I need to exercise to keep my weight in check but I am utterly sick of the gym and hate jogging. Doing exercise tapes at home therefore suits me. I have a few videos that I do quite often, but I was getting a bit bored with them and spotted the Hotpants Workout on Amazon that claims you will lose a stone off your bum, legs & tum. This was enough to make me buy it on DVD for 16.19. It is also available on video for 11.19 at Amazon. You can recognise it in the shops by the gold Lycra clad pert bum on the front cover (which I wish were mine).
Who does this workout? Dan Karaty is an American choreographer that has worked with many beautiful pop stars such as Kylie and Britney Spears. He really can dance! He shows this at the beginning of the DVD if you just play DVD rather than go to the chapter selection. Dan has four beautiful, skinny girls doing the dance moves with him. Im not sure whether this is irritating or inspiring, as it can be off putting seeing such perfection as you look down at your wobbly bits, but on the other hand, you think that, just maybe, you could look like that too (yeah right!).
The workout The workout is broken down into six sections and each lasts around 7 minutes, with the total workout time being 42 minutes (for those that cant multiply, like me). The whole workout is dance based rather than aerobics or toning exercises, and it claims it will teach you to dance. Put it this way, if you have no rhythm, this is not the workout
for you! I am use to doing aerobics and it took me a while to get into dancing instead of just exercising. There is a lot of getting you to pop your shoulder and 'nod' your head at the end of moves, but the dancers do look great.
Each section builds up by repeating earlier moves, but Dan makes small changes throughout so you will not get bored with or complacent about the routine. The music was written specially for this workout and fits in perfectly with the tempo of each section. It is a modern dance style, and after a few workouts, you realise you are singing along.
You will need reasonably loose clothing for this workout, but Dan wears loose jeans, so Lycra is not essential. You should wear trainers or equivalent as the workout does involve some bouncing, so your feet should be supported. You will need a floor space of at least 5 foot square to complete the moves comfortably, as you move around a bit. The workout is quite hard at first, so you do need a certain level of fitness, although you can obviously build up to it. I would not suggest this would be for the super fit though, as they probably need something harder.
BOUNCE a bootylicious warm up for butt and thighs set to a hip hop beat This warm up is fun to do and easy to follow. As the name suggests you do some bouncing moves, but to quite slow music to break you in gently.
SLIDE cool slide steps that focus on your inner and outer thighs This is another enjoyable section that build the pace slightly and consists of lots of sliding movements for your legs.
RUSH brings on the fat burning with some high energy pop This is the fastest of the workouts to burn that fat. There is a lot of upper body work too, like punching, and some of the moves reminded me of tai-bo. Twice during this routine, Dan slows you down for some stretching to avoid cramps. One of the best sections.
GROOVE puts the slow burn on your waist and hips Slowing things down a bit, this workout requires some balance as you do some knee raises. You need to groove you shoulders too, so this routine would tax the non-dancers out there.
TWO STEP gives your thighs the message with some freaky footwork I hate this section! Despite being slower than the RUSH section, I find this by far the hardest and silliest. There is a really complicated two-step step, which, despite being shown the move slowly, I still cant do. There is also some stupid posing, where you choose a pose and hold it for a few seconds. Im afraid this just isnt me, and I often skip this whole section.
ABS AND BUTT-UPS deliver a sexy six-pack and the perfect bum This section starts with cool down stretching and moves on to ab crunchies and bum squeezes. I have done a lot of sit ups in my time, but I have never been told to keep my shoulder blades off the floor at all times. It is a real killer! You end by lying on your back and doing pelvic squeezes.
DVD extras Hannahs story Im not sure why this is called an extra, as it is also shown at the beginning of the DVD unless you go straight to the workout. It is the story of a dancer who has put on over a stone since having an operation. It shows her doing some weigh-ins during the 6 weeks she does this workout. I quite like this section, as she starts off a similar size to me (not huge, but with a good covering all over) and ends up how I would like to look, all lean and toned. However, it does not mention her diet at all, and I would imagine she also needed to diet heavily to look that much better. I think this is misleading.
Photo gallery some still shots of Dan, Hannah and the dance girls.
Behind the scenes some footage of the preparation for the shoot. It does show the dancers all sweaty, so you realise that they have been cleaned up a bit in the DVD. The girl in yellow, whose bum is on the cover and displayed at the beginning of each section, is actually English.
My thoughts I like it and it is fun!
This is the first fitness DVD I have bought and I thought it would be a lot more flexible than a video, as you could quickly move to the required place on the DVD rather than fiddle around with fast forwarding and rewinding. However, there is one and a half minutes of health warnings at the beginning of the DVD that you cannot skip over, which I find a pain. On the other hand if I dont have time to for the whole DVD, I can easily skip a few sections, which is great.
After the workout, I really feel like I have done some hard exercise. However, I havent lost any weight, as I have not cut down on my food and havent done it every day like I should. It doesnt feel like 42 minutes of exercise, as I dont get bored (unusually for me). Im not sure my dancing is improving much, and I cant imagine doing many of these moves at wedding discos, but nevertheless, I am getting better at keeping up. It takes a few goes to follow some moves, and, as I have said, there are still some I cant get the hang of, but I just do my own thing. Basically I recommend this workout for anyone who has the willpower to exercise at home, likes dancing and is of a middling fitness level. Get grooving!
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have just bought this but not tried it yet - cant wait to have a go at 2 step now!
helenmayclark 27.04.2005 14:48
I agree with you about the 2step routine - I can't do it either!! Helen
cazm17 25.07.2004 14:48
I'm a bit behind on this I think, I only found it while looking through my friend's DVDs. Tried it once and think I'd like to try and stick with it, we'll see how it goes!
For the first few minutes ofThe Hotpants Workoutyou might think you've tuned intoTop of ... more
the Pops, as female dancers in skimpy, shimmery--yep you guessed it--hotpants dance around. Choreographer to the stars Dan Karaty maintains that Kylie and Britney h...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
For the first few minutes ofThe Hotpants Workoutyou might think you've tuned intoTop of ... more
the Pops, as female dancers in skimpy, shimmery--yep you guessed it--hotpants dance around. Choreographer to the stars Dan Karaty maintains that Kylie and Britney h...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Presented by Kylie's dance guru Dan Karaty (who has also collaborated with Britney Spears ... more
and Christina Aguilera) and endorsed by the elfin Antipodean songstress herself this workout programme addresses the required and relaxed methods needed to firm ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Choreographer Dan Karaty has taught moves to some of the world's most stunning pop stars. ... more
Now Dan is the man to help you dance away a stone from your B.L.T. in one month.Shot at the Ministry of Sound it breaks down into six mini routines...1. Bounce - ...
Advantages: cheap, good if you want to learn to dance Disadvantages: doesn't work
charlottetyne 25.11.2006 (25.11.2006)
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