Introducing Body Revolution!

Hey guys! I did something that really intimidated me: I completed Body Revolution! Woo hoo! I was planning on blogging about it as I went but life happened. I’m still trying to decide on exactly how I want to break it down. Every two weeks you change your workout. Usually when I review a DVD, I break each workout down by levels, about about the majority of the exercises, but if that were the case, there would be a TON of entries. I initially thought I would break it down by weeks (week 1 and 2, week 3 and 4, and so on all the way up to week 11 and 12) but that would be a lot of entries on one program also, although shorter than one entry per exercise. Earlier today while thinking of how I was going to do the blog, I even thought about breaking it into phases. There are three (each month equals a phase) so that would cut it down to three entries about Body Revolution, not counting this one. If anyone has a preference, let me know! Lots of reading for you equals lots of typing for me and I’ve proven I can be a bit slow. ;)(That’s not that I don’t think of this blog all the time!!)

So Body Revolution. Ninety days. Oh man, guys, I just kept putting it off and putting it off. What if it progressed into something way too hard? What if I couldn’t do it? But…what if I could?? Ultimately I started Body Revolution because (not surprising!) I was scheduled to do an ab/core workout and uggggh! I still hate core workouts. They are a waist!! (Get it? Waist, waste, core workout…) Not wanting to do it, I remembered I had Body Revolution just sitting there and boom. I watched Week 1, really thought I would enjoy it, and that’s it. :)

So Body Revolution is different from any other Jillian DVD I’ve done. Instead of having two people in the background doing modified and advanced moves, there is a whole room of people! And this includes favorites of mine such as Natalie, Anita, Mimi and others from other DVD’s, but new people too! I really liked that there was a good mix of men and women in this program, because I felt like I might actually get a few guys to work out with me, and not feel that it was just a “girly” workout. This workout progresses, too! It really is a building block program. Each workout gets harder and harder. The great thing is that it changes every two weeks, so there is no getting bored. (Or if you’re like me, if there is a particular workout you despise, you only have to do it for two weeks, a total of four times!!! haha!) There is 15 workouts in total. Twelve strength training workouts, and three cardio workouts. It’s separated in three months, or phases. Month/Phase 1 is includes Cardio 1, Workouts 1, 2, 3, and 4. Phase 2 is Cardio 2 and Workouts 5, 6, 7, and 8. And Phase 3 is Cardio 3 and workouts 9, 10, 11, and 12. So for the first two weeks, you do workout 1, workout 2, cardio 1 each twice a week (Monday and Thursdays could be workout 1, Tuesdays and Fridays workout 2, and Wednesday and Saturday cardio 1), and have one rest day. Then on week 3-4, you do the same things except instead of workouts 1 and 2, changed those with 3-4 and continue with Cardio 1. It’s the same schedule as you progress to a new phase. Each workout twice a week (cardio remains the same for the whole month). I loved how except for the cardio (which did get a little bit boring by the time it came to switch) I was never bored!

The cast/background people are super motivating and it was great to see some of my favorites and get some new favorites! Mimi made me laugh just as much in this one as she makes me laugh in Killer Body. There were some moves that I had never done before in a Jillian workout so that was really cool! In all, the program was an amazing success! I definitely notice changes in my body that I could not see before, and that’s awesome, because I was beginning to feel a little stuck. I truly believe that a beginner could start with this (I felt that the beginning was a bit easy, but I will go into more details when I give a more detailed review) and be proud of what they’ve accomplished when they get near the end. I truly feel that way and I’ve been doing these type of workouts for a few years now!

Body Revolution may be my new favorite Jillian program and I am so excited to go further into detail soon! 

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! 

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! 

Springing along!

Is anyone else just ready for Spring? I know I am. I’m tired of these 1-2 days of warm weather only to have it rain and get cold. Phew. I’m ready to get outside and take the dog on some nice walks and really test out my Fitbit someplace besides the treadmill and in my bedroom doing Jillian DVD’s. It’s not that I’m necessarily getting bored with my workouts, but I just am itching for a change somewhere and I think the weather changing would be a great start. 

