Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred
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purrtykitty
Well-known member
It'll depend on how strong your arms are. I've been using 5lb weights, and I still have to rest my arms on the squat-and-press sequence (my least favorite move) in workout one. I did start with little 2lb ones, but those were too light for me.
I suppose the weights should be heavy enough to tire your muscles, but not so heavy that you can't complete most of the moves.
I suppose the weights should be heavy enough to tire your muscles, but not so heavy that you can't complete most of the moves.
sheaspearl83
Well-known member
3 or 5 lbs; 3 is probably a good beginner
elegant-one
Well-known member
I'm not doing the shred. But, I started out on the 2 lb and now I've moved up to the 3 lb. and I have the 4 lb on stand by. I use the wraps as they seem easier for me. - ankle wrap weights too!
winwin
Well-known member
I am doing the 30 day shred for the 3rd time.
I started off using 3lb weights. It felt like I got hit with a truck! Mind you I started the 30 day shred after not exercising one bit for more than 8 years! After the initial shock and pain I got really into the routine and did it again.
The second time shredding I used 5lb weights. This increase in weight might seem minimal but it was pretty tough to get through. You can actually feel the little bit of extra weight.
Right now I'm on my 3rd and probably final time of doing the 30 day shred. I have moved to 8lb weights. I can definitely still feel the burn. I'm pretty proud of myself. Though I don't see any loss in weight. I have lost roughly 3-4 inches all around and have toned up some.
The next beast I'm determined to tackle is the P90x.
I started off using 3lb weights. It felt like I got hit with a truck! Mind you I started the 30 day shred after not exercising one bit for more than 8 years! After the initial shock and pain I got really into the routine and did it again.
The second time shredding I used 5lb weights. This increase in weight might seem minimal but it was pretty tough to get through. You can actually feel the little bit of extra weight.
Right now I'm on my 3rd and probably final time of doing the 30 day shred. I have moved to 8lb weights. I can definitely still feel the burn. I'm pretty proud of myself. Though I don't see any loss in weight. I have lost roughly 3-4 inches all around and have toned up some.
The next beast I'm determined to tackle is the P90x.
rosegasm
Well-known member
i did the 30 day along with miss winwin right there
and i was at 5 lbs the entire time. i didnt see any dramatic results (1. i was pretty active as is, 2. i didnt eat very well).
i started the p90x and i saw crazy results in the first week. but i only got thorugh maybe 2-3 weeks of it before i got annoyed from being sore all the time.
currently restarting that journey and hoping to finish. =)
day 5 and counting!
i started the p90x and i saw crazy results in the first week. but i only got thorugh maybe 2-3 weeks of it before i got annoyed from being sore all the time.
currently restarting that journey and hoping to finish. =)
day 5 and counting!
coachkitten
Well-known member
I am currently through day 5 of the 30 day shred. I am determined to stick with it for 30 days instead of just the here and there that I was doing before.
I really want to try p90x but I am afraid that I am not in shape enough to do it.
I really want to try p90x but I am afraid that I am not in shape enough to do it.
rosegasm
Well-known member
@coach, i went on the master cleanse and i lost a LOT of muscle. it left me incredibly weak, and i nearly fell over from being nudged. i decided to restart my fitness by doing the shred and i moved little by little from there. i used the shred as a transition to get to the p90x.
hope it's some slight motivation. keep going!!! you can do it!
COBI
Well-known member
I prefer heavy weight with fewer reps, so I use 10-20 pounds depending on the move. I certainly don't do as many reps as the video, but for me, it keeps me more focused and I see and feel results more quickly by lifting for strength versus endurance.
Periodically, I make myself switch to pure endurance (low weights, high reps) for no other reason than to change my routine and keep my body "guessing" versus plateauing.
Periodically, I make myself switch to pure endurance (low weights, high reps) for no other reason than to change my routine and keep my body "guessing" versus plateauing.
COBI
Well-known member
Other things to consider with resistance-based workouts:
- Enhance the intensity (and difficulty) by FOCUSING on the muscles being worked in both directions. Slow down so that you are CONTROLLING the movement with the muscle versus cheating the movement with momentum.
- Keep in mind the concepts of fatigue and failure. By the end of the reps, you should be seriously at the point of thinking/knowing "I could not do one more (with good form) if I had, too", i.e. fatigue. Failure is the point where you literally can not do one more. Many consider the point where it gets difficult to be "fatigue", but that's often the point where the next few are going to really engage that muscle. Don't stop because it gets harder, that's just cheating yourself; stop before failure, you don't want to be dropping weights or injuring yourself because of bad form. Learn to recognize the difference.
- If at the end of the "prescribed" reps you could keep going, then you would likely benefit from increasing your weight.
Here's what I tell people that I train:
"I can only coach you; I can NOT do the work for you. You need to be honest about what you want from the workout. If you want to phone it in and not push out of your comfort zone, then you are going to be in the same position six weeks, six months, a year from now. It's your workout, make it matter."
I had two participants in a group resistance class who came to me and said "it's not as difficult as it used to be...." to which I responded "I have been suggesting to you for weeks to increase your weights and challenge yourself. Will you trust me and increase your weight by 2 stacks (based on the Kinesis system we use)?"
