Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30 - Week 4

Finally finished all four workouts and am putting this DVD to rest for now - I'm sure I'll revisit again when I am more committed.

Week 4 is the final week in this workout series and it did not disappoint.  Definitely a thigh and butt week for me.  I was feeling the burn!  The ab moves are more advanced this week as well.  Most of them I could not do due to a back issue but I was able to modify.  My only complaint with this workout is the actual ab work.  It is only 3 minutes a day.  Perhaps though if I was able to do the moves Jillian was doing I'd feel differently, but I really felt like adding in other ab work would've given me better results.

And speaking of results, how'd I do?  Well, I really didn't do this workout religiously week after week.  My mojo didn't come back until after I did the last workout.  For people doing the entire program 4-5 days a week and following the diet plan, I have no doubt there would be awesome results.  Even though I didn't follow all the rules and pretty much ate like crap, my butt and legs do feel tighter and my stamina has certainly increased (thank God).

I'd recommend this workout to anyone who's looking for a time saving, doable workout.  Looking to get into that bikini next month but don't have a ton of free time?  This is for you.  :)

What's next?  Well, my Asylum workout arrived last week and I couldn't ignore it.  I am presently on Day 5 of that workout and love it.  So far, no missed workouts and I feel great.  Stay tuned for more on Asylum.

Have a great weekend all!!  As always, I'd love to hear your workout stories.

Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 - Week 3

Sorry I'm a little late with the week 3 review.  Had a sore foot for a few days and needed to rest it.  But, week three is complete.  I'll be honest here and say Week 3 felt like a bit of a break.  Sure the moves were difficult and I did sweat, but they just didn't come together to result in a good enough workout for me.  Well, except for my triceps.  This is triceps week for sure!  So that I did like because those little guys are hard to work sometimes.  Shoulders and hips also come into play this week.

What I missed this week was all the core work.  I felt like Weeks 1 and 2 had a huge core focus (moreso in week 1) even during moves that weren't specifically defined "core" exercises.  Hopefully we'll see more core work in Week 4.

All in all though, still happy with the DVD.  There are some great workouts in here that I see myself using from time to time as a fill in or for a day where time is an issue.  I can't adequately comment on results as I have been pretty inconsistent (ok, very inconsistent) and my diet is still garbage.  But I do feel stronger and my core is getting tighter again which makes me happy.  With week three down the tubes, I can still wholeheartedly recommend Ripped in 30!  JM has a very good sense of what body parts cause the most trouble for women and how to work them well.

Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 - Week 2

Managed to get this workout in 4 times this week which was great.  The fact that it is under 30 minutes has been my saving grace.

Week 2 left me surprisingly less sweaty than Week 1.  I also didn't feel too much post workout soreness.  This week focused a lot on the shoulders and back - which are my weakest links.  Lots of plank work here.  In fact, one of the 2 minute cardio segments has you holding plank the entire time.  30 seconds of plank jacks, 30 seconds of moutain climbers (so hate those), repeat.  Needless to say, I found myself on my knees more than a few times in that 2 minutes.  Ab work was also stepped up this week.  I had to modify most of the moves since a back issue prohibits me from raising my legs (extended straight) and shoulders off the floor at the same time.  But it still felt like a good workout and my husband did comment that my butt felt firmer.  :)

What I'm loving about Ripped in 30 is that even when you are not doing the ab segments, almost all of the moves work the core in one way or another.  A strong core = a happy Betty.

Still not seeing a ton of visible progress with my body but then again, I'm still not eating 100%.  We've gotten much better but the baked goods just keep calling and I'm unable to stop at one (or three).

See you next week with the Week 3 review!  Happy weekend.

Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 - Week 1

My usual workout routine becoming tiresome and never ending, it was time to change it up.  I finally opened up my new JM DVD, Ripped in 30.

This DVD brought me right back to where the whole getting back in shape thing started for me with 30 Day Shred.

Ripped in 30 consists of four workouts, each one intended to be done for one week before moving on to the next, more intense workout.  I can happily report that Week 1 is in the bag.  Each workout this week consisted of three circuits - 3 minutes of strength (3 moves, repeated twice), 2 minutes of cardio (2 moves, repeated twice), and 1 minute of abs (2 30 second exercises).  Week 1 left me a sweaty mess even though it was only 24 minutes.  My obliques and hamstrings were feeling it the most and I see some definition in my chest from the push ups.

Did I see much progress this week?  No.  Was it because Ripped in 30 is ineffective?  No.  My diet is crap!  I've been snacking like a bear getting ready for hibernation.  Hopefully I can leave this bad habit behind for Week 2.  Also, if this darn weather would start feeling more spring-like, I plan to do a bit of evening jogging.  The kids and I want to run the Maywood 5K again in May so I need to get ready.

No progress pics yet as I'm Still searching for my get up and go that got up and went before Christmas and I've had three 14 hour work days so far that just totally screwed up my schedule.  I will actually probably re-do week 1 before moving on to week 2 now that I think about it.

So, week 2 review next week. Oh, and there is a Ripped in 30 diet you can follow for optimal results.  I took a look at it but know it's not enough food for me, but a link is included with the DVD.
Anybody having trouble getting their workouts in?  Any new DVDs or exercise programs I should know about?