Quick Fix Cardio Hip Hop

I got this workout as a means to work out with my two daughters. They both like Paula Abdul's two workouts and I though they might like this one too. I was right. The level of intensity is low moderate. The complexity of the choreography is high moderate. Some moves might not be that great for carpet. I was able to follow the moves better the second time than the first. Hip hop is not my speed really, but I did o.k. I'm just glad that I am woking out at home. My daughters loved it. It's a great workout for lazy days, or as an add-on. There are a total of four 10 minute segments that can be done together or separately, so it is very flexible. Grade A-

I’m reviewing this workout after doing it about three times since getting it several months ago.

General workout breakdown: Like all Quick Fixes, this has ten minute segments; in this one, each segment contains a hip-hop-inspired dance. The segments are called “Finding the Inner Dancer,” “Rhythm Challenge,” “Low & Funky,” and “Hip Hop Groove” (DVD bonus), all of which are about the same intensity, with perhaps “Inner Dancer” the easiest. In each routine, Juliane starts you off with your “lifeline” move a basic move that you can resort to if you get lost; it also appears during the routine. During the first five minutes you work on half of a routine, ending that part with repeating the first few 8 counts four times. You go back to the lifeline for a moment or two. During the second five minutes, you learn the second half of the routine and repeat just that part two times. Finally you put both halves together for two or four run throughs. Juliane doesn’t break down each move individually, making this tricky to pick up the first few times through. If you’re not familiar with basic aerobics and dance terms, you better be able to pick up the moves by watching! (Some tips: watch it before trying, and skip the arms until the feet know what they’re doing.)

Level: I’d recommend this to experienced beginners through low intermediates. This is a hard workout to classify because anyone beyond a low intermediate level of cardiovascular fitness won’t see her/his heart rate go up much, yet the moves are complex enough that anyone new to exercise, unless s/he has dance experience, will have difficulty picking up the moves.

There are some pivots and shifts here. Otherwise this is a low impact workout.

Class: 2 young women join Juliane.

Music / Set / Other Production Notes: If you’ve held off getting this routine because of hip hop music’s reputation, don’t worry. The cheerful beat heavy music has no vocals. The usual Quick Fix set is here: brightly lit room with hardwood floors and “windows” showing a cityscape. The picture and sound quality are very good.

Equipment: shoes. (I tried this barefoot on my carpet, which is right on top of concrete. Not a good idea.)

Comments: You’ll need some space for this. You should be able to take two steps to each side and at least one good-sized step front and back.

DVD Notes: You can skip the introduction and select your segment. You have to go back to the main menu to pick up the bonus.

Conclusion: This has made its way to my trade pile. It’s good but not for me for two reasons: 1) I’m funk-impaired and 2) I barely break a sweat after doing all four routines together. (I consider myself a solid intermediate+ in cardio.) That said, if you like dance routines, you’ll probably like this. And I’ve read many posts here and on other fora about teenagers loving this workout. So it definitely has its place and is worth checking out.

This is your typical QF workout, with the three 10-minute sections. This makes it easy as an add-on here and there type of workout. QF changed the set - I find the design of the new one much more palatable. The old one was greay and cement-ish looking. I really did not like it. Juliane Arney leads you through a cardio hip hop routine in each of the segments. This woman is bubbly, fun and all around awesome. I would love to work out with her.

Unfortunately, I just do not have the patience to learn these routines. I don't mean to criticize her choreography as too complex; it is fun and funky, and she is a great cuer and moves really well. I just am not a person who has patience with complex choreography. the fact that I stuck around to learn pretty much the first seven minutes down pat (which took me, all in all...let's see...40 minutes, maybe?) is a testament to the fun and energy of this routine.

I must confess I did not do the whole workout. In fact I didn't even do half. I've done the first 10-minute section through a bunch of times in a row, to try and learn the choreography. Also, someone mentioned in a thread that the camera work sometimes could be a little more helpfu. Even though I only did one section of the DVD, I felt that there were a couple of times that it could have been better. On the whole, not very intense cardio but super fun if you're into complex choreography and/ or really dancey stuff.

Well, I am going to be in the minority. I did not like this video. I do have two left feet that may be some of it. However I have learned that even with two left feet I can adapt some type of movements to keep my heart rate up while I figuare out what is going on, I could not do this in this video. She moves so SLOOOOOW, the moves themselves are disjointed, and don't seem to follow a logical pattern. Also, she pauses constantly, which messed me up even more.

I did not like the clothing. I found the baggy clothing a distraction and at some points I was unable to really tell what she was doing because of it.

All in all this type of video is not for me.

Great instructor, incredibly fun choreography hurt by sucky camera work.

I'm an advanced exerciser and an advanced dancer. For instance I can pick up a Christi Taylor video the first time. This would be an awesome DVD if you could actually see the moves consistently. Instead the camera is constantly moving between the background dancers and focused on the upper body when you really need to see the lower body. Also she says she's teaching in eight counts, but she never actually counts. That okay if you're used to counting for yourself (I am), but probably not good for someone without some formal dance training. She doesn't tell you what leg to start on with the pivot moves and because you can't see them due to the camera angle it's confusing.

The outfits are adorable and the music is decent. She's just so likable that I really want to like this workout. I'm going to keep trying it. Lots of VFers love this video - search the forums for some more positive comments.

This is an excellent video and quite a good deal at $10 bucks. The moves are fun, like the ones you would see on MTV. I'm 28 and I'm really into dancy videos. The best things about this is that it works up a good sweat.

There are 4 10-minute segments, not much of a cool-down or warm-up but that's a minor point. The music is upbeat, contemporary but not too hip-hop.