They did and after the 25 minute tabata-based class (five four-minute rounds of 20/10 circuits), they were spent! Literally on the floor panting and recovering. These are fairly fit people who were simply not challenging themselves.
Unless we make an active choice to challenge our own levels, it is very easy to slip into a mode of thinking we're working hard when we are not.
If you are finishing your workout and then skipping around right off, then you left some potential progress on the table during your workout.
With the new Turbo Fire workout (from Turbo Jam's Chalene Johnson) which is based on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), she mentioned in a video somewhere (can't put my hands on it): "You should not do the HIIT workouts (from TF) every day. If you can do it every day, then you are not doing it right." (paraphrased)
Quality workouts beat quantity every time. Unless you are training for something specific (or a specific managed weight loss program), it is rare to need to workout for 60+ minutes every day.
I see people spend 90-120 minutes+ a day at the gym 5-7 days a week, and if they asked, they could improve their results in less than half the time, but somewhere along the line people have learned the misperception that more equals better and harder.
As another example, I had a "regular" from the free weight room that joined me during a personal workout: tabata-based kettlebell workout with me. This includes five 4-minute rounds of work. Each round is comprised of eight 20 second cycles of intense activities with 10 seconds of rest between. That's right: you can do anything for 20 seconds, right? Anyway, this heavy weight lifter who was only using a kettlebell that was 5 pounds heavier than mine barely made it through 3 rounds (that's 12 minutes plus a minute of rest between rounds.)
It's not about what we are doing; whether we're challenging ourselves is more important and there's only one person that knows the true answer to that: you.
Sorry for going on and on, these are just some of my thoughts from years of instructing and training.
- Enhance the intensity (and difficulty) by FOCUSING on the muscles being worked in both directions. Slow down so that you are CONTROLLING the movement with the muscle versus cheating the movement with momentum.
- Keep in mind the concepts of fatigue and failure. By the end of the reps, you should be seriously at the point of thinking/knowing "I could not do one more (with good form) if I had, too", i.e. fatigue. Failure is the point where you literally can not do one more. Many consider the point where it gets difficult to be "fatigue", but that's often the point where the next few are going to really engage that muscle. Don't stop because it gets harder, that's just cheating yourself; stop before failure, you don't want to be dropping weights or injuring yourself because of bad form. Learn to recognize the difference.
- If at the end of the "prescribed" reps you could keep going, then you would likely benefit from increasing your weight.
Here's what I tell people that I train:
"I can only coach you; I can NOT do the work for you. You need to be honest about what you want from the workout. If you want to phone it in and not push out of your comfort zone, then you are going to be in the same position six weeks, six months, a year from now. It's your workout, make it matter."
I had two participants in a group resistance class who came to me and said "it's not as difficult as it used to be...." to which I responded "I have been suggesting to you for weeks to increase your weights and challenge yourself. Will you trust me and increase your weight by 2 stacks (based on the Kinesis system we use)?"
They did and after the 25 minute tabata-based class (five four-minute rounds of 20/10 circuits), they were spent! Literally on the floor panting and recovering. These are fairly fit people who were simply not challenging themselves.
Unless we make an active choice to challenge our own levels, it is very easy to slip into a mode of thinking we're working hard when we are not.
If you are finishing your workout and then skipping around right off, then you left some potential progress on the table during your workout.
With the new Turbo Fire workout (from Turbo Jam's Chalene Johnson) which is based on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), she mentioned in a video somewhere (can't put my hands on it): "You should not do the HIIT workouts (from TF) every day. If you can do it every day, then you are not doing it right." (paraphrased)
Quality workouts beat quantity every time. Unless you are training for something specific (or a specific managed weight loss program), it is rare to need to workout for 60+ minutes every day.
I see people spend 90-120 minutes+ a day at the gym 5-7 days a week, and if they asked, they could improve their results in less than half the time, but somewhere along the line people have learned the misperception that more equals better and harder.
As another example, I had a "regular" from the free weight room that joined me during a personal workout: tabata-based kettlebell workout with me. This includes five 4-minute rounds of work. Each round is comprised of eight 20 second cycles of intense activities with 10 seconds of rest between. That's right: you can do anything for 20 seconds, right? Anyway, this heavy weight lifter who was only using a kettlebell that was 5 pounds heavier than mine barely made it through 3 rounds (that's 12 minutes plus a minute of rest between rounds.)
It's not about what we are doing; whether we're challenging ourselves is more important and there's only one person that knows the true answer to that: you.
Sorry for going on and on, these are just some of my thoughts from years of instructing and training.
Simply Elegant
Well-known member
20 pounds for me.
CajunFille'
Well-known member
I'm one of those girls who hasn't worked out in forever (5 yrs.) I thought that chasing around my 2 small children would keep me in shape. Wrong! I have lost a lot of muscle tone in my legs and stomach that I used to have. I believe the fact that I had two c-sections plays a part in the belly thing some what, but I think if I exercised it would be much better. When I was in my early 20's I had nice abs and I want that back! Do you ladies think that this video would work for me? I'm really not interested in losing a lot of weight. I'm 116 lbs and 5'6 so, that's pretty good, I think. It's just I have "the bad areas". If you don't think this is the video for me, do you recommend a different one? I'm kinda clueless about this stuff.
