New Year, new Jillian - the January Shred thread is here!

[ImogenQuy]

Happy New Year, everyone. If you've got a New Year resolution to do more exercise and think crazy Jillian may be the answer, come and sign in here for moral support, chat and a chance to moan.

Ripped in 30 L1 D2 done. Still hate cardio, but it felt like a good start to the year.

L1D5 done this morning....half way through the level! It's a good thing I'm posting my progress on here, otherwise I'm sure it would be easy to lose track of how many days I've done on each one.

Shygirlie - are you starting to find it easier?

Popping back in again...but I've been busy 'Ripping'!

Ripped in 30, Week 2, day 1, done.

I found the new workout really, really tough, but because of how 'hard' the exercises were. I really struggled working out how to actually do the exercises, trying to co-ordinate arms, legs, up, down, left, right. Struggled to the point of actually weeping at one point, because I just couldn't co-ordinate my movements.

So, it was a VERY slow, long workout, as I had to watch each exercise at least twice before being able to actually do it. But I did it and it will get easier...won't it? Please someone tell me it will!

imogen I've found body rev on YouTube. Not sure if it's the whole workout though. It looks right up my street. I used to be a huge fan of body combat and there seems to be some similarities.

I've just completed L1 D6. It seemed slightly easier today, especially those side lunge weight things. I hate that circuit for some reason.

Hi everyone. Did ripped level 1 today. I don't do them in order, just mix them up in a random fashion.

Bimblepops - level 2 ripped is one of my favourites and definitely gets easier! Don't be hard on yourself.

RI30 L2 D2 done. Bloody hell, how I hate that workout. Bimblepops, it does get easier, but it's never going to be easy or fun unless you're a lot stronger and fitter than I am. It's just one painful move after another. I have very weak shoulders which makes it worse - any workout that contains mountain climbers and plank jacks and squat thrusts and crow push-ups is never going to be on my list of favourites!

Sarahlouboo, if you want a workout to get you sweaty I'm not sure Yoga Meltdown is the one: it's quite intense strength work using body weight, and stretching, but there's no cardio (which is one of the reasons I like it!).

Thanks, JustOneMoreGin, I'll have a look for Body Rev on YouTube. They were all on Vimeo at one stage but I think the copyright people caught up with whoever had put them up.

T2710, someone else with more knowledge will probably be along later, but Shredding definitely ought to help with the mum tum. I take it you're not immediately post-natal? There's some really good advice further back in this thread about protecting your lumbar spine during some of the exercises in the Shred: good form is absolutely key, as you could do quite a lot of damage to your lower back otherwise.

30DS L3D1 done. and an extra helping of boob for DS2 for chattering away happily in his cot for the last circuit and stretching so I could get it done without feeling like a Bad Mother.

Wow, she goes to town on the illegal manoeuvres in that level. I'd totally forgotten. What I said upthread about protecting your back applies doubly to that one. Once I've done it a few more times I may come back with a few more suggestions to keep it safer.

T2710 Different things work for different people as to what helps trouble spots. 30DS is, on paper, pretty good for a mum tum as it combines cardio and strength. People erroneously ab crunch themselves into oblivion thinking that will do the trick, but if you're not doing cardio to burn the overlying layer of fat, you're on a hiding to nothing. I'm five months post-birth now and definitely feel a bit trimmer around the middle which I think is a direct result of shredding. I'm nowhere near where I was pre-DCs (size 8-10, obliques you could cut yourself on ) but your hormone balance does change post-baby and you may find different trouble spots than you had before as you start laying down fat in different areas.

A crucial thing to remember to optimise results from abs workouts is something I touched on upthread, which is never to let your abs 'pop' when you're doing abs-specific exercises. Draw your navel into your spine before any abs moves and keep it there. Your stomach should not pop out at all. You'll probably have a lot less range in the exercise to start off with, but you'll be working your deep core muscles as well as the big obvious rectus abdominus (six-pack muscle). If you 'pop', you will be working rectus fine, but it will get used to working popped, and you'll never get a flat stomach as the underlying core muscles haven't been trained to pull everything in.

Right. Bad mother now. Raging baby. Gotta fly.

Thanks for the warning about dodgy moves, Elphaba.

L1D6....not done this morning, as I totally overslept (switched the alarm off, went back to sleep, woken by DD1 45 minutes later - eek). I will try to do it after work, although psychologically by far the best time for me to exercise is first thing.

