Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 [DVD]

UPDATE 17/05/11: This is JM's best yet. I am now toned all over, my stomach is FLAT and defined in a way that even 6 week 6 pack did not achieve. This is undoubtedly due to all the plank work across the 4 workouts. I haven't followed the eating plan and have just eaten normally (gastro weekends away; parties; dinners out, melting middle chocolate puds), but still shrunk more than I thought possible. It's 2 weeks away from my holiday now and I am slipping into size 8 shorts and not too worried about being seen in a bikini. Result! The 30 days being up, I am now combining this with No More Trouble Zones or 6 week 6 pack (I do RI30 5 days a week, 3 of those days I follow on with one of the other workouts too). This seems to have given me even better results, especially on the stomach. A strange tip: I found that resting for 2 days gave better results compared to resting for 1 day. Not arguing with that. My fave workout was Week 4, especially the very last sit-up exercises. Good luck to anyone who tries this - stick with it, you will see and feel a massive change!

Anyone who has 30DS NEEDS this DVD as THIS is 30DS maxed out and refined. As the previous reviewer Sharnie has said, the idea behind this workout system from JM is that you complete workouts 1 through to 4 throughout consecutive weeks, going on to the next level each week. It is recommended that you complete the workouts at least 5 times a week (though one rest day per week is encouraged).
Anyone who has 30DS or BFBM will recognise the 3-2-1 strength-cardio-abs system, which really helps you to focus on giving your all through 30 second bursts of each move. While none of the exercises are repeated outside of each workout, anyone who has JM's other offerings will recognise most of the exercises across the 4 workouts. Although this DVD is closest in format and ethos to 30DS, the cardio moves were more akin to BFBM (a definite plus for me!).
In terms of difficulty, there is no doubt that this is harder than 30DS although I would say that for anyone who has managed a week or two of 30DS, then RI30 Level 1 should be achievable. There are beginners and advanced modifications throughout all of the workouts, so it's easy to take it up or down a notch depending upon how difficult/easy you find each exercise. In a fit of madness, I tried each workout back to back (yes, I had to rest between each workout and I have not exercised at all today!). Again, I agree with the previous reviewer that there appears to be less of a step up from Level 3 to Level 4 as compared to, say, Level 1 to Level 2. That said, each of these workouts is a serious sweat-inducer and I was well worked out with Level 1, never mind Level 4.
My favourites from this workout have to be the Bridge and Spider Plank with Press-Up which I am determined to master (you might recognise the latter from 6 week 6 pack). There is a lot of plank work across this series of workouts.
JM is great in this DVD and she looks amazing, a real inspiration. I noticed a few reviewers on amazon.com saying that they found her style on this DVD annoying, but I found her more likeable than ever here. There is the usual cajoling and bullying, but that's all a bit tongue in cheek. She is a real motivator and it is obvious that she really wants those who have bought the DVD to put 110% into the workouts; after all, as she says herself, she makes big promises about the effectivness of the workouts, but we actually have to perform the exercises.
I downloaded the meal plan out of interest more than anything else - the DVD menu tells you how to do that (it's through JM's website). Now obviously the plan is written for a USA based customer, so there are products mentioned that are not available over here, but that said the majority of recipes seem easy enough to prepare and it should not be difficult to find similar products over here. Basically, the meal plan amounts to approximately 1400 calories per day and looks fairly balanced and sensible. I noticed that some customers had requested that JM include more options for vegetarians; apparently, she is going to update the meal plan soon to reflect those requests. I would imagine that following the meal plan in conjunction with the workouts could not fail to bring results; not just weight loss, but also improved tone. There's only one way to find out - so I will update in 4 weeks.
In the meantime, don't even think about it, get the DVD, get sweating and get ripped (as JM would say). You will love it!

