If you're familiar with The Biggest Loser, you know that Jillian Michaels is infamous for her unique approach to fitness, exercise and personal training. She takes no excuses, doesn't believe in shortcuts and is all about the workout. Her 30 Day Shred program follows her no-nonsense approach and produces a workout that will not leave you wondering if you've worked out, but may have you questioning why you decided to torture yourself when muscles you never knew you had begin to protest from all of their activity! But it was in a good - "Yes, I've been exercising!" way!
The beauty of the 30 Day Shred is that it's a customized program designed to be used over a thirty day period. Each of Jillian's beginners, intermediate and advanced 3-2-1 circuit-training workouts is demonstrated complete with a lower and higher impact and version of the exercise. Jillian explains her unique 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs exercises while her two helpers execute. She critiques form, explains the two variations, and exercises a bit herself demonstrating the middle of the road version. The other feature most busy moms will find most helpful is its duration. 30 Day Shred is listed as a 20 minute program, though it's a tad longer with warm-up/cool down at 27 minutes.
The program comes with guidelines for successful weight loss. But beware if you don't want to be up-sold. Jillian has her own weight loss program similar to Weight Watchers online, complete with a food program, customized workout schedule and fitness tools to help you reach your goals. Joining is not mandatory, but Jillian stresses the benefits of her program and recommends a modification of diet for maximum results.
When the appropriate level is used, coupled with lighter to heavier weights, the workout is truly impressive and will be felt. If you're looking for a nurturing warm/fuzzy workout leader - Jillian is not the right person, but if you're looking for a workout that will produce results via a reduction in current weight while building muscle and tone, and an instructor that will motivate you (Read: Bully You) to keep going, then the 30 Day Shred could be a perfect fit.
