Youtube Workout a Day...

ladymay

Ok, next up on the list is Jillian Michaels. Link is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ8Zdj0OPMI

This workout featured a brief warm up, followed by two circuits of ab exercises and an equally brief cool down. As the title would suggest, all the exercises focus on working your core muscles.

This is not for the faint hearted!! From the first exercise my heart rate was up and my abs were starting to burn. Jillian has two assistants, one of whom is doing a basic version of every exercise, and one doing the advanced method, usually involving a dumbbell. This is the only piece of equipment mentioned in the video, apart from an exercise mat (I used a towel).

The range and variety of core exercises really impressed me. There were versions of crunches and planks that I'd never encountered before, which is great, but one of the problems I found with this is Jillian only explains how to do each exercise as she's starting. There's no demonstration before you start the exercise. I appreciate keeps up the pace and your heart rate, but I was playing catch-up for a few seconds in every exercise, which personally I found quite frustrating. This workout also contains my least favourite exercise of all time - the dreaded burpee!!! You also need quite a bit of space for some of the exercises as you need to lie on the floor with arms and legs streched.



If you enjoy working out to a pumping soundtrack, I wouldn't suggest this video. The music is terrible, an inane dance beat just on a loop. As a singer, I would find this unforgivable were this not such a good workout...

The thing I liked most about this workout is despite its focus on the core, it's actually a good all-over workout. Right now my shoulders, quads and glutes are burning just as much as my abs, largely due to the amount of planks, burpee-like exercises, squats and lunges within the body of the workout.

Pros:

• Two levels - beginners and advanced - for each exercise
• Good, intense, full-body workout
• Great variety of exercises

Cons:

• Bad music
• Requires quite a lot of floor space
• Some of the advanced exercises require extra equipment

I might take a day off tomorrow, depending on how achey I am, so I'll probably check in with a new review on Thursday

Widelats

ladymay wrote: »

Hi!

This is my new challenge, feel free to join in

In true MSE style, I love getting stuff for free, and in my job it's incredibly important to be fit. So on this thread I'm going to try and review one YouTube workout a day! I have typed in 'workout' and will simply work through the videos from top down.

I'm a qualified REPS fitness instructor and am generally quite fit, but these reviews are my personal, not professional opinion.

And PLEASE seek professional medical advice if you're embarking on a new fitness regime.

OK, here goes...

If you are a REPS qualified, what do you think of a workout for males? Specifically a 5 x 5 routine on weights? I don't much care about being slim i want to get strong/fit, what do you think?

ladymay

Hello Thursday!

So yesterday was meant to be my rest day, but it didn't quite work out that way...

When I'm not singing on a ship I tend to work a lot in promotions, and yesterday I was meant to be flyering for a gym chain. HOWEVER the manager at the club wanted me to do letter-box drops instead ie. putting the flyers through people's doors. Me being me, I decided to turn it into a challenge and managed to cover 11 miles in 3 hours. This was AFTER walking from South Kensington to Covent Garden, so all in all I walked about 14 miles. Not my idea of an easy day!

Nevertheless, I tried a new video today. The one below Tuesday's video was another Gillian Michaels workout, so I went for the one below that, which is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcN37TxBE_s

The video starts by stating what the workout is intended to do and what kind of exercises you'll be doing. You're then taken through a basic cardio warm up and series of exercises in sets of two in an ABAB fashion, with active rests (ie. jogging on the spot) in between. Because of this structure, if it takes a few seconds to figure out how to perform a particular move you have the opportunity to perfect it a couple of minutes later.

There's nothing groundbreaking here, and I found it quite reassuring to recognise all the moves shown in the video. The thing that makes this video incredibly hard work is, with the exception of a short water break in the middle, you never stop moving. I had sweat dripping off the end of my nose by the end!!

The workout ends with a stretch cool down, but there's nothing in there for your abs or back, so I did those separately.

So, there you go. Great workout, clear instructions, easy to follow. What could possibly go wrong?

THERE IS NO MUSIC. None. Nada. On the upside, that means you can stick whatever music on that you like, but I decided not to do that to see how much it affected my workout. Parts of it were fine, but in the exercises that I found a struggle, like the plank slaps, I found it incredibly difficult to keep going with a beat carrying me through.

Pros:

• All recognisable moves
• Clear instructions
• ABAB format means you know what's coming next

Cons:

• No music

Despite the lack of music, this is a great workout, and having checked out the Fitness Blender website, I have a huge amount of respect for Daniel and Kelli, the founders and trainers in the video. This is part of the blurb from their website:

"We started Fitness Blender because we believe that fitness should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their income. We also felt like there was a lack of reliable health and fitness information on the web, and too many people in the industry were more focused on appearance than they were on good health."

All their workout videos are free (they have over 90), so if you like their style, you're set for a very long time!!

Oh, quick word of warning: I was baking jammy dodgers just before I did this workout. I should know better, and you're definitely not as silly as me, but DO NOT EAT LOTS OF RAW COOKIE DOUGH BEFORE EXERCISING!!

