Body Rev - Phase 2 Cardio

Phase 2 Cardio. 

The Phase 2 cardio workout takes you through all four weeks of Phase 2. So on your cardio days, you will do this workout, and you’ll do it a total of eight time during Phase 2. All other workouts you do four times.

So the cardio workout is pretty simple. There are 14 different moves that you do for approximately 30 seconds, and you repeat it three times. Get ready to sweat. Since it’s a cardio workout, you don’t need to warm up. The moves are jump rope, butt kicks, high knees, alternating knee thrusts, jumping jacks, fast feet, skaters, skiers, plié hops, cross jacks, half squat uppercuts, towel runs, hooks, and…boom! Thought you might escape those burpees, but they are ba-aaack! 

So, like I said, you do each of these moves for approximately 30 seconds each, and then you move on to the next one and repeat this circuit three times. The Cardio 1 workout is my favorite cardio from Body Rev, but this one is my second favorite (and then Cardio 3 is somewhere down in hell!). I did like having some uppercuts and hooks in there, and I'm all about those skaters, jump rope, and fast feet. There is one amusing moment during towel runs and Jillian is joking about how bad the workout sucks, and then she’s like, “Who’s the crazy person who came up with that? Hurts So Good, oh my endorphins!” I KNOW! John Cougar Mellancamp, and I love that song! Small towns unite! I always love when there are moments in a workout that I remember and look forward to getting to when it comes to doing them over again. 

Cardio 2 is definitely a step up from Cardio 1. I’m someone who likes cardio more than the strength training/HIIT training. 

Body Revolution - Phase 2, Workout 8!

Body Revolution - Phase 2, Workout 8!

All righty! On to workout 8. I really enjoyed workout 8. I liked the moves and I felt like we’ve really stepped it up to a better workout. You start this one with a brief warmup, like always. This one has side crunches (elbows to knees), cobra pose, and surfer getups on both sides to help get you warm and ready to work.  

Circuit 1 has you in a squat with a medium row, lat pulls while in bridge position, upright rows with your resistance band, and then a deadlift with hammer curls. You repeat that on each side after you have a one minute cardio interval that is butt kicks with hammer curls. 

Circuit 2 is pendulum lunges with a reverse bicep curl (so palms are facing forward) and pelvic thrusts with your resistance band. Those are the only two moves but you repeat them several times throughout this circuit (each side, totaling the up and down four times I think) and your cardio is jump rope with weights. 

Circuit 3 is evil. Live backwards is EVIL. Or is it love backwards? When you do this workout, that’ll make sense. It’s a Natalie moment. ;). You have been warned. You get in crescent pose, and bust out some lateral raises. As if your shoulders aren’t already on fire, she has you in Warrior 3, with your hands out holding the weights. You get to do it on the other side right away, and then you get to do rockstar jumps, and then you get to light another match for your shoulders. ;) 

Circuit 4 is a weighted good morning, a side lunge into a crossover lunge holding weights on both sides one one leg (you’ll repeat on the other both times), and then bicycle crunches with your band. Your cardio is suicide runs. 

So I really like workout 7 and 8. I really felt like I was finally starting to be challenged! I liked the previous six weeks, but I can’t help but wonder if I should have done the less intense workouts for a shorter amount of time, because at times it felt a little too beginnerish. Then other times I felt like I was really being challenged. That’s the beauty of Body Rev though! 

Body Revolution - Phase 2, Workout 7

You’re officially past the halfway point and now on to Week 7! I think Week 7 and 8 are my two favorite workouts in the program so far. Jillian really steps it up during the second half of Body Rev, and I really feel like I’m getting to push all those muscles I’ve been working the last 6 weeks to the max! 

Week 7 starts with a quick warmup with some side to side squats, lunges with stretch, and a few short cardio moves. Jillian warns that the warmup is deceptive and she’s right. I know I said I liked workout 7 and 8 the best sp far, but the first circuit is mean! Want to know why? It’s mostly in plank. Ugh! The first move is crow pushups. I hate those. Does anyone like them? Haha. Then walking plank. And then if your abs aren’t already screaming, you’re doing plank ups. She finally gives you a break while you roll over. ;) And then you’re doing jackknife crunches. But never fear! You get a break as you roll over to get back in plank position for your cardio interval. I bet you’re really looking forward to workout 7 so far! ;) 

It gets a little better. Circuit two has pike pushups, tricep kickback with your resistance band, and then w-presses on one leg as you extend your leg out. Cardio reminds me of DDR. You hop on one leg forward, backward, and to the side. I like to do up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select start. ;) Or pretend I’m jumping on some arrows! I use weights instead of the band for my tricep kickbacks because my band is different than Jillian’s and it’s hard to do the move in the way she wants. 

Circuit three has you squatting with your elbows in a 90 degree angle while holding the resistance band, and then standing on the resistance band, bringing it behind your head and doing a tricep extension. Then on the floor you go to do a single leg pushup. It’s about as fun as it sounds, a pushup with one leg extended in the air! Then you get to hold boat post. Cardio is star jumps, and I’ve always enjoyed these :D 

In circuit 4, you do something that I’m going to call quad raises, because I can’t remember if Jillian had a technical term for them. You’re on your knees, and then you sit back, your butt touching your heels, and then you pop up, doing this while holding your heaviest weights up. You’re working your quads. Then you get on your back and you do chest presses. You can your feet on the floor with your knees bent, holding your legs 6 inches off the floor, or raising your feet up and down doing leg raises. Jillian says it all depends on what is hardest for you. I usually alternate between holding them 6 inches off the floor and doing leg raises. Next you do side plank crunches, and then you’re on your back doing the same thing, but instead of chest presses, you do chest flies. Your cardio is double under jump rope, and then you repeat on the other side. 