The system essentially goes back to the 30 day shred style 3-2-1 (strength-cardio-abs) method. There are 4 levels (weeks) the idea being that you do each for a week and move on. The main difference from 30 day shred is that the strength sections consists of 3 exercises for 30 seconds then repeated, and you will need two sets of weights, light and heavier. Other than that the format is essentially the same. You may think having 3 exercises in the strength section will make this easier - think again! There is also an on-line eating program, which I haven't got around to looking at so I can't make any comments about.

I have had this for a week now and have done each level at least twice (in my usual style I'm not using the system but using each as an individual workout as the mood takes me). There is an obvious blunder in strength cct 1 on week 3 where an exercise is missed out on the second go through - I thought my DVD had a jump on it but it's a mistake!!!!!! good to know even Jillian has an off day! :-)

I only have one negative thing to say about the whole thing - (though for me it doesn't matter) - If you are a complete newcomer to exercise and don't have a pretty good level of cardiovascular fitness, a reasonable core strength and a lot of determination I don't think you'll make week 4 in 4 weeks! (I'm sure someone will see that as a challenge and prove me wrong - seriously good luck!!!!)

At the beginning we are promised that we'll never do the same exercise twice, and this is true, so theres no repetition or chance to get bored, having said that if you already have the complete set of Jillian DVDs including the region 1 collection a large proportion of the exercises will be familiar - though there are some truly inventive and tricky new ones that require serious balance, control and in places levels of contortionism. Level 1 is a deceptive introduction and if you're familiar with 30 day shred it probably ranks alongside level 2 for me. Level 2 is a pretty big step up from level 1 (just for starters the first cardio is plank jacks and mt climbers and 2 min of these will get anyone gasping plus shoulders/abs burning). I found level 3 ridiculously hard - there are a lot of tricky moves in this that will get your thighs screaming for mercy and your abs crying out for a break, it keeps hitting the same muscles in sections one after the other which makes it even harder to master the moves with tired muscles, (I was swearing at the tv by the end of this). After level 3 I was terrified of what level 4 would bring but I actually found level 4 easier than level 3 in terms of mastering the exercises but more of a CV challenge.

Some of the more bizarre exercises include duck walks(crippling on the thighs), down dog shuffles, the spider plank pushup (as per the 6 week 6 pack hard core exercise) ab hold to bridge (my personal nemesis - I still can't get this right!) the standing to reverse crunch on the floor and back up again (I'm also struggling with getting up with this one but I'm determined to get it eventually) side squat leg raises are a serious bum burner...... the list goes on!

I'm a huge fan of tough workouts - and Jillians style of pushing in particular - as usual in this she goads, coaxes and inspires you to push yourself harder than you know you can. I think this is her toughest yet!!

In short from level 1 on this is totally insane and I love, love, love it!

I confess. I'm a JM devotee - I regularly work out to 30 Day Shred, Banish Fat Boost Metabolism and No More Trouble Zones. I also use Radjko's Hour of Power and Billy Blanks Tae Bo DVDs. I like tough workouts that make you sweat and Jillian's latest offering is no exception!

I've not long had this DVD (I bought the boxed set of this plus Killer Buns & Thighs, which I haven't tried yet) and, so far, have done Workout 1 on two consecutive days with 1.5kg weights. It's a toughie! It's on a par with the Level 2 workout from 30 Day Shred in my opinion. It has a great balance of exercises: strength, cardio and abs and, yes, it makes you sweat. I love it. It's a bit "slicker" than her other DVDs (colour co-ordinated outfits!) and the music's a wee bit better too (I caught rock refrains in one of the workouts!). The only (very, very minor) criticism I have is that Jillian's a bit more "evangelical" and shouty in this one than her others and actually partakes in very few of the exercises...but that doesn't detract from the quality of this DVD which is certainly up there with all the others.

I've had a look at the following 3 workouts and can't wait to try them too. Instead of switching back and forth between different exercise DVDs as the mood takes me, I intend to stick with this one for a month, working my way up through the levels and see how it goes. I shall report back!