20011 shredhead thread.

[tomhardyismydh]

for hark, thigumy, mamathulu, mothernature, gothanne, noobbyhohoho, belindarose, vallhalala, balloonslayer, tubbyduffs, picc, asecretlemonadedrinker, Ishallwear, spandexqueen, soccorwidow, weedle, cheekytinker, southseaastra.

anyone else who I have missed from thread or wants to put thier name to the 30 day shred.

good luck ladies cant wait to start. .

lets check in when we have our dvds delivered and unwrapped.

freebuttonbee am also having to hold my breasts for the really bouncy moves...

6week 6 pack is Jillian- and one if the few I don't have! Try asking Blossoming on the W and A thread about it as she is doing it just now.

Level 2, Day godknowswhatnow. It's definitely tougher with the 2.5kg weights. I had to swap back down to my 1kg ones in the second set of the last strength circuit. The cardio is getting easier though.

Off to work out a 15 minute walking circuit with hills in it for my lunch break tomorrow.

can anyone recommend a decent bra which isn't a shock absorber brand? I've done a total of 13 days of shredding and 2 bras have burst in that time - both times the left cup has just torn away from the rest of the bra. not sure if my left boob is particularly heavy, or what, but I need a better bra!

also, have totally buggered my ankle - it's always been dodgy since my DofE trek 11 years ago, but has been protesting hugely the past few days. So I'm doing slightly lower impact cardio for now, until I can get a decent ankle support.

I'm falling apart, aren't I?!

still, DH said today that my tummy looks much better, much less 'floppy' (ah, the man has such a way with words!), and he's loving the difference in me since I started exercising. So that cheered me up a lot!

M and S do sports bras. Seem ok to me - but frankly at a 32 A (at the most...) I am hardly putting them properly to the test

crapbarry I bought this one on Monday, it arrived Tuesday and I have used it 3 times for shred. It is really good. I don't think my boos have ever moved so little! (38F so no mean feat). Bravissimo are doing £5 off sports bras for January so I hope you see this in time.

Day 4 level 1 just done.

I have more questions!
Press ups. Can't do them! Am i better maintaining "proper" press up position and trying to go down an inch and back up an inch for the entire duration (and hope that i can increase on the inch-age) - or am i better doing the "easier" version - or half and half?

Those side lunges with anterior raises - really struggling to get the form on the lunges, any suggestions?

Bra-wise, i tend to buy from LessBounce.com (mainly because i found the name really funny :) ) Have various ones that hold me in quite firmly. They also suggest how much scaffolding you need depending on your boobage.

I think it is getting easier (hopefully) and already i'm noticing a firmer flabby stomach.
Still got a long way to go on thighs and arse tho :( But hey, i am only on day 4 !

Ha! Thursday is my 30th day! :)

Can I ask a stupid question? Thanks.... :o

The scales are going down (I am sticking to my diet like glue) but my measurements are not - I measured initially with a bloody household metal tape so now I have a proper one I seem to be measuring bigger.

Is it possible I won't notice it then suddenly look smaller/slimmer?

If the scales are going down, I must be too right? My belt has come in 2 notches but to me I still look exactly the same size wise.

ooh, I'm a 38G, so will look at the bravissimo one - thanks mychildrenarebarmy!

LadyoftheFlowers if your belt has come in by 2 notches then your measurements must be going down. You cannot compare the measurements you have taken now with ones you took with a completely different measure as you will of course get different results. I think a lot of us don't really see the real image when we look in the mirror, what we see depends on how we are feeling and what the scales/measuring tape has just told us . Make sure you are eating enough, especially protein to make sure your body is using its fat stores for fuel and not lean muscle.

flatmouse with regards to press ups you are better off making sure you are getting a full range of motion in the movement so you need to find a position that allows you to do that. If you have very little upper body strength this could simply be doing push ups against a wall, otherwise try and find a surface to lean on like the back of the sofa or a coffee table that will enable you to stay in a full push up position but will distribute more of the weight onto your feet rather than your arms . From this you can gradually move to lowers surfaces until you can do them on the floor. Once you can do them easily on the floor you could move on to or . The aim is to always keep the move challenging.

With the lateral lunges just make sure you do them slowly and concentrate on your form, don't try and keep up with the number they are doing on the screen. Concentrate on keeping your chest up, butt back and pushing through the heels of your feet.

crapbarry I know you said not shockabsorber, but have your tried their 'run' bra? It is the best sports bra I have ever tried (32DD), mine do not budge.

Thx LostGirl - yes upper body strength is v poor, will attempt your suggestions instead.

Thanks AntPants - will keep on going then

My knees still really hurt. Anyone know whether I should I be stopping until they are a bit better or persevering through the pain?

sb6699 I had a lot of knee pain after doing 9 days continuous Level 1, I took a break for about 10 days and they are fine now.

I have stopped doing jumping jacks though and just jog on the spot instead, I think it was the jumping jacks that were causing me problems.

Hi everyone,

I am a newbie and I hope you dont mind me joining your thread!

I have just started the 30 Day Shred and did my 1st workout about an hour ago, oh how I ache!! Just Walking up the stairs I felt like jelly!