Nothing has really changed too much lately. Right now my workouts are an hour of treadmill or a run everyday where I average 4.3-4.5 miles. I don’t try to necessarily “kill” it, but I just try to keep a decent pace and get a good amount of cardio in. I still love cardio more than anything else, and I think it’s because I can do my own thing. I can listen to my own music, I can just have a good time. I can run, I can dance, I can listen to cheesy 80s music, Disney, or DDR music. With that said, strength training has changed my body in awesome ways, so I’ve been keeping up with Jillian. As I mentioned in previous entries, I’ve been doing Killer Body - Upper body workout and Killer Abs Level 1 (still not gotten to moving up to Level 2, but I want to. Level 1 is starting to get easy but I love it so, so much!) but just a couple weeks ago I added in Killer Buns and Thighs and I’ve been doing Level 1 of that also. I don’t have a set schedule of what workout where, but I alternate a shower one night and a bubble bath the next and on nights where I shower, I’m more pressed on time, so I tend to do Killer Abs OR Killer Body Upper because they’re shorter. Despite Jillian going on and on about Killer Buns and Thighs being under 30 minutes, she doesn’t know how to count, and that one is 40 minutes from warm up to cool down. Those extra 10 minutes are needed on nights where I shower, wash my hair, and so on. I try to do each workout twice a week. Still struggling with days off, but I’ve been trying to take off one day a month running and Jillian, hmm. I’m iffy with her. Honestly, I really am starting to dislike Jillian workouts and am DESPERATELY looking for a strength training program that is LIKE Jillian’s; same length, same style, but just different. Maybe I need to switch and look into a new Jillian DVD but I think it’s just that I want to branch out to more trainers. But because I am beginning to see Jillian as a chore, it makes me more nervous to take the days off. I’ve slipped off the strength training bandwagon before, and I definitely don’t want that to happen again with Spring and Summer weather coming up! Plus, my ten year high school reunion (really!? 10 years ALREADY?!) is coming up and who doesn’t want to look their best for that?!

Other than that, not much going on. I’ve been dealing with some back pain and I think it’s because I desperately need new shoes. I have really weird feet; they’re extremely wide and pretty small too. They just do not make shoes that are small enough (left foot is a 6, right foot is a 7) and WIDE enough. I mean, they make one or the other, but not both! Not that I can find in my price range at least! I’ve been to so many shoe stores to the point where I feel like the salesclerks picture me in their nightmares. I've bought 3-4 pair of shoes, but none of them work out and I have to return them. I wore one pair of shoes for almost five months thinking, “Okay, gonna break them in any day now!” when I finally realized, okay, after five months constant pain, these shoes are NOT going to work for me. Right now the Nike Air Pegasus’s I’m running in are over 8 years old, and they are literally holding together by threads. They just have no support anymore, and my ankles, legs, and lower back are now really starting to protest these shoes. (Which is why I alternate between baths and showers now; the baths help my legs and back ease enough to where I can sleep. That bath bomb recipe I posted earlier has been a godsend!) I am the only woman I know that would go bathing suit shopping and model for all the strangers in the mall rather than shoe shop. Shoe shopping brings up a whole new wave of feelings, which I hope to touch base on shortly. Ever heard of Fat-Girl Mentality? Oh man, do I have it bad. 

So now that we’re in April, how has your 2016 been going so far? My goal for the year was to have 1000 active miles. I’m already 386 miles into my 1000 goal for the year! Pretty proud of myself! That’s a rough estimate as I always run just over four miles a day, but I also count it as four, regardless if I go just a little over. The treadmill says I run 4.3 miles and Fitbit says 4.6 miles while on the treadmill, so not sure which one is right so I just say four and make it easy! I’m trying to think of new goals to set to try and keep myself on the upside. This has been a rough year so far. My dad’s side of the family has suffered two very sad losses and that’s been hard. It is a reminder that time on earth is limited and a beautiful gift. I’m trying to stress less and enjoy life more, and I’m trying to be as healthy as possible. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure I’m happy and healthy mentally right now, but I will touch base on that soon with a new blog hopefully very soon! 

Think some duct tape will help my shoes?! ;) Phew. Aren't they a mess?!

Happy April!

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!

Jillian Michaels' Shred It With Weights - Level 2.

Wow! It’s been a while. Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? Get any good deals Black Friday shopping? How’s Christmas shopping going? On the subject of shopping, I got tired of doing Level 1 of Shred It With Weights on Youtube, so I went Amazon shopping for myself and bought the DVD so I could move on to Level 2. I thought that would take a few minutes to talk about it! 

