Shape Up - Front

Jillian Michaels
Year Released: 2005

Categories: Total Body Workouts



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I received this DVD yesterday and tried it this morning. It's a short workout, only 35 minutes long. This is definitely a circuit workout. You can't lift heavy at all, the reps are too fast. Jillian doesn't holler and scream like she does on the Biggest Loser. She really motivates the background exercisers to push themselves past the comfort zone. There are 4 background exercisers, two female and two male. One female does everything beginner level. I'm not sure of the exact order of the exercises but here is the breakdown from what I remember:

Warm up
push ups
plank/knee in-out
pec flye
abs - oblique twists
squat
mountain climber
jumping jacks with military press using light weights
rear lunge with front kick
plie - 10 times and then hold for 10 count (long 10 count)
REPEAT
tricep dip
abs on step (bring knees in to chest and back out)
alternating lunge with side lateral raise
squat thrust
tricep kickbacks
stationary lunge with triceps
jump rope
abs - bicycle
standing mountain climber
inner thigh sitting on step
REPEAT
stretch

The warm up actually has some high impact work in it. You do standing leg raises trying to touch the opposite hand, 30 times, lateral jump side to side, into a small plyo lunge on the step and then the plyo lunge on the side of the step. It really gets your heart rate up quickly. You repeat that twice through and then go right into the workout. The ending stretches consist of a chest stretch, quad stretch, shoulder stretch and tricep stretch.

I consider myself to be advanced and I worked up quite a sweat with this little workout.

Instructor Comments:
I really like Jillian's personality. I think she is a great motivator and makes me push myself.

Dawn Henson

09/28/2005

This is part of the "Biggest Winner" set of workouts. There are 5 workouts total, each on a different DVD, and they can be purchased together or seperately. The 5 workouts in the series are:

Shape Up Front
Shape Up Back
Cardio Kickbox
Maximize Full Frontal
Maximize Back in Action

As the previous review mentioned, Shape Up: Front is a circuit workout with fast reps that require light weights. It also has moves like jumping jacks and jumping rope while holding weights, I had to go very light not to hurt my shoulders with those moves. I also agree with the previous comment that the warm up is high impact. Actually too high impact for me-- the first time I did it, I didn't modify and my shins hurt for days! (This "beginner" workout has more impact in the warm up than the more advanced Maximize: Full Frontal!)

You'll also notice that triceps get worked in this Front workout. That's because working chest automatically works triceps, so all triceps exercises are included in the Front workout. (Working back works biceps, and all biceps are included in the Back workout.)

I label myself as high intermediate. Shape Up: Front gives me a good sweat and is a challenging workout. I like quick circuit workouts, so this is just my style. The moves are set up so that you do one long series of moves, repeat once, then move on to a second long series of moves, and repeat that once, and you're done. A step is used, but I feel the step is optional because you can do ab work on the floor. I don't know why they are bothering to do ab work on the step. There are a couple of other things done with the step, but I don't think it's worth buying a step just for that. (I feel the Maximize set makes better use of the step.)

Instructor Comments:
This is one of Jillian's early workouts, and she is very goofy, laughing at everything, laughing at things that are just not funny, and screaming at her cast a lot. The whole thing seems like a lot of melodramatic play acting for the camera. She's much better, personality-wise, in her later workouts from Exercise TV, like No More Trouble Zones, etc.

PeakFitness

08/09/2010