoulders and biceps.
The constant cardio movements where I had to do claps and repeatedly swing around with mu arms made my shoulders better looking than ever.
- My abs are flat, and though I cannot brag with a nice set of six pack, it is exactly what I wanted and now my abdomen looks way better than my days at the gym. The complex moves targeting my core are probably the ones to blame, and I now get the picture of what a standing prolonged isometric crunch can do.
- When it comes to body fat percentage, I cannot say with certainty as to whether or not it was a significant drop. I can still sense some fat tissue below my skin on places around my body. But as much as I would love to have a ripped body like those of athletes, I realize that this is an excellent bargain for the time and energy invested. I look a mix between skinny and toned, and can say that the results are great.
She really has a high standard of how her body should look like, so neglect the description at times and see the pictures.
- When it comes to inches around the waist, he was dead wrong. Instead of the expected few, I lost nearly six. And I thought my waist was just fine before and actually bragged about it. But I digress…
- Cardio is way better now and my recreational weekend rides are much more fun. My agility I would say, though I’m not an expert here, is improved, and my endurance for exercise is significantly better.
- Here is the thing now- while as many guys with fitness experience in their background would consider Hip Hop abs a workout of low intensity, I beg to differ. Many would see Shaun T dancing with couple of girls in the background and assume, out of a hat, that these workouts are easy.
Now I’m not arguing against the fact that these workouts are less intense per se, but if you apply yourself and decide to push harder, there is really no end limit to intensity. So keep that in mind.
I plan on doing the program again, in order to see what will happen now, and will certainly push way more this time. The more you contract your core and the more you apply power and explosiveness to the moves, the better results you will see at the end.
Hip Hop abs – Review of the workouts
First thing first, the program is very well made. The camera movement allows you to see all exercises from couple of angles, making the workouts easier to follow. Shaun T takes you through every movement, and being verbal as he is, you feel as though he is your personal trainer.
The sets themselves are great, and the atmosphere is carrying you forward even when things get harder.
Ab sculpt
Ab sculpt is a compilation of some really unorthodox core strengthening exercises. The moves are somewhat complex when you try them for the first time, but it really took me couple of repetitions to get in tune with the crew. That being said, they are fairly easy to follow.
It engages the core quite a lot actually, and you will be feeling your abs tightened even for couple of hours after you complete the workout.
At the end, Shaun makes use of the C-sit position and this is where you will feel some real burn. The whole workout lasts for 24 minutes along with the stretch at the very end.
Fat Burning Cardio
My favorite one from the program. Fat burning cardio delivers a full body workout, and when compared to all the other routines it definitely is the most intense one. You will be sweating more, and activating your entire body in the process.
You have your warm up, then some light stretching, and a very engaging and fun routine follows. Another stretch at the end, and there go your 30 minutes.
The first time I did this workout, my arms and back were burning. Nowadays, whenever I need to do a workout I just play fat burning cardio and it is more than enough.
Hip buns and thighs
This one is going to tone your butt and thighs and introduce you to more static and repetitive movements. The beat still goes on, and you are still in a dance-cardio zone, but you will feel some burn from isolating specific areas from your body, thus targeting specific muscle groups.
Varieties of squats, couple of different versions of lunges, and some single leg rises on the floor for your butt and hamstrings. Yet, despite this focus on specific muscle groups, you are still moving and having fun with what seems to be the most interesting combinations of squats and lunges. In the process, you are targeting your things and your lower abs most of all.
Total length of the workout: 25 minutes.
Total body burn
This is the longest workout of the program, and thus somewhat harder. However, it is very similar to fat burning cardio, with the exception that it focuses way more on the lower part of your body – thighs, and once again lower abs. The cardio aspect is way more highlighted than in hip buns and thighs, and of course ab sculpt.
Length: 42 minutes.
The Hip Hop abs schedule
Get Hip Hop Abs and all other Beachbody workouts for just $99
I mentioned this before describing the workouts separately, but here it is again- while most hip hop abs reviews say it is a 30 day program, it actually lasts for four weeks. At the end of each week- Sunday- you are given a day off.
Every other day you have to do one workout. And this is the first week. The second comes, and there are days where you have to complete two workouts back to back.
I did my fair share of cheating, and went couple of days without putting an extra workout in the player. You do your math, but I strongly advise you to follow the calendar to the T. Or at least honestly try.
Before you start, read these tips
Along with this Hip Hop abs review, I wanted to give you some useful tips on how to get the most out of this workout, and avoid the mistakes that I did.
- What you will need aside from the program is a water bottle and a towel. I underestimated the intensity the first time, didn’t mind to take a towel, and ended up making a mess of myself.
- A mat on the floor, or any other soft material in fact. Since the exercises on the floor are usually static, everything you take will do.
- Ventilate the room and lower the temperature if you can. Judging by a discussion I had with Slavko, it seems as though most people buying Beachbody workouts like the new p90 workout learn this the hard way after nearly loosing breath.
- Start your workout for the day even if you are dead tired. What usually happens, and I know this for a fact, is that the music will get you moving and Shaun T will motivate you to complete the whole length of the workout for the day. You will hardly even notice the feeling of being fatigue once you start moving. I skipped two days, and failed to meet the schedule when it comes to playing two workouts on some of the days, and regret doing so solely because it would have been easy to complete them.
- Watch the videos once before you start working out for the first time. This is a tip I learned from Slavko, and it really helps to avoid frustration. Every time before you do a new workout that is unfamiliar to you, just set couple of minutes aside from your day and watch the moves, trying to figure them out. It is not rocket science, but depending on how well coordinated you are, the time necessary might vary.
Where to buy Hip Hop abs from?
*Update – All Beachbody workouts, as of recently, are sold through their subscription model titled Beachbody on Demand. Therefore, I’d recommend the official Beachbody On Demand website.
The cost is $99 for a yearly subscription, but get this – you will also have access to All of their latest programs, All of the popular programs (such as Insanity and P90X), and as if this wasn’t enough – All of Beachbody Future releases!
The subscription to Beachbody on Demand comes with a 30 day money back guarantee as well.
Get Hip Hop Abs and all other Beachbody workouts for just $99
Final note of this Hip Hop abs review
Concluding this, I hope I didn’t bore you to death. After all this was a very long review, though I sincerely hope it gave you some clue on whether or not this workout is right for you.
If you ask me to wrap it up with a single sentence, Hip Hop abs is really a workout that will provide you with hours and hours of fun. It will tone your thighs and butt, flatten your abdomen or even make your six pack showing, making you lose significant numbers on the scale.
On a related note, if you’re looking for something more customizable and affordable, we’ve launched our own fitness workout platform.