Like every Jillian workout, she has two girls doing the advanced and the modified versions. Basheerah and Maddie are back again, doing advanced and modified respectively. In this workout, Maddie used a dumbbell like Level 1 and Basheerah used a kettlebell. I used my 10lb kettlebell for this workout. Like always, it starts with a quick warmup that includes figure eights, hip thrusts, deep squat into a lunge and a couple more moves that I’m forgetting. You move right on to your first circuit. Be afraid. 

Circuit 1 has you doing awful, horrible split jumps (basically a backwards lunge while pressing up your kettlebell or dumbbell, and yes, I hate this move), halo while balancing on one foot, and Rock n’ Roll like Ripped In 30 and Killer Body. I’m going to be honest with you guys - Rock n’ Roll’s have always been really tough for me. Some of it was the limited space I have in my bedroom when I work out. One time I almost busted my head and face coming up from a Rock n’ Roll and while I even made a joke about it when I mentioned it, it was quite terrifying! That was always on my mind when it came to doing that move. I would always modify it, and a lot of times anyway I couldn’t go from the sitting on the floor with my knees up to a standing position (like a deep squat). I would cross my ankles or use my hands to help me up. I moved all my Jillian workout stuff downstairs to our living room, so I have much more room now to swing the kettlebell. I also have less chance of busting my head. So I looked on different websites such as Reddit and on Youtube and researched how to master the the Rock n’ Roll/Deck Squat/whatever you want to call it. I’m not 100% perfect, but I can now do this without crossing my legs or using my hands! It is an AWESOME feeling!! Anyway, that aside, you repeat this circuit on the other side and then finish out this one with star jumps while holding the kettlebell. Have fun, those star jumps are tough! ;)

Circuit 2 coming up! She has you doing Plank Rows. I’m not sure why this is so difficult for me, but I cannot do this with the kettlebell. It’s not because my kettlebell is too heavy, but I think it’s because it sits so high and I feel like there isn’t must to row with how high the handle comes up when I’m in plank! I used the dumbbell for this. Then she has you do something she calls swing throughs, where you do a regular kettle bell swing and then swing it through your legs, looking between them. Next is “plyo swings” where you start out taking steps forward and backward with the kettlebell and then jump forward and backwards. Repeat, and then finish the circuit with deep squats while holding the kettlebell.

Circuit three has you doing what Jillian calls Rotating Heroes, where you swing the kettlebell and rotate to the left (or the right when you do it again). You swing the kettlebell over your head and let it hang over your head for a few minutes. Then she has you do inverted pushups while holding the kettlebell horns (or handle). After that, she has you do what she calls punch swings, where you swing the kettlebell with one arm and punch it out. You repeat on both side and then finish this circuit with Russian Swings. After that, cool it down.

All right. I really want to trust Jillian. I really do. I love her DVD’s and they have changed my body in ways I never thought possible. But there are some moves on Level 2 of Shred It With Weights that just do not seem safe to me. I mentioned that I looked on Reddit and Youtube to try and learn how to do the rock n’ roll squat. During that research I also found a lot of people claiming that Jillian’s form with the kettlebell is wrong. I also read claims that her moves on Level 2 was unsafe. I have to admit that as I was doing some of the moves, I was a little concerned of the safety. With that said, I am a beginner to kettlebells; I’m a beginner to all of this. I have never been to a gym and lifted weights inside a gym, I have never been told if my form is correct (I sure hope it is! I think it is.) and pretty much what I’ve learned, I’ve learned by watching and researching and then more watching and researching, and mimicking the moves. So when it comes to circuit 2 and Jillian says it’s time for Swing Throughs, I just do a regular kettle bell swing. For Plyo Swings, I do swings again, but I will step into them more often than I will jump. I actually found a video tonight of a man doing a plyo hop with a kettlebell where he doesn’t swing his arms. I might give that a go. For rotating heroes, I swing and rotate, but I don’t go over my head. I’m trying to research and find a good way to add that into my workout. For pushups on the kettlebell horns, I just toss the kettlebell away and do regular pushups. For punch swings, I just do a one-armed swing. I’ve still done this every night for close to three weeks now. I really like Level 1, and it’s not that I don’t like Level 2. I’m still doing the work, but switching it up a bit. 

