Jillian Michaels Six Week Six Pack - Level 2

Look up cruel and unusual in the dictionary and you may very well see Jillian’s face. I’m not even kidding. I’ll be honest: Level 2 scared me. I did another program in between Level 1 and 2 because it intimidated me so much! But finally did Level 2 and I’m not going to lie. It was hard, but it’s also probably one of my favorite workouts. And here’s the rundown! Basheerah and Matty are back. Matty is still the modifier and Basheerah is the advanced, but Jillian has Matty hold on to a weight, which was the main modification in Level 1. You start with your warmup, like always, and it’s your regular warm up except…THERE ARE BURPEES IN THE WARM UP. Well, not exact burpees, but up-downs which are basically a burpee without the jump at the end. Isn’t that a bunch of crap? ;) Who thinks of burpees in the warmup. Oh. Yeah. Some crazy lady named Jillian. ;). A few other moves; lunges, squats, that sort of stuff to get your muscles loose and then you begin to torture yourself. It’s all worth it!

Like in Level 1, you do one long circuit, and repeat it a second time going at a quicker pace. I held on to one 8lb dumb bell the whole time. You begin stepping into lunge and doing lunge with chops, where you’re basically wood-chopping to one side. Then you go to an oblique crunch with your weight up, touching your elbow to knee. Drop the weight and do jumping jackknives. Yes. Jumping jackknives. Repeat the lunge chops and the oblique crunch on the other side, and then you move on to low to high. This move is where you are holding the weight up high up in front of you over your head, and then twisting and pivoting into a 180, and dropping into a lunge. After that, you do repeater knees with the weight. Jillian takes mercy on you for two seconds - she lets you drop the weight, and then get into plank and do plant twists. Repeat low to highs on the other side as well as repeater knees. Next you do a lunge twist with a pass through, which I actually really liked. Lunge forward and twist, same leg lunge back, and pass the dumbbell under the front leg. Then she had you do light house swings, which I also enjoyed. Swinging your arm out straight in front of you and turning your hip and pivoting on the ball of your foot side to side. Next she has you do bicycle crunches, and after that you repeat the twisting lunge with a pass on the other wise, but instead of light house again, she has you do dumbbell swings, which are like swinging a sledgehammer. That’s always fun, right? 

Now the fun begins. Get into plank. Now. Plank moguls. After that, you have my sympathies, because she has you doing t-stand kicks. That’s where you start in plank and move into side plank, and then kick your foot out. And then back into plank, and do so on the opposite side. Those are tough. It got a little bit better for me when I realized to keep my hands pointed straight out in front of me and not turn my wrists. Otherwise, I’m asking for a broken wrist because I lose my balance easily. After that, you do double crunches, and as if she’s not evil then you do hollow man. And then flip over into mountain climbers. 

And guess what? You get to do it all over again, but at a quicker pace! On level 1, it seems like the quicker pace was almost too much, but this one wasn’t too bad. Even going at my own pace, what I felt was safe, was pretty much on time with the girls. So that was awesome! Not that modifying is bad at all, you still get an incredible workout when you modify, but it kind of kills my ego a bit. ;) 

Seriously though?? I really like this one, as hard as it is! Maybe because there isn’t lot of mat work, which we all know I hate. It’s more standing ab work. With how much I didn’t want to do it, and how bad Level 1 hurt my back, I’m surprised by how much I liked it! I expected this to be a terribly painful experience. It is, kind of. Haha! But it’s one that I like afterwards, which I can’t say I had that experience as much with Level 1 just because how bad it hurt afterwards. I’d say the DVD is worth it just for Level 2. I didn’t take measurements and I didn’t take my weight reliably but I definitely notice a lot of changes in my body. Positive changes! 

Revisiting Ripped In 30

I decided to revisit Ripped In 30 in between Level 1 and Level 2 of Six Week Six Pack (6W6P). RI30 has always been a favorite of mine (if not my absolute favorite program), and doing it again was great on so many levels! Six Week Six Pack really hurt my back and let me know that I may have lost some core strength while taking my Jillian break, so I thought, why not go back. Plus, Level 2 of 6W6P was sooo intimidating. I didn’t think I was strong enough to do it, so what a better way to get myself back in the groove than to get ripped?!

