May 30 Day Shred - come one, come all

[yadahyadah]

Logging my daily JM fix and getting advice and motivation has been great over the past two months so here is a thread for all those of you who want to do the same again or for the first time. Come on, summer's nearly here and your butt's got Jillian's name on it

[leesmum]

Are you supposed to have a day off? I am hoping to do every day if i can

[ssmile]

I need to get back shredding too. Used it after second daughter but she is now 2.5 and need to retone core and arms again. Last time I could actually do 10quick full pressups after doing it every other day for few months....alas I can barely manage one now so keen to get going again. I'm doing lots of cycling too so it won't be every day.

[StuntNun]

Yadah I am just rubbish at pressups, I don't have the muscle there to do them so I'm working on my shoulders, triceps and pectorals separately at the moment to build them up. My DH is very into his weightlifting and I asked him to review my pressup technique in case I was doing it wrong and after several minutes of working with me he came to the conclusion that I was 'just crap at pressups'. Oh well, it gives me something to aim for.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Found you - done my NMTZ!

leesmum - take at least one day off a week. You need a rest day to let your muscles re-knit and get stronger.

[AmeliaToppingLovesShopping]

Tha

[AmeliaToppingLovesShopping]

Pressed post by accident!

Thanks. I think I will see how I feel when I get near completing this.

Is the ripped in 30 DVD a similar format to the shred DVD? I like that each section is really short.

[findingherfeet]

I'm (naively) starting this tonight - I am a hopeless case when it comes to exercise but even I reckon I can allow 20 minutes a night.

I have an 8 week old and a 2 year old and need to loose 2 stone to get into the healthy BMI range... I've just taken my measurements and hubby's for fun and was horrified to find that my arms and thighs are the same as his - he is a very muscly builder! And my hips are waaaaay bigger

Right let's try this!!

[wherethewildthingis]

Right, I have done day four, and also a four mile run today so I am feeling pretty chuffed with myself right now! And it definitely is getting a bit easier.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Is the ripped in 30 DVD a similar format to the shred DVD? I like that each section is really short.

yes, very similar but with 4 levels.

[AmeliaToppingLovesShopping]

Thanks Errol I might try that next, if I can complete the shred!

[tabulahrasa]

30DSL2D1...(gasps) done (gasps)...it (gasps) kills....

[Babesh]

Oh gwad, me too. Am on day five of 30DSL1. Due to being rubbish at working out how to copy the mighty Gillian am only just getting proficient at the moves, somehow can't master the sideways squat thingy. What weights are you meant to use? Have 2.5 kgs which are tough for the upwards arm movement with the sideways squat but maybe too light for the other moves? But press ups what a disaster...will I really be able to do a proper one eventually?! Doesn't feel like it!

Might peep at level 2 but it sounds scary!

[findingherfeet]

Well I survived day 1!! This gives me hope...

What are you all doing diet and lifestyle wise whilst doing this? I walk quite a lot with a double buggy, have bought a pedometer to see how many steps I do and I'm going to avoid sugary treats and wine (sob) but thats about it!

[tabulahrasa]

I only have 2kg ones, I did have lighter ones, but my dog ate them, lol.


I said on another thread, I'm doing levels 1 and 2 for the second time and I can now do a press up from my knees where when I started it was more get in position and wobble a bit.

Level 2 doesn't look that much harder and some bits are easier actually - I can't do the jumping jacks followed by jump rope on level 1 it kills my calves so I do it until it burns and then swap to another of the cardio exercises for a bit.

It is definitely a step up though, but I manage it, it just takes me a while to catch my breath and feel like I'm not going to keel over, lol...and that's with the modified moves.

To be fair though, the only exercise I was doing before I started was walking the aforementioned chewy dog and I am about 4 stone over weight and doing it hasn't killed me yet.

[tabulahrasa]

"What are you all doing diet and lifestyle wise whilst doing this?"

I walk my dog, so about 3 or 4 miles a day (I'd go further but he's got health problems) and I've been doing Slimming World which works fine, but I wanted to boost it a bit and actually tone up and get a bit fitter at the same time as losing weight.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Just done my NMTZ for the 4th time. Not sure whether to do it next week or try one of the others.

Babesh - some very good questions!

