Quick Facts:
Run time: Approximately 28 minutes, 22 active circuit
Equipment needed: Hand weights necessary, workout mat if hard or slippery surface
My Details:
Height: 5'4" or just under
Weight: 130ish lbs
Fitness Stats: Still weak, calf strain, upper body incredibly sore
Handweights: 1 lb each
Quick Review:
Calories burned: 210 per 25 minutes (warmup included), 180 more calories than daily life.
Highest heart rate: 175
Lowest heart rate: 121
Difficulty: 9/10
Extended Review:
So, I'm sure you all have heard if you have an injury you shouldn't push yourself because you might worsen the injury and delay recovery. Heed that advice and do not follow my lead. I took yesterday off because I was sore- especially in my left calf. Today, I am limping, but I wanted to get this series done. So, I pushed through my calf injury, and I'm sure I'm going to feel it later and will be limping still by Sunday. Just don't follow my lead, and if you're injured don't do anything to aggravate the injury. Also, because of my injury and soreness, I didn't exactly push myself as hard as you should- so take the quick facts with a grain of salt.
Warmup is "harder than the others" for sure. Level 2 Cardio makes its debut into the warmup- if you can't double jumprope or butt-kick run, you'll find even the warmup difficult. Jillian is smiling a lot in this one, which can either be seen as positive motivation or some kind of torture, depending on your attitude. Trying to do the butt-kick running with a strained calf is difficult, by the way. The lack of much instruction during the video is expected- you're level 3 and should know the form well enough to just follow the girls. Thank goodness for Anita, though. If this is your first time and/or you STILL have poor upper body strength (like me), she will be your Light. I found that while this was really intense, the intensity comes mostly from the music... You will burn calories no matter what and *feel* exhausted and sore even if the thing is on mute, but the pumped-up gym soundtrack really leaves you more energetic than peaceful.
Trainer fun level: 6/10
Trainer explanation level: 6/10
The strength sections included some familiar workouts with a new twist. Instead of just doing pushup, for example, you do "traveling pushups" in which you do one pushup and then walk your hands to the side, re-situate your body, and do another pushup. Instead of normal rows, you're doing rows while in plank pose and alternating them with leg lifts. Instead of just lunges, you will be introduces to the word "pylometrics" as you JUMP to change legs (unless you're following Anita), and unlike your normal squat press, you do full out one-arm cleans where you touch the floor first. The first strength segment, though, introduced you to two knew moves that aren't particularly straining, just odd- "walking plank" which contains no walking but a shift from being on your arms to hands and "superman" where you just lift your legs and upper body- backwards (on your stomach). Overall, strength felt engaging, but not too deathly difficult but only if you're following Anita like I was (injury). The difficulty comes from the fact that you're probably very sore and after doing cardio, you're also winded
Strength fun level: 6/10
Strength intensity level: 9/10
The cardio section didn't seem like anything knew at first, with the mountain climbers we saw last level and the new "sumo squat" with a small wide-legged squat and a jump. But then we add the handweights and all of a sudden, the cardio moves from levels 1-2 makes you feel like you're going to die. All of the jumping around in the last circuit- there's that "pylometric" word again- is almost a welcome break.
Cardio fun level: 6/10
Cardio intensity level: 9/10
As far as the abs go, it does get kind of difficult. If you've done a lot of pilates, you'll scoff at the first two circuits, where you do a half V-sit (a straight-leg double crunch), scissor crunches with don't feel like crunches at all, and just normal sit-ups. If you haven't done pilates, you might feel like death when you have to do full sit-ups and not just crunches. The last ab move, when you should be cooling down because stretching is NOT an appropriate cool down on its own, hurts, but it does get your heart rate down if you're following Anita. You need incredible balance to follow Nat, but if you've done the first two levels until they were relatively easy, then you won't feel so bad following Nat.
Abs fun level: 6/10
Abs intensity level: 8/10
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