The first time I did Ripped In 30, I had been doing Jillian workouts for just a couple months, but it was the second Jillian program I ever did. Now that I’ve done a few different programs and a few different people, it was nice to go back and see how far I’ve come. Definitely a non-scale victory! It was great showing myself how far I’ve come physically! Since I’ve already given the rundown of what each week entails in previous entries, I won’t do that again, but feel free to go back and read those entries.

Week 1, I loved. It was great going back to Jillian and doing the 3-2-1 plan again. And I felt that it was a great way to reboot myself and my system again and get an all around whole body workout. It was all pretty basic and getting the moves down, but even for me, I still felt challenged. This time around I used 8 pound dumbbells and did fine with it. My first time around I used 5lbs.

Week 2 can burn in hell. I only did this one for five days because I’m pretty sure this workout made my back hurt something terrible - I had the same issue with 6W6P, so it makes me wonder if I’m doing something wrong or if I’ve pulled something. Since I’ve never been to a gym and never had anyone tell me that my form is absolutely correct, it very well could be that I’ve been doing all this wrong. But this time, I felt more challenged than I did the first time! 

Last time around, I hated Week 3. This time, I loved it! I can’t believe that I found duckwalks and bear crawls so hard! I mean, yes, they’re difficult, but I feel like I had them down! The whole entire workout was great. Challenging, fun, but I still loved every minute! 

And Week 4 is still my favorite, even with the burpees, which I’ll be honest - are not as scary as they used to be! That’s an amazing feeling! And at the end, the speech Jillian gives about brought me to tears. Again. I’ve been doing two workouts a day; an hour of cardio and then a strength DVD or youtube workout that’s anywhere form 30-45 minutes for over two years. And sometimes I just feel like a zombie. It’s just gotten to be routine now that I forget what I’m doing. Wow. I’m actually doing something! Not a lot of people do this, and her speech was another reminder of that! 

I didn’t take measurements or track my weight this time around, but I feel like I’ve come a long way. I can tell that when I read my old posts about this workout program. It was so nice to revisit and go back to the basics. It was like going through my old closet of bigger sized clothes, just to see how far I’ve come only fitness style. I think I need to do it more often! 

Jillian Michaels' Six Week Six Pack - Level 1

Jillian Michaels Six Week Six Pack - Level 1

Here’s the rundown for Level 1 of Six Week Sick Pack. This is a six week program where you do Level 1 for three weeks and then Level 2 for three weeks. Like every Jillian workout, there are two girls who do the advanced version and the modified. Basheerah is the advanced and Matty is the modifier. In this workout, Basheerah has a weight and Matty doesn’t. Get ready because Jillian is a mean woman and you have been warned. 

After a quick warmup that consists of military march, squats with x’s, lunges, and rotations, you begin the first circuit. In this workout, you do one long circuit that’s about 15 minutes long, and then repeat the circuit again, going quicker. You go up and down from doing mat work to standing ab work in this workout. You begin with knee thrusts and then backwards lunges with back extensions. You move on to burpees, and then squat rotation, where you squat down and then twist so you touch your right elbow to left knee and vice versa. After that is side lunges with a side bend. I had to drop the weight for that one. 

Next you hit the mat and extend your right leg out straight and your right arm straight, and then crunch up. After that she has you roll over and your do supermans with a lat pull. Raise up into plank position and do plank jacks. Next you do the same arm and leg crunch on the opposite side. Then she has you doing double leg stretch, which she says is a pilates move. That one was tough and I learned my core wasn’t as strong as I thought it was! Afterwards, Jillian has you doing side crunches, and then diagonal getups. Next comes extended walking plank, which I really liked, and then repeat side plank and the diagonal getups on the other side.

And next comes the last five moves that make me want to cry. Okay, not really. Well. Who knows! Even Jillian admits it’s cruel but for our own goods! It’s side plank with knee twists and spider planks with alternating legs. Both moves I imagine are what the people who are stuck in hell are doing. ;) Then comes mountain climbers, and you repeat side plank and knee twists on the other side. Finish up the circuit with bridge kicks. 

That’s it! Now you just get to repeat it, and faster! ;) 

I really liked this workout, but I will be honest. When you do the circuit over faster, some of the moves seem less safe. My back actually hurt consistently while doing this workout. I’m not sure if it’s because I may have been doing the moves wrong (I don’t think so though), using too heavy of a dumb bell (I was using 8’s), or if I was just trying to go too fast and keep up with Jillian. Once I remembered that I didn’t *have* to keep up with Jillian, it helped ease my back some, but that kind of killed my ego, and for that, I’m thinking that may be why Level 1 of Six Week Six Pack isn’t my favorite. It could also be the fact that I still really hate ab work. ;). Nothing will ever change! 