Does anyone have any tips on how to avoid the ache the next day? Or is that just part and parcel of the dvd? Also if I am aching tomorrow do I just "power through" the dvd again or do I have a rest day?
(Sorry if this has already been covered in the other 39 pages but I haven't yet had time to read through them!)

Any hints / tips are greatfully recieved - hope i'm not invaiding anyones thread, apologies if I am!

My eyes have just been boggling at those decline press-ups Lostgirl! I have been a bit too smug at my press-up ability recently, but I am not quite there yet - although I can do them with my legs up behind me on the bed...

Myflabber - I think all are welcome here. Not many top tips for avoiding the ache. Good stretching session, and perhaps massging with some cream? Proper professionals take ice baths, but I am not up for that! I think the idea is to power through the ache - but not if it is actually an injury IFYSWIM. Some deep heat cream came help - but it does have a distinctive smell!

Myflabber, if it is just DOMS pain (delayed onset muscle soreness) then redoing the exercises that caused it in the first place can actually help to ease the pain, something to do with helping get rid of the build up of lactic acid or something, sorry can't remember the theory behind the madness! As notyummy says, this doesn't apply to an actual 'injry' pain. Getting into a really cold bath immediately after exercise is a great way to help prevent or at least lessen DOMS as it is supposed to constrict blood vessels and help flush the lactic acid out of the muscle as well as reduce swelling and tissue breakdown (which is what happens to your muscles through intense exercise). Don't worry, it won't feel this bad again as your body will very quickly get used to the exercises. When you start level 2 and are challenging your new body in new ways again then you you will probably suffer again. Don'e be worried about taking rest days though, it is good for your body to have a day off now and then to fully recover.

notyummy push ups are great aren't they, like the plank, you can always find new variations to challenge yourself.

Ugh, sorry, I must learn to take the time to proof read before posting

Thanks for your advice notyummy and LostGirl I will power through tomorrow as I will not doubt ache tomorrow, I can already feel it coming! Would a hot bath work later rather than a cold one?! I dont think I am brave enought for an Ice Bath!

I feel like I owe myself a slab of chocolate cake now... not really the point of the dvd though! I will resist!

Have you both been doing it everyday? (Again apologies if this has already been mentioned in the prevoius pages.. i will get round to reading them soon!)

Right off to take my DS upstairs for a nap all 19lbs of him... wish me luck carrying him up the stairs! I fear I may have to bring him downstairs sitting on my bum with him on my knee!!!

Hiflabber, I do 10 mins of pilates stretches after each shred and I reckon it helps ease the muscles!

I've just done my first level 3 today!! The weird thing is I didn't find it as hard as level 2 Am I likely to be doing it wrong? The only thing I can't do, never been able to do, are the full press-ups so am on my knees for those.

Level 2 I was a sweaty mess afterwards, but not nearly so much for level 3. Do you think you're getting as much/more from it if you're not as obviously knackered?

oops! That was meant to be 'hi myflabber' !!

I'm afraid a hot bath does not have any of the benefits of the cold bath, but you will at least enjoy it . If you are going to brave the ice bath then have it ready to jump into as soon as you have finished shredding, but hopefully after tomorrow you won't feel so bad. I don't shred anymore but did it this time last year and remember coming downstairs on my bottom

threestepsforward if you are getting a full range of motion in your jumping lunges (ie knee just off the floor) and getting a good depth in the jumping squats and height on the rockstars and are not sweating like a pig then maybe you do need to look for a harder challenge. I can't recall what else was in level 3, I do remember it wasn't nearly as tough on the upper body and abs as level 2. If your form and range of motion on each exercise is good then try using heavier weights to make it more challenging.

Yes, as Lostgirl says, L3 easier on upper body (although not too keen on those widearm press-up things.....). I find the cardio on L3 just as hard (if not harder) than L2, and I am a runner...the last set in particular. Jumping lunges, if doing the same speed as the DVD and getting right down, are my personal bete noire.

Ah yes, the jumping lunges! You're right. I could do the jump but couldn't get both feet down at the same time IYKWIM?

Actually, thinking back there's lots of room for improvement. Just felt a bit weird as even the basic level of level 2 had me much much more knackered in a sweaty, messy kind of way!

Am using 2 kg weights at the mo so will stick with them for the moment and try and up my game tomorrow!!
Thanks lostgirl and notyummy

Done both level 1 and 2 this morning after having a break for the best part of a week due to having thrush and feeling more than a little uncomfortable shredding!!!
I still cant do the first set of cardio in level 1 for some reason (so do the last set each time instead) but can now do quite a few of the anita push ups rather than a couple of them then collapsing puffing and panting on the floor.
Arms look and feel smaller and the extra boob flesh that hangs out my bra at the armpits seems to be shrinking, boobs appear to be fuller and they dont slide into the armpits when I lay down as much as they used to .
Tempted to get my scales back from my mum for a day (but not for my weight) to see what they measure my body fat at now.
Normally by now I would have given up on a workout DVD but I love this one, could be the fact that I seen changes within a week of starting it which I never did with any of the others I have tried.