Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level One

Jillian Michaels is a trainer on the hit TV show The Biggest Loser US. She has become known worldwide as one of the best personal trainers in the business. Along with her successful TV show, she has produced numerous fitness DVDs. According to reviews on Amazon.com, they have have performed miracles on overweight people worldwide. So does they live up to the hype? I have bought three of her DVDs, 30 Day Shred (30DS), Ripped in 30 (RI30) and Killer Buns and Thighs (KBT). I have also ordered her boxset which includes No More Trouble Zones (NMTZ), Banish Fat Boost Metabolism (BFBM) and 6 Week 6 Pack (6W6P). Over the next few months I am going to give these a go. My challenge is to complete both the 30DS and RI30 by my holidays on 1st July. I will also do the other DVDs in conjunction with these two. However I will not be doing it as advised and I may not get to complete all the levels. By offering to be your guinea pig I am hoping that it will force me to exercise! I will review each level per DVD on an individual basis.

When exercising it is important to take measurements and photos before starting. For some people exercise can slow down movement on the scales. I hope this does not happen to me. It is important to remember that weight loss is not linear. What is important is that your body shape is changing and you are becoming healthier.

I am going to start with the 30DS level one. Does it do what is says on the tin? Of course not. 20lbs in 30 days is unrealistic unless you are 500 lbs or you spend the majority of your day exercising. My aim is to lose inches, not lbs. I hope that the lbs will come from following WW.

I first did this DVD in March 2012 in preparation for my holiday in May. I was terrified of wearing a bikini and the thought of it spurred me into action. I do not know how many inches I lost but I do know that for the first time since I was 13, I wore a bikini. I still had weight to lose and I by no means had the perfect body but I felt comfortable with the body I had at that moment. For those of you who have read my introduction, you will know that I regained all the weight I lost after this holiday. So I am back to square one, terrified of my impending holiday and the holiday wardrobe. The difference this time around is that I am not fretting over the date. I am doing this to get to help me get to goal at some stage between now and December 2014!

The 30DS is split into three levels, each 30 minutes long including warm-up and cool-down. The instructions say to do it every day and to spend 10 days on each level. However I listened to a podcast by Jillian Michaels where she said the optimal plan is to do 30DS for 2 days followed by a day of cardio. My advice is to spend as long as you need on each level. There is no right or wrong. As long as you are exercising at least three times a week you will see results eventually. Do not be afraid to hit the pause button. Try not to but if you really have to, then it is better to hit pause than to not finish. You should time yourself to see how long it takes you to complete. The aim then is to improve each time you do it. When I first did level one, it took me over an hour to complete. I physically thought I would throw up. Now I can do it in just over 30 minutes. Listen to your body.
You do not need a lot of space to do this DVD. You will need a pair of hand weights. Be innovative if you do not own dumbbells. Use water bottles. For beginners try using 1 or 2 lb weights. If you are more advanced you should be using heavier weights. The heavier the weights the slimmer the arms! You may also need a floor mat if you are working out on a hard surface.

What does level one contain?
Warm-up is about five minutes long. Jillian does not like to do static stretches in the warm-up. The idea behind this is that you should not stretch cold muscles as you can pull something. However I cannot not do static stretched before exercising. I do her warm-up and then I pause it and do a few simple stretches for the hamstrings, calves and arms.

Each level consists of three circuits. In each circuit there is three minutes of strength, two minutes of cardio and one minute of abs. For the strength and cardio sections, you repeat the exercises e.g. you do 30 secs jumping jacks, 30 secs jump rope, then 30 secs jumping jacks and 30 secs jump rope. Except for the cardio in circuit 3 where you do 30 secs of all the previous cadio exercises.

Level 1 Circuit 1:
Strength - push ups, squat and press
Cardio - jumping jacks, jump rope,
Abs - basic crunch, leg and bum lift crunch

Level 1 Circuit 2:
Strength - dumbbell row, static lunge and bicep curl
Cardio - running bum kicks, squat and punch
Abs - opposite elbow to opposite knee, done separately on both sides

Level 1 Circuit 3:
Strength - lying on back with lateral arm raises, side lunge with arm raises
Cardio - do each of the cardio sections again
Abs - bicycle crunches

Rating: 4.5/5. I love this DVD and I would recommend it to anyone who is trying to tone up and get that perfect bikini body. It is not easy but if you stick with it you will get the desired results. In order for it to work, you must to do at least three days a week and not too long in between the workouts. It would have got 5 stars only for the warm-up and cool-down are too short.

To follow my Fitness Challenge, see http://eabhabear.blogspot.ie/2013/04/my-fitness-challenge.html