2011 Shredhead thread Part 2 - 'Well on our way to being totally...shredded'.

[LadyOfTheFlowers]

Thought I might take the liberty to start a new thread as can't seem to cram another post onto the old one and I have some positive news to start a new one with! :)

I have lost weight - almost as much as Jillian claims you will and have 2 days left!

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Everyone is doing so well - putting me to shame with talk of Level 3 going on!
:)

I'm saving those for this evening YouCantTeuchThis!

I couldn't face level 3 again today, so did level 1 (am copying you Balloon ). It's still a challenge doesn't seem to get any easier

Had to change down weights on the last strength bit. I actually feel quite pleased it's still such a challenge as it must mean I'll still be getting lots of benefit from it, hopefully?!

For anyone with aching/sore joints, I'd really recommend doing more stretches than Gillian does. I have a pilates DVD called '10 Minute Solutions Pilates Perfect Body' and it has a 10 minute stretch session at the end which is fab. The rest of the DVD is good too for anyone interested in pilates. I've ached with Shred but had no strains/pains and I'm sure these stretches have helped.

Hope everyone has a great weekend, I will be Shredding at some point

Knottyhair have you really gained an inch on one calf? And not the other?

I wonder if I have on my calves? I hate my calves, they're big and bulky and I worry that Shred will make them even bigger I don't want to measure and find I'm right as that may put me off doing it!

threesteps, that's what the tape measure said, unless I got it wrong last week! They did measure a one inch difference between left and right last week, so maybe I wasn't accurate - they're now roughly the same! But I have to say, they are definitely firmer and less wobbly so I don't really mind . Just don't want to end up looking like a Russian gymnast (no offence to Russian gymnasts .

Actually it makes sense, different body parts change at different rates... Lol at the Russian gymnast, I know exactly what you mean, that worries me too!

And wow, congrats on the inch loss, that's fantastic, you must be really chuffed!

Sometimes I do the warm-up twice Zeeky. I think the lovely Jillian has sold us a turkey with that warm-up (much as I worship her, you understand). You can also just jog in position for a couple of minutes.

I struggle with the stretching, am really inflexible. I got a pilates DVD last night and I think it has a stretch section so will have a look and add those stretches onto the end of the shred. I assume that doing more stretching will help eventually?

Hi Claire
I can't say it's a fact, but I'm 100% sure that stretching has helped me. Or at the very least it won't hurt to stretch?

I'm a bit about there being only a minute or so to warm down/stretch out at the end. The Shred always feels very intense and I like the feeling of stretching everything out for 10 mins at the end (although often don't feel like it after 20 mins of hell Shred!).

If you've already got a DVD with a stretch section, why not try it out for a week and see if it makes a difference? I'm definitely more flexible since doing some Pilates, an added bonus

p.s. if the 'stretch' bit in your DVD is quite long, think about getting the DVD I mentioned as it condenses an all-over stretch into a very do-able 10 mins!

Found a new Ab muscle today. How do I know, because it hurts. Officially HATE Level 2 and want to retreat back to level 1......

lol @ Labradorlover, yay for finding the errant ab muscle!!

Level 2 is my biggest challenge out of the 3. I feel your pain !

Off to eat yummy dinner and celebrate the weekend and another week Shredded

I did day 1 of level 2 today and found it so clunky to do - does it get easier or more fluid?

Have been doing level one for about the last month :o

Balloon - I do the warm up in level 1, when it gets to the end before the cool down, I go straight to level 2 and fast forward to when the work out actually starts, after level 2 etc. At the end of level 3 I do the cool down in that section. I try to keep my heart pumping and not rest between each level.

Lostgirl, it is so good to see you back! I am going to attempt to start getting up really early and doing the couch to 5k 3x times a week. I know I will not benefit from just doing 20 mins a day of shred now.

I remember you once gave advice to someone and compared fat and muscle tone to snow and when it melts. Can you remember what you advised? I am interested in knowing when I will start to see real definition in my arms, and I remember you told someone to picture it like melting snow. I hope I am making sense and you don't think I am some kind of weirdo !

sorry Balloon - after level 2 I do the same as I would do for level 1 ie - straight to level 3, skipping the warm up.

Well I shredded again today. Level 2 day 3 I think. I found it really hard today as I haven't exercised in 3 days. The one leg balancing thing and arms up is a killer as is the sitting v lifts.

I have been baking bread and scones for the people with no electricity today. A friend is going to drop it off to some families this afternoon.

zeeky, sorry I have no advice for your knee pain, my limited knowledge is based on my experience only and I have been fortunate enough so far to not have suffered from any problems in my training. I use a foam roller everyday to help stretch and when reading around trying to find out how to use it I came across what your dh said, that you should look above and below where the injury is so it is possible that the problem is in your thigh or your calf rather than your knee. All I would suggest is that if it hurts when you are exercising then rest it and just try a gentle walk with stretching afterwards, you will not lose your fitness by not shredding for a few days and you will not regain any inches you have lost providing you eat sensibly. If you are going to add on more stretches to the shred they make sure you only add static stretches at the end as if you do these before the muscles are properly warmed up then you can cause injury. If you feel you need to warm up more at the beginning then go for a quick walk or up and down the stairs a few times to raise the heart rate, or add in more dynamic stretches, eg arm swings, hip circles etc. Also, do you have a mirror where you can check the position of your lunges and squats to make sure you are positioned correctly, or get someone to video you whilst you are doing them and then watch it back, this is a great way to assess your technique.

