So I finished another workout which was a brand new one for me. After finishing 30 Day Core, we headed off on
vacation and I didn't do anything - although walking across the sand multiple times a day is kind of like vacation especially for someone not completely recovered from knee surgery. But otherwise I didn't do anything while on vacation and I knew I wanted to get into something when we got back. The kicker was that we were going to be moving that week so I needed something I could do quickly and didn't take up a lot of my time - it was going to be a busy week.
So I chose
Jillian Michaels 10 Minute Transformation. This DVD has five workouts on it which meant for one every day of the week which meant I wouldn't get so bored. I had no idea what to expect but I was excited to try something new and keep it short and sweet but still be doing something.
Pilates Power
I was probably the most clueless when it came to this one. I had never done Pilates in my life, although I had done some yoga so I thought maybe it was close. And it was in some ways. It also turned out to have moves that I did while I was in PT for my knee so I was feeling less clueless as the workout went on. The first time I did the exercise it was definitely mostly just trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing but by the second time I was catching on and figuring out all the moves. And by the third time (I ended up doing each workout five times each) I was doing the advanced moves and not feeling like I was dying. I was definitely feeling stronger.
I was initially sure that this was my least favorite one. I didn't burn a ton of calories but I was feeling the burn with each move and feeling stronger each time I went through this workout.
Cardio Burn
I normally hate a good cardio workout and that turned out to still be true. I just don't like non-stop cardio. Especially cardio done in plank. I hate being in plank to begin with then you add cardio in and it's just awful. I ended up doing this workout on Fridays which was a horrible way to end the week but also a good way to earn the pizza I was going to eat that night since I would burn some serious calories with all the cardio and jumping and running and planks.
I probably don't have to say much more without understanding if I just say burpees!
Booty Boot Camp
Initially I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this one. This one reminded me of basically everything I did in PT - squats, lunges, leg lifts. So while doing this workout I not only worked my booty which was the point but I was also working on my quad strength which happens to still be a bit lacking.
This workout is done throughout holding weights. There are no arms but adding the weight works your lower body harder as you do the moves. I knew I could hold more than 3 pound weights (although tempting), so I went with 5 pound weights throughout and felt like that was a good balance for me. From the booty burning aspect I could have held 8 pound weights. From the knee/quad side of things, I stuck with 5 pound weights.
Calisthenics
This was the first one I did on this DVD (which makes this the one I do on Mondays) and truthfully it is harder than it looks. There is a lot of moving and honestly I struggled doing any of the advanced moves. For the first time in a long time I was almost immediately sore after doing the workout. I was definitely feeling it! But I was also enjoyed getting up on Monday morning to do this workout.
KickBox Blast
Easily my favorite, hands down. I loved this one. I love kickboxing and working out some aggression! It was fast paced and definitely hard to follow the first time. But it didn't take too long to get the groove and really give it your all. I definitely got the most sweat going and body moving during this one. There isn't necessarily a ton of strength work in this, although you are getting a little with the punches and kicks but there are major calories burned with the cardio that's involved.
I loved doing this one every Tuesday. Not only do you burn some major calories and get a major endorphin rush, it's just plain fun!
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So although it says 10 minutes, it turned out to be about 18 minutes total with warm up and cool down which was totally fine with me. I loved this "short" program. You could couple up a few of these together or just do one a day, which is what I did. I ended up doing five weeks total of this DVD.
I did miss a few days. Once in my fourth week on a Wednesday I was having a really bad day. I was exhausted. I had a headache. My leg with the bad knee was cramping like crazy. I was just having a hard time so I decided I was better off skipping a day and letting myself rest than pushing and just wearing myself out further.
I also ended up missing the last three days. I fell and all I needed at this point was to take a break and let my knee and my back recover. It was necessary, even though I wasn't crazy about missing those days. As much as working out is good for you and however much our bodies need exercise, it is good to have a off day (or days) and just take a break when you need one.
That's just my two cents about that. I definitely feel good at the end of this program even if it wasn't hardcore or anything. It was exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it. But I am ready to move on now and I'm excited about that!
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