Day 40-Ripped in 30 Lvl 2

Day 40-Ripped in 30 Lvl 2

This is level 2 of Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 series.  It is 30 minutes long and follows the 3-2-1 routine. 3 minutes cardio, 2 minutes strength, 1 minutes abs.  3 different sets following this pattern, with a warm up and cool down. Hand weights are used, I used 8lbs.  This workout is as hard as you make it.  You can use 3 lb weight, or 10 lb weight for rows.  You can do push ups on your knees, or on your toes.  You can really jump, or you can barely move.  I love these shorter workouts that incorporate interval training, although Jillian can be pretty annoying.  I've learned to tune her out, hopefully you can too.  200 calories burned

Day 39-Insantiy Max Cardio Conditioning

Day 39-Insantiy Max Cardio Conditioning

This is a 47 minute workout, my heart rate monitor stopped picking up my heart rate after 10 minutes so I threw it on the floor in frustration.  That is how my workout continued to go.  After the insane 10 minute workout followed by a stretch, it's a non-stop cardio workout until the 3 minute stretch at the end.  No breaks.  Insanely hard moves followed by more insanely hard moves with no breaks.  I can't tell you how many times I just felt defeated trying to do everything. 

Reality check.  After 30 minutes, I actually curled up in childs pose and started crying.  Yep.  Crying.  I just didn't want to work out.  I hated the moves, I hated that I was exhausted, I hated that I couldn't keep up, and then my heart rate monitor wasn't working.  My husband was in the same room and the poor guy had to watch my "I just can't do it anymore" melt down. Without giving you the details of my life, it's come down to this:  If you can't get enjoyment out of the workout, if you can't feel accomplished, if it increases your stress level instead of releasing it, maybe you should pick a different workout. 

On the positive note: This completes my Insanity workouts!  Whoo hoo!  I don't think I would have done one more anyway so this is a very good thing.

Day 37- Insanity Core Cardio and Balance

Day 37- Insanity Core Cardio and Balance

This workout is to be done during your recovery week but by any other standards it's still a difficult workout.  There's still the jumping and movement, but a toned down a little with a little more isometric exercises.  Only 37 minutes!!! 

238 calories burned. 

Day 38-Ripped in 30 Lvl 1

Day 38-Ripped in 30 Lvl 1

This is Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 series.  She claims that this is the hardest workout series yet that she has put out.  The DVD has 4 different workouts, you're supposed to do each one for a week, and they increase in intensity.  There's a warm up, followed by her 3-2-1 interval.  3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute abs.  There's 3 different sets of this.  You need hand weights.

I logged 30 minutes.  Which, if you think about it, there's really only 18 minutes of actual exercise so how did it double in time?  Anyway, I used heavier weights( 8 and 10 lb) and got a much better workout than in the past when I've used 5lbs.  There's good variety and nothing too high impact.

195 calories burned

Day 28-Turbo Jam Ab Jam

Day 28-Turbo Jam Ab Jam

Ab Jam is 20 minutes long split in two standing and floor segments.  Both segments seriously work your abs.  The floor exercises are classic ab work, there is no plank work.  Low impact. Not bad if you want to add some ab work into your daily workout.

Day 27-Turbo Jam Cardio Party

Day 27-Turbo Jam Cardio Party

I always pick a day I don't feel like working out to do Turbo Jam because it is just more enjoyable.  I get tired of the monotony of exercise and Turbo Jam mixes it up in a fun way.

Key Points:

• About 40 minutes
• Has a warm up and cool down
• 4 circuits about 7 minutes long with a choreographed kickboxing routine.  Don't let the word choreograph scare you, it's very easy to follow. 
• Turbo Jam in the middle lasting 2 minutes, intended to be the hardest part of your workout
• Watch your joints, be kind to your knees and listen to your body.
• Lots of fun!
• 244 calories burned

Day 26-Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown Level 1

Day 26-Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown Level 1

While I am not an expert, I have experience with yoga and I am familiar with the technique and poses of yoga.  This is not really yoga.  Jillian has taken pieces of yoga and molded it into what she wants to do in a workout.  There are so many key elements of basic yoga missing in this workout, that the only thing that makes it yoga is that you do yoga moves.  So I guess if you don't really like doing yoga this is a good workout for you because it's not really yoga. 

Now that I've told you how I feel about Jillian making a yoga video, I will tell you that this video has push ups, sun salutations, lunges, camel and variations of that. 

Run time 33 minutes. I didn't wear my heart rate monitor so I don't know how many calories this workout burns.