So now that I’ve reviewed the whole DVD, here’s what I suggest: Level 1 is on Youtube and it’s great. And Level 2 is a lot of fun, and I like it, when I feel like I’ve got alternatives to the moves and am doing it safer. Personally, I still would have bought the DVD for Level 1, but you could probably do just as well without Level 2. I actually feel like Level 1 is tougher with all the modifying I’m doing to level 2 to make it feel safer to me. 

So there it is: my review on Level 2 of Shred It With Weights by Jillian Michaels. Don’t shoot me, guys! 

Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown - Level 1

The other day I decided to take a break from the treadmill and Shred It With Weights since my knee and quad have been a bit sore. I went back and forth on what workout to do and decided to give Yoga Meltdown another try. I don’t own the DVD (I do own Yoga Inferno) but Level 1 is on Youtube. 

I still feel like a total n00b when it comes to yoga. I’ve never taken a class and I’m still not 100% confident that I have the poses down correctly, but with that said, I was definitely more confident this time around than I was the last time I did it. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m more flexible than I was the last time or stronger or because I’ve done Yoga Inferno, which from what I understand is like yoga on uppers. :P

Like all Jillian DVD’s, this one has a girl doing advanced moves and another doing modified versions. It starts with a quick warm up that includes chair pose, stretches to warm up your hips, and chaturanga pushups. After the warmup is the first circuit, where you go in and out of poses (“rep it out” as Jillian calls it) and then you do a power pose where you hold the pose for 15 seconds. Circuit one has you popping in and out of crescent pose, doing knee thrusts/donkey kick in downward dog, and then chaturanga pushups. You repeat on the opposite side. After you repeat on the opposite side, she has you do two sun salutations and then you’re ready for circuit two.

Circuit two has you popping in and out of warrior 2, going in and out of camel, and then side planks, where you hold each pose at the end for 15 seconds. You repeat it again on the opposite side. Afterwards, two more sun salutations and then you move on to circuit three. 

In circuit three you’re popping in and out of warrior 3, and then you’re in an ab hold on your elbows doing dolphin (I still love to hate dolphin! Reminded me of Killer Body core workout), and then in and out of locust pose. Repeat on the opposite side, and end it with two sun salutations. And then you’re ready for a cooldown. 

I’ll be honest: Yoga Meltdown is not my favorite. As gross as it sounds, I love getting hot and sweaty after a workout, I love feeling like my heart is about to pop out of my chest. I don’t get that with Yoga Meltdown. It does feel a bit too easy for me. BUT I did feel very relaxed and stretched out! But I will say that the next day, I noticed that my body felt a bit sore. What?! I don’t get that very often anymore, so that opened my eyes that maybe I’m using muscles I haven’t used in a while. So while there was no part of the workout I felt like I was going to die, I wasn’t gargling my heart (a favorite Jillian quote of mine, hahah!), the next day, I still felt it some. I think I might actually do this one a little more often, maybe once every couple of weeks. 

Jillian Michaels Shred It With Weights - Level 1

So here I am with another Jillian DVD review. With this though, I don’t have the DVD. Level 1 is on Youtube and I’ve been doing that! I do plan on buying the DVD when I can find it. 

So, here’s the rundown of Shred It With Weights and here’s my review! As always, Jillian has two girls doing the advanced and the modified versions and this time it’s Basheerah doing advanced and Maddie doing the modified. In this workout, you can use a dumbbell, which is what Maddie used, and Jillian recommended 3-8 pounds and Basheerah used a kettlebell. I’m not quite sure of the weight of the kettlebell though. I have a kettle bell I bought years ago and it’s ten pounds so that’s what I used. For this,  I’m proud to say that I used the advanced version the whole time! Woot! Is that a non-scale victory?! ;) I will say though that I don’t think I noticed much difference between the modified version or the advanced version when ti came to the moves, just heavier weights. 

After a warm up that included arm stretches, butt kicks and twists holding the kettlebell, and different ways to warm up with the kettlebell (doing halos holding it is one I specifically remember, but drawing a blank on the rest, you’re really to go. This workout has three circuits. It runs around 25 minutes from warmup to cool down. Circuit One has you down on the floor in bridge, pressing the kettlebell up, and then back up for kettlebell swings, and then deadlift rows. She has you repeat that on the other side and then adds in bent leg deadlift which reminded me of bodybuilders, which Jillian even said it was reminiscent of. 