Hi Conquita, I think what I said was that fat is like when snow falls, in some areas there are huge drifts and some where it only lays in thin layers, when the snow begins to thaw, the small thin layers melt first but the huge drifts can take weeks to disappear! My thin layers were my upper body, I could see definition really quickly in my arms, shoulders and back. My abs began to come through next and now about 16 months in I am finally beginning to notice real changes in my thighs which are my snowdrifts. There is no way to know when you will start seeing definition in your arms I'm afraid, you just have to keep going. When you start seeing muscle definition it is because you have lost fat in that area so it looks more defined, not because you have built more muscle and it is bigger. The shred is very much about building muscular endurance as the reps are very very high. If you wanted to concentrate on building muscle mass and increasing strength you have to work in much lower rep ranges, ideally when you train you alter your workout every few weeks so that you train your muscles in all three areas strength, hypertrophy and endurance.

I hope you enjoy the new challenge of C25K, but please don't abandon weights and become a cardio bunny . If you enjoy the strength training side but are bored with the shred and can't/don't want to join a gym then I have heard some good things about P90X which like the shred focuses on raising the heartrate through high rep strength moves. It is a dvd series which I think gives you a different workout to do everyday but they are a lot longer than the shred so it is a real time commitment and I imagine you would need a variety of weights to be able to do it properly.

Thanks lostgirl for the snow explanation and exercise advice. I will check out the P9OX, I have heard about it. Do you think if I ran say twice a week and did a 1 hour shred that would be enough exercise/strength training to keep challenging me for say the next month?

Febes, it is great to see you back.

Febes, nice to see you back here and good on you for the baking - what a nice thing to do for people.

I still feel like crap today, horrible throat and head. Not shredding anyway as I've got a houseful of adults and kids from 16months to 7 years later for DS's birthday party, and have a million things to do. I might try to Shred (level 1, easy versions) tomorrow morning, before the family descend on us for DS's second party. His actual birthday is Monday so we're taking him to London after which he will have to reluctantly surrender the birthday baton after 3 days of celebrations - he won't give up easily . Lostgirl, I like the snow analogy, I guess my stomach is my snowdrift! Now, where's the Day Nurse....?

It's is official...I am Antarctica I'm all about the drifts, I'm afraid... Oh well, it will be very exciting the day I start to see some muscles.

I didn't shred yesterday after all...I will call it my rest day. I was more and more tired and achey as the day went on, but I didn't eat the crisps!

Back to it today, although still a bit bleh.

My scales are unreliable, but I seem to be about 4-5lbs down since starting a week ago, which is what you would expect in the first week for someone with this amount of weight to lose. Just need to keep the loss going. Aiming for 2-3lbs this week.

Febes - good on ya! Both for the exercise and the baking.

Wow, that's a great loss YouCantTeuchThis, !

Morning all!
Lostgirl I love the snow analogy. Will be kinder to my thighs and start thinking of them as my personal drifts .

Off to the vet with the dog. He's been on 3 legs and opiates for the last week. Vet reckons it is arthritis but really strong drugs and a week of rest has make no difference. I He lives for his long walks so hopefully we can get is sorted, poor dog!

YouCan't your weight loss is fab. Have you measured yourself as well?

Have a good day all x

Febes great to hear from you x

Oooooo just found a couple of free Jillian apps for iPhone!!! Got lots of tips on motivation, recipes, workouts etc. Cool!

Apparently my neck must have gatecrashed the party yesterday too as it hurts as well as my stomach. No shredding till Monday for me.

Conquita, to truly get the benefits of strength training (eg increase bone density, build lean muscle etc) then you should do it at least twice, preferably three times a week. Running is very 'hamstring heavy' and people who just run tend to be 'hamstring dominant' as it tends strengthen your hamstrings and 'eat' your quads. This can lead to injury so having regular sessions of strength training each week which includes squats, lunges etc will not only strengthen your hamstrings and help with your running but will also continue to strengthen your quads and keep a balanced, healthy functional body. Weights will of course also strengthen your upper body which running neglects (and will give you the definition you are after in your arms) and strengthen your core which will help you keep good posture when you are running. Could you maybe run twice and shred twice, maybe stick to one level twice a week for 2-3 weeks and then switch levels etc, so you are doing two twenty minute sessions a week rather than one hour long session? Try and find weights that are heavy enough so that when you get to the end of the level there is no way you could even think of doing another level straight away.