marylandlibrarian 2008-10-07
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Jillian provides three intense 20 minute workouts, each containing three circuits with 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. This provides tons of variety for each workout, which keeps me interested and motivated. One reason I love this DVD so much is because the variety makes the workout seem faster, and before I know it I'm finished! Most people will need to start at workout level 1 and work their way up to level 3. Modifications are provided for those who have trouble doing the full movements, which is a definite necessity for me.
Before getting this DVD, my exercise routine typically involved brisk walking and jogging for 60 minutes about 4 days a week. I got the 30 Day Shred so I could get in some more upper body and ab work while cutting down my workout time. Two weeks after getting the DVD I am still at level 1, but am already noticing a difference in how I feel! Of course, this cuts down on the amount of cardio I was doing before, but eventually my goal is to incorporate both the strength training learned from this DVD and the jogging.
As for the title, forget the "30 day" and focus more on the "shred". Users are supposed to do what they can until they are able to move on to the more advanced exercises. There aren't any rules as to how many days to do each workout routine. Just do what you can--you will still notice a difference.
As much as I like the 30 Day Shred, it could still use some improvements. For one thing, I wish a special feature was included that showed step-by-step how to properly do the exercise movements with good form. Instead, you are thrown into doing the movements without much time to get comfortable with them. For this reason, I suggest watching the workout first before trying the exercises. There is also no information on what size weights to use. In fact, I find that I need different sized weights for different exercises and Jillian doesn't address this issue. For example, I need 3-lb. weights for shoulder exercises, while the 5-lb. weights would be more appropriate for the chest and back exercises. I also think that it is unrealistic to assume that most people will be able to jump right into doing the workouts without some initial recovery period or a little cheating here and there. I HAD to have a recovery day of rest after doing workout level 1 for the first time. I also cheat a little on a few of the movements in order to maintain good form or because I can't lift the weight on the last few repetitions.
The introduction takes a minute or two and I use this time to put on my shoes and do some extra stretching. I also take a little more time to stretch at the end than Jillian provides. I strongly suggest adding some calf stretches, especially for beginners. After my first workout, I woke up in the middle of the night with a charlie horse because my calf muscles hadn't been properly stretched. (The jumping jacks and butt kicks can be hard on those muscles if they aren't used to the intensity.)
Overall, this is an awesome DVD for people who want a great overall workout incorporated in as little amount of time as possible. I highly recommend it!
Also, for those of you who already have the DVD, there is a blooper during workout 1: Natalie, the woman on the left, stops doing her lunges when Jillian points out Anita's form and the cameras start panning to the right. :)
