My Fitness: Jillian Michaels: 30-Day Shred Review

Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred: Jillian bases her DVD workouts on the 3-2-1 method: 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute abs.  The strength circuits are usually one-minute moves that incorporate both upper and lower body strength training (e.g. lunges with bicep curls) followed by 30 seconds of a single focus move (e.g. chest press).  The cardio is good as well (30 second intervals of jump rope, jumping jacks, running in place, etc).  The abs are a mix of on-the-floor moves. The total routine (including warm-up and cool-down) takes about 25 minutes, and there are three different levels. 

The things I like about Jillian: Her routines are tough and great if you don’t have a lot of time to workout, and you will see results.  I saw great results.  I also find her to be motivational - just when I was feeling like I couldn't do another bicep curl or lunge, she'd say something encouraging and I'd push through.  Also, the DVD is very reasonably priced (about $15 + tax). The things that weren't for me: At first, I liked doing the same routine every day... by the end of the week, I felt like I had mastered the routine and was ready for the next level.  However, once I had mastered all three weeks, I still had one week left, which left me wishing for more variety. I mixed it up by using another one of her DVDs every-other-day to prevent boredom. The DVD also doesn’t come with any type of nutrition information/meal plan or on-line support (which is why it is so inexpensive). Jillian only uses females in her videos which doesn’t bother me, but there’s no way I could convince my husband to try these workouts.  Overall, I would recommend this DVD for the great price and solid workout.