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. 

Day 25-Insanity Cardio Power and Resistance

Day 25-Insanity Cardio Power and Resistance

Insanity is insane.  I convinced my gym-going-weight-loving husband to do this with me today and he decided half way through that he was done.  But he was very supportive watching me. 

This video follows the same format as other Insanity workouts.  The beginning is about 10 minutes of non stop jogging, squat jacks, butt kicks, high knees, vertical jumps, and hit the ground.  30 seconds each, 3 rounds, increasing in intensity, with no break until the end of the set. Then there's the 6 minute stretch.  Following the stretch is 2 more sets of 4 exercises each.  At the end of each set there is a bonus move.  There is a 30 second break after you complete the 4 exercises, or every 2 minutes or so.  You finish with a 3 minute cool down.

I burned 315 calories in 38 minutes.  Average heart rate 140, max 163.  If my average heart rate was 140 and there was a 6 minute stretch and 3 minute cool down, you can bet your butt that whenever I checked my heart rate it was about 155-162 during the actual workout.  This program is meant to push you to your limits so that you are continually getting stronger.

Day 24- Bob Harper Total Trainer Plus Workout 1

Day 24- Bob Harper Total Trainer Plus Workout 1

This is a 26 minute video designed to give you a total body workout.  This one burned me out.  I hit the "I can't get up off the floor anymore."  So I swallowed my pride, dropped my 5 lb weight and got off the floor.  Bob makes some hard workout and I always feel like he baits me into pushing a little harder by being pleasant.  He is no drill sergeant, he just gets you to keep going.
Key points:

• There's no warm up.  You get right into it.  There is a short cool down.
• You'll preferably need 3 sets of weight.  I used 5lb, 8 lbs, and 10 lbs but you could get by with just one set of weights or none at all if you don't have any. 
• This is not friendly on your knees. There are lots of squats, lots of getting up and down off the floor doing deep squats, and some lunges.  I decided to modify a few moves because my knees were telling me to be kinder to them (I have had an ACL and menisci repair).
• Along with squats, there's planks, push ups, and burpees.  Ouch.
• 218 calorie burn, average heart rate 140, max 161. 

Day 23- Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Day 23- Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Insanity.  This is so hard (said in a whiny voice).

What you should know-
1. The warm up is not a warm up.  It's a mini workout testing you to see if you have what it takes to do the rest of the workout.  You do, don't worry.  5 moves, 30 seconds each, repeated 3 times.  There's a 3 minute cool down.
2. After the "warm up" is a six minute stretch.  That's right, a six minute stretch after you think you're going to die after a warm up.  Usually I'd skip this because I don't like a six minute stretch after I'm already into the workout, but I'm so glad to get my heart rate down that I don't mind so much. 
3.  This is interval training.  It's 30-45 seconds of jumping jacks, then high knees, then jumping squats, then ski jumps, then a 30 second break.  Repeat and increase the intensity. Break.  Repeat and increase the intensity plus two bonus moves at the end.  There are other moves, this is just an example.
4. You can keep going.  If you don't push yourself, your body won't change.  Remember this when you think you can't do it.  You can.  You might need to go a little slower, or take a 5 second break, but you can do this. 
5.  Pay attention to the people in the video.  They look like you do.  The person the camera is focused on is going all out, but the rest of them look like they want to die.  It's all about perspective.
6. There's a timer so you know how long you have left.
7. Pace yourself.  If you don't, you'll have nothing left to give, which happens anyway. So pace yourself.


This video is 41 minutes start to end.  Calories burned-328.  Average heart rate 136, max 161. 

Day 22-The Biggest Loser Cardio Max

Day 22-The Biggest Loser Cardio Max

This Biggest Loser workout is one of my favorites.  I have used it so so many times and am never disappointed.  It is split into 3 different intervals, progressing with each segment.  The "models" working out are actual previous contestants from The Biggest Loser.  They are REAL PEOPLE with curves, a little overweight, occasionally off cue and struggling through this workout.  It's refreshing.  Hey, if they can do it, so can you. 

Bob Harper is in charge of level 1 and although it is level 1, don't let it fool you.  There's jumping lunges, walking push ups, and plenty of squats.  There are modifications for the harder moves and Bob is very encouraging.  It is twenty minutes long.

Level 2 is done by Jillian Michaels.  This segment is 10 minutes long and Jillian has you doing jumping jacks, jump rope, tires, and punches.  She is pleasant and it's a heart pounding 10 minutes.

