30 Day Shred Challenge
May 9, 2008 by Noel Boehm
Filed under Women's Health
On the recommendation of my friend, I tried Jillian Michaels’ (of The Biggest Loser) 30 Day Shred workout. It has three levels that go according to difficulty. Not including the warm up part, the whole thing lasts 20 minutes and is structured in 3-2-1. Three minutes of strength, two minutes of cardio and one minute abs. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong, wrong, so very wrong. The thing is you can’t stop, you have to move from one segment to the next without stopping. I mean I guess if you are about to pass out or really need to rest you can stop but for optimum results you need to not stop.
After doing the workout just twice, I can say that this is one of the best workouts I have ever tried. It’s simple and straightforward but it gets the job done. She’s not all perky and wearing a hot pink leotard or anything. She’s there to help with a minimum of dialog. My only negative conclusion is that I HATE THIS WOMAN. I mean in a good way, sort of. Like the math teacher in middle school that was really tough but in hindsight really respect and appreciate the fact that she was hard on you. Kinda like that.
So who’s in with me? I’ve decided that I’m going to give this a try for 30 days to really see if it works. There’s even part of the cardio where you are fake jump roping but I actually used my jump rope since I’ve been really into lately. 20 minutes a day for 30 days is not much to ask. I’m going to give myself a break if I miss a day or two but I need other participants. When I asked my husband if he would join me I swear I heard an expletive and a chuckle under his breath. He politely declined. Of course exercise alone won’t fix everything, I will also have to watch my snacking and I am cutting out my wine…sob. All that sugar is not helping my quest either. Do I have takers?
Via Amazon
I have moved onto Shred 2, which is very rough. Team Garland, I heard that you should do this everyday because the workout is 1/2 hour. Even though you are doing weights, it won’t hurt to do the weights everyday. But I’ve done 3 days on, 4th day rest, 3 days on, 4th day rest, etc. because the body does need a break. I also plan to alternate day to day with level 1 and level 2. I haven’t lost anymore weight since last week. But I expect I will lose again now that I’m on level 2. It’s consistency that matters. And I’ve read that if you do something habitually for 30 days straight, it will stick as habit. This workout is short enough to encourage people to stick to it.
This woman is the devil, i hate her so much yet it works for me. After day 2 of exercising i feel pain but its the burning pain of a good workout (as opposed to those nice belly dancing ones where i dont even get breathless!)
She is so tough, K-li. But her workout really works. I’ve been doing it for about 1 month now. Alternating Shred 1 and 2, and I still am sweating like a mad person after each workout.
Shred 2 is a little harder aerobically. But Shred 1 is harder on the upper body because you have to do so many pushups in a row. That just kills me.
But the thing about the Shred workout is I have had no injuries. She knows just how much to push you and not to go further.
I am nearing the end of the 30 day shred. Wow, have I lost inches! My questions is what happens after 30 days. Are we to go back to level 1 and go through the levels again or stick with level 3. I just don’t want to put inches back on by just stopping and I think I need a program to follow? Any ideas anyone?
Hi i been doing the 30 Day shred for about a week now i dont weight myself because its not about how much lb u loose, i notice that all of u been saying that u been loosing more inch and thats what counts!, i haven’t been mesuring eather just cuz i dont want to loose my motivation i been noticing the change myself like my body getting tighter and stuff…well i just wanted to say that u guys have to push urself to do get results dont quit at the moment u start to hurt! You can do it! And do it everyday and u will see result by the changes in ur body not the scale! Good luck!
Dang, you guys are inspiring me. I’m ordering this DVD. I am 50 and in lousy shape. I can do my eliptical for about 30 minutes and it kills me! I’ll get back to ya for some moral support!
