To think I will never master the 30 day shred?

[lollipoppet]

Oh my goooooooooooooooodddddd.

I just did my first shred and my legs have died. They are a quivering wreck. And I didn't even do it 100%, I physically could not get my heels anywhere near the backs of my thighs for those hop things... Too much fat in the way :(

Please say you were like me on day one and by day 30 looked just like jillian. Please?

Apologies in advance if I am not here to reply straight away, dd is such an obstacle to mn :)

There are lots of long running threads on this in the weight loss section.

You will get the hang of it, but need to do every day.

re: press ups - it took me time to master, I tried to do one several times a day. A year ago I couldn't do any, now can do 50 full ones in a row!

re: ripped - its so much harder, do not buy until you find level 2 and 3 of shred easy with 2kg (or 3kg) weights.

re: knees - you must wear supportive (running) trainers.

re: weights, I use 2kg for some exercises, 4kg for others. If you are totally unfit start with 1kg.

Can use folded up towel instead of exercise mat.

I don't have a mat or use a towel - just me in bare feet on the carpet.

How much space do you need to do it? At a shade under 6' and with a very narrow front room I don't think i'll have the room...

Hmm - you need to be able to swing your arms out to the side (in the warm up), room to step forwards just one step and room to lie on your back with your knees bent. So not much at all really. I've got a teeny bit of floor space available but manage (sometimes knocking my arms on setters when I'm on the floor!).

I get so hot I have to turn the telly to face the patio doors and do it outside [blush

Dotty be careful doing it in bare feet, my dp told me off for this and said it was silly (and he is quite knowledgable about being fit)

I think I should give my Shred dvd another outing. I did it last year, managed to get to day 9 and then sort of lost my motivation...

I used to do it straight after putting the kids to bed, like a previous poster, then straight afterwards take 2 ibuprofen and a big drink of water before hitting the shower - the ibuprofen helped with the aching muscles in the first few days!

I really should get back into doing it, but our living room rug (aka my work out mat) is currently still covered in Christmas Playmobil/lego/marbles etc!

Has anyone actually lost weight with it? I need to lose about 10 pounds of post baby (well, almost 3 years ).

weight, that is.

winnybella - I have never lost weight, but I have lost lots of inches. The fat turns to muscle so it's heavier but there's less of it.

It started off cheap, but by the time i'd bought trainers, bras (both essential!) and weights, not so much! I've just started jillian's 'No more trouble zones' so now do Shred for a rest! it does get easier, but never actually easy iyswim.

I think it is the most compact home workout dvd that I have done. You really don't need much space at all compared to others.

Oh dear, have just ordered this from Amazon after reading this thread, need to get rid of baby and Christmas piggying weight, it's going to kill me isn't it?!

May I just say that fat doesn't turn into muscle? What happens is that cardio burns off fat and resistance tones muscle. If you don't diet as well you won't lose much fat but your muscle will tone up, therefore taking up less space and making you look slimmer. You cannot gain muscle unless you are eating and training like a body builder. You won't gain any weight due to gaining muscle and although you may weigh the same you will look and feel fitter.

I'm also awaiting my delivery! Have ordered Ministry of Sound Pump it Up too, that gets rave reviews and I love dance music.

I got the lightest Davina weights in argoose for a fiver.

I had resigned myself to rejoining the gym at £70 a month - hoping home vids will save me a ton of cash and loads of time and hassle too.

I think that it becomes a circle of virtue - when you've worked out (as I know from my pre-DS gym bunny days) you don't want to waste all the effort by eating crappy food afterwards. So you eat better too.

I can't wait to get started, and in the meantime I'm walking everywhere, and cutting out the junk.

Also, to those that say 'oh no, this is going to kill me' etc, you can get fitter by using gentle exercise etc but no woman on earth has lost weight through exercise that wasn't hard.

You have to push yourself, or you won't get results. If you can't do the moves, then do what you can, but make sure you're trying your hardest.

Please don't be one of the 'housewives' (I used to call them, shame on me) who grin happily and pat their hairdos throughout their 'workout' whilst breaking no sweat at all. You have to be hot, sweaty, out of puff and (maybe this is just me??) grunting unattractively :)

Agree with Morris, if you are sweating then you're working hard, if your heart is pounding then you're burning fat and if you ache afterwards, your muscles are improving. Just make sure you rest adequately to allow them to heal (this is how a muscle changes in strength and shape, you make it work, hurt it a bit and it heals stronger). If it isn't hard, you're not making much of a difference. It does help to remind yourself that the harder you work, the better you look/feel in the end. It should never be painful though. Always, always listen to your body.

I don't like the Shred as it's dull but I do it because it's a quick, semi easy option. I use 3kg weights and find the press ups one of the easier bits.

I thought I was both fit and strong until I did the Shred. I managed 1 day, and couldn't finish the second round of press-ups/arm raises. Even with only 1kg weights.

I certainly couldn't have managed another attempt until at least 3 days later.

I did it the whole way through twice and I swear I had a 4 pack at least, I looked amazing. I am on my 4th pregnancy now and my midwife says I have the muscle tone of a woman who was never pregnant! Stick with it, it really works!

Well I actually got up early again this morning (wow in itself) and did day two. I didn't actually believe people who said they felt better straight away but I actually found I could do more of the moves today. I.e I did the jumping jacks all the way to the end whereas I couldn't yesterday. And I used the weights today, oh god am I hurting now! It's the quads that hurt the most but they are revolting so I'm glad they hurt, they can piss off!

Good tips about taking drugs afterwards, I shall try that tomorrow and maybe take some now if I can stand up.

Anyone thinking about it, do it! I feel really motivated now to get to the end of level 1 which I know will take longer than one week but I really want to do it!

I have owned it for a few months now. I have watched it a couple of times but not done it yet. I'm always too tired!

My dp lost a stone overnight on the Duken diet. I kid you not.

I'm leaving work early this afternoon to go home and Shred! Am hoping it does me some good before I go out tonight with my brother to get hammered celebrate his 40th

Oh well done lollipoppet!! Keep going, it gets easier each time! Today I went unto town and found I have dropped a dress size that has not happened for years!! Been shredding for maybe a month bur had a few days off at christmas. I'm really pleased with the results but also just feel overall si much stronger and fitter. Plus my bad back is tonnes better and I even feel like my posture has improved. On the other hand I am still finding parts of level 3 hard and sometimes ar the end I feel like I might be sick!!!!!!

Well done Geraldine! I bet you are well chuffed. Wow, you're on level three, how inspiring, I am in awe.
Planning to get up again tomorrow but my legs are soo sore, I hope they fix overnight...

Lovelydogs, surely that is a lie! Did he have a tummy bug at the same time? And lol at watching shred without doing it. I hope you were eating chips at the same time, imagine how much that would annoy jillian!