I have also ordered some weights from Amazon - just 1kg as I am very weedy arm-wise and want to be able to do all the repetitions.

cointreu yes i am finding it much easier, thanks! Not finding it fun though, i'm just not a natural sporty person.

will do 30DS L1D7 after tea.

so nervous about L2 shred, please someone help me prepare - is it a massive step up?!

Thanks for your help. No, my 'baby' is now 3! Haha.
I'm trying hard to keep my abs pulled in. I'm already seeing a bit of a difference on the flab but that's obviously to do with diet too as only on day 5.

Well done everyone!

Finished the thread yesterday and did Day 1 Level 1 of Ripped in 30!

Still not getting any lighter though. < eyes healthy tea threateningly, it had better bloody work! >

And don't tell me that old chestnut muscle weighs more than fat. This might well apply if you play International Rugby, but am a 50 year old woman with hardly any muscles at all - any difference would be negligible!

Done nowt today but have you seen, our Jillian is coming to Mumsnet for a chat on Thursday!

Hi all
30DS L1D9 done. One packet of wheat crunchies eaten but super healthy supper on its way. Short run and lots of walking done today. Might need to slow down on the running as the ankle is looking a bit suss. Never mind I can swap to The turbo trainer (zzzzzzzz) sitting forlornly in the garage. Needing motivation so hope L2 is going to be good!!!

I need to do today's Ripped, but I'm tired and really fancy a beer.

Someone give me a kick up the bum and make me do it, please?!

But...but...but....I do my shop on a Thursday!

I have a really long meeting on Thursday - gutted! But I might try and think of a question to ask HRH !

They linked a zombie thread on the web chat announcement so I've directed them here

I put a question down but I'll try and tune in on Thursday at 1pm. After shredding that morning, natch

Bimblepops, consider yourself kicked . What would JM say to you?

I'm L1D4 and very sore. So sore today's workout was really hard. I wasn't lacking strength or energy it just hurt Sooo much. Is this normal?

Yes, it's normal if you haven't done much exercise for a little while. It's lactic acid pooling in your muscles. It's a bit of a con that stretching after exercise helps (it doesn't). I used to be in agony for the first week of getting back in the dance studio after a break. Hot baths, massage if you can get it and keeping on moving will shift it. Maybe try a walk followed by a gentle stretch tomorrow rather than shredding so you don't start dreading it?

Yoga Meltdown L2 D7 done. Yoga Inferno has arrived - I haven't had a chance to play it through yet but the photo on the back looks, um, odd - as though they're all doing the workout on the beach, wearing shades.

I'm on an all-day course on Thursday! How frustrating. Will read the chat afterwards. I don't have anything I'm burning to ask her (now that Elphaba has asked the question about how people whose job isn't fitness are supposed to fit it in with small children and the rest of life), but would have liked to lurk as it unfolded.

BalloonSlayer, I actually put on a couple of pounds the first time I did the Shred and got fairly depressed - someone on here said it's normal when you first start to build up your muscles. I can't remember the physiological explanation but it sounded convincing. Anyway, the two extra pounds went away after a short time, and although my weight hasn't changed my shape's improved.

Morning, had a day off shredding yesterday due to pain in right quad but will be back to it today. Managed to run yesterday instead. Level 1 day 10 later on then on to level 2!

Imogen, interesting you said you haven't lost weight, I got on the scales yesterday and after 2 weeks of eating healthily and loads of exercise, my weight is exactly the same rather depressingly....

OK, lay it on me. I am the improbable girl and I want to get shredded! I assume it is better to start on the shred as opposed to the ripped?

Do you need to have a Base level of fitness? I can just about do saving fit in 15! I was thinking of maybe combining the two...

That was davina fit in 15, ahem

The only good thing about cardio is I feel skinny afterwards. Other than that, it's a pig. It's a finished pig, though.

I've just remembered that DS2's next round of vaccinations are on Thursday at 1:25 or something Maybe I'll just camp out in the waiting room at the GP's from 1pm and hope that 3G is on my side.

Imogen Muscle is a much denser tissue than fat, hence it weighs a lot more. Think of a cube of steak and an equal-sized cube of fat from a steak. If you give each a squeeze, the steak will be firmer, because it had more cells packed into it than the squooshier cube of fat does. Hence, it weighs more, so it's normal to 'gain' weight, or not lose much, in the two to four weeks following the start of an exercise programme. People generally lose a bit in the first week while fat is being burned off, but muscle hasn't quite built up yet.

X-post with ImprobableGirl!

Yes, I combine Davina Fit in 15 with 30DS! My cardio day is the Davina Fit in 15 Cardio section. I'd rather do the Davina Intense Cardio, but my 5 month old won't allow me the 40 minutes it takes.