Circuit two has a squat swing with a pass. You squat and swing the kettlebell up with one hand and then pass it off to the other hand. It sounds scary and it kind of is. I still have this fear that I will accidentally lose my grip on the kettlebell and send it flying through the TV or a window, but that hasn’t happened yet! hahaha. Next she has you doing a rack, squat, and press. Then she has you doing rows in a static lunge. These I’m used to, but going up to 10lbs, I definitely feel it more than I did with the 5lbs!! Repeat of the opposite side, of course. After this, she has you down on the mat to crunch and holding the crunch pressing the kettlebell up. 

Circuit three has windmills with the kettlebell (which in this blog I’ve called triangle press previously. It is slightly different as you twist your arm and I guess that’s where you get the idea that you’re “windmilling” the kettlebell), turkish get ups, and this horrible awful move that I love to hate where you squat down and jump up, rotating to the side, holding the kettlebell. OH. MY. GOSH. It’s hard. It gets my heart rate up. I groan every time it’s time to do that. But it works! After you repeat on the other side, she has you do snatches. On this, I’m also a little terrified something terrible is going to happen, haha. It’s where you throw it up with one arm and immediately pull it down. As if your arms weren’t burning enough, right? :D After that one, you get your much deserved cool down. :D

So I really like this one! I’ve been looking for it at my local target and I looked for it at Walmart and no luck yet. I might have to order it online. I started doing this one rather than another Jillian DVD because I wanted to do a bit more strength training since I was getting a lot of cardio in (I recently bought a treadmill and I have been running on that A LOT until I hurt my foot of course. More on that in another blog post) and I felt like maybe needed something with more emphasis on strength. I can say that I really love this workout and am looking forward to finding the DVD to buy to try level 2. I feel like I get a good workout even though it’s fairly short. 

Thanks for reading! Click here to view this DVD on Amazon to learn more. 

Jillian Michaels Killler Buns and Thighs - Workout 1 Review.

Hey guys! I tried Level 1 of Killer Buns and Thighs the other day and did it for a week straight. I haven’t done level 2 or 3 yet, but I thought I’d talk about Level 1 while it’s on my mind and I have time! 

So far, I love love love this workout and am really looking forward to doing level 2 and 3 when I get a good and stable chair, which is something you need for those two levels. I really enjoy all lower body/leg workouts and I think that’s because they remind me of dance just with all the plyometric moves that Jillian has in her lower body workouts. Plus this one has Natalie and Anita in them, and since my very first Jillian DVD was the 30 Day Shred with them, I loved seeing them on the screen! 

So as always, you start with a warm up. This particular warm up has jump rope, deep lunges in plank (you’re in plank and you bring your foot up by your hands), side lunges, military march, and a pivoting crescent pose. So, I really loved the pivoting crescent pose and here’s why: (WARNING, NERD  ALERT!!!) It reminded me of Hurricane Helms. Yeah. The wrestler. I giggled while doing it! A little bit of nostalgia for me. I used to be a huge wrestling fan. Still am a fan of the old stuff. Okay! Back on the workout!

Circuit one has squat into a lunge, static sumo calf raises, goddess jumps, single leg chair pose pose, and stiff leg deadlifts. Oh Jillian, you are so terrible with those single leg chair poses. My legs are burning just thinking about them!! 

Circuit two has butt kicks, judo bridge, mountain climbers, swimmers, and then plank pose jumping into squat. I actually really liked this circuit and I thought I would hate the plank into squat, but it wasn’t too bad! I’m going to call this a non-scale victory because things like that (plank into squat, burpees and the like) I know I could NOT do before Jillian! 

Circuit three had fire hydrants, donkey kick, side plank leg raises, a leg raise where you lay on your side and bring your leg in front of you 90 degrees (not sure the technical name) and hamstring curls. I was laughing so hard during this circuit. Fire hydrants. Just like you imagine. Jillian even made jokes about her dog. “I can’t remember the last time my dog peed on a fire hydrant, maybe because he’s peeing on everything in the house!” Jillian totally gets it. A dog is a dog whether it’s human is a celebrity or not! Jillian is human too! Those side plank leg raises though were tough even though they looked easy. 

