Jillian Michaels' 30 Days Shred Workout Review

Dear Readers,

Now that Ramadan with its feasting during suhoor and/or iftar is behind you and the Eid and its associated sweet indulgences and socialising have taken its toll on your waistline, I'm sure you are thinking it is time to get back in shape ready for school,work normal life.

I was away last year doing my Masters and during the months that I wrote my dissertation I also pretty snacked as much as I typed so in the end I put on a few kilos/  a lot of pounds! When I came back I was looking for workout to help lose the 'dissertation bulge'.

I tried this workout programme in March/ April to great effect-I lost 4 inches and 3 kg/6 pounds, it really works! So dear readers I thought this a good time to share it with you as a sorta 'Back to School' gift ;-).

You could use it to use the 'post-pregnancy baby bulge', the post Ramadan feasting bulge, the post Eid I ate too much candy and cakes bulge, or the I've been lazy all summer and sitting on my ever expanding booty eating junk bulge...hey I'm not judging just sayin.. :-p. Or to get in shape for school/work/special occasion like a wedding/engagement/reunion/holiday or just taking a new FB profile pic to make your frenemies jealous..

I discovered Jillian Michales 30DS (30 Day Shred) workout program online, and the reviews convinced me to give it a go. I like to see results fast so programmes that promise results in 3 months usually see me losing interest after the first few weeks of enthusiasm and novelty wears off.

I've been a fan of Jillian Michaels since seeing her on TV on The Biggest Loser and in the past I have enjoyed her kickboxing work-out. You can buy the program on Amazon for around $8/ GBP 4/SR30.

So what is the program all about?

The 30DS contains 3 workouts, Level 1, 2, and 3. You do each level for 10 days consecutively and then take a rest day before moving on to the next level. I have a confession to make though, I couldnt't do that due to rather busy weekends, I usually did 5 days(week days) and took 2 days off (weekend), so the program took longer for me to complete. But I have to tell you it works!!!!!

Each Level consists of 3 circuits and each circuit has around 2-3 minutes of cardio, weights, and ab exercises. the cardio does involve high impact exercise such as jumping jacks and high kicks which you may want to substitute with something else like jogging in place if you have bad knees and injury.
There are plenty pf planks, push ups and lunges to make you cry....but the result is worth it
It is based on the concept of muscle confusion and there are no rests resulting in an immensely hectic and effective 20 minute work out

With each level there are modifications to exercises to make it easier for beginners or more difficult for advanced users. I often started each level doing the wasy modification and by day 4 or 5 I could do the normal one.

Level 1 is quite easy if you regularly exercise, if you don't well the first day you might think of stopping after 10mins but keep with it if you are panting and dying stick with it..it gets better..trust me it does. Day 2 you will want to cry after 12 min and Day 3 will be much much better.

Pros: 

1. It takes only 20 mins so with a bit of willpower and time management you can fit it in your schedule-no excuses!
2. No equipment, you only need a set of weights, bar that you cn use water bottles or cans instead!
3. You don't need to spend on a gym membership and the time it takes to go there and come back.
4. You don't need to follow a meal plan, but if you buy the DVD from Amazon there is a suggested meal plan, but as long as you watch what you eat( calorie count and eat clean) it is still effective.

Cons: 

1. If you don't like Jillian the commentary and/or the music might irritate you esp if you have to listen to her say the same thing for 10 days in a row, I suggest muting her and playing your own work out music (personally I don't mind-I like her she motivates me).
2. If  you have a knee injury it might take the fun out of cardio portion of the circuits.

MUST DO: 

What you must do is measure yourself at the start of each level !

You will start to see a difference as early as day 5 for some people (I did). I feel this really helps to motivate you and keep you going. 

Personally I found Level 2 to be the hardest, and I've read reviews online and I think a lot of people wonder why Level 2 is so hard, but once you get through it Level 3 seems so much better.

Results

Overall for me I lost 4 inches and 3 kg/6 pounds  mA which is pretty good for me and more than I was expecting ( I am 5'4.5 and now weigh 51.5kg/113 pounds.)
 
The earliest difference I saw was my waist where I lost an inch pretty quickly, and where it was pretty noticeable everyone could see I looked different. and got plenty of compliments yay!

Links

If you would instead like to watch it on Youtube: 

You can watch Level 1 here, 

Level 2 here, 

and Level 3 here.

To get an idea of your ideal weight/range according to your height click here.

*THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST* It really worked for me that's why I decided to spread the love!

Please do leave feedback if you try out the workout and don't hesitate to ask any question in the comments or email me mishaican'at'gmail.com.

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