If you are a Jillian fan, these four workouts are a must! Workouts 1 and 2 are reminiscent of 30 Day Shred, but Workouts 3 and 4 really kick it up a notch. I really appreciate the simple basic moves of Workout 1. I’m not big on moves that get too creative, but I felt Jillian went at a nice, controlled pace when introducing new twists on the basics so even I didn’t get frustrated the first time through. Also, I like that she’s incorporating some old school moves like leg extensions and bridge/table work – nice to see that come back from time to time!

As usual, the background exercisers show options for beginner and advanced. I used 5 lb weights the first time through, which was a good gauge. Now that I know what’s coming, I will definitely adjust my weights accordingly. There were a few moves that I would personally drop to 3 lbs or skip weights altogether (ab move in workout 3, superman in workout 4).

Here are the breakdowns. I didn't go into detail for the warm up and ending stretch - those are typical Jillian style.

*Workout 1*

Warm up

Circuit 1:
Strength - push ups, squat w/shoulder press, crescent pose w/tricep kickbacks (repeat)
Cardio – fast feet, skaters (repeat)
Abs – plank hold, hollow man

Circuit 2:
Strength – deadlift and row, KB swings (w/db), good mornings (repeat)
Cardio – running man, twisting punches (repeat)
Abs – side plank lifts

Circuit 3:
Strength – chair pose w/rear delt flies, side lunges w/shoulder raise, front lunge w/bicep curl (repeat)
Cardio – butt kicks, single leg hops (repeat)
Abs – basic crunch, lower ab crunch (w/legs raised)

Stretch

*Workout 2*

Warm up

Circuit 1:
Strength – crescent pose w/row, pendulum lunge w/serving biceps, bridge w/chest press x2
Cardio – plank jack, mtn climbers x2
Abs – basic crunch, crunch with opposite hand reaching for toe

Circuit 2:
Strength – side slide lunge w/leg lift, sliding tables (bridge work), core push ups (alternate bringing r/l knee in) x2
Cardio – jump rope w/kick out, squat thrusts in plank position x2
Abs – v-ups, sit up and climb up right/left leg

Circuit 3:
Strength – sumos w/tricep extension, bent over rows balancing on one leg, renegade rows x2
Cardio – jab/cross in lunge position, high knees x2
Abs – sit up w/leg extension, crunch w/leg raises

Stretch

*Workout 3*

Warm up

Circuit 1:
Strength – bear crawl, low creep lunge front and back (see video clips for these two moves!), squat w/staggered row (she did not repeat this move second time through circuit, but I did!) x2
Cardio – low jacks, skiers (moguls) x2
Abs – plank twist, straight leg squat thrust

Circuit 2:
Strength – stork pose (balance on one leg) w/reverse flies, one legged squat with bicep corkscrew curl, rock n’ roll squats w/crunch (standing, roll down, crunch, roll back up to standing) x2
Cardio – squat jumps, static running lunge w/front punches x2
Abs – toe tappers (raised straight leg crunch w/db), crunch alternate touching opposing hand/toe w/db (I thought this was awkward and put the weights down)

Circuit 3:
Strength – pike push ups, side oblique crunch w/tricep press, table top tricep dips x2
Cardio – jumping lunges, one legged hops (cross pattern) x2
Abs – ab hold, pike crunch

Stretch

*Workout 4*

Warm up

Circuit 1:
Strength – plank flowing into alternating crescent pose, static squat w/shoulder press, static squat w/row x2
Cardio – plie hops, jacks w/front kicks x2
Abs – downward dog holding one knee in, plank walks, repeat w/knee on other side

Circuit 2:
Strength – superman w/db shoulder press (awkward – I put the weights down, maybe use 3# next time), renegade rows w/push ups, lunges (cross, front, side, back, curtsey) w/bicep curl x2
Cardio – burpees, scissor hops x2
Abs – windshield wiper, v sit-up into a hollow man

Circuit 3:
Strength – chest fly w/bridge and one leg up, chaturanga push up, forearm push up x2
Cardio – plank moguls, double jump rope x2
Abs – don’t have a name for this move: lay down flat, roll up and touch toes, roll down, raise legs and crunch up

Jillian’s warm and fuzzy motivational speech

Stretch

Instructor Comments:
If you’re not a fan of Jillian’s pants or her attitude, nothing has changed here! She’s a little more feminine looking as she has been in her latest workouts and the background exercisers are quite motivational themselves. Quite honestly, I'm a Jillian fan and I was far too busy working up a sweat or pushing through the burn to pay attention to the music or Jillian’s comments! Each workout flies by, your 30 minutes are up before you know it. At the end of the last workout before the stretch, Jillian does her best to give you a pep talk as you rest on the floor. That’s about as warm and fuzzy as she gets, and I still wasn’t paying attention as I was just trying to recover from the last half hour. Great DVD with lots of variety – I highly recommend it!

violingal3