In circuit four there are high knees, front kick back kick combo, a lunge to warrior 3, a super fun move where you squat and then do a front kick, squat again and do a side kick, and then squat for a back kick, and then curtsy lunges. After that, you do your cool down. 

And that concluded one of my all time favorite Jillian workouts. ;) Really, I love this workout. It’s fun. It is a little bit longer than the other Jillian DVD’s that I have and it runs right at 40 minutes, but really those extra five to ten minutes I have never noticed because this is probably my favorite workout, except for the Lower Body workout on Killer Body. What’s also fun about this DVD is that it include bloopers. How cool is that? So far, I can say that I absolutely recommend this DVD! If you're interested in buying, you can check it out on Amazon by clicking here. It is such an amusing workout!

Jillian Michaels Yoga Inferno - Workout 2

Hey guys! Here are my thoughts on Yoga Inferno, workout 2! I did this one every day for two weeks straight, taking Thursdays off. 

As mentioned in a previous post, I’m a total beginner when it comes to yoga. I always held off on doing it because for a long time, I didn't feel like it was an efficient workout. Workout 1 of this DVD totally changed my perspective! And workout 2 just furthered that! During this particular workout, Jillian called it a “yoga hybrid” as she incorporates weights and cardio intervals. For weights, she recommends very light ones such as three pounds or if you were crazy, use five pounds. I don’t think I’m crazy, but I used fives just because I thought the workout was totally doable with fives.

Like workout 1, there are three circuits or sequences. Circuit one contains squat and press, bicep curls with your elbows resting on your knees, squat thrusts for cardio, wide rows a, triangle crunch with a lunge into a bicep curl, renegade rows, squat thrusts again for cardio, and a push-up with our leg going under your body and across (not sure what the technical term is here) and then into a side plank. Repeat this for the other side. By the end of the bicep curls in the static squat position and my elbows on my knees, my biceps were cooking! Kind of strange because it’s been a while since I’ve felt that burn! 

Circuit two contained figure four squats and press, a deep lunge into warrior 3 with a fly, warrior 3 tricep kickbacks, tree pose, and then dragon with your arms in eagle. Like always, repeat on the other side. I thought I would hate the figure four squats since they looked super tough, but I think I did great! What I thought I would really be great at - the eagle pose, I was never able to quite figure out. I’m not sure if it’s a flexibility issue or the fact that I have really short arms and couldn’t get them to fold right!  

Circuit three contained superman angels, press and fly in superman pose, camel with weights, lat pulls in bridge, headbangers with a pelvic thrust, sit ups with weights and a alternating leg raise. You repeat again, but instead of sit ups for your last move, you do a shoulder stance. 

Phew! That’s it! I really love that weights are incorporated in this workout, but I don’t like that after the first circuit (or honestly, I love to hate it!). I’ll admit that the whole Yoga Inferno DVD is not my favorite by Jillian, mostly because again, I’m a yoga n00b! While this program totally changed my mind that yoga isn’t an efficient workout, I didn’t stick with this one nearly as long as I do the others. All the planking really bothered my wrist and I think that might be because I am such a beginner with yoga. I feel like I need to attend a class to make sure I have the poses down pat and my form correct. 

Above all though, I do really like it and recommend it! I can definitely say I’m happy it’s apart of my collection! Thank you guys for reading!

Killer Body by Jillian Michaels - Core

The core workout is super tough. I remember on the first day, by the end of the workout, I just collapsed on the floor with how tough it was. I remember shouting and groaning during parts of it!

After a brief warmup, the first circuit has a triangle press, standing side crunch, sumo touchdowns, and then a plank tuck jump. Repeat it and the finish off the first circuit with your minute of cardio with alternating forward knee thrusts.

In circuit two, you do a sit up into a jump squat, which I was familiar with because it’s a move from Ripped In 30. Then she has you go on the mat and do boat sprawls. Then she has you do bicycle crunches in boat pose. Oh man, were my abs cooking after that!! Next  she has you do side plank spinners. After repeating those four exercises, your cardio is twisting high knees. 

Then come circuit three, which I hate. Despise. Abhor. She has you get into an ab hold and do running moguls. Then you go into plank and do elevator planks. Then you get on your back and do a sit up and then rotate into an ab hold with a knee thrust. I hate that move with a passion. And then as if that wasn’t enough, she has you in an ab hold to do dynamic dolphin. It’s several minutes of pure core work! As if that wasn’t enough, your cardio is a three point burpee. Jillian Michaels, you are a mean, mean, MEAN woman. Phew! 

