Body Revolution: Week 3 & 4 Update

Weeks 3 & 4 of the Body Revolution workout is a small step up from weeks 1 & 2. I did feel sore after the first 2 days, but my muscles adapted quickly after that. Overall, I think it was a great transition. I can see how it would be difficult for those who are not accustomed to regular exercise. Jillian incorporates a lot more balancing exercises and she throws in a few exercises where you are performing upper and lower body movements simultaneously. This is great as it utilizes more of the body and thus, it burns more calories.

Jillian still incorporates small bursts of cardio throughout the workout to keep your heart rate elevated. I enjoy these as they are a break from the weight exercises. There is still minimal equipment required which I love. I believe this will be the case for the entire program. I also like that Jillian gives different variations of an exercise to make it harder or easier.

The cardio workout is still the same one from weeks 1 & 2 so not much to say there (refer to my previous posts for more information). I am excited to move on to weeks 4 & 5 because I will get a new cardio workout. I am a little bored of this one to be honest.

In fact, that would be the only down side I can think of at this moment. I find the cardio routine boring after the first couple weeks. I also find that I feel a little bored doing the same workouts during the second week of each phase. The way the program is scheduled has you doing the same 2 workouts 4 times (within 2 weeks) and by the second week, I am wishing I could do something different. That said, I understand why it is organized this way; to allow beginners and less fit people adjust and build strength so that they are prepared for the next phase. To combat my boredom, I do the harder variations of each exercise during the second week.

On to weeks 4 & 5!

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How to perform a lunge

The lunge is an excellent full-leg work out that strengthens the quadriceps, gluteal muscles, hamstring, calves, and the muscles and the front of the thigh. Lunges can be performed without weights or with weights to increase difficulty (dumbbells or barbells). They are a great exercise for improving balance as well as strength. There are several variations of lunges such as the Front lunges and the Back lunge.

Front Lunge

To perform a front lunge, stand with your feet hip-width apart and step forward with one leg into a wide stance, keeping your feet hip width apart. The wider the stance, the more the lunge focuses on your gluteal muscles. Make sure to keep your core muscles tight throughout the entire movement and do not bend forward. At the bottom of the movement, both knees should have a 90° angle with your back knee nearly touching the floor. Make sure you keep your knee behind your toes, but if your knee extends beyond your toes, then widen your stance to avoid damaging your knee joint.  As you rise back to standing, push off the front foot keeping your weight in your heels. It may help to have a spot on the floor in front of you where you can aim to place your foot.

Back Lunge

To perform a back lunge, stand with your feet hip-width apart and rather than stepping forward, step back. While the general form is the same, the back lunge enables you to protect your knees if knee problems are a cause for concern. Again, make sure to keep your core muscles tight throughout the entire movement and do not bend forward. At the bottom of the movement, both knees should have a 90° angle with your back knee nearly touching the floor keeping your knee behind your toes. It may help to be in front of a large mirror so that you can keep an eye on your form. But in the event that you do not have a mirror, keep an eye on your front knee and foot position.

Other variations

Once you have perfected your form the front and back lunge, you can try other variations of the lunge exercise. Some of these include, adding weight to your lunge (which is the best step up to try first), single leg lunges, side lunges, traveling lunges, step up lunges, plyometric lunges, etc.

Lunges are a great exercise that should be incorporated into your workout regime. Make sure to allow yourself adequate rest time to recover in between workouts. For example, perform lunges every other workout. Happy lunging!

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Body Revolution: Week 1&2 Update

So, I've completed the first 2 weeks of Jillian Michael's Body Revolution program. For the first week I did the kick start phase where I added in an extra cardio workout every day. The program has workouts set 6 days per week. It is laid out so that you do 2 consecutive days of weigh bearing exercises (working the front of the body one day and the back of the body the next), followed by 1 day of cardio only and then repeating the same cycle. So weeks 1 and 2 are identical (with the exception of the extra cardio in week 1):

Monday: Workout 1
Tuesday: Workout 2
Wednesday: Cardio 1
Thursday: Workout 1
Friday Workout 2
Saturday: Cardio 1
Sunday: rest

This is how the workouts will be organized for the entire duration of the program. There are 12 weeks in total and a corresponding 12 workouts.

Overall, I thought the exercises chosen were a good introduction to the program. They allowed you to get accustomed to the kind of exercises that you will be performing, but on an easier level. I liked that Jillian incorporated harder versions of the same exercise so that if you were more in shape, you could easily get more bang for your buck. If you were a total beginner - as in, you never ever exercise - then you would find this workout difficult. That being said, I still believe that you could complete the exercises, it would just be very difficult.

