2012 NEW Jillian Michaels thread - Shred, Ripped, Killer, 6W6P, NMTZ, BFBM and other forms of JM torture!

[threestepsforward]

Here it is...hope it is recognisable to all from the old thread

Happy Jillian'ing all !!

Fruitshoots, it's not for me as it goes too fast for me to keep my form (what little I have!). But lots of people swear by it so please don't let me put you off - await replies from the afficionados who all say it is a great DVD

Done L3 of Killer as I have discovered it is the only DVD my PC will play, out of around 8!! (I even tried to play 6W6P in my desperation!) I am at my wits end with technology around here - you name it, it doesn't work. It is so bloomin' frustrating! Felt irrationally cross about it all but think time of the month might have something to do with it

Hope all mums (and non-mums!) are having a great day and being spoiled rotten...

happy mother's day everyone! Did level 4 ripped today just to round things off and will probably do level 1 killer buns and thighs tomorrow.
What is everyone's favourite dvd so far? Level in particular? I have only done shed and ripped so far but wierdly I like level 3 ripped the best probably. Has anyone noticed a big improvement in their endurance?

CHST, I've noticed a big improvement in my endurance and the weights I can manage. When I started Shredding (Feb 2011), I wanted to die at the end of Level 1. Now I don't feel like that with any of the levels. Think I would if I attempted a back to back though! Especially a 6W6P back to back - major respect due to GetOrf! My favourites are L4 Ripped, L3 Shred, NMTZ, Killer (only done the first 2 levels so far) and L2 6W6P. Not keen on L2 Shred and BFBM, although I do do them. Threesteps, what's L3 Killer like? FruitShoots, I really like 6W6P, especially L2, but it is fast, especially as it's double time second go round, so I'd recommend watching it first then maybe not worrying about double time until you're ready. Personally, I think L2 is the hardest thing I've done of Jillian's. Hope everyone's had a lovely day. I'm looking forward to reading in bed tonight and making use of my laminated Mother's Day bookmark .

Sparlklyboots when I do Tabata I do plank jacks - no equipment and only a few mins. You could do that in your bedroom while DM there. I use this timer www.tabatatimer.com.

Ripped this morning and a lovely sunny cycle ride this afternoon. Happy Mothers Day all x

OOO thanks, Chocolateshoes I haven't met the plankjacks yet, they must be pretty brutal. Am just about to Shred 9/30 but dragging my heels a bit hence turned up for a bit of inspiration. Happy Mothers' Day, all.

fruitshoots I HATED 6W6P at first, it was the first Jillian DVD I tried (it was delivered before the shred), I got midway through the faster second half of the L1 and gave up in a temper. It was too fast.

However it is now one of my favourites. It is very hard at the beginning but it is brilliant how quickly you get used to it - now I much prefer L2 as it is more fun. It is very cardio-ey though, I have to be in the mood to do it. I think L2 of the shred and ripped are very cardio-ey as well. NMTZ is very relaxed.

Doing both levels of 6W6P back to back is very hard, this week I started with L2 so I didn't feel like killing myself during the moguls when I had already done 50mins of workouts. It is a lot easier to finish with the comparitively more chilled out L1.

It is worth a go, though. I was SHITE at all the DVDs when I started. They make you feel really fit and confident.

I am tempted to develop the obsession somewhat further and buy a multi region DVD player (they are only £25 on Amazon) and then I can get the ultimate shred, yoga meltdown (!) and the other DVDs they only sell in NTSC.

Oh dear. Perhaps I am the biggest loser.

Hahahahha you are not the biggest loser, Getorf but I bet you have lost big in a good way... coincidentally was looking into software to make my laptop play the other DVDs but (after 3 whole mins of browsing) it seems like a £25 DVD player is cheaper. Yoga meltdown sounds fabulous, doesn't it? Bet there are some fab Jillisms on it... I'd bet a multi-region DVD player she advises anyone interested in the meditational aspects of yoga to buy someone else's DVD.

I am Shredded and pleased by this. DM has left and I have childcare agreements for all runs this week. Tomorrow, I'm going to take my 'at the beginning' picture, run and drink lots of water. My local library has about 10 copies of I Can Make You Thin - have you got yours Rosa or anyone else?

Does it work thou GetOrf?

I found it quite hard to keep up with lv2 30DS last night. I stopped it a few times and repeated a couple of the exercises to get them right. Am hoping to get the hang of it after a couple more tries. It doesn't seem to make my abs ache though so I thought maybe I should try one targeted mostly on abs next.

lol at the thought of Jillian getting all OM on us. I too predict she will say somthing like 'this aint your usual spiritual yoga, I don't manage no ashram'

fruits yes it does work - I have never had defined stomach muscles, and mine are starting to show. It certainly isn't a 6 pack yet she fervently hopes but I have real muscles especially at the sides.

