May 13, 2009

When LilSis mentioned Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred video, I was immediately intrigued. I've seen The Biggest Loser a couple of times, so I knew that Jillian was a hard-core trainer. Who wants Jillian to get them shredded? Me! Who wants to see results in 30 days (or 30 workouts)? Me! Who wants to see a change in their body as summer approaches? Me me me!

I have an “all or nothing” personality, so when I decide I want to start a new eating plan, workout or whatever, I want to do it NOW! So I marched myself up to SuperTarget and got the video on sale for $13. If you're more patient than me, Amazon has 30 Day Shred for $8.99. This video is the #2 biggest seller out of all their Movies and TV category! There are 3 workouts on the DVD, all at around 25 minutes each. Level 1 is the easiest so you start there, and then move up to Level 2 and then Level 3 as your fitness level improves.

I started the DVD right away, and I just finished my fifth workout at Level 1. When I did the workout the first time, I thought it was kind of short and wanted a little longer workout. The next day though, I realized the 25 minutes was plenty long enough. My entire body was sore…I mean: arms, back, pecs, legs, butt, abs…the whole kitten caboodle (however you spell that). I was surprised to be that sore since I do cardio and weights at the gym 5 times a week, and walk outdoors whenever the weather allows. Obviously, this workout hit my muscles in a new way which is a great thing!

This is not a fluffy little dancy DVD! Oh no no no! It's push-ups, crunches, jumping jacks, tae bo punches, jumping rope, lunges, zercher squats …you get the idea. It's stuff that a trainer would have you doing in a gym if you paid him or her $180 an hour. All you need is a mat and a set of hand weights. I love the way Jillian combines small muscle movements, like bicep curls, with large muscle movements, like lunges. Jillian is encouraging and motivational, and gives clear instructions about the correct form.

So the million dollar question is, do I see results? Heck, yeah! Woo hoo! After my third or fourth workout, I caught a view of my arm in the mirror and was surprised to see some new definition there! I'm not kidding. My lower “quadrant” feels tighter, thanks to the squats and lunges, and my core feel stronger. I'm going to stay with this workout, and see where it'll take me. I can't believe I'm seeing results of this magnitude already. It's truly amazing. Because of this positive outcome, I'm already trying to persuade my friends to try a similar workout and they all seem up for it, especially my friend that said he's willing to try it because it gives him an excuse to have a look for some of the best men's workout shorts on the market. Well, if that persuades him to take part, then so be it. When it comes to myself though, I can't wait to continue with this workout journey. If I can, I'd like to do 5 more workouts at Level 1, and then move up to Level 2 for 10 workouts, and end with 10 workout at Level 3. That'll be the 30 workout barometer, and I'll report back about my progress…if Jillian hasn't killed me!

If I have one note of caution to add, it's to be very careful if you're like me and have bad knees (too many years of step aerobics!). Be sure to strictly use the proper form in every exercise. The side lunges were hurting my knees, so I've backed off that exercise a little and substituted a move with less knee stress.

Overall? On a sister scale of 1 to 10, I give this video an 8.5 so far! Oh, and LilSis, thanks for the suggestion of this video. And I apologize for this post…I hope you don't feel like I'm rubbing your nose in the fact that you're still in that darn boot and can't exercise for a while! You'll be back to your old working-out self soon, don't worry!

Update: This video is now #1 on Amazon as of May 14th! And Jillian has two other videos in the top 10! I'm tempted to order these two but I'm going to wait until I finish this first 30-workout challenge.

~BigSis