Level 3 is done by Kim and she focuses on kick boxing.  It is also ten minutes long. The first 3 minutes she repeats "Don't stop!  This is your workout!" 3 times.  Annoying.  You get into some lunges, squats, kicks, and punches.  While Kim is a little annoying, you can always turn up your music and tolerate her for a few minutes. 

This workout, including the 5 minute warm up was 47 minutes.  I skipped the cool down to put my baby down for a nap.  Real life. I burned 360 calories, average heart rate 132, max 157. I used 5 lb weights in level 1, no weights needed for the other levels.

Day 21- P90X Kenpo

Day 21-P90X Kenpo

It's almost the end of my P90X journey, and it's been a test of will power to get through some of the workouts, but I finished this one and did a little happy dance in my living room because all that's left is Stretch (I don't even know if that's a real workout yet). 

This had a discouraging start, but picked up momentum by the end.  The warm up is a staggering 11 minutes of stretching and yoga. The rest of the workout is standing punches and kicks, pretty standard and easy to follow. This was not hard on my joints at all, which Turbo Jam can sometimes cause.  The lay out is 15-30 reps of a movement, repeated on the other side if necessary and then you move on.  Every ten minutes or so you do a minute and a half of jump rope, running in place, and jumping jacks. 

I burned 362 calories in 58 minutes, average heart rate 121, max 156.

Day 20- Turbo Jam Fat Blaster

Day 20-Turbo Jam Fat Blaster

This is a 30 minute workout that focuses on the actual "Turbo's" of other Turbo Jam workouts.  In other Turbo Jam workouts, each one contains a two minute sprint.  For two minutes you do a short kickboxing set that is designed to get your heart rate pounding, being the climax of the workout for your heart.  In Fat Blaster, you do 4 Turbo's.  There's a nice warm up, and then Chalene explains each Turbo on  low intensity before going high intensity, and then a cool down. 

I liked this workout.  I actually had P90X Kenpo in my DVD player and then saw that is was 58 minutes so I switched to this workout.  I just didn't feel like doing a 58 minute workout.  I was glad I switched to Fat Blaster.  I pushed myself harder because it was shorter and it didn't drag.

I burned 203 calories, average heart rate 128, max 164. 

Day 19-P90X Cardio

Day 19- P90X Cardio

Finally a workout that I didn't have to talk myself into finishing!  This was a fairly enjoyable workout for me, and I am pretty pessimistic when it comes to P90X.  For starters, it was 43 minutes instead of 58.  Yay!  There are 3 categories to this workout:  Yoga, kickboxing, and high intensity cardio.  The Yoga is a run through of Sun Salutations and is low intensity.  Kickboxing starts to get the heart rate up, and you finish with nonstop cardio.  The thing that I liked the most was that the exercises were easy to follow.  Often times trainers try to get too creative and this one is pretty basic.  I burned 292 calories, average heart rate 132, max 162. 

Day 18-Killer Buns and Thighs Level 3

Day 18-Jillian Michaels Killer Buns and Thighs Level 3

This workout had some pretty tough moves.  For this series, Jillian goes through 4 main sets, not including the warm up.  Each set has 5 different exercises, repeated twice.  There were some good plyo moves, and core work.  The warm up was easier than level 2 and the last set had some old school fire hydrants, but the middle was tough.  Unfortunately, My heart rate monitor stopped picking up after about a half hour, so my stats are off.  So for 40 minutes, I have a recorded 205 calories, but that's probably for 30 minutes.  You're done doing the difficult stuff just about then so I don't know what to tell ya.  Average heart rate 124, max 158. At the end of the workout, Jillian does give a motivational speech.  It puts you back in perspective, reminding why you want to push yourself. 

It's easy to want to exercise for a variety of reasons.  Most women to do it because we want to look better, including myself.  What we have to remember is that skinny does not equal health.  Healthy is an all encompassing word that addresses our complete body.  How is our strength, endurance, stamina, energy, happiness?  We are better when we are healthy.  Let me repeat that.  We are better when we are healthy.  Healthy is not equivalent to skinny. 

Day 17-P90X Back and Biceps

P90X Back and Biceps

Hello back and biceps!  This workout varied between pull ups and weights.  I used 10-12 lbs, trying for 12-15 reps for each exercise.  I used a chair to assist with pull ups.  This really attacked those two muscle groups head one.  I wish there was more to say about this workout, there just wasn't much to it.  It was a 54 minute workout.  Average heart rate 115, max 156, total calories burned 222 (I think I hit 156 on the warm up doing jumping jacks :))