While I didn’t take measurements or really track my weight, I did notice significant changes when I looked in the mirror. Definitely was starting to get definition by the end of the three weeks, which was super exciting! Before this, I really wasn’t doing a lot of ab work, so this was really encouraging to see. As always, Jillian delivers!

Jillian Michaels Killer Abs - Level 2 Review

Hey guys! I finally decided to give Level 2 of Killer Abs a try. I've done it a couple of times and I think I've got a good idea of how I like it now! If you saw my Level 1 review, you’ll know that I love, love, love it! It was so hard to move to Level 2 simply because I loved and still love the first level so much! So how does Level 2 add up?

Natalie and Nicola are back for Level 2, and the DVD starts quickly with a quick warmup that includes windmill skater, jumping man, halo squats, skipping in place, and snap kicks. After the warmup, you move to the first circuit. The first circuit has you on the floor in a wide pushup, and then into extended plank. I can’t decide if I love or hate extended plank. Next is something I think I do hate, which is chest press, fly, and headbanger in hollow man. The reason why I hate these is because it’s almost a little too much, and I don’t want to downgrade my weights and make it too easy with fives, but using eights, I have to modify and keep my legs down, which is a kick to the ol’ ego. Next you’re doing around the world hip heist, doing doing them in a circle. These always take me a few to get to them. I don’t think I’ve actually done them right once since starting the DVD. Finally it’s sumo boat. I get my eight pound weight and I just feel all excited because I know a year ago I would NOT have been able to do this. Rinse and repeat for the other side. 

On to circuit two, which is my favorite! You start out doing diagonal touch town, which is where you stand in a surfer position and twist, and then extend your weight and leg. Kind of reminds me of a dance move! Then you do alternating side lunges with a back fly. Cardio is standing mountain climber with shoulder presses, and then a good morning press. And then next is a lunge chop which makes me feel like a lumberjack. Repeat on the opposite side. I have no idea why this one is my favorite other than maybe there is some cardio? I LOVE CARDIO. 

Then that damn circuit 3. I think I tend to hate circuit 3 in every Jillian DVD. I know Killer Body core level 3 at one point made me want to cry. Maybe it’s just core workouts?! Anyway, you’re doing another pushup variation where you pushup and go into table or something. I actually just do pushups here because I’m the kind of person that needs to watch the DVD first to make sure I have the moves down. I did that with this one too but I forget what the move looks like. So rather than watching the moves instead of actually doing them to make sure I have it right, I just do pushups and will continue just doing pushups here until I remember that I need to fast forward and watch that part again to see what to do. Then she has you do bicycle crunches in boat which I can totally do now! Woo! I could not do these a couple months ago! After that you do superman rolls into pike, which is a favorite of mine. Next you do a chaturanga pushup with a knee twist, and I tend to modify these because I have never been able to manage chaturanga pushups well. Next is side plank angels, which I also modify. I can’t figure out if I hate this circuit because I have to modify and that is a hit to the ol’ ego again or if its just because these are my least favorite moves. Once you do those, repeat not he other side. Try not to die! Maybe that’s why she ends the circuit with side plank angels?! Haha. 

Circuit four is a little bit better. You’re up doing side to side hops, which I really like. Then you do sit up, stand up which I love to hate. These are in several other Jillian DVD’s and in some of them I do and in others I don’t. Because I can see myself breaking an ankle or flying forward after standing, I usually modify these somehow. In this one, I reverse crunch, and then so a sit up. Next is reverse plank, driving your knee up. After that, you’re doing three point burps. And then you’re not he floor doing scissor abs. Repeat and then you’re done! After a quick cool down, you’re done! REJOICE!

All right, so while I like Level 2, it is not my favorite. I've talked about level 1 enough for everyone to get that it's my favorite ab workout so far! Level 2 just feels more like an ab workout. And of course, that’s what it is, but I abhor ab workouts. I think some of my dislike for level 2 is that I need to modify a lot of it. It’s a bit hard for me to follow, and that’s probably why I don’t like it as much as I do level 1. But in all, I do feel like it’s a good workout! I alternate this one and Level 1 a lot. I felt like I had to move from level 1 because it was just getting way too easy. 