It does make you ache but also there are brilliant abs moves in NMTZ as well so I think it has been a combo of the two.

Well done Sparkley! A lot of the time the thinking about doing it is worse than the actual deed - which could be applied to many areas in life I guess

Knotty L3 of Killer is really good. I think I found it a teeny bit easier than L2. There are some rock stars and jumping lunges in there, and 1 min each side on the fire hydrant/straight leg move. I know 1 min doesn't sound like much, but owee you do feel it by the end!

CHST, hmm, my favourite DVD . I like Ripped more than Shred now because it challenges me more, particularly Ls 3 and 4 of Ripped. I really like BFBM too for a good old-fashioned cardio blast. My current fave at the moment though is Killer as you really do feel it working thighs and bum, but it also incorporates some cardio blasts. L2 Killer is definitely the bigger challenge for me out of the 3 levels. And yes - going back to Shred and BFBM after doing Ripped has definitely shown I've improved in terms of cardio/strength

DVD playing crisis sorted! After 10 days here at mums and countless DVD breakdowns, she said "Oh, well why don't you use my other almost brand spanking new DVD player arrrrrrghhhhh!

'this aint your usual spiritual yoga, I don't manage no ashram'

and possibly

"this is not your yogi's workout"

Please can I join? I need some help!

I've been doing to 30 day shred, today is day 8 but I've really hurt my knee and because I've been 'pushing through the pain' I've hurt the calf on my other leg. So I need done cardio exercises that don't use your legs, obviously I will still do the boxing bit but I can barely walk let along do jumping jacks!

RI30 L1D6 done. I upped the weights to 4kg and even managed to do Bee's versions where there were some (except the hollow man - still can only do that with one leg bent on the floor). Feeling quite positive (is a nice sunny morning here) and hoping my PMcK CD arrives today as I inhaled a gigantic bag of mini-eggs last night, on top of a Thai takeaway which, in retrospect, I didn't actually enjoy that much, so I really want to get a handle on my eating. I'm also giving up on the idea that I could ever be a size 8 again and going to sell my lovely (but never worn) coast dress to a dress agency and buy a lovely new size 10 dress to wear to my friend's wedding in 7 weeks. Hopefully by then I will be Ripped and no longer eating my own weight in mini-eggs (or other easter/non-easter themed chocolate). I would also like to get Jillian's US DVDs, but am hoping they come out for Europe sometime this year (is this a forlorn hope?)

Agree on the JM yoga thoughts! I get email updates from her and there was one about using yoga for fitness where she basically said 'Don't fool yourself that doing a few bendy poses and breathing deeply is going to make you look toned.'

Spotty - in one of the other DVDs (Ripped?) she does one where you stay in a static lunge and 'run' with just your arms, so you are sprinting but not moving your lower body. Seems fairly effective at getting the heart racing!

Nothing for me yesterday after the double ripped on Saturday. Went out Saturday night and drank a LOT of champagne. Then spent all of Sunday with the hangover munchies....

Planning an 8 mile run today though, and some JM tomorrow. Possibly 6W6P (although still can't bring myself to contemplate a double 6w6P!)

Thanks notyummy I'll try that I'm pretty gutted because I was actually getting into it and managing it all, I have a type of muscular dystrophy so it is quite a big achievement for me!

Spotty - I pulled a muscle in my calf last year (i actually heard it go pop...ewwww)

I bought this which I have used when doing the 30DS for my other calf which I pulled on about day 2 of 30DS.

It's really good. I had a couple of days off then went back to it using the support. It means I can still do all the exercises, although I did do rather lopsided jumping jacks for a couple of days!

You can get knee supports too

wow lots of activity over the w/e! I manged to play (& complete!) L2 30DS on sat so that cheered me up. That's my fav. although as still my only DVD not much to choose from. I least like L3 as some of the exercises are too much for my back so I have to modify. I got some weights for mothers day but was busy with childrens activities all day so didn't fit in any 'proper' exercise although was v active all day, incl jumping! Was able to run & jump for quite a while w.out disgracing myself huffing & sweating, although I was a little concerned about the pelvic floor
New dvd SHOULD arrive today. Had a bad w/e re carbs so once again havre regained 2lbs, still I feel stronger & can see a difference in my silhouette. Back to it with gusto today!
spotty sorry to hear about your troubles, I found my knees hurt quite a lot last time I did shred & I was trying my hardest not to go over @ knees. Seems ok so far this time. Lots of Knowleagable people here who I'm sure will offer advice.
rosa Toned size 10 sounds fab to me

Spotty, hope the advice from others up the thread helps you with your knee & calf problems. Greenfig, I did L2 Shred today as well - it's my least favourite though! I've noticed that L2 Shred and BFBM really seem to split people, they're either favourites or least favourites (both the latter for me!). I did enjoy it more than I remember though, think I found it a tiny bit easier. Still hate the chair v-raises though. I can do double jump rope now though, which I used to struggle with.

