Body Revolution - Phase 3, Cardio 3

Phase 3 cardio takes you through all four weeks of Phase 3, just like with the previous two phases. This one is pretty simple in which you do the circuit three times over, but the moves in general are HARD. Even Jillian herself says that this was probably the most vicious workout she's created and she wasn't lying. By the end of Cardio 3, I was dripping in sweat. It is the toughest Jillian cardio workout I've done personally (Workout 11 and Cardio 3 are about equal).

So, there are several different moves that last around twenty seconds or so. You start with windmills, and you quickly move from that to fast feet, knee thrusts on both sides, double jump jumprope, and jumping front kicks. She also has you drop down in plank for plank moguls. Then you do a purely evil few minutes of rockstar jumps, squat jumps, jumping lunges, and squat jacks. She has you do four high knees and then an up down/burpee. Standing mountain climbers, high knees with a rotation, long jump forward and two jumps backward, cannon balls. She has you drop down on the floor for plank taps, crab kicks (which I hate with a passion!), knee thrusts in plank, down dog thrusters, zig zag jumps, side burpees, single leg hops, and then finally, back in plank again for plank punches.

And you get to do this two more times!! 

It is tough. A ton of plyometric moves, lots of planks, lots of burpee variations. I did this workout in the summer months and also in the winter months when my home was pretty cold at night, and it didn't matter. I was dripping. But it's still a great cardio workout a super effective!

Body Revolution - Phase 3, workout 12

THIS IS YOUR LAST WORKOUT!! WOO HOO! You are a force to be reckoned with!

I'll be honest, after workout 11 I was scared for workout 12. Phew. But I really enjoyed it! Your warmup consists of plank taps, long jumps, and donkey kicks, which you do on each side.

Circuit one has you doing a lat pull on a one legged bridge, alternating plank rows, a tuck to a sprawl (which reminds me of boat pose spraws), and then alternating popups, which reminds me of surrender lunges to a degree. You repeat all this after doing your cardio, which is cannonball jumps.

Circuit two is a bit tough. She has you do what's called wheel pushups. I've never been able to get in wheel pose, let alone do a pushup, so I definitely modified. Then you do alternating dumbbell rows, which is sounds easy, but you go so fast that you definitely get your heart rate up and going! Next, get in plank, and get ready because you do reverse flies in plank, and then you do tricep kickbacks in plank. Repeat after zigzag jumps for cardio.

Circuit 3 has you doing sit up flies with your resistance band. Next you stand on our resistance band and go into a backwards lunge and then stand up and and do a shoulder press with your resistance band. You do that on the opposite side after you do squat jumps holding weights, which is super tough. You get to do it all again after you do your cardio interval, which is speedbag with kickouts. 

Last circuit in this last workout. I almost cried! Circuit four has you doing single leg squat jumps, and then bicep curls. Just simple bicep curls. Single leg squat jumps on the other side, and then dancing crab. Your cardio interval is side to side hops with weights. And then you repeat on the opposite side!

And then you cool down. What I loved about the cool down is once you're finish, Jillian bring the entire cast up. Everyone is clapping, and she congratulates you on completing the 90 days program, and reminds you that they're there whenever you need them.

I really love Body Rev. I loved seeing lots of Jillian 'regulars' in there like Natalie, Anita, Mimi, Kenta, meeting some new ones (I loved Teri Ann and Omar!) and just the whole workout in general. And to complete something that is three months long and build every week was great. I was never bored with Body Rev (except maybe the cardio's, since they did last the whole month, but that could be easily rectified) and while some of the workouts were SUPER TOUGH, it's my favorite program so far of it's caliber.

Body Revolution - Phase 3, Workout 11.

Okay. We're at workout 11. The first time I did Workout 11 for in Body Rev, I cried. Jillian is crazy. Evil. Demented. Pick your adjective and go! I will say that the second time I did Body Rev, I found workout 11 a little easier to manage (maybe because I knew what to expect and pushed myself harder on 9 and 10?), but it was still HARD. So far, I think workout 11 is the hardest Jillian I have ever done. So with that said, lets break it down!

As usual, you start with your warmup, which has overhead punches with your resistance band, down dog thrusters, fast squats, single leg mountain climbers, and high knees.

Your first circuit from hell has something calls reverse squats, where you get in a super deep squat, and then bring it up to a regular squat. Then you do scorpion pushups. And then you get into jumping static lunges with a shoulder press. My shoulders were burning! Oh, and that's not all. Your cardio is weighted burpees. What. Repeat on the other side if you're not dead. ;) It's only circuit one!

Circuit two has dive bombers, bear walks (which remind me of duck walk), and then tricep kickbacks in plank on both sides. Your cardio is crab kicks and you repeat on the opposite side.

Circuit three has jumping statue of liberty. Then she has you do pushups with your resistance band, so as you're coming up from that pushup, the resistance band is trying to keep you from coming up. Ohh the burn. You do statue of liberty jumps on the other side, and then she has you hold chaturanga. You cardio is standing mountain climbers and then you repeat all that on the other side.

And then circuit four is the circuit from Hell! This one is tough. First you go into dragon stance and do lateral raises. Then she has you do three part pushup. Where you're in pushup, and start with your hands fairly close together, and then you bring your hands wider, and then wider again. And then you bring it back up. So it's a pushup, a three part one. Phew. So tough! Then she has you do russian twists, and then as if that wasn't enough, you get in plank and do plank twists. Your cardio is long jump with two hops back, and then you get to do this fun, fun, fun circuit all over again!

And now, you may cool down. Oh man. Toughest workout in the whole program. I bet you did amazing!!

Body Revolution - Phase 3, Workout 10

On to workout 10, which is one of my favorites! Your warmup included rockstar jumps, which are favs of mine. It also has up downs with supermans, alternating push kicks, arm circles, 180 jumps (another favorite!) and butt kicks. You're good and warm to move on to circuit one with this warmup.

Circuit one has you in reverse plank with leg raises, which is a lot harder than it seems! Then Jillian has you do alternate jumping lunges with weights. As much as though suck, I got so excited because who would have thought that I would have been able to do that during week one?! She has you do another move which I really love, which is where you lunge backwards on one leg (lets say your right leg) and then as you come back from that backwards lunge, you push it forward and bring your left leg forward to kick it upwards. I loved this move because it felt extra dancey and kickbox-y. Your cardio is where you're doing lunge taps. I thought those would be pretty easy as you're in plank but moving your leg back and forth but it was tough. Anything that looks easy, especially in week 10, is an optical illusion! Repeat on the other side and you're on to circuit 2.

Circuit two has you doing a curtsey lunge with a fly using your resistance band. Then you get your dumbbell and do a woodchopping lunge. Then you hold a squat while holding your heaviest weight. You do woodchoppers on the other side, and then your cardio is dumbbell swings. Which is kind of like doing a kettlebell swing, jumping forward three times, and bringing it back three times. I actually used my kettlebell for this one the majority of the time, and I enjoyed it. And then, of course, you repeat on the other side.

Circuit three is a flying pigeon squat with a bicep curl. Next is a squat jump with an upright row, which I loved. You do pigeon on the other side with the curls, and then you get into superman with reverse flies. You repeat that after your cardio which is rockstar jumps with weights.

Circuit 4 is possibly my favorite. You do a yoga pose called half moon, you do single arm rows, and then you repeat on the opposite side, so you do each twice for the first half of the circuit on opposite sides. Your cardio is windmills with weights, which is one of my favorite cardio moves, and then you repeat both again. And guess what - you're done!

Enjoy your cooldown and beware - workout 11 made me cry. ;)