Do you have what it takes for a ‘30 Day Shred’?
By Meghan Pignataro
Three minutes of strength. Two minutes of cardio. One minute of abs.
Ready? Begin.
In Jillian Michaels “30 Day Shred” workout video you are expected to get promising results in just 30 days.
Beginning with three minutes of strength is a series of intense pushups and squats. Then comes two minutes of cardio exercises in which you alternate between jumping jacks and jump rope. With your heart rate increasing, you lie on your yoga mat and complete one minute of abs workouts, including a basic crunch and a reverse crunch.
This is just circuit one.
Following this are two more circuits in which you work different muscles using the same three minutes of strength, two minutes of cardio and one minute of abs format. Including lunges, butt kicks and crunches, you constantly feel the burn in this intense 20 minute workout.
According to the Calorie Control Council, 54 percent of U.S. adults are trying to reduce their weight. Sixty-nine percent of those people say they fail at losing weight because they do not exercise enough.
Following a 20 minute routine, leading health and wellness expert Jillian Michaels guides viewers through tough training to get rid of body fat and build lean muscle.
Michaels’ voice is present throughout the entire workout as she guides you step by step through each exercise in order to perfect the move.
Like any workout video, you are not guaranteed to see results after one time. This is a continuous workout, hence the title – “30 Day Shred,” in which you are encouraged to stick with it and challenge yourself.
“People have said I’m TV’s toughest trainer and that’s probably true, but if you see me in action you know I’m totally committed to getting big results,” Michaels says in the introduction. “I want you to see me as your own personal trainer totally committed to you.”
Although the “30 Day Shred” is designed to help you shred off pounds, there are other workout videos with the same mission, but different approaches.
“Crunch Belly Butt and Thighs” is boot camp workout video that also promises to provide good results, if you keep up with the video. Focusing specifically on your belly, butt and thighs, this workout aims to target spots that are difficult to reach through an intense boot camp workout.
As opposed to Michaels “30 Day Shred”, “Belly Butt and Thighs” instructor Teri Ann Krefting keeps you moving at a fast pace throughout the entire 40-minute workout.
Intensely marching between exercises, Krefting focuses her video mainly on cardio then ends with a few minutes of strength.
As opposed to the 3-2-1 format, Krefting challenges you with four variations of a workout with the fourth being the most challenging.
Level one: step out and in.
Level two: move up and back.
Level three: jump up and step back.
Level four: jump out and in.
March and repeat.
“This high energy workout is packed with kick butt moves that will help you tighten and tone your abs, butt and thighs,” Krefting says in the introduction. “Plus I’ve added heart pumping cardio bursts that will help you attack the fat. The mission is to destroy fat and tighten and tone lower body.”
While both of these workout videos differ in exercises and length, they both have a similar mission: to lose weight.
Both Jillian Michaels “30 Day Shred” and “Crunch Belly Butt and Thighs” can help you do that.
“Both of these workout videos are really intense. You do strength cardio and abs, where as in the gym your only really doing cardio,” Suzanne Molyneaux said, after doing the workout videos simultaneously. “You can really start to see results if you continuously do them.”
Rather than spending hours at the gym, 40 minutes is all you need.
With summer in sight both of these workout videos will get you “beach ready” as they push you to your limit and make you strive for the results you want.