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

addicted Please, take care of yourself.

PeggyO We must have done L1 6W6P at similar times [fist pump or whatever young people do]. It was D7 for me, and I am either doing it much harder or it was high time moving on to 3 kg weights, as my arms, obliques and abs are all dead. It was the first time for a long while that I had to have a rest in mountain climbers, as my abs were aching so much (in a good way though). I was watching a lot of Jeremy Renner movies lately, and he motivated me a bit .

Looking forward to joining gypsyfloss as well on the Wednesday!

MissT How could you even combine those routines?! RI30 L2 and BFBM are hell.

threesteps How is your dog holding on?

gingercat, bless you! He's doing okay. Have got some great advice from gysyfloss and a poster in the doghouse section too so I am armed with suggestions when we next see the specialist in a few days.

Paws crossed! He does seem a lot brighter since the transfusion but it's a race against time to sort him out before he loses the new blood. He looks like a patchwork pantomime dog at the mo as they've shaved so many bits of him for scans, bloods, catheters etc.

I too am in awe of MissT and her back-to-backing capabilities!!! (reading that back it sounds rude, I hope it's not a euphamism, it's not meant to be!)

Level 2 S&S for me coming up this evening

I'll be there gingercat . In body and hopefully in spirit too :) do you use weight on the floor stuff too? Like the diagonal get ups? I've been using 2kg on all the floor work, bar the chest flys where I use 3kg, and 3kg for the upright stuff. I feel like I could move up but my next weight is 5kg and massive! Think I might need to go smaller, denser weight shopping. Someone mentioned buying weights from JL?

Hello everyone! Great to see how busy it all is! Does anyone know where notyummy is?
I exercised today after a few days off...felt simply too rough to do anything but lay down.
ginger that's good on the loose clothes though annoying!!
I have quite some workout gear. It has been my treat to myself as I have lost weight. I go to sports shops mainly. I also find their sizing odd...I am an xs or 6 in nike/addidas etc though would say I'm more of a loose 8 in general clothing.
Also, I have bought some Nike and Adidas in size 12....that's 12 years old One of the maybe advantages to only being 5ft tall.
I want to buy heavier weights also but they are ££££££ so I think I am going to buy adjustable weights that are about £30 ish and go to 15 ir 18kg.
Am easing back into things after xmas so just did BR workout 3 today..still not 100% after illness so not ready to be all badass again
addicted I have had the ab pop thing also happened just once and no pain..no freaking idea what that was!
threesteps am thinking of your lovely doggy x
PeggyO I want to get over my hatred of 6w6p..it is the one Jillian I simply cant seem to get to grips with!!

I am taking care of myself ginger I was going to have another go as the uncomfortable feeling has gone, but I currently have dd1 crying upstairs and dd2 crying downstairs, both should be asleep, neither want to be!

Oh no, sorry to hear about your elbow gypsyfloss! Take it easy and hopefully you will be back in action on Wednesday with gingercat and I (how exciting, my very own long-distance workout buddies!) I think I will add in more weights to 6W6P L1 tomorrow - I only use mine in the standing section in the beginning at the moment (2.5kg as I am a weakling!) Since it's starting to feel easy it's probably time to up the difficulty a bit. Do either of you do the crazy push-ups in the spider planks? I am quite afraid of them, but also tempted to have a go tomorrow... (or maybe I should save something for week 2 / 3!)

threesteps I am definitely a lark not an owl which helps with the early morning exercise - plus I am terribly lazy in the evenings and could quite happily be in bed by 9pm I also have everything crossed for your lovely dog.

CHST, I think 6W6P does feel very different from the other Jillians I have done. Possibly because it is just two long circuits, rather than several shorter ones - it makes it feel longer and shorter all at the same time somehow, which is why I always used to find it a bit odd!

addicted, hope your side is ok!

Evening all

CHST welcome back! Sorry you're still feeling rough - there are a hell of a lot of nasty bugs and viruses doing the rounds at the mo it seems, hope you're feeling tip top v soon!

Not seen or heard from notyummy in ageeeees. Hope she's okay. I think the last time she was here was when her back was done in so I guess it still must be bad? Hope you are okay Notyummy x

Another L2 Shed & Shred today. Not quite as achey as before but I'm still wondering how I'll ever get through the 2 levels together. Still a few more days to go until that happens at the weekend.

Quick question re press-ups... Is it better to do them going v low arms-wise, but on your knees, or to do them as full press-ups but barely be able to drop your arms at all?! I'm giving full ones a go for the first time, but can barely drop arms 2 inches!

Hello to everyone else, you are all doing brilliant, Julian would be most proud

My dog would like to say a big thank you for all the well wishes, woof

Evening all!

That was annoying, wrote a long post and lost it by going back a page. Grr!