Sideways Lunges - and other squats - you need to (a) think in terms of sticking your butt out behind rather than about bending your knees and (b) make sure your calf is either upright or leaning back, not forward over the foot. Practice a few without the arm movements - 'lead with your behind'. Whatever you do don't strain your knees... if they won't go happily beyond a certain point don't force them. Muscle aches are good, joint pains aren't.

Weights - most people find that it helps to have at least a couple of sizes. What you want is a weight that lets you do all (or most) of the set with good form. I've got a somewhat odd combo of metric and imperial - I use 3kgs for some, 10lbs for something like a bicep curl, but those anterior raises I use 1.5kgs. There's one move in the Ri30 where those were too much so I used a couple of 500ml (ie .5kg) water bottles.

Press-ups - I started doing JM stuff last summer and still can't do a proper full pressup but I'm getting closer. You need strong core and upper body... so doing things like extra tricep dips and holding planks can help. Also try doing sets of inclined pressups and gradually working down to lower levels.

[yadahyadah]

Ri30 D10L1 done. Yay. Just watched L2 to prepare myself for the Monday morning assault. Babesh Those side lunges in Shred are evil. I had to order 1.5kg weights in order to do them properly and it was worth just doing legs for a a few reps just to get the move right.

[ErrolTheDragon]

"What are you all doing diet and lifestyle wise whilst doing this?

I'm doing 5:2, which has led to eating less carbs/sugar and more veg. I have a sedentary job, but we usually take the dog for a couple of walks in the week (he's a convenient beast who doesn't need a long walk every day but will happily walk miles somewhere nice), and do something at weekends (walk, hopefully cycle, and in summer watersports...which was what started me on JM as I had such puny arms). I've lost over a stone gradually (back in the healthy BMI range now) and am definitely a lot stronger than I was.

[Babesh]

I have given up crisps, chocolate and booze all of which I consume way too much of and I am meaning to do 5:2 but have failed miserably thus far. In fact I ate 500 cals of pain au chocolate for breakfast this am so am clearly not yet committed to this though have dropped 2lbs this week. Plan to lose 2lbs a week every week for a month or so and know that will get harder...

[Babesh]

Oh Errol very helpful answers, yup will shop for more weight this weekend. Have been practising my sideways big bum move and struggle full stop, I do have awful balance so think it is just practising and not trying to get too deep until I do it more fluidly.

Have just practised press ups again and actually if I put my arms a bit wider I can do a few, think my body was in the wrong position with bum in air. I feel like I should be able to do press ups as have comparatively good upper body strength but have a dodgy hip and problem with my pelvis. Seeing if careful exercise and better core stability helps.

Your experience sounds really positive, I want to do that same edging up of fitness, down of weight and keep improving. Having lived at the top of my bmi for years and years am now in the middle and going to the bottom which is my running weight. I have been fit in the ancient past and as am getting older and mankier I feel for the first time that I can't carry the extra chub happily anymore and that I need to work for my fitness and flexibility. Am relatively active but have been getting less and less fit, it will only get harder if I leave it. Booze, crisps and chips are my downfall with late night curries a speciality. Am banned from all until half term!

[AmeliaToppingLovesShopping]

30DSL1D9

Not too bad today though the first section is still a bit tough!

"What are you all doing diet and lifestyle wise whilst doing this?"

I am dieting by cutting down on my calorie intake to about 1200 and walking more than I was before. I am hoping to buy some running shoes soon and will then start the C25K.

[kalidasa]

I am just using 1kg weights as I have never used weights before and have rheumatoid arthritis which effects my wrists in particular so need to be a bit careful. Before I got hold of the weights I was just using tins of beans (which are about 0.5 kg)!

I also can't flex my wrists back because of the arthritis so for the pressups I make a fist and keep my wrist straight if you see what I mean. This is an adaption a hospital physio once showed me.

I don't have time to do it every day but I am aiming for slightly more than every other day - four times a week. I am not overweight (bmi is 21 I think) so I'm not combining it with other things, I just want to be a bit fitter and stronger again and this seems like a v. efficient method!

[kalidasa]

Amelia I did C25K in the autumn. It's really good. I used the NHS podcasts - slightly lame music but v. encouraging voiceover - but I think you can get loads of different ones.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Babesh - if you want to try 5:2 there's loads of advice under it's own topic and a friendly support thread.

[ErrolTheDragon]

'just practising and not trying to get too deep until I do it more fluidly. '

Yes! Also, you will probably find that as your legs get stronger you can balance better - I certainly have.