{review} Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30
I'm a big fan of Jillian Michaels. Last summer I completed her "30 Day Shred" workout routine with fantastic results. This year I thought I would get a little extra sculpting by trying a different routine and chose "Ripped in 30."
Preface
Let me preface by saying, I did not follow her eating plan this time around. If you are looking to lose a lot of pounds, follow the eating plan! The pounds will fly off. When I completed "30 Day Shred," I followed the eating plan and lost almost 15 pounds. At that time I was focused on overall weight because I had my twin boys and desperately needed to shred into my natural weight range. This time around, my focus was on muscle toning, an overall increase in metabolism from the muscle and on sculpting and tightening areas that were getting a bit out of shape. I made my own wiser choices with foods and simply listened to my body - I ate when I was hungry, ate exactly what I wanted and stopped when I was full. I'm not a big dieter. I just eat less fat, slightly smaller portions and watch my late night binging habits.
Okay! Enough intro...
Overall Opinion
The workout routines work. Ripped in 30 is a great way to get in shape, shred inches, take care of your cardiovascular system, build endurance, energy and all the important things we need out of a good workout routine. I highly suggest using it. It fits so easily into a hectic schedule. I have twin toddlers, and run a business out of my home, and I find the 20 minutes a day to complete the workouts. If you are in a healthy weight range, you can expect to get really ripped if you push yourself, if you are just a little towards the higher end of your BMI, you can expect to get back into your normal weight range, if you are officially overweight, this is a great way to start getting healthy.
Likes
I love that it kills you, but only for 20 minutes and you can call it a day. I appreciate that it is high intensity, for a shorter amount of time, to be done several days a week. It makes the routine fit better into really cramped schedules. I also love that once you complete a week, you don't see that workout again. Jillian Michaels switches it up with every exercise. You are never stuck repeating the same old irritating positions, which also helps to always be targeting new areas. There is a beginner and advanced modification, so if you are a beginner, or you are having a day where you really aren't feeling it, you can modify and push yourself harder the next time.
Dislikes
I get a little tired of listening to Jillian, period. I get tired of listening to anyone talk too much, so it's nothing personal. She's always trying to push, motivate and mind wash into wrapping your world around exercise, and I don't need that. The things she says, I already know, so when she starts talking, I roll my eyes often {my eyeballs are very buff from all the rolling at the end of 4 weeks, LOL!}. I also get very irritated at some of the moves. I completely appreciate that Jillian is trying to switch it up, but some of the plank moves are almost impossible to target an exact area, and sometimes feel like I'm getting nothing out of it.
In Comparison
I'd have to say that I actually prefer 30 Day Shred. I felt like I had better results sooner, even though it is an older workout. I have an overall nice toning and slimming down with Ripped in 30, but with 30 Day Shred, my arms and midsection were rocking after only 2 weeks. Having done them both, when reaching for one the next time, I'm all about 30 Day Shred.
My Results
I lost about 8 pounds, even while eating bacon and drinking my wine. I can't live without my wine. Again, if you want to lose more, follow the eating plan! Don't follow me, I'm a total piggy. I lost an average of 1-2 inches throughout my body: 2 inches off my waste, 2 inches off my hips, 1 inch off my thighs, a half inch off my calves. It doesn't sound like much, but from head to toe you can see an entirely new shape, new muscles and much more defined muscles - thank you Jillian!
This week I've rolled right into Jillian Michaels Revolution, which is a newer 90 day program. I've weighed, measured and will be back with those results shortly!
You can read a little about my 30 Day Shred results by clicking HERE
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