So there it is, level 2! Have you tried it? What do you think? If you're interested in buying, you can check out the DVD on Amazon buy clicking here! 

Jillian Michaels Killer Abs - Level 1 Review.

I’ve found it. I have found it!! A core or ab workout that I do not hate. Run off and buy a lottery ticket because you might just get lucky. It’s rare that I find an ab or core workout that I like. It’s Killer Abs and it’s by Jillian Michaels. I’ve done the first level quite a few times and here is my review!

Like all Jillian DVD’s, she has two girls demonstrating the moves, one doing the advanced and another doing the modified version. In this DVD, she has Natalie and Nicola. I’m a big Natalie fan but I also like Nicola, too! I’ve learned if that the background girls are likable and fun, they make the DVD’s more fun (like Golden and Mimi in Killer Body Upper and Lower) and that is definitely the case with Killer Abs. The DVD starts off with a quick warm up of marching in place, mummy walk, alternating knee twist, and then what Jillian calls a plunge. You get in plank and you bring one foot up outside your hand and back, the other foot up and back, and then four mountain climbers. After that you’re ready to move!

Circuit one has you doing inchworm. You walk out into plank, walk your legs up, and then step or jump back and then walk your hands back up, and then stand. Next you get into a sumo squat and do an oblique crunch, touching the floor. Then crescent crunches, where you are in crescent pose and crunch forward, as if bringing your nose to your knee. You can hold on to a weight, which I hold on to an eight pound dumbbell with this one. Last move before you get your heart rate up with high knees and repeat on the opposite side is roller boat. I love roller boat for one reason: this move tells me how far I’ve come! I used to hate anything in boat pose because it was so hard. I can do it now! :D Is that a non scale victory?! 

In circuit two, you get into a static lunge with your arms out parallel to the floor, and you twist your torso to the side. Then she has you get your heart rate up with doing this little jig she calls River Dance (I live on a little river town on the banks of the Ohio River and I am always so amused by the term River Dance!) where you basically are kicking your feet out and lifting your legs up a bit. It kind of reminds me of high knees but not quite. Then she has you get into down dog and bring your knee in. I think this is a move that also is in Ripped In 30 but I can’t remember. It seemed awful familiar! Next is triangle, which I’m super familiar with now because it’s been in a ton of Jillian DVD’s. After that, get ready to get your heart rate up with jump rope drills. Four high knees, four kicking your legs out straight, keep doing that for about 30 seconds. You get to do it all over again on the opposite side. Have fun! 

All right, now it’s time to get on the mat! The next two circuits take place on the mat entirely. Circuit three you get on the floor and you do a leg raise, a star crunch, and then a reverse crunch all as one move. Then you to plank jack moguls, which I love only because I used to hate plank moves but now I can do them! Flip over onto your back and you’re circling your legs with tornadoes. Next you get into bear crawl and crawl up for steps and then rotate and crab walk back four steps. Remember when I used to hate bear walk? Last is on your back again, your torso at a 45 degree angle, and you’re twisting your torso. I held on to the eight pound dumbbell again. 

Circuit four you get on your elbows in an ab hold on your elbows, and twist your knee in and then out and then back to repeat on the other leg. By now, you’re really feeling it in your abs. Then she has you go into dancing crab, which I love to hate. By now my abs are usually screaming and crying. She gives you a tiny break with uneven table, but then she gets you back by doing this elbow planking pike move that is pure evil. She says you need a slippery surface. I use furniture sliders, and from an elbow plank, you pike up. This is 100% abs and phew, it's tough. Next is a move that Jillian calls the Carolina after her yoga teacher, where you have both legs up in the air, you stay in a static crunch, and then bring one leg up and down. Rinse, repeat, and hallelujah because it is time to cool down. The cool down seems awful quick, but I’m not complaining because usually by now I’m just done! Phew. 

I really, really, REALLY like this workout! It’s tough enough for me that I feel challenged, but fun enough that I like it more than anything else right now! I’ve been alternating between Killer Body upper and then Killer Abs Level 1 (do want to do level 2. I have watched and it looks like it’ll be awesome! Just need a bit more space, and once the weather heats up, I’ll be able to go back to the living room to work out and not freeze!) and so far I like it. I do miss working out my legs and I’m trying to decide if I want to do Killer Buns and Thighs or Killer Body Lower OR look into someone new. As much as I like doing Jillian workouts, I like broadening my horizons! Anyone have a suggestion?! 