Having a rest day tomorrow as I've got to walk into town first thing. Weds might do 4 circuits of NMTZ with a cardio circuit added inbetween each one, or else I might do another Ripped L4, depending on time. Have a nice day everyone!

spotty sorry to hear about your knee. I've had a few knee/calf hiccups over the months and unfortunately you may just have to be patient and let it rest a while. It's so frustrating though, I know.

Notyummy's alternative cardio suggestion is a good one, that one certainly leaves me panting! You could also try adding some weights to hold to increase the effort.

If your knee/calf is really bad, could you look at a pilates DVD or similar to keep you ticking over if you have to rest for a while? There's a 10-min pilates solutions DVD which quite a few use on here and it's great. When I had to take 2-3 weeks off I used that and you certainly feel like you've done some work!

Hope you're on the mend soon

Thank you for all your advice I'm going to make sure I let my knee recover before doing anything too strenuous. Will definitely use the other cardio ideas and look at the Pilates DVD maybe that combined with the bits of 30ds that I can do will be a good work out for me

notyummy referring back to your earlier mention of food issues, I worry about portraying a balanced attitude to diet & exercise to my young daughter. I was v careful not to refer to my 'diet & weight' as a looks thing more from a healthy heart, keeping active angle. I don't wish to poke sensitive issues for you but do any of you have views as to how you present lo carbing & daily exercise to your daughters? I feel my diet is actually more healthy now but I can feel uncomfortable spurning pasta & potatoes in front of the children so am super careful which is more difficult at the w/es. Please don't respond if not comfortable
Have done L3 today BTW!

greenfig, I've got a DS but I think it's still important what message I give to him. I don't lo-carb but when I was trying to lose weight, I didn't eat everything that DP & DS did. I always explained it as being about getting healthier, and now he knows I exercise most days, and he understands that it's because it's good to be active and that I enjoy it. I understand your worries though. My 5 year old niece came round and asked for water not orange juice "because Mummy says I'll get fat if I drink it". My SIL blushed furiously and stuttered "oh, we only say that to her because she'd drink gallons of it if she could". WTF! Why not tell her it's bad for her teeth to have too much??
I think if the language you use is around being "healthy", then you can't really go wrong but I guess you don't want them to think that pasta & potatoes aren't healthy. Hopefully someone else can offer advice on this bit!

Yes really tricky! I know I should have included boys, mine gets called fatty at school but is really unconcerned, sees it more as an observation. He is just a little chubby at the mo, always goes out before he shoots up another 6"!! My mum has always struggled with her weight & her mum was obese so I know I owe it to my health to work at it. We all know it gets harder past 40! My DD is slim like her dad & seems oblivious so far (but I am v careful) but other girls her age already discuss weight/fat. She was joining in with the dvd a little the other day & said she wanted to look like Jillian when she grows up as she's the thinnest I've seen slim, sporty, confident girls struggle really quite young with eating issues & I find it quite scary.

greenfig - its a realy good point that you raise. I do eat pasta and potatoes, but yes, v small amounts - but plate is always full of leafy veg and protein so hopefully a good helping overall. We talk about 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' and that you can eat all sorts of food, but keeping active is important. I actually think the daily exercise is a v good thing for girls to see, as far too many girls stop exercising at the 'tweenage' stage and that contributes to part of the weight problem we have as a nation. We chat about how I do my DVDs and running and she does her swimming, gymnastics and running about in the playground, and that means we have to eat regularly to give us energy. No food is forbidden. We are foodies in our house and that includes 5 year dd who will eat nearly anything with relish. I do think an understanding of what a reasonable portion looks like is quite important from an early age (I don't mean she weighs her food out, but not seeing a huge pile as normal, and stopping when you are full.)

I grew up with no restrictions, healthy but quite heavy on the carbs, & was active but have never been sporty, we are also foodies here. I suppose you are right it is a sensible example to set & will set them in good stead. I guess I am maybe oversensitive. The exercise seems almost excessive to me even though I feel great for it (I am trying to be a little more strict foodwise at the mo to get back to target) as I hardly saw my mum exercise at all. Seeing your mum take care HAS to be a good example surely?