I liked the method in which Jillian laid out the exercises. She regularly incorporated cardio bursts throughout the workout to keep heart rate high, which is great for fat loss and calorie burning as well as building your cardiovascular system.

I really appreciated the fact that you did not require much equipment to perform these workouts (at least, so far). All you need is some dumbbells and a resistance band. Most people have these at home, but if you don't, it is a worthwhile investment. Purchasing basic exercise equipment can free you from a gym membership which will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Although, I personally found the workouts pretty easy, I can see how Jillian will make things much harder in the near future - I am looking forward to it.


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At Home Video Workout Review - Jillian Michael's Body Revolution

I've been checking out a bunch of different at home video workouts and I thought that I would try some. Some of the most popular on the market right now include:

-Jillian Michael's Body Revolution
-Insanity
-P90X
-BodyRock
-Zuzana Light's ZWOW
-10 Minute Trainer

I thought it would be fun to review some of them. Of course, this will take a long time given that some of these programs are as long as 3 months, but I am willing to put in the effort. Plus, I could use a change in my workout routine.

So, I will start with Jillian Michael's Body Revolution. Since the schedule of her workout routines switch every two weeks, that is how often I will update. In total, this is a 3 month program that includes 12 workout routines and 3 cardio routines. Weeks 1 and 2 correspond to workouts 1 and 2, weeks 3 and 4 correspond to workouts 3 and 4, and so on. There is also one cardio routine for each month. Each workout routine is roughly 30 minutes.

The workouts switch so that you always have 2 days of rest before repeating the same routine. For example,  Week 1 and 2 look like this:

Monday: Workout 1
Tuesday: Workout 2
Wednesday: Cardio 1
Thursday: Workout 1
Friday: Workout 2
Saturday: Cardio 1
Sunday: Rest

There is a kickstart week - which I will be doing - that incorporates an extra cardio workout (Cardio 1) in week 1 for each day except Sunday. This way, you burn extra calories because you are exercising twice per day.

This program promises to "completely overhaul your entire physique in just 30 minutes a day." Well, time to put it to the test!

Spice Up the Push up: 8 Variations to Try

Contrary to popular opinion, the push up is not just a chest exercise. Although the push up works mainly the chest, triceps and core, it also works your legs, shoulders and stability muscles. Thus, the push up is a great full body exercise. There are several types of push ups that one can perform.

The Basic Push up: Lay face down on the floor with your feet together. Place your hands directly below your shoulders. Raise yourself up using your arms while simultaneously breathing out. Your weight should be fully supported by your hands and the balls of your feet. Make sure that your body is in one straight line from head to heels – the plank position. Do not dip or lift your hips out of the plank position; make sure that your core is tight. From this point, lower your torso to the ground keeping your elbows close to your body and your head facing forward.  As you lower yourself simultaneously breathe in.

The Wide Grip Push up: This is a basic push up, but with your hands placed wider than shoulder width apart. Your elbows will flare outwards as you lower yourself to the ground. This variation focuses on the chest and front shoulder muscles.

The Close Grip Push up: This is a basic push up, but with your hands placed directly below your collar bone, thumbs touching. Make sure to keep your elbows close to your body. This variation focuses more on the triceps.

The Staggered Push up: This is a wide grip push up, but with your hands placed in a staggered position; one hand is placed near the shoulder and the other hand is placed 6 inches lower. This variation is more challenging since the lower hand is forced to work harder than the upper hand.

The Decline Push Up: This is a basic push up, but with your feet raised up on an object (chair, bench, bosu ball, etc). This variation is more advanced as it allows for a greater range of motion than the basic push up. Note: if done on an exercise ball, it utilizes your stability muscles in your core.

The Incline Push up: This is the opposite of the decline push up. Here, your feet are on the ground and your hands are raised up on an object (bench, bosu ball, exercise ball). This variation focuses on the shoulder muscles and is easier than the basic push up. It is a great exercise for beginners.

The Clap Push up: This is a basic push up with an added power bonus. In this variation, you forcefully push your body off the ground so that you can clap your hands together in front  of your body and then go back into the downward part of the push up.

The One Arm Push up: This is an advanced variation that requires a lot of strength compared to your weight. To perform this variation, assume the wide grip push up position, but place your feet as wide apart as possible; next, place one arm behind your back and perform the pus h up.  Note: this variation puts a lot of strain your shoulders and elbows so you must make sure you are thoroughly warmed up before performing this exercise.

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