Jillian Michaels kicked my a$$!

As many of you know I've been doing Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred" workout video for quite a while.  It's has 3 different 20 minute video's with increasing difficulty that promises to get you "shredded" in 30 days.  That is, if you do the video every single day for 30 days.  I tried following that rule once after I had my second child.  After day 8 I couldn't handle listening to her anymore, saying the same things over and over again, so I just stopped doing it altogether.  Looking back, I probably wasn't in the right mindset either to be that committed.

This time round I do the video on my between days with running, or on short running days as a way to strength train.  I added in the "6 Week 6 Pack" for an added kick and to mix it up a bit so it's not so monotonous.  And while it was new and worked different muscles, I wasn't as hooked on it as the "30 Day Shred."  So the hunt began.

There's a plethora of other Jillian video's out there, and it was only after trying a few others that I discovered my new favorite.  The "Extreme Shed and Shred."  It has 2 different levels, and the workouts are a bit longer; Level 1 being 42 minutes and Level 2 being 53 (this includes warm up and cool down stretching). 

After doing Level 1 I wasn't "wowed."  It wasn't as challenging as I was used to and thought, "meh, there's another one I won't use again."  But when I woke up the next day I was sore.  Not to the point where I couldn't move, but that video must've done something.  So I plunked in level 2 to give it a try and thought I was going to die!  Holy cow!  The hardest for me were the Plank Jack Push-Ups.  I want to sweat and curse her name just thinking about them.  And the Single Leg Mountain Climbers?!  My quads were killing me afterwards.  I couldn't believe the difference between Level 1 and Level 2.  The next day I could feel the aftermath all over my body.  My abs hurt, my triceps hurt, my quads hurt, even my butt hurt!  This one's gonna be on repeat for a while until I've mastered it too.  I highly recommend it to all the other Jillian addicts out there!  It's a bit longer of a workout, but definitely worth it!