Work the Music, Work the Abs
Hip hop is a form of dancing that evolved from street dancing. Some might say that it has a little bit of break dancing and a whole lot of attitude combined in it as well. Hip hop involves a lot of movement and a great deal of dance emphasis on the beat, the sound and the feel of the music. Rap music is a big music industry that lends itself to having hip hop performed to its sound. You have the music, you perform the dance and you work the abs.
Just Do It: Hip Hop
Get involved in hip hop for your abs as a fitness or exercise workout. Your fitness club may have classes that you can take. Every person in that class was a beginner at some point, so don't be intimidated by others in the class. Build confidence in learning the dance movements in hip hop by using an instructional video at home. The more you practice, the better you'll understand hip hop and the more productive your workouts will be.
Focus on the Dance
Concentrate on the actual hip-hop dance movements, focus on the dance counts and hitting your mark on the exact beat of the music. Many of the hip-hop movements isolate the abs, so this area really gets a good muscle-sculpting workout. There is a great deal of hip rolling, waist and pelvic rolling and popping in hip hop and all of these work the abs. The hip-hop "popping" is a technique that is a quick punch on the emphasis of a beat, many times danced in a combination with arm movements and the abdominal area being "popped" in the same count sequence. Doing these popping movements in repetition is an excellent abdominal workout.
Feel the Fun, Not the Burn
Get out there and dance, let your hip-hop dance skills show you how to have fun. You'll be having so much fun that you're not even going to realize how many calories that you're burning. Even better, all the abdominal dance movements are toning and building muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat. You will notice a more toned abdominal area and chances are that everyone else is going to notice too.
Attitude and Abs, a Winning Combo
Hip hop is just as much attitude as it is dance. Take that hip-hop attitude and use it with movements throughout your day to hold in and tone up your abs. You'll have a spunkier attitude in the way you approach life and see body movements as a way to stay fit and healthy.
