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| Kick-outs on one foot |
Someone at my house decided to purchase Jillian Michaels Body Revolution, which is Jillian’s latest workout program, as well as her first 90-day program for daily exercise and weight loss. Disclaimer: I am not the target market for this program! As Jillian told a caller on a recent episode of her podcast, if you’re already at or close to your goal weight, and you’re in pretty good physical shape, she might suggest a different workout for you. That being said, I have spent the past couple of weeks doing the Body Revolution Phase 1 workouts, out of sheer curiosity for Jillian’s latest product.
Overview
There are three Phases (levels of difficulty) for the workouts, and I will get through them all eventually. As my blog tagline states, I’ve been through some intense programs, including 30 Day Shred, P90X (several times), P90X2, etc. I started with Phase 1 because I wanted to see what the “beginner” level looks like, and how it can be modified if you’ve got the ability to work a little harder from the start. I didn’t expect to spend the scheduled two weeks on Workouts 1 and 2, and Cardio 1, followed by another two weeks with Workouts 3 and 4, with more Cardio 1.
First, the workout setting: A bright, colorful exercise room, with a hardwood floor, mats, light dumbbells, and the resistance bands included with the program. There are about a dozen people this time, men as well as women, in contrast to Jillian’s earlier workouts. When I pointed out to my wife that the men were there to appeal to guys like me, she suggested that maybe they are just eye candy for the women. OK, whatever. I’m still working out with Jillian and her friends! By the way, I recognized Natalie and Anita from 30 Day Shred in the crowd. There might be others from previous DVDs, too.
The workout schedule is six days per week: “front of the body” (chest, shoulders, arms, quads, core), “back of the body” (back, biceps, glutes, hamstrings, and core), and cardio. Three workout DVDs are used each week, and you do each one twice. For example, Week 1 would include Workout 1, 2, Cardio 1, then repeat. The last day of the week is a rest day. For “extra credit,” you can do an extra Cardio session at a different time of the day.
The Workouts
When I started Workout 1, it definitely felt like 30 Day Shred, with an exercise class vibe. Some people were using heavier weights for certain exercises, and Jillian was walking around the room to show off her friends’ proper form, or in other cases, to give them a hard time. Because of the different difficulty levels, it is possible for anyone to have a challenging workout. My wife and daughter, who are relatively new to Jillian’s workouts, were complaining about sore arms and legs as the week went on.
Jillian’s encouragement is a combination of yelling, motivational quotes (“If you remember WHY, you can endure any HOW”), and pointing to one of the sculpted bodies around her. Especially in Workouts 1 and 2, she is clearly speaking to people who haven’t worked out like this before, and aren’t so sure if they can do it.
For some reason, I found Workout 2 to be more difficult than Workout 1. Maybe it’s because of the Bicep Curls, where it’s possible to use a heavier weight. By the way, Jillian says “Bring It!” at some point in this workout, which I personally thought was funny. I know that Tony Horton doesn’t own the phrase, and he didn’t invent it.
What’s new for Jillian is the addition of yoga poses (Warrior 1, Crescent) and the resistance band. The yoga poses seem a little out of place for now, but maybe they will fit in better with the later workouts.
The Cardio 1 workout is non-stop, and once again, can be challenging to people at any fitness level, if they push hard enough. As we get closer to the end, Jillian encourages some of her friends to demonstrate some more enthusiastic variations of the exercises. The woman who gives it her all during the booty shake at the end of Cardio 1 looks a little crazy, but Natalie has got some nice moves.
Nitpicking, and Next Step
Here is my only criticism for Jillian’s use of weights in this type of workout: It’s hard to predict which weight I will need to for the next exercise, if I am switching between light/medium/heavy dumbbells. Sometimes Jillian tells us to use a light or heavy weight, and other times, it’s just a “weight.” Because of the fast pace, if you choose incorrectly, you risk improper form for that exercise, or not working hard enough.
I don’t see a lot of abdominal work in Phase 1. I haven’t checked to see how this compares to the “3-2-1” formula of 30 Day Shred, but there are only a few exercises on the mat that target the abs specifically.
I’m moving on to Phase 2 workouts from here. I am reaching my maximum cardio level with these workouts, but I know I can move on to more difficult exercise and see what else Body Revolution has to offer.
How do you like Body Revolution? Have you used other Jillian Michaels products?
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