Just did L2 RI30 this morning. Please don't be in awe of me doubling up on Julian! I just did a few extra sessions to try to shave off Xmas XS! I am nowhere near as hardcore in the weight dept as gingercat. Can't imagine using 3kg weights. I will be upping them soon though, just trying to find a good set online. Any recommendations? Also, do you people use mats? My carpet is also feeling the burn!

PeggyO - well done you for your early rising. I am not a morning person. I am back to work this week too, but I exercise when I get home. Maybe I'll change it one day. Too much of a night owl.

Also, does anyone else cheat by not doing the cool downs? Is this really really bad for me? As much as I love Julian, by the time she says it's time to cool down, I hit the stop button and high-five my DC, and jump in the shower.

peggy0 thanks for your good wishes. Tbh I'm a lazy arse at heart and it doesn't take much to make me rest :) In mitigation I am typing and writing a lot and need to make sure that my exercising doesn't impact on my ability to do that.

I do the mad spider planks and they're ok. I do full pressups threesteps as I can feel them in my stomach and I reckon I can work on the depth over time.

Hope you feel better soon CHST and addicted .I hope notyummy is recovering, I miss her input . I also haven't seen greedygirl around or is she here under a new guise?

Love Julian...makes me smile every time I read it

Oh missT I too sometimes skip 'em or do my own versions. I'm tired of the sound of her voice by then!

notyummy I'd give full ones a go, even if you can't go far down. What do you feel working when you do a full push up? For me, I feel my abs working a lot more. The stronger my core has become, the better I can do them. I think the further your palms are out, the easier it is also? Also maybe play about with how
your feet are positioned...the wider spread apart, the easier for me also.
Also, try doing them on an incline and work your way further to the ground.

MissTFied, I use this mat. Cheap and cheerful but it does the job!

threesteps, definitely stick with the full press ups. I never felt the knee press ups in my abs at all. For ages I perservered with full press ups but felt like I was rubbish at them and couldn't get low enough - and then one day it just seemed to click!

I am so proud this morning as I managed the side plank move in L1 6W6P (non-modified) for the first time! I have terrible balance, and when I had a couple of attempts at 6W6P a few months ago I struggled even to just hold myself in side plank, let alone do any leg movement. It's so exciting to feel myself making progress!

Hello, can I join? I've just done The Shred for the first time.

I am overweight and unfit but I managed to get through the cardio.

The thing that worries me is that I'm not sure I'm getting in the right positions for the strength parts and that means its all a waste of time as I'm not exercising the right muscles.

Also I don't think I will ever be able to do a push up. It's not helped by my laminating flooring as I was slipping all over the place. I think I'm going to buy the mat linked to above. I also need to buy some hand weights as I was using baked bin tins today

Hiya, Carriedaway [waving]. Welcome to the thread. It is so annoying when you slip and feel unsafe. A mat is definitely a good idea. I have an orange and pink one and it brightens up my early mornings.

threesteps I am no expert on press-ups. Sorry. Shed and Shred sounds fun

My fellow early-bird, PeggyO. Similarly to press-ups I do my best with spider planks. I can bring my knee forward all right, but quite rubbish at depth. Afterwards I can hardly do mountain-climbers, my abs are so much in pain, so I must be doing them right.
2.5 kg weights (for me) are no signs of a weakling at all.

MissTfied and gypsyfloss I bought my handweights in John Lewis (adidas ones), as they are smaller and it is a bit of a bugger to sling big ones around in the slightly crazier Jillian work-outs. I always worry that once I shall drop them and smash the telly (or my knee, more likely).

gyspsyfloss I use the same weights for the standing exercises, the diagonal get-ups and the long-lever crunches. I do not dare to use them for the superman-type things, as I used to have lower back problems, and I do not want to have it again.

How are you today addicted?

CHST 15 to 18kg weights?! Wowzer (as Miranda would say).

Thanks all for the push-ups advice. I don't think I feel it in my abs?! I definitely didn't on my knees, and can't remember feeling it there in my feeble attempts at full ones. I think I must be off with the form, so will concentrate on it when I try them later - thanks all (CHST you called me notyummy, I wish )

No I haven't seen greedygirl on here for a while either

threesteps sorry for the name slip up...must be a side effect of my illness.
carried welcome! Maybe stick with the bean cans or no weights until you have the form down? I think it is super important to concentrate on form first and then you can increase weight.
ginger those weights are adjustable up to that level..no way in hell I could use that now! Something for me to progress to really. I have looked at single weight eg 5kg but they are as expensive for one as a set of these adjustables.
I am hoping to start either p90x or Chalene Extreme within the next weeks and these require heavier weights because its all about low reps to muscle failure. I would NEVER use that for Jillianing...I am using 3kg for that! I do need heavier though, particularly for dead lifts and other back/bicep work

CHST - no worries at all - I aspire to be notyummy in the exercise stakes! Is Charlene Extreme a step up from Turbofire then? I admit that fell by the wayside for me but I should go back to it as I really enjoyed it...

