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"Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30" DVD Review
Posted on Mar 10th 2011 2:00PM by Kristen SeymourFiled Under: Fitness, Reviews & Products
Jillian Michaels' fans requested more workouts in her three-two-one interval format (three minutes of strength work, two minutes of cardio, one minute on abs), and her newest DVD, "Ripped in 30," delivers just that.
The DVD consists of four 24-minute workouts of increasing intensity, with the idea that you do the first workout five or six times the first week, the second workout the second week, and so on. By the time you reach the fourth week, according to Michaels, you pretty much rule. However, she adds the caveat that no matter how hard you exercise, no matter how much you sweat, you can always (over)eat enough to negate the benefit.
And so, in addition to the familiarly formatted workouts, Michaels offers a 30-day diet plan that can be downloaded online (which, I discovered through much trial and error, cannot be found by navigating through the main site. You need to type in the exact URL that's provided briefly during Michaels' intro and on the 30-Day Meal Plan section of the DVD. You are not required to sign up for a free one-month membership to access it, even if you reach out to the site's customer service and that's what they suggest you do. Ahem.). In the meal plan, Michaels provides ideas and recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack, many of which include specific brands she recommends. It's certainly light and healthful but quite doable.
Considering the success of some of her previous DVDs, does this stand up to the challenge? Let's find out.
Level of Difficulty
Intermediate to advanced.
Next-Day Soreness
Moderate.
Who's It For?
As always with her DVDs, her fans will love her. Also, because the workouts are so short, they're a good choice for someone who's short on time.
Likes
Getting four different workouts in one DVD is a great value. Sure, they're all along the same lines, but it's a lot like going to the same step class over and over -- you're going to do some of the same moves but in different ways and in a different order. Plus, it's nice to have a week to get used to a workout then move on to something a little more difficult. True to form, Michaels works small muscle groups in conjunction with large ones to maximize your time. Michaels even rotates her assistants, which keeps things a little more interesting.
This time around, it seemed to me that Michaels gives extra focus to proper technique. She doesn't participate in the workouts all that much but really makes a point to say over and over again what good form looks like and what bad form to watch out for. And for nearly every move, she has one assistant show a modification while the other does a regular or advanced version, making even workout four appealing to a wider audience.
Dislikes
At the start, Michaels says to grab a set of weights -- one light and one heavy -- but I never heard her mention when to use which, so for the first workout, I just used one set (and, of course, I chose heavy, which I would not suggest for the entire workout. Ouch!).
And I believe I've said this before, but I don't like it when Michaels starts preaching about how we should harness this "can-do" attitude and use it in our everyday life. I definitely don't like that she does some variation of that at the end of every workout. But I'm sure it works for a lot of other people, and I can always hit the mute button.
Bottom Line
I don't know that this is actually more challenging that some of her other DVDs, like "30 Day Shred," but each workout is definitely intense, and considering you get four of them, you can't beat the value. I think the meal plan could be really helpful for people who are truly having a hard time figuring out how much they should consume each day, and many of the recipes and suggestions sound pretty tasty. It appears this is going to be one of the DVDs I keep in my library!
More Jillian Michaels
10 Questions for Jillian Michaels Jillian Michaels Drop-a-Size Menu Jillian Michaels '6 Week Six-Pack' DVD Review
The DVD consists of four 24-minute workouts of increasing intensity, with the idea that you do the first workout five or six times the first week, the second workout the second week, and so on. By the time you reach the fourth week, according to Michaels, you pretty much rule. However, she adds the caveat that no matter how hard you exercise, no matter how much you sweat, you can always (over)eat enough to negate the benefit.
And so, in addition to the familiarly formatted workouts, Michaels offers a 30-day diet plan that can be downloaded online (which, I discovered through much trial and error, cannot be found by navigating through the main site. You need to type in the exact URL that's provided briefly during Michaels' intro and on the 30-Day Meal Plan section of the DVD. You are not required to sign up for a free one-month membership to access it, even if you reach out to the site's customer service and that's what they suggest you do. Ahem.). In the meal plan, Michaels provides ideas and recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack, many of which include specific brands she recommends. It's certainly light and healthful but quite doable.
Considering the success of some of her previous DVDs, does this stand up to the challenge? Let's find out.
Level of Difficulty
Intermediate to advanced.
Next-Day Soreness
Moderate.
Who's It For?
As always with her DVDs, her fans will love her. Also, because the workouts are so short, they're a good choice for someone who's short on time.
Likes
Getting four different workouts in one DVD is a great value. Sure, they're all along the same lines, but it's a lot like going to the same step class over and over -- you're going to do some of the same moves but in different ways and in a different order. Plus, it's nice to have a week to get used to a workout then move on to something a little more difficult. True to form, Michaels works small muscle groups in conjunction with large ones to maximize your time. Michaels even rotates her assistants, which keeps things a little more interesting.
This time around, it seemed to me that Michaels gives extra focus to proper technique. She doesn't participate in the workouts all that much but really makes a point to say over and over again what good form looks like and what bad form to watch out for. And for nearly every move, she has one assistant show a modification while the other does a regular or advanced version, making even workout four appealing to a wider audience.
Dislikes
At the start, Michaels says to grab a set of weights -- one light and one heavy -- but I never heard her mention when to use which, so for the first workout, I just used one set (and, of course, I chose heavy, which I would not suggest for the entire workout. Ouch!).
And I believe I've said this before, but I don't like it when Michaels starts preaching about how we should harness this "can-do" attitude and use it in our everyday life. I definitely don't like that she does some variation of that at the end of every workout. But I'm sure it works for a lot of other people, and I can always hit the mute button.
Bottom Line
I don't know that this is actually more challenging that some of her other DVDs, like "30 Day Shred," but each workout is definitely intense, and considering you get four of them, you can't beat the value. I think the meal plan could be really helpful for people who are truly having a hard time figuring out how much they should consume each day, and many of the recipes and suggestions sound pretty tasty. It appears this is going to be one of the DVDs I keep in my library!
More Jillian Michaels
10 Questions for Jillian Michaels Jillian Michaels Drop-a-Size Menu Jillian Michaels '6 Week Six-Pack' DVD Review
