Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred: DVD Review

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD has quite the reputation. Not a day goes by without me reading something about it, either on Facebook, Twitter, here at That's Fit or another fitness blog. And the reviews are pretty consistent -- it's hard.

So, when I was given a copy to review, I was (understandably) a bit nervous. However, I have two big events on the horizon -- my thirtieth birthday and a cruise -- so my excitement at getting a really tough workout (and maybe looking a little more toned in my bikini) far outweighed any nerves.

The 30 Day Shred DVD is actually a workout system -- there are three workouts, each 20 minutes long. They're all broken down the same way, with a two-minute warm-up and three six-minute circuits made up of three minutes of strength, two minutes of cardio and one minute of abs. All you need is a set of hand weights and a mat, if you want.

Level of Difficulty
This video ranges from what I would call "motivated beginner" to advanced. This isn't a DVD that, say, your out of shape grandma could jump into, but if you're generally healthy and really ready to work hard, the Level 1 Workout is a great place to start. By Level 3, even advanced exercisers will be feeling the burn.

Next Day Soreness
Not nearly as much as I expected, but it's also hard for me to judge -- if I'm being completely honest, I did a run on the same day as the Level 1 Workout, and did a long run the following day, which left me really sore before even starting Level 2 and Level 3. However, even with the extra running in there, I wasn't in as much pain as I feared.

Who's It For?
If you're sick of that extra five (or 15, or 40) pounds that you just can't seem to lose, you'll appreciate the tough workouts and motivation this video provides. Of course, fans of Michaels will love it, but if you don't like her, don't worry -- you can play the DVD without her voice.

Likes
This DVD did a great job of offering something for just about everyone. There's someone showing a modified version of almost every exercise, and if no modification is offered, Michaels explains why. I also loved how quick the workouts were -- there's no stopping and no resting, because, as Michaels says, if you're only working out for 20 minutes, there's no time for a break. And the circuits really broke things up and kept the workouts interesting.

Dislikes
My biggest pet peeve had nothing to do with the workout. I hated the fact that every time I started the DVD, I had to go through her intro before starting a workout. It was only two or three extra minutes, I'd assume, but when you're only doing a 20-minute workout and trying to work this into your day, a couple of extra minutes matter. Also, I found that I needed longer, deeper stretching after the workouts. Her cool down is better than nothing, but it wasn't sufficient for me.

Bottom Line
Let me be honest. I didn't want to like this video, simply because everybody else raved about it. I'm obstinate like that. But I see why people are hooked on 30 Day Shred -- it incorporates short, attainable goals while providing quick but tough workouts that give real results. I'm not going to be lending this one out to any of my friends anytime soon -- I want it for myself!