L1 S&S done for the day, earlier than planned!

Really really enjoyed it Just wish I didn't go through the inevitable 1/2 hour before starting where I think I don't want to/can't be bothered. Such a waste of mental energy!

Will test out my push-up skills tomorrow on L2...

In her chat at the start of the DVD, she says eating 2 slices of pizza will cancel out the benefits of the 2 levels combined Now that is a depressing thought! Who ever eats just 2 slices of pizza?!

Have a good evening all

Welcome CarriedAwayAnnie, and well done on your first Shred! I still remember struggling to get up the stairs to the shower after I did it for the first time, my whole body was shaking so much! I used tins for a few weeks too until I got hand weights. Re. the strengh sections - listen out for Jillian's advice about form but don't worry if it feels like you aren't getting as deep into squats and lunges at first, it takes time to build up flexibility.

gingercat, I used my weights for the long lever crunches and diagonal get ups for the first time today! Crunches were fine, get-ups a bit more of a challenge, especially on the second time through. I did wonder about using them in the supermans too, or even (terrifying thought) using one to work my upper arm during the side planks... I think I will attempt the spider push ups as my next challenge, though!

threesteps, have you tried doing push-ups on the stairs? I never even realised I was supposed to feel them in my abs until I started trying to progress from knee push-ups by doing straight-legged push ups every day with my arms on a progressively lower stair each time - by the time I was about 2/3 steps from the bottom I could really tell what a correct push up was supposed to feel like in my core, which helped me a lot.

Thanks for the support!

My legs and my stomach are absolutely killing me today. Trying to sit down or climb the stairs is agony!

So I think I must have got some of the form right yesterday and worked some of the muscles I was meant to.

Only thing is, I don't know how I'm going to cope doing The Shred again today as I can barely move. Hopefully the warm up will help limber me up.

Yay, well done Carriedaway!!

If the aching feels like 'normal' aching, and not injury hurting, try and push through it and carry on if you can. The inital aches are completely normal!! You'll find they'll go soon, usually after 4/5 days... Honestly, I couldn't walk downstairs (had to go sideways) or lower myself down on the loo seat for the first few days!

PeggyO thanks so much for that. I remember reading that a while back and had forgotten, will defo give that a go

L2 S&S for me later - will be concentrating on those pesky push-ups!

That's exactly it hreestepsforward - the sideways crab to get downstairs and struggling to sit on the toilet and get in and out of the car.

I've just done it again, so that's day 2 over with.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow

Push up on the stairs tip is great!

Well done CarriedAway! I reckon day 2 is probably the hardest, as you've got all the aches and pains to deal with as well as the workout itself.

Are you enjoying S&S, threesteps? Am already starting to think about what I will do after 6W6P, and was wondering about adding it to my collection.

Day off work for me today, so no pre-dawn exercising! I did a 5k run this morning, followed by 6W6P L1. I'm now in my second week at L1, and to celebrate I attempted the spider plank push ups - yikes. I can't get as deep as a normal push up, and can't bring my leg as far up as when I was just doing the spider planks! Still, the only way is up...

I have very achy shoulders today, which I think is down to using weights in the diagonal get ups for the first time yesterday!

Just checking in pre-JM to get myself some motivation!

PeggyO I'm really enjoying it. Took a couple of gos to get into the swing of it, the first few times felt a bit disjointed, but actually not that dissimilar from 6W6P from what I can remember.

It feels like every part of you has been worked out. (The big disclaimer though is that I am really only just getting back into regular exercise again after a month or so slacking so I am probably feeling it more than most!)

I have a feeling hardcore exercisers might not find it too much of a challenge, but then there's always the option to add weights into everything, and she does say the aim is to work up to doing both levels together (so 1 hour).

After reading you have done a 5k run followed by 6W6P, I suspect you would be a two-leveller!

Off to do L2 now, am working up to the 2 levels together this weekend!!

bugger, have done in my lower back
during the workout...left hand side of lower back, sort of where the dimple is above your bum?
it's aching like mad
think tomorrow will have to be a rest day and hopefully won't have done too much damage. I do get lower back pain sometimes, but never usually to one side, usually a general ache/pain across the entire lower back.

so I will rest on Thursday and hopefully all will be well again by Friday

makes a change from my normal knee tendon injury thing though!

have a great evening everyone and happy Julian'ing...

hello all,

oh no threesteps, resting tomorrow sounds like a good idea.

I did the warm up this morning and realised my cfs has flared up again I could barely move doing it so I stopped and decided today is a rest day. I dont think its becaus eof the exercise, I think its because I ran out of (very strong) vitimins 3 days ago and havent got around to buying any more

I sent dh out to get some today so I will see how I am tomorrow, I may be having a few rest days whilst trying to recover on a positive note, today was the strt of week 2, so I managed to do a whole week!

peggo you make me exausted just reading 5k then 6w6p! I can only dream of that right now! well done