What I love most about Killer Abs is that it has some moves that I have’t done in a while and it reminds me of where I was a year ago, some of these moves I suffered though, not even kidding! And now I can do them! I don’t always see changes in my body but to know that the moves I hated and struggled through I can now do is an amazing feeling. There were a lot of epiphanies with this DVD!

So there it is, Killer Abs level 1! I like it a lot! :D Interested in buying a copy for yourself? Check out the DVD on Amazon!

Ripped In 30, Week 2 review

Week two of Ripped In 30 is finished! I’m a couple days into Week 3 now, but here’s my thoughts on week two!

Phew. It was tough and definitely more challenging than Week 1. The first circuit had static lunges with rows, a pendulum lunge, and then on the floor with pelvic thrusts and chest presses. Those I enjoyed, especially the pendulum lunge. The cardio was a total killer! Ahhh! Plank Jacks, into mountain climbers, back to plank jacks and then finish out with mountain climbers. Two minutes in plank. Oh my gosh. The first day, I thought it’d never end! By the end though, it was still challenging, but I didn’t feel like I was totally going to die! I forget the abs moves for the first circuit though. 

In circuit two, you did side lunges with a leg raise, ahold into a table top, and then crow pushups for strength. I have really short arms, and they weren’t long enough to really do an ab hold at all. I ended up towards the end of day three realizing that I could raise myself on on weights that would give my arms a little bit more length, but I had to be careful not to twist my wrist when I would transition into table. That was challenging in itself trying to figure out how to actually do the move with my super short arms! Ack. (Random fact: in high school, I used to have classmates tell me they wished they had my arms, because they were short. You should wear shorts at fingertip length, and technically, I could get by wearing a pair of panties if I were to go by fingertip length!) And those crow pushups? Damn. Those things were tough. I could hike my knee to my shoulder if I was in the advanced position, BUT I couldn’t get my arms to move in a pushup, so I did it on my knees, but then I couldn’t get my leg high enough, I didn’t think at least. Other times if felt like I did. I am really thinking of getting a mirror to watch myself to make sure I have all my form down completely. I need to work on my flexibility and my shoulders in general though. I loved the jump rope kick outs! I know Jillian mentioned they were like a Pollyanna move - I love Pollyanna. It was my favorite growing up, and the second she mentioned them, I was like, “Heck yeah. I’m the new Hayley Mills!” but then it was short lived because plank thrusts were the next move (before doing jumprope quickest again) and my poor arms were still screaming from the two minutes of plank before. The ab moves circuit two made me so happy though! Reason being, in Week 1, there was this move called hollow man, and I felt like it would never end. There is a move that goes from hollow man to where you crush up into a sitting up position. Hollow man’s killed me before, but I was able to go from that to a crushing position using the advanced version and I was so happy, I wanted to cry tears of joy. It was that move that reminded me how far I’ve come. The next move was crawling up your leg, with it extended up in the air. 

Circuit 3 was not my favorite strength by any means, but I loved it because that meant it was almost over. Haha! You went with a sumo squat with tricep extension, stork stance with a low row, and then into plank for a renegade row. The first day I rotated my hips until I heard Jillian say not to on the DVD. So I worked my butt off to never rotate my hips again! In the 30 Day Shred, she had renegade rows with a leg extension, and I wasn’t able to do the advanced, but I was able to do the advanced in this one! So that made me excited. Another way for me to realize how far I’ve come, not only from the beginning, but since starting to do Jillian DVD’s in January. Cardio was jab cross high lows, and then high knees. I was pretty familiar with these. Jillian doesn’t switch legs for the jab cross, but after the third day I did, because I noticed my left knee was a bit sore. Maybe because I was using it a bit more with this move, so I actually did switch legs. That helped a lot with my knee (although this one I hurt a couple years ago and since then, it’ll hurt on and off). Abs were sit-ups with a leg extension and then a crunch with a leg raise. 

AND THEN IT WAS OVER! WOOO! Week two was much more challenging than week one. And besides the jump rope kickouts, there really weren’t any moves that I can say that I enjoyed. Like, I’ve always been a fan of skaters, I like running man, jump rope, single leg hops. Rockstar Jumps are fun (I’m a total cardio girl). Even some strength like squat and press. But I did it and enjoyed it. I know Jillian says to take a break and do this 5-6 times a week and always make sure to take a break, but I went six days and then I moved on to Week 3, which I’m two days into. No breaks yet. I’m just worried that I’ll fall out of the routine. I’ll review week three when I finish, which should be in a few days! 