MY FRIEND AND I ARE GOING TO DO THE CHALLENGE TOGETHER WE ARE BOTH SO INSPIRED BY EVERYONES WRITINGS WE ARE READY TO GET STARTED WISH US LUCK WE HAVE 40 LBS TO LOOSE
This DVD is amazing!! I have done it for a little over 30 days now, not consistently, but 5 times a week. I have had great results. So far, I have lost 17 pounds & I am still continuing to cycle through the levels. I would recommend this to anyone.
how did you lose 17 pounds? I did it every day for 2 months and only lost 6 pounds.
mary, I don’t know how, but I did change my diet (as in what I ate). I didn’t do it everyday, because I feel that your body needs to rest in between. I would say to keep trying and watch what you eat as well. Hope that helps - good luck!
hey guys, im starting the shred tomorrow. i have been working out for 4-5 times a week for a while now and seeing absolutely no results(also dieting) so i really hope this works or ill be really bummed out. i jjust hope i wont get bored because i usually do different workouts every day. ill keep you posted with the results!
Well I start mine tomorrow. This last week I’ve been taking a good look at what I eat as well as my eating habits. This week is about starting my exercise. I know it’s going to kick my butt, but that’s what I need.
I highly recommend checking out http://www.sparkpeople.com it is a free weightloss/lifestyle change site. It has forums, teams, recipes, a food journal (with nutrition tracker), a place to track your fitness and all your goals. It is absolutely amazing. I’ve lost 35lbs in a year, just watching what I eat, exercising, and reading the articles on the website. It truly is an awesome site.
KChiesa - thanks for the link, I’ll have to check that out.
For anyone wondering this is my Day one write up. I’m 36, 200lbs with about 50-60 pounds to loose, mother of a 3 yr old.
Day one: Did the full workout…. sort of.
Things I learned: I can NOT do a push-up (even modified) .. must work on.
A pretty intense workout. I got through the warm ups but I knew I was in trouble because I could already feel the burn. Except for failing miserably on the push-ups I got through the first circuit fairly well. The second circuit a few times I had to stop the arm movements for no more than 5 sec before adding them back in. Third circuit walked briskly in place for the butt kicks and by the time of the last ab exercise (the bicycle) I was in such pain I was trying to do it but kept getting all out of sync. Cool down reiterated I have no flexibility.
All in all .. It kicked my butt, but she is really good at knowing just when you want to give up and giving you a bit more motivation to keep going.
I just bought this DVD and did it one day and OMG I was VERY sore the next day. I haven’t done it since Monday and today is Friday! lol I intend to OFFICIALLY start this program beginning the coming Monday. I bought my weights a few days ago and what’s motivating me even more is that I’ve read SO MUCH positive feedback about this DVD. I only need to lose about 10lbs so I’m optimistic that this dvd might do the trick. I have a gym membership but my lifestyle is so busy I haven’t been able to go very often. Doing this dvd at home I think may work out better and if it does I’m cancelling my gym membership. If anyone else has any success stories and have actually completed this 30 day thing, let me know. I’m curious about results.
So far I’m doing good at every other day. The only word of caution to people that want to start is it is fairly high impact on your knee joints so don’t be surprised to need to start off every couple days like I’m doing. But even after doing it only 3 times I can tell a difference and my knees are much less sore after the 3rd time than they were after the first time.
I am on Day 2 of the 30 Day Shred and I love it. The only part I have to take a break is on the shoulder lifts that go with the side to side lunges. I’m of course doing modified push ups… If I think in terms of sizes, I’m a 10/12 that would ideally like to be a 6/8. In terms of pounds, I’d like to lose about 15 pounds. We’ll see which one happens first with this system! I’m going to try to do it everyday, only because my trip to Florida is in 29 days…
I have been using the 30 day shred for the past 2 weeks and I am on level 2 now, she is tough and I find myself saying that I hate her during the workout but it is working. People are telling me that they are seeing the changes and I feel stronger and lighter. It is a great workout and basic moves that anyone can do. I have been working out for a very long time and I enjoy this workout very much.