After the rough circuit three, circuit four is much better. She has you on the floor doing a corkscrew crunch. Then she has you go into table and out of table, like she has you do in Ripped In 30. I still have the same problem I did with RI:30 - I HAVE SHORT ARMS! I’ve added textbooks to try and make it a bit more challenging and give my arms a little extra boost. Then she has to doing around the world crunches with a reverse crunch and then a split crunch. After repeating, your cardio is a sledgehammer squat. 

Phew. It sounds easy, but it definitely is not! I think it’s the hardest workout on the DVD. Cool thing though is that I can tell a definite change in my endurance.

Interested in buying a copy? Here's the Amazon link!

Killer Body by Jillian Michaels - Lower Body

The lower body workout for Killer Body is by far my favorite. This one is just like the other two; she has two girls, one doing more advanced moves and the other doing modified versions. One is Natalie from 30DS. She also has Golden, who is 25. Jillian makes jokes that she’s going to enjoy “beating up” the 25-year-old. ;) 

Circuit one had a three-way pendulum lunge with front raise, lateral raise, and a hammer curl. Then she has weighted good mornings with an overhead press. Then she squat jacks into a star jump, which I loved. Then the fourth move is called, Statue of Liberty, which is basically a single leg squat while holding weights in one hand. She has you repeat these, and then your minute cardio interval is a long jump, and then running back twice, and then zigzag jumps upwards and backwards. 

In circuit two, she has you get into static chair pose for 30 seconds. Next is sumo scissor hops, which I was familiar with from RI30. I can totally tell a difference in my endurance! Then she has you doing curtsy lunges with an overhead press, and then lunges on a straight line with weights in one hand. The cardio was standing donkey kick into a rockstar jump. The cardio interval for this circuit was a lot of fun, and boy did it sure get my heart rate up!

I think circuit three is the one I enjoyed the most. It had standing donkey kicks, Supermans (first time without weights, and the second time with weights) and then into Warrior 2 post and reverse warrior from yoga, and then Warrior 3, also from yoga. The cardio with split jumps where you bring one knee up like a high knee, and the other leg would go back like a butt kick. 

Circuit four had sissy squats, surrender lunges, sumo hops on toes, and then weighted deadlifts. For the surrender lunges, she had Golden (the advanced girl) going from being on her knees to hopping up from her knees to her feet. I can’t see myself ever being able to do that without breaking my neck, so I followed Natalie. The last cardio interval is a jumping squat into a jumping lunge. Phew! After a full minute of that one, my poor legs were really cooking!

With that said though, I LOVE the lower body workout. It doesn’t have any mat work, and that might be why I like it so much. DDR is mostly on your legs, and obviously I love that, so that could be why I love this lower body work out. But I really do adore it. By far my favorite workout on the DVD and probably my favorite Jillian workout I’ve come across on all the DVD’s I have. And while it’s fun and my favorite and I love it, by the end, I’m a total sweaty mess! It’s still tough! 

Coolest thing? I remember how I couldn’t do jumping lunges with the 30 Day Shred. I SURE CAN NOW! Woo hoo!

Interested buying a copy? Follow the link to buy on Amazon.

Killer Body by Jillian Michaels - Upper Body

The upper body workout for Killer Body is tough, but doable. Like every Jillian Michaels’ workout, she has two girls, one doing more advanced moves and the other doing modified versions. Many of the workouts I’ve seen in previous Jillian DVD’s but there were a few new ones that I’ve never done before. 

Each workout had a warm up, and four circuits, and then a cool down. After each circuit is a full minute of cardio. The first circuit has walkout pushups, forearm pushups, rocking cobra, and then a single arm row with a static lunge. Repeat that, and then go into your minute cardio interval with crossover jacks. 

The second circuit consists of wide rows into a fly in a squat, renegade rows with a pushup, and a lat pull into a chest press and then a chest fly into a headbanger, all in bridge pose. The cardio is jab cross and then a rockstar. I loved these! 

Circuit three is this horrible move with traveling pushups and then a crossover pushup, static good mornings with a low row, tricep press into a sumo squat and then a tricep press into a bicep curl into a shoulder press with a squat. And then the cardio is single arm burpees. Oh man. By now my shoulders were BURNING. That single arm burpee is tough, too, especially with your shoulders taking such a beating. 