After I finish the Ripped In 30 DVD, I’m going to reward myself with a deluxe pedicure! I’ve never had a pedicure before (or a manicure) so I’m really excited about it. I thought of the idea when I first started this with my new shoes and my feet killed me afterwards. I was soaking them every night, and that’s where I got the idea of a pedicure! 

So this week, I realized how far I’ve come thanks to two different ab moves. Have you ever had that epiphany? 

How do you reward yourself after a week well done? 

Thanks for reading! 

Ripped In 30, Week 1 review!

I started Jillian Michaels’s Ripped In 30 last week! I’m actually already into the second week, but I thought that I would talk about how the first week went. 

So, Ripped In 30 is a Jillian Michaels workout DVD and it’s kind of similar to her 30 Day Shred DVD. It uses the same 3-2-1 system that the 30DS uses and it’s approximately the same amount of time, which is right around 30 minutes from warm up to cool down. RI30 is a bit more challenging though. You do three strength moves in each strength circuit rather than two that you did in the 30DS, but it’s still three minutes long. There were pushups, squat and press, and tricep kick backs in crescent pose in the first strength circuit. Stiff leg deadlifts, a squat swing holding one weight (like a kettle bell), and good mornings for the second. Chest fly’s in chair pose, side lunge with a shoulder raise, and lunges and bicep curls in the third circuit. I mentioned on my 30 Day Shred review that I sucked at lunges, but I thought it was because I worked out barefoot. I started RI30 the day I got my new shoes (oh, Lord, do these things hurt my feet. I think I need to go up a size) and that does make lunges much better. I feel like I’m much better at them. It could be that the 30DS prepared me for them. Maybe a bit of both. In all, I loved the strength moves for this one!

Cardio is always my favorite and this was no exception. There was fast feet, skaters, punches, running man, butt kicks, and single leg hops. I LOVED the single leg hops! And skaters has always been a favorite of mine, too. Really, I loved all the cardio. I always got so excited when the strength part of the circuit had ended, because that meant cardio was next and I loved the cardio moves in week 1!

Abs were pretty basic, but there was this one called hollow man, and oh my gosh. That was very difficult. It did get easier though!

But all in all, I really loved the Ripped In 30, Week 1! Jillian recommends you do RI30 5-6 days a week, and I went, I think five days straight, took a break, and did the week one again for one more time because I hadn’t watched Week 2 yet. I like to watch the next level before I actually do the workout so I can get an idea on form and know what to expect. Otherwise, I’m stopping to watch the TV screen when I should be working out!

I’ve done Week 2 three days in a row now, and unless something crazy happens, tomorrow will be day 4. When I’m finished with it, I’ll be sure to give my opinion. So far, it’s going good! It’s much tougher than week one though ;). Phew!

Thanks for taking the time to read! Click here to check out the DVD on Amazon.

Finished the 30 Day Shred - here's my review!

Woo hoo! I completed Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred!! I got to say, I’m pretty proud of myself! This is not the first time I’ve started the Shred, but the first time I’ve started it and completed it in full. The first time I did it, I went through Level 1 and was halfway through Level 2 and contemplating moving to Level 3 when I got sick and I fell off the 30DS bandwagon. I used to do all my exercising together - one hour of cardio followed by the 30DS - right before bedtime and I was always SUPER tired, so when I think about it, I can totally see why it was pretty easy for me to drop the 30DS. This time I really wanted to finish it and I made it my goal to finish. I started on January 11th. I didn’t finish it completely in 30 days, but I’d say around 35-40 days because I took a day off here and there to give myself a break. Instead of doing the Shred right after my cardio before bedtime and being so tired, I started my day with it so I had no excuses to half-ass it.

So, in case you don’t know much about the 30 Day Shred, let me give you some background information on it. The 30 Day Shred is a Jillian Michaels workout. It comes with three levels and all levels are approximately 25 minutes long from warm up to cool down. Each level gets progressively more challenging. Jillian suggest that you start at Level 1 and work yourself up Level 2 and then Level 3. These workouts contain Jillian’s 3-2-1 system, where you do three minutes of strength training, two minutes of cardio, and one minute of abs and you do the 3-2-1 circuit three times after a warmup and before a cool down. Behind Jillian are Anita and Natalie. Anita does modified exercises for beginners.

