Shredheads

Dear Shredheads - Favorite Jillian Michaels DVD; Is 30 Day Shred effective?

Dear Shredheads - Have you done all of Jillian Michaels' DVDs? Which do you like the best? Which do you feel are most effective?  Being only 20min long, how effective can Shred possibly be? - @BOREDmommy

I've done all the available Jillian Michaels DVDs (I haven't done any Biggest Loser ones because "regular people" don't motivate me as much as super-fit instructors, and she has at least one video that's no longer available), and while I like No More Trouble Zones the best, each has its own advantages.

30 Day Shred (30DS)
The classic.  This one is a great "go to" video because it has strength, cardio, and abs...all in about 20 minutes.

No More Trouble Zones (NMTZ)
It focuses primarily on strength and abs, and is about 40-45 minutes long.  It's the same style as Shred, but without cardio.

Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism (BFBM)
The complement to NMTZ, BFBM focuses on cardio and abs.  It's also about 40-45 minutes long.

Yoga Meltdown
I recently reviewed this one.  It's definitely my least favorite of the four, but it is less strenuous than the others and can work in well with running programs, or on rest days.

Now, on to the question of how effective the 30 Day Shred can be since it's only 20 minutes.

The short answer is VERY.

For proof, take a look at Kristen's before/after pics and a recent submission by a reader (I'll spare you my pics, but they're around).

Now, this doesn't happen by just doing Shred.  Unless you've already done so, you need to make some dietary changes. I can't work out in the morning and then eat 2 Big Macs at lunch and expect to get ripped.  But when you combine the diet and exercise, it works.  Especially if you are relatively new to working out.

Just remember that as you get more fit, you may find that Shred doesn't do as much for you.  At that point, you might want to start doing some longer workouts, or you can always add more weight to the Shred workouts.  The nice thing is that because you're more fit, they don't seem so daunting!  And the more changes you see, the more you'll be willing to do to get them!

-Bill

Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown (Level 2) - Review

After trying Level 2 of Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown, I felt it was worth a second review.  Once again, Jillian puts her spin on yoga, making things more interesting for people who may find "regular yoga" a bit boring.

I found Level 2 to be significantly harder than Level 1 - even the warmup seemed like part of the workout, which is a good thing.  After the warmup she really got serious about killing me, and I struggled to follow even the beginner modifications of some of the moves.  As I get used to the balance and flexibility requirements, I know I'll get better, but Level 2 requires a lot more strength than Level 1.

As with much of the yoga I've tried, you aren't just concentrating on one area of the body.  You might be working legs, core, shoulders, and trying to balance yourself all at once.  Heck, I almost had to put my ice cream down twice!  There was one move where I couldn't pick out a single muscle group that wasn't shaking because I was working so hard.  Throughout the whole thing I felt like I was working lots of muscle groups.

Compare that with 30 Day Shred or No More Trouble Zones, where you're focused more on one or two major muscle groups at a time, and you'll find you've got a completely different type of workout.  Which type is better?  You'll have to decide what works best for you.

While I prefer things like the 30 Day Shred/NMTZ, I do plan to continue doing this yoga workout because let's face it - there must be something to it because people who are good at yoga are in great shape.  They're in the kind of shape I want to be in.

So my conclusion remains the same - this is a good DVD to check out if you aren't into "conventional yoga."  Jillian blazes through a lot of the moves, but there's nothing that says you need to do things as quickly as she does.  Even she points out that yoga is about listening to your body.

As for intensity, neither level of this DVD comes close to the intensity of her longer videos.  I did feel that Level 2 was fairly close to the strength intensity of the 30 Day Shred, however.

-Bill

Read my review of Level 1 here.  You can also read our reviews of other Jillian Michaels DVDs, Bob Harper DVDs, and ExerciseTV workouts.

EDITED TO ADD: The Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown is now on sale at our affiliate Amazon.com for 8.99. That's 40% off retail!