JILLIAN MICHAELS (Shred/Ripped and all the rest) Part 3: Bringing our A-game [cheesy smile]

[threestepsforward]

Here is a new thread for Jillian Michael devotees!

Whatever JM DVD you are doing, come and check in here...
Any Insanity and Turbofire lurkers, come and join too!

Hello to all from the old thread and big welcome to anyone new, come and join us

Have fun notyummy :)

Welcome twinkle - I haven't done any exercise in 9 years so The Shred has been difficult for me

Notyummy - well done doing all that, especially the running, I tried running a few years back, hated it for a number of reasons, DP runs marathons about 3 a year, well not this year as he's damaged his knee after the Edinburgh one and is now waiting on a MRI scan, he's desperate to run again.

Dragonslayer - how you finding Level 2? I'm on Day 7 now, have to admit its getting easier, well a little, I can even do one push up now, notice the one!

Am returning to fitness pal too as I've been pigging out so not seeing any results from shredding.

Hi! You all sound so busy and like you are making good progress! Love it.

Last week only managed 3 workouts (David was amazing btw ) so I am doing level 2 of ripped again this week. My upper arm strength is rubbish but I can now do sit ups !! I am a bit worried about fitting everything in next week when my DS starts school.

Wow notyummy 7 miles in 54mins is fast! Do you always run at that pace?

What's Ripped like compared to the Shred? Quite fancy it once I've done the Shred?

Sweetkitty - I would say Ripped is slightly harder than Shred - although that isn't the case with L1 Ripped which is easier than any of the Shred levels. There is a big step up from L1 Ripped to the other levels! In particular I think the cardio is harder, and some of the upper body stuff (nasty tortuous versions of press ups for example...)

Tellmelater - I seem to be around a 8 miles an hour pace regardless of how far I run! I can only run slightly faster than that when I do a shorter distance IFSWIM. My best 10k time is around 45 minutes, but that was on a treadmill so doesn't really count - and was after 2 weeks running up lots of hills when on holiday in Oz so was probably in better running shape than usual. Best Half marathon time is 1 hr 45, but I haven't done more than about 8/9 miles tis year as fell out of love slightly with running - but I think it is gradually coming back!

Did my double Insanity session, as per the Insanity timetable I am following courtesy of a friend from another thread. 40 minutes Pure Cardio, followed by 20 minutes Cardio Abs - not actually quite as awful as it sounds, because probably 15 minutes of it in total is stretching, and only about 5 minutes of the Cardio abs is actually cardio - the rest is various forms of v sit and plank torture.

Notyummy - I used to think that the insanity stuff sounded, well - insane! But now I found myself thinking hmmm, maybe that's what I need to do eventually!! You are a fast runner.

Sweet kitty - I did shred then a bit of 6w6p and am now doing ripped. I really like ripped, it is compact like shred and gets me sweating and aching nicely. I am only on level 2 though!

Just been to running club so I now feel like a proper fitness fiend - two workouts in one day! Off to eat some to celebrate!

My disaster zones are my bum, hips and thighs, whilst I would say no to a 6 pack I want to shift weight and tone my thighs, all excess weight just goes there. Jeans can be a nightmare as to get them over my thunder thighs they gape at the waist. bottom of thighs hurt tonight really went for the lunges today and it was sore leaning the windows today, hurty shoulders.

OMG: L3 Shred.....jumping lunges?!? What Sadist invented those? Plyometrics are an absolute killer....
Due to Bridesmaid commitments I've only managed to shred once since Saturday. :-(
Oh well; my time will be my own again after Friday. School Monday too, so maybe I'll have MORE time to shred & this time I'll put the effort in on the diet front too. Have been told one too many times now how like my mum I'm getting. Great; except she's 58 & has had 7 children. I'm 37 & have had 3! Does anyone follow Gillian's diet plan? Am assuming it's lots of protein & v boring. I HATE diets. When I try to limit myself I usually think about nothing but food & eat more......

Jelly- I too hate jumping lunges. They are in Ripped and Killer Buns and thighs as well and they get me every time. They are also in Insanity, but he only does 2 at a time and then sprinting. Harder on the cardio but easier on the thighs!!