After a cool down, you are done! Woo hoo! After that terrible first circuit, this may be one of my favorite Body Rev workouts so far!  

Body Revolution: Phase 2, Workout 6

Body Revolution. Phase 2, Workout 6

On to week six. You’re halfway through now, so congratulations! After a quick warmup consisting of swing kicks, speed rope, and alternating knee thrusts, you’re ready to work the front of your body. Did I mention that on even workouts (2, 4, 6, etc.) you work the front of the body and on odd days (1, 3, 5, etc.) you work the back of the body? I don’t think I did, so that’s one little tidbit I am pretty sure I forgot to mention. 

You start out with with bent over, high and wide rows. You do crossover lunges to the front with a bicep curl, and then you do a move that is in almost every Jillian workout: plank rows. She has you do supermans with weights. You repeat that after doing rockstar jumps for cardio. 

Circuit two is a bit meaner. She has you in stork stance (or warrior 3) with low rows. Then she has you in reverse plank. She has you grab you resistance band and do heavy bicep curls. Since my resistance band is kind of crappy, I just used my heaviest dumbbells and sped it up a bit. You repeat this after doing cardio, which I don’t know the name of. I remember doing it in Ripped In 30. It’s kind of like doing a skater, but instead of swinging your leg back like you’re skating, you bring your knee up and stabilize (almost as if you’re going to kick). 

Circuit 3 had Statue of Liberty, which is a single leg squat holding one weight and flying the weight with your arm back. Then it’s time to do the lunge chop, which kind of reminds me of a baseball swing. You repeat each of these on one side so you do each side twice per circuit, and your cardio is running man. Have fun with that. (Personally? I love running man, but I hear so many people who hate it!)

Circuit 4 is actually my favorite circuit, which is kind of weird since it’s mostly ab work on the mat, and I usually hate ab work! On your back with your heaviest weights, do a lateral raise and a high crush (basically a sit up). Then you work your low abs with reverse crunch. Next you work your obliques with windshield wipers. Last move is you’re up doing kettlebell swings with a dumbbell. Since I have a kettlebell, I just use my kettlebell instead of a dumbbell. Your cardio is zig zag jumps, and I love these. 

Body Revolution: Phase 2, Workout 5

I did Phase 2, Workout 5 just a little while ago. I’m gonna talk about it while it’s fresh on my mind. I gotta be honest: this one is probably one of my least favorite Jillian workouts. One word that comes to mind? Pain.

Your warmup consists of four sun salutations from yoga. Sometimes I feel like I’m not getting a good stretch from this but other times I do, so I guess it depends on just how loose my muscles are. You spend a lot of time in plank position for your first circuit! She has you do a pushup into side plank as your very first move, and I’ll be honest: that one bums me out! I can do military style pushups occasionally, but I often have to modify. It kills my ego! I’m not sure if I have the right form and that’s why my wrists, elbows, and arms don’t move that way, or of it’s simply because my wrists, elbows and arms don’t move that way! haha. I want to turn my wrists in or out, and not keep them straight. I’ve also experimented with having my legs wider or closer together. I’m worried that I might be making the workouts too easy though. That’s one of the downfalls of doing at home workouts and not having a personal trainer or someone knowledgeable watch my form and see if they can offer some insight on that. Mountain climbers are back, and I have mixed feelings with them. Jillian also favors crescent post in this workout, and she has you do tricep presses in crescent, and jump squats while holding weights if you want a little extra. 

I like circuit two is my favorite, but I can’t help but roll my eyes when Jillian tells you to get light weights (I’m assuming 3’s) and to do shoulder presses while in sumo squat. She talks about how you haven’t seen something like that before, but being familiar with her other programs, I’m pretty familiar with it, and definitely go heavier than she recommends. I find it a bit weird. Wood chops are back, which feel to me more like a baseball swing. Linking my favorite sport to this move has helped me like it better. Funny how that works! I enjoy scissor abs but I don’t stick my hands under my tailbone like Jillian suggests. High knees for cardio, which I admittedly sissy out of because high knees are what messed up my calf and I’m so afraid of messing it up again.

Circuit 3 is mean. It’s another ego killing circuit, haha. It makes my shoulders BURN. She has you use the resistance band. Mine is way different than Jillian’s. Hers has handles and seems to be like a tube, mine is about a 6ft long and 6in wide long piece of rubber. So it’s hard to do some of the moves in the way she wants it without the handles, but I do my best with what I have. In crescent pose with the resistance band, you do like a hug move. Open your arms out into a T and close them in front of your chest, and then on the floor in crab position to do tricep presses with one leg up. She has you do punches in crescent pose, also with the resistance band for cardio. Mean, mean woman. My poor arms, shoulders. I’ll love it when I put on a tank top, but doing it, I want to cry. :) 

Circuit 4 annoys me because I feel like it gets my heart rate way down and I don’t feel like I’m doing anything, although I know I am. Fitbit backs up the heart rate concern, but with that said, I know Fitbit’s aren’t 100% accurate. But I also do think I need to find ways to make this harder, and you may need to as well, depending on your level. She has you do single leg squats raising the weight up over your head, and then on the floor on your side, doing a tricep press. The up and down gets a bit frustrating too; every 30 seconds you’re dropping to the floor or popping up and for this one, it gets me a little dizzy, especially with it being towards the end.

Phew. This workout is one I will be happy that I only had to do four times! (Other workouts I love so much I’m bummed I only get to do them four times!) There are just some workouts that I am totally not fond of, and this is one of them. And that’s okay. In whole, I adore the program, and I’ll still do this workout for a random pick me up once I’m through with Body Rev! I might go back to this one once I complete the whole program again to see if I still find it as challenging as I do now, just to compare how strong I’ve gotten through the course of the program!