Shred it with Weights

Today I did Jillian Michaels' Shred it with Weights workout, which uses Kettle Bells.  I don't have Kettle Bells and JM says that you can use a dumbbell from three-eight pounds.  I have ten pound dumbbells and four one-pound weights so I hooked my one-pound weights together and used them mostly, although sometimes the ten pound dumbbell and it was fine.

It's similar to the Shred, you do a warm up, a cool down and three circuits in between.  It didn't seem too hard so maybe I should use more weight.  In the third circuit, it got pretty challenging for me but that could be because by then I was really doing it for several minutes in a row.  I was messing around with Anthony in the first circuit and had to keep pausing it.

I enjoyed it, I'd do it again.  It makes me want to get a Kettle Bell and see if it makes a difference.

Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred

Well, it had to happen, I had to do it.  I used to do this workout all the time but I stopped, I don't know why.

I mean, she's horrible.  At one point, she says about one of her worker-outers, 'look at these abs!  She didn't get these abs without hard work.  And there's not a lot I wouldn't do to have these abs'.  And I'm like, really?  Really, Jillian?  Like what?  She's too hyperbolic and she's just - I mean, I get that it's important to be in shape, I do!  But at this point in my life, I do not care about how my abs look.  And Jillian seems kind of mad about that, to me.  Also, not in this level, but in one of them, she screams, "I want you to feel like you're going to diiiiie!", and come ON!  That is not how I want to feel while I'm working out.  Let's leave that to the Crossfitters, shall we?

Anyway.  The 30 day Shred workout is comprised of a warm up, three circuits of:  three minutes of strength training, two minutes of cardio one minute of abs, and a cool down.  You are supposed to use weights but I suppose you don't have to.  I didn't, today, as I was upstairs and I only had one ten pound weight.  I mean, I did use the weight, sometimes, but like for the chest flys, I couldn't.  I think it's a good workout, I read somewhere on line that someone did the workout but just memorized it so they didn't have to hear Jillian talk and that seems like a good idea.  Because it is good, it's fast, and it feels effective.  I just don't like getting yelled at - not by my kids and not by some mean lady on the tv.

Jillian Michaels - Yoga Meltdown

I was going to skip the Jillian Michael's portion of Exercise TV but I thought that would be bs, in a way, right?  The point is to do them all.  The dance ones I don't feel so bad about not doing, because I really do think they are better in a class environment but I know that the JM workouts are good, I just don't like her.  So I did the Yoga Meltdown, which I had heard good things about.  It's 37 minutes long and it's challenging, but doable and she never mentions tank tops or jeans once!  Win win win!

Anthony had sort of a breakdown during the workout but this is a fun thing about Comcast on demand stuff - if you start it on one tv, you can resume it on another.  So I started the workout upstairs in my room (which has hardwood floors so I didn't need a mat) and then I finished later, after Mike took Anthony out for a shake and an attitude adjustment (which worked!) and I got Veronica up from her nap and then went downstairs, got out my yoga mat (because it's carpeted) and finished the workout.

I am soooore in my arms and shoulders and I am very glad that I've done that pushup challenge, because I felt very strong during the plank stuff and there is a LOT of plank stuff.  Like a LOT a LOT.  It's pretty simple, but you would have had to have done yoga before and be familiar with the terms and poses.  Jillian has you "rep it out" when you start a pose.  For example, you do Warrior 1, and then you "rep it out" by doing sort of a lunge within the pose.  You do several reps and then you hold the pose for 15 seconds.  Like I say, it's challenging but doable and I could totally see doing this workout once or twice a week, even with the Evil Jillian at the helm. She looks great and is very pleasant doing this.  For once!

Last Chance Workout

Ugh.  Rotten old Jillian Michaels and her Last Chance Workout.  It's 29 minutes long and there are many 'stars' from the TV show working out, too.  That Tara, who did the last workout I did, is there and some other people - some are obviously in the middle of the show and they do modified moves.

There are SIX (!) circuits, but they are short.  It's similar to the 30 Day Shred in that you do cardio and strength, but no abs.  For cardio, you do jumping jacks, with variations, like scissor kicks, jumping rope, with variations, and jogging in place, also with variations.  For strength, it's pretty straightforward.  I still haven't found my five pound weights, so I did this with two pounds and it was easy.  You work the regulars - legs, back, chest, arms, shoulders.  Also for the HARD cardio, you do those damned mountain climbers and prone jacks and then a move that does both of them.  Before the last circuit, Lovely Jillian tells you, "this is going to SUCK!".  I think of some of the other trainers I've seen, like Chris Freytag, who says "YES you can!" and Jillian just compares so badly.  She's always talking about getting good shoulders, so you can look good in a TANK TOP.  Aim high, Jillian.

BUT all that aside, she does talk about form a lot and she talks about doing the most with the moves, both of which I appreciate.  I enjoyed the workout and I would do it again.