Hip Hop Abs by Shaun T

I am still waiting for my dance workout today to fully load, so while waiting, let me just talk about this, since I am always talking about it.


In 2007, I got to see the infomercial for Hip Hop Abs. Yes, I did take a picture of the TV screen then (using my cell phone) because it was what I wanted for Christmas that year. I guess me having big tummy piqued my interest to go and try it, but the set of DVDs was way too expensive for me. Later that year, when I went with our neighbor friends to shop at Divisoria for Christmas, I got to see the rip-off version of the video. Thinking there was no way for me to get the original one, I did buy that rip-off DVD and enjoyed doing it, but for the time being I was only able to do one workout: the Cardio one.

Hip Hop Abs is a set of fitness videos marketed to give you six-pack abs. Of course, the thought of having sexy abs is something most of us wanted, but really, results vary from person to person, and in the end, its only you who can dictate if you're deserving to have that abs you're dreaming of. The video was headed by Shaun T, a fitness trainer, who used to be overweight as well. Hip Hop Abs was his first video for Beachbody.

Quoting a part of what was written on Wikipedia, "Hip Hop Abs is a workout/dance routine that claims to significantly improve one's abdominal area through lightweight hip-hop dance moves. Hip Hop Abs claims to be a relatively painless way to lose weight and sculpt abs; it advertises "you never do a single crunch." In 2007 it was the highest-selling workout video in the United States." {SOURCE}


There were different videos, but if you plan to buy a copy yourself, you need to watch "The Secret to Flat Abs" first as this is where you get to know the steps, which will be used in different videos.

There might be different videos, but I only do three videos:


Cardio. Since 2007, I have loved doing this. They say, you only need about 30 minutes of continuous movements on most days of the week, so doing this makes me feel better already. My favorite routine? The "Get Busy" and "Roll In."

One little confession... I start my dance workouts with this one, and always, I have to psyche myself into doing it. The first 10 minutes of this video felt like I was forcing myself to do it, but once I get pass the warm up phase, I will definitely finish all 30 minutes of it.


Ab Sculpt. Hip Hop Abs claim for its users to get sexy abs without doing crunches, and in 2008, I first tried doing this, and I seriously had a hard time. I really hated leg raises (which is why I always curse stairs)! However, when I got back into the road of fitness last August, I went back to do this, and I was able to do the leg raises, finally! The technique was to get your core muscles tight, me focusing on the core takes out the pressure on my thighs, and I am now loving this workout. Middle part of the video calls for dumbbells, and for that I use my 2lb dumbbells.

Just recently, I was able to complete all 25 minutes of the workout - thanks to the Ab Rocket Machine which became my leverage.


Hips, Buns, Thighs. Still the toughest workout for me to do (among the three), and up until now, I still can't finish the workout - not because I don't own a yoga mat (you can do this routine even without a mat - I once used a towel to catch all the sweat dripping from my face) - but because my knee still can't support all of my weight. Before December, I promise myself to finish this workout.


Last Minute Abs. This workout was only about 5 minutes, but I only got to finish it once. It was quite intense for me, so I don't put this on my daily workout routines, but who knows, maybe next week, I will add it. :)

I do believe that there is no such thing as "Spot Training." This might be called Hip Hop Abs, but I loved it because it didn't really just concentrate on the abs - the whole body moves to do the exercises, which I think was so awesome. Shaun T is a very good leader, and him saying encouraging words like "You are amazing" just gives me a morale boost to do it.

I don't see the informercial for this anymore, am not sure where you can buy a copy, but just last year, I got to see a DVD rip-off copy in La Union (the one I am using now - my old copy was way too scratched already). I don't encourage buying pirated, but based on my experience, it was the only way to go. If you want to have a copy, maybe you can try asking your family/friends living in the USA or maybe check EBay or any online stores. If I see an original copy here in the Philippines, I'd save up for it, as I do find this dance workout really helpful.