Circuit four is a pike press into a pike pushup, a bicep curl into a side lunge with a forward press, tricep extensions in a stationary lunge and then a bicep curl with a squat into a punch. The last cardio interval is arm circle kickouts. And then the cool down. 

Phew! Tough. But doable! I like this one a lot. I also have to comment on how funny and likable the two girls are, but I totally loved Mimi! She was super funny! During the single arm burpees, as she's standing back up, she was waving, which made me giggle. And at another point, during those awful traveling crossover pushups, she's shouting call 911, and I giggled more. So a tough but doable and I like it a lot more than the core workout that comes tomorrow. Mwa-ha-ha! If you're interested in buying, you can learn more on Amazon by clicking here. 

Killer Body by Jillian Michael's DVD

I’ve had Killer Body by Jillian Michael’s for a little over three weeks now and have done each workout six times. I’m going to review the DVD as a whole here, and then link to my opinions on each workout below. If you're interested in picking up this DVD, click here to check it out on Amazon.

In whole, I really like the DVD. It’s super tough (especially that core workout - UGH!! Core day is my least favorite day!) and when I’m finished for the day I’m a sweaty mess, but man, do I feel accomplished. I will say that the DVD seems fuzzy at times and that the camera angles seem a bit weird and off at times. But once I get a rhythm down, I hardly notice that. Before I bought the DVD, I read reviews on Amazon that said the same thing and some reviews were low because of that. I can see where it might be distracting, but often times, I turn around and am not completely watching/facing the TV to watch the DVD, I’m more listening to Jillian as I work out. So if I were to knock off points for that, I’d maybe knock off a half star. Beyond that, I really do like Killer Body, as much as you can like doing a Jillian Michael’s DVD! She’s so tough! 

What I like about this one is that with it switching every day rather than the same workout for so many days in a row, I find myself getting less bored and I like the mixup. I did Ripped In 30 for two months or so (going through it all in order) and by the time I was done with RI30 and had bought a new DVD, I was ready for a break from it. So that’s pretty cool about this particular workout program. A change every day! 

The Lower Body workout is by far my favorite, and I like the Upper Body workout fairly well. The Core Workout is TOUGH. Phew. Now that I’ve gotten it under my belt several times, I like it a bit better but in the beginning, there were days it would have been easy for me to skip, just because it’s super tough. I’m taking the fact that I’m doing it and noticing major changes in my endurance with that particular workout a non-scale victory! Woo hoo! 

Click below to see in depth reviews of each workout on the DVD.

Upper Body

Core

Lower Body

So with all that said, I really do like this workout and totally recommend it. I did take measurements and haven’t checked to see if there have been any changes measurements wise. There isn’t any drastic changes with the scale either (still have that darn one pound to lose until I hit the big 100 pound loss! Come on, one pound!) but I feel stronger and this weekend I went shopping and had a great time. I bought four skirts and I really and noticing major changes from when I started this journey. Some days I see it plain as day and then other days I feel like nothing has changed at all. I think that might come with the territory, but seeing the changes more often than not seeing them is a step in the right direction! :)

Thanks for reading!

I've bought Jillian Michael's Killer Body DVD!

Yesterday I picked up Jillian Michael's Killer Body DVD. I've decided to blog about it and give my review!

This Jillian DVD is a bit different than the other two I've owned and completed. This one has three workouts, but instead of having levels where you go up once a week or whatever, you do one workout one day, the next workout the next day, and then the next one on the third day, rinse and repeat. Jillian recommends you do each workout twice a week and take one day off. One workout focuses on your upper body, one focuses on your core, and the other focuses on your lower body. I did the upper body workout today and watched the core workout so I know what to expect for tomorrow. I plan on watching the lower body one tonight.

I can say that the upper body workout is pretty tough but doable, and the core workout looks super tough, so I imagine the lower body will be tough as well! But so far so good! As I get these workouts under my belt and see how things go, I will blog about them further with more details! I'm thinking that switching off be a different way to go about things and might help. I was starting to get a bit bored with RI30 - but it was my second go around with it back to back and I think that had something to do with it.

This is a fairly new Jillian Michael's DVD. Have you tried it? :)

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.