I can remember when I started Level 1, I was so sore the next day! I actually took day 3 off because I was so sore. By day 6 or 7, I remember smiling when Jillian said, “if you’re on day 5, 6, 7, I’m sure you’re seeing a huge difference in your endurance!” because I was noticing huge changes! Level 1 was pretty basic but tough. The strength training you do throughout the circuits are pushups, squat and press, side lunge with lateral raises, chest flys, static lunges with bicep curls, and dumbbells rows in a squat position. Cardio is jumping jacks, jumprope, butt kicks, and punches/shadowboxing. Abs is a basic crunch, reverse crunch, bicycle crunches, and oblique crunches. I still to this day hate lunges!

Level 2 is my least favorite, to be honest. Mostly because it has so many plank moves! Ack! I did start enjoying plank a little more once I got a good pair of grippy gloves that kept my hands from slipping. I didn’t have a decent pair of shoes while doing the Shred so I did it barefoot most of the time, and I think that is another reason why I found the planking so difficult. I did the modified most of the time, except for the plank jacks. I find pros and cons to doing this barefoot, but more pros for me since my shoes are a full size too big. (New shoes should arrive tomorrow, woo hoo!!) This one is definitely a lot harder than level 1. And my least favorite. Phew. I loved when it was over for the day! The strength moves for level two are walking pushups, dumbbell rows in a squat position, military press and a leg extension, V raise and a chair squat, pendulum lunges and hammer curls, and  static lunge and rows. Cardio was plank jacks, plank thrusts, double jumprope, oblique twists, skaters and high knees. Abs were plank twists, and a few others that I can’t remember right off. I LOVED the skater and the oblique twist cardio though. But that was about it. This one was tough! Phew. I think I actually did this one for 13 days because I didn’t feel ready to move on. In fact, I moved on to Level 3 worried I might have to hop back to level two to continue building up…

But Level 3 was my favorite!! To be honest, I almost felt like in a way it was too easy?! But still tough. It was like doing Level 1 all over again, but only more fun. This one doesn’t have as much plank as level 2 did, and you don’t use the weights as often as you did in the first two levels. The exercises have a lot of jump and plyometric training. The strength moves were traveling pushups, a plank move where you start on your elbows and then go up to your hands and then back down, a superman stretch, deep squat with a dumbbell clean, jumping lunges, and plank rows with leg raises. Cardio is rockstar jump, jump squat (loved these!), jumping jacks, butt kicks, and punches (all with dumbbells), mountain climbers and plie squats. Abs is sit ups, pike crunches, scissor crunches, and side plank raise. Since I’m used to doing a lot of jumping with DDR, this one was a lot of fun for me because it had lots of jumping. I never was able to get the jumping lunges down though. I hate lunges and never feel like I have the proper form (although I’ve been told I do so who knows!) but I think this is where not having good shoes was a total hindrance.

All in all, I really did enjoy the 30 Day Shred and totally recommend it. The music that is played in the background is a little annoying and after a few days and you have the exercises down, I ended up turning off the background and would watch the TV screen but play my own music and that helped it go on a lot! With my own music, even Level 2 got to be tolerable! I didn’t think to take measurements before, but I did take pictures. I think I see some definite changes!! I know I’m a bit pessimistic as it is, but I use the word “think” because somedays I do truly see the changes, and some days I don’t. But when I do notice the changes, I see it in my arms, which is exciting, since my arms are definitely one of the places I feel most self conscious about. (I’ll blog on that later.) Looking at pictures from the back, I can tell that I’m starting to look less “cupcakey/muffin toppish/love handles” (I currently cannot remember the correct term I want to use here)!

Because of all this, I totally recommend it! Here’s something cool: like I said, I bought new shoes and they should arrive here tomorrow. I also bought Jillian’s Ripped In 30 dvd a few days ago and I planned to start it the day I got my new shoes. Even though I finished the Shred a few days ago, I’ve been continuing to do Level 3 in the mornings because I enjoy it so much, but wanted to mix it up a bit so yesterday I did Level 2, and today I did Level 1 again today. Level 2 still was challenging, but not like it used to be! And level one I didn’t modify at all! And to be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole workout, remember how I had to take a break the first few days because it was so hard. I used to think it’d never end, but today it ended too fast. :)

Thanks for taking the time to read!! If you're interested in buying the DVD, here's a link to it on Amazon.