Like most in the fitness industry, I'm pretty familiar with Jillian Michaels. I know she's tough and no-nonsense, and she gets results. What I wasn't sure about was how well that would translate to a DVD, but I had a chance to find out when I got a copy of two of her workouts --"Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" and "No More Trouble Zones."

I mean, think about it. On "The Biggest Loser," she pushes obese, out-of-shape people to the puking point, but she's there and able to read their responses. On a video, obviously, she can't, so I was very curious to see whether she would still be tough as nails.

As it turned out, the videos provide a good workout, but they weren't ruthless. It wasn't quite like I imagine a workout with Jillian in person would be. And, "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" didn't require any equipment, while "No More Trouble Zones" required only light weights -- that's always a plus to me.

Level of Difficulty
I would consider both intermediate, although "NMTZ" included several moves that were more advanced. Both had some tough moves, for sure, but Jillian does a good job of cuing them, and because she takes you through each circuit twice, you should always be able to get at least one good round in.

Next Day Soreness
Surprisingly, there wasn't much. I had a bit of tightness in a few places (calves and shoulders, mainly), but nothing that held me back at all. However, while doing the videos, I have to admit I fully expected to ache in the morning.

Who's It For?
Well, of course, it's great for anyone who's a Jillian fan to begin with, because there's a lot of Jillian. Even though it's not terribly hard, it's definitely physical, requiring strength, flexibility, and cardio endurance. She shows different levels, but not a really, really basic level, so I wouldn't recommend it for someone who's never exercised. And, "NMTZ" required a lot of deep knee bends, which could be troublesome for someone with knee problems.

Likes
I like Jillian as much as the next girl, but I love the fact that you have the option to watch the video with or without her instruction. I'm always a big fan of trainers who describe what each move is working and why it's important, and Jillian does a great job of that here. And, both videos were fast-paced without much downtime between exercises, which I loved.

Dislikes
I'm torn on whether or not I liked going through the circuits twice -- for the first try, it was kind of nice, but I think it would annoy me once I know what's coming. Also, I think she could have offered some more advanced options for some of the moves. They were tough, but I guess I expected her to be harder -- I wanted to barely get through to the end.

Bottom Line
They're good videos, and I'll definitely do them again (although probably without instruction). I was huffing and puffing, and I was pretty sweaty at the end, but it was great to wake up and not be too sore to walk like a lady. These are definitely keepers that I would recommend to a friend, or to you!