I have had this dvd for a couple of months, and was doing it every few days because it is sooo tough. I wasn’t seeing any results, but I also wasn’t being consistent with it either. I was recently inspired by all the great things I was reading about the workout and decided to take it on full speed ahead. I am currently on day 5 of the shred, and I love it! Yes, I do sometimes yell at Jillian and I am often in pain during the workout, but it is getting a lot easier with each day that I stick to it. At first I was in terrible, horrible pain, I mean I could hardly walk. But now, after only 5 days I feel good, very slight soreness (the good kind) in a few places but generally I feel great. I already see results, my body feels much tighter all over and I feel stronger. I love how it seems that Jillian can sense when I’m getting tired and she says something motivating right when I need it! That really does help keep me going! My only complaint is that I don’t feel like my abs are getting enough of a workout. I don’t have strong abs, and I am very tired during the bicycle crunches at the end, but all in all, my abs have not been sore at all. I started supplementing my workouts with some extra abs moves yesterday, so hopefully that helps. I definitely recommend this dvd, I love it, and am seeing amazing results already!
Today is my 1st day of my 30day shred, i have about 25 lbs i would like to lose. I love it so far so we will see what happens.(crossing fingers) hope all go’s well. I know I won’t lose 25 pounds in 1 month so im giving myself 3-4. so far from jan.10 to mar,20 i have lost 25 lbs.
thanks to hard dieting and excercise. sparkpeople.com has helped me too.
I recomend it if you need help trcking ur calories and workout.
u can also read lots of inspiring stories about people who have lost tones of weight and best of all it’s FREE.
I started the 30 day shred a little over a month ago. I found it on On Demand for Comcast. It took me about two weeks to feel strong enough to move to level 2, but let me tell you …. I have received compliments on my arms! I also had major knee and sciatic nerve problems so I took it real slow and followed Anita for quite awhile. After not going into full lunges after 3 weeks I can now do it comfortably and my sciatic nerve is not bothering me. (I also stretch often). I started level 3 today and I thought it was sooooo easy. I was doing them most days of the week but some days I would do her Boost Metabolism (no weights) or Quick Trouble Zones (all weights). And if I do Level 2 and feel I need more! then I do level one as well. I still struggle with “real” pushups , but I feel that’s ok and I just do more throughout the day
I FEEL GREAT - after one month!!! Now I just need to find something else more challenging 
I just did day 1 of the 30 day shred & OMGosh…I used muscles I didn’t know I had. WOW, what a workout! I am excited to continue it & see how I do. I am thinking this maybe the workout I have been looking for!
The wife and I have started the 30 day shred two week’s ago. I was a little embarressed being a guy trying this out but after the work out I felt I was more worn out than the wife. So far I have lost 11lbs and the wife 4lbs ( she was already 124lbs ( 5′2″ ). I also have been going to the gym doing 60 minutes on the tredmill ( 3.5 speed walking 12 incline ). So really doing this and gym along with limiting my calorie intake to 1500-1800 a day, which was hard. But as for this 20 minutes, it’s the shaping factor in my weight loss. I can say I have yelled at Jillian many times but in the end like many of you have said, it’s a good thing in the end. I am in the Air Force and have recommended this to my physical training leader.
I’ve been doing this workout for 2 weeks now and I alternate days. Wow! I have seen significant results and this workout has given me the confidence that I need to lose weight! Yes it is hard at first but eventually the pain goes away. I weigh’d 230 lbs when I started and now I am 220 lbs. I have incorporated better eating habits but it could be better but I don’t want to binge so I am taking it slow. All I can say is if your serious about losing weight and are willing to work hard and see fast result this is the workout for you but if you don’t want to work hard and want it handed to you then look elsewhere because she will kick you butt hard…believe me I could hardly move after the first workout.
I have done this workout on level 1 for 8 days and ive seen good results in my body and pant sizes! Im really excited to see more and more results. Im going to start Level 2 soon.
I absolutely love this workout DVD although i havent tried all 3 videos. It deffinately gets you sweating.
I recommend this DVD to anyone who wants to loose weight and/or tone up their body.
What are you suppose to do after 30 days?????????