I haven't done the diet plan but have heard good things about Master Your Metabolism. Quite sensible and sustainable apparently. I don't diet, but have gradually cut down the amounts of certain food I eat (bread, potatoes/pasta). I had been doing that over some time anyway since I read about low GI principles and realised what a portion of pasta/potato/rice should look like. It means I have worked out what I don't feel deprived when I cut out, but I keep cake because I need that!

I've just gone off to Amazon to order Ripped after reading the last few posts but it's £24.99 !!

Was it always that expensive or have they run short and stuck the price up d'you think?

< fans self >

I always tell people the Shred was the best fiver I ever spent . . . I guess I would have paid £25.00 for it, retrospectively, but I am not sure about coughing that amount up, up-front.

£24.99? Really? It certainly wasnt that when I bought it.

I just had a quick look - there is a boxed set with both Ripped and Killer Buns for £13.99. Perhaps that could be worth it?

I paid a fiver for ripped about a month ago on amazon
Maybe try eBay?
I like ripped more than 30ds. It's a bit longer though.

Hi folks!

Your right about the jumping lunges. Those and the plank moguls are my least favourate!
Note to others - jumping lunges at 8 weeks post partum are a BAD plan no matter how energetic you are feeling1!

Am really pleased as yesterday I did L2 30DS with 5 kg weights all the way through! Was knackered at the end though.
Anybody else find getting really sweaty sort of satisfying though?

Sweetkitty and twinkle

The first week is the hardest if you have been away from exercise but even after a week I felt 'tighter' even if there was no weight loss or appreciable inch loss.
In the past 3 months I have lost about 1 inch from my hips and waist but then I have only about 7 kg in total to lose. If you have more you will lose more so keep up if you can.
Best to have at least one rest day or a day without weights once a week. I am noticably more tired on day 4 compared to day 1.

End of first week on shred and the trousers I bought are definately looser. I will stay on level one for a few more days trying to be more Natalie than Anita then move on.

Would the Shred, NMTZ, BFBM or KB be best for humungous thighs? They are definately slimmer than 3 months ago but there isnt so much fat on them. It is just a case of pushing on. Its just I have lost inches from hips an abs but not so much thighs.

I reckon a mixture of BFBM and KB could help there...

Whats kb?

ihatethecold I think it is Killer Buns. It is super.

Haven't managed to Shred today, DS hasn't been well, he's just wanted cuddled most of the day and I've been on my own too, homework, dinner and baths took ages too and I'm too tired now. Maybe it'll help to have a rest day (clutches at straws).

Thank you for the warm welcome. Redaing everyones post makes me determined to carry on.

Forced myself to exercise today, found ripped in 30 on the excerise channel. (Cant remember what the channel is actually called! Thanks to whoever it was on here that mentioned it Ive sky+ a few different things.) It was easier than Shred but I feel glad that I actually did something and I did some extra sit ups and repeated some of the exercises with weights so not too bad.

I'm finding that ripped is giving be a bad lower back. It really aches.
I know it's because these muscles are not used to being exercised
Does anyone know any really good stretches for my lower back.
I do the usual like laying down and putting one leg over the other at 90degrees then put my head the other way.
Any others?

I often have a stiff lower back (it's a muscular problem not a spine problem) and I add a movement to the warm ups. I don't know what it's called but you go on all fours, then repeatedly make your back dip and then arch like a cat.

HTH

Day 30! I am shredded!!

As for results, I have definitely lost fat and gained muscle. The muffin top is still there, but according to my DD my tummy is not as "lovely and soft" as it used to be and she's a bit upset actually. My posture has also improved and given that I'm tall and work hunched over a computer, it's a result I'm very happy with.

Now I wonder where to go from here. Work is picking up already and I know I'll have my hands full two weeks from now at the latest. I would still like to do something about the remaining ring of fat around my middle... 6w6p or Ripped? Or just stay with the Shred? I'm a single parent, doing a full-time master's degree course while freelancing as a record and events producer, so during term-time my me-time is very limited. I think I might fit in two workouts per week, and I really want them to be quick and effective.

ihatethecold I have a history of lower back problems (structural, an odd combo of hypermobility and stiffness) and I find that warming up the small muscles around the spine before exercise really helps. I sit on a chair with a stick across the shoulders, holding each end with my hands. Then I move very slightly from side to side twisting the spine. Small movement, not big and dynamic. After this, still sitting with the stick, bend sideways, back and forth, also very small movement. This will pump some blood into the area in just a minute or two, and helps prevent injury.