Friday, March 14, 2014

30 Day Shred: A Review

Guess what I did- I actually finished Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred!! I started on Feb 8th and I finished on Mar 8th! Now, technically that is 28 days due to Feb being an itty bitty month, but a certain trip to Mexico got in the way! Terrible, I know.



In those 28 days, I missed 7 workouts (3 in Florida, 3 while sick, and 1 while lazy). Only ONE workout skipped due to being lazy is pretty amazing. Although, it is hard to believe I only did 21 workouts because I felt like I was working my butt off day after day for weeks upon weeks! Ah well.

And did you know I was tracking my measurements through all that? Oh yes. I am one organized Casey. I basically kept a notebook with all my major measurements, except weight. These workouts to me were more about toning than losing weight (there is a lot of strength so I am sure I gained muscle).

Inches lost:
Bust: 1.5"
Natural Waist: 0.5"
Belly Button: 1"
Hips/Butt: 0.5"
Legs and Arms: No Change

Overall, I didn't lose a TON of inches, but I definitely feel stronger and more toned! Plus I wasn't really watching my food for the first few weeks, and food is oh so important when trying to lose a flabby tummy! As for all that lost bust, do not worry- I am convinced it was evil back fat that disappeared! There is so much plank in Level 2 & 3 that it had no choice but to disappear.

As for the workouts themselves, they were TOUGH. After the first workout I thought my body would never heal. However I toughed it out and keep at it and I felt my body getting stronger and I wasn't in pain after anymore after just a couple days! The workouts are each 20ish minutes and they have 3 cycles of: 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute abs. There are also 3 levels and I tried to move up every 7-8 days (since I knew I didn't have 30 days). Level 2 is the root of all evil. That is all I have to say on that.

Now, you may think a 20 minute workout is nothing but trust me when I tell you they are hard. I often needed to stop for 5 seconds (there are no breaks in the workout), or drop down to the "easy modification". And sweat would be dripping from my head still. Sexy.

My overall review: They are a great mini workout, but you should really do a few more workouts outside of them (like running!) and really watch your food if you want lose weight on it. However, you will definitely get stronger. I can last way longer at the strength exercises now, and when I go back and do level 1 it feels like a walk in the park!

Now that I am done I plan to get back into my running (10K race in a couple of months!) and then supplement with doing a Shred workout a few times a week to keep my strength up.

Have you ever done the 30 Day Shred or another DVD? Please share your stories!!

2 comments:

  1. I actually bought this DVD based on your talking about it! I haven't started since we're about to head off on vacation.

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  2. I tried it the 20 minute shred? I think that's what it's called, it's another Jillian Michael's DVD, and the workout is very difficult. I've also started YouTubing videos, there's some great Zumba and Yoga videos out there.

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