LoveaDove

- Love the reviews ladymay!! Keep up the good work!! *Subscribed*

ladymay

Hi Widelats,

Firstly, I feel I need to point out the difference between a fitness instructor and personal trainer.

A fitness instructor is great for introducing somebody to the gym, giving them a good basic workout to follow, checking form etc. A personal trainer tends to be someone who's been in the business for many years and who is much more qualified to tailor exercises to somebody's individual requirements. A lot specialise in specific areas such as pre/post-natal fitness, fitness for people with specific health problems, or bodybuilding.

I'm a qualified fitness instructor, and I don't feel I have the specific knowledge needed to give you a professional opinion on this. I've put this forum thread together for a bit of fun, and to try and help people find fitness information and workouts for free. Because of this I'm deliberately NOT using any equipment, because that would incur a cost to anybody who doesn't already have dumbbells, kettlebells etc. Unless you have a full set of weights at home, doing the 5x5 workout at home for free is nigh-on impossible.

Having said that, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggests 5x5 training can be a quick and efficient way to increase strength. I'd just like to point out two things:

• If you're trying this for the first time, get a personal trainer, even if it's just for the first session, then for a top-up three months down the line. Pick one that knows how this training system works and can set you safe initial goals. They can also check your technique. It's very easy to develop poor form when weightlifting, especially if you're increasing the weight as the exercise goes on, and bad form can very quickly lead to injury.
• It is essential to have someone spot you. Again, this is especially important if you're increasing the weight. This is not only for your safety, but the safety of others. When I worked in a gym, I've seen a giant of a guy almost choke himself with a barbell because he refused to be spotted, and I've also seen a barbell land on a passerby's head because somebody had taken all the weight off one end, causing it to swing over itself, pole-vault style.

I'm sorry if that's not much help to you.

heartbreak_star

I've used 5x5 but under the supervision of a powerlifting coach. I'm so looking forward to getting back in the gym!

I will be doing a Youtube workout later so will post a review!

HBS x

ladymay

Gooooooooood Evening!

Hope everyone's well

Next workout on the list was the Bootcamp Calorie Burn. Link is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtYgmDEddug

This is a 30-minute cardio workout including a warm up and very quick cool down. The trainer takes you through a series of cardio moves that are put together in an aerobic routine at the end of the session.

The first thing to note is that there is advertising throughout this video for what I think is an energy drink ( I didn't check, it's not relevant) and for further workouts from the same company, you can pay only $3.99 per video. Hmmm. Very different ethos to the Fitness Blender team I reviewed yesterday, and definitely not very MSE :money:.

But anyway. The workout is taught in very much the same way as a dance routine is, if you've ever been to a dance class. The trainer teaches you the first few moves, you repeat them a few times (let's call this first section A), then he teaches you the next set (B). You then put A and B together (AB), then learn C and perform ABC, and so on. All the moves are simple, and using this format of teaching really engages your concentration as you try to remember what's next in the routine.

The whopping and hollering at the beginning of the video is, for me, a little off-putting, but if you don't like it it quietens down as the girls start getting tired, so it's not that bad!

Aside from the incessant advertising, a couple of other things bothered me. The trainer has a blonde and a brunette behind him. If you want to see how the exercises are done well and with good form, look at the brunette, NOT the blonde. I understand that working out is tough, but by the end of this video she's swaying all over the place, particularly in the ski jumps. Watching sloppy form on a workout video drives me nuts!!

There's a countdown clock in the corner of the screen (when it comes to knowing how much time is left, I love it and loathe it equally ), and with about 9 minutes to go, the trainer goes off the beat for a full two minutes, which makes it quite difficult to follow the routine for that section!

The cool down is far too short, and the few stretches within aren't held for long enough. I added on another 10 minutes of stretching afterwards.

Pros:

• Simple routine, taught in bite-size chunks
• Very chirpy, encouraging trainer
• Great for beginners

Cons:

• It's not very challenging if you already have a good level of fitness
• Trainer goes out of time at one point
• Sloppy form from the blonde
• Cool down is too short

All in all, although I've said more negative and positive, if you're looking for a basic cardio workout to get started, it's a really good one, if you can stand the advertising. BUT if you're already quite fit, I don't think you'll get that much out of it.

heartbreak_star

Found here:

http://youtu.be/q5nyrD4eM64

Okay, here's my first review. First off, let it be known that Jillian and Shaun T are two of my idols, so I thought I'd try this.

Oh my, it's HARD. This is yoga with a twist - a doing reps, bodyweight training twist.

As usual in her workouts, Jillian is accompanied by two helpers - one doing a beginner's version of a move and the other doing an advanced version. Jillian usually does an intermediate version.

Pros:

• Quite easy to get into, starts with easier poses and works up
• Jillian's straightforward training is good
• The option to make moves easier or harder
• Not traditional yoga - you will SWEAT
• Gets your heart rate up

Cons:

• The girls don't so much as break a sweat. Disheartening.
• Could be off-putting for beginners as it's harsh
• A fair level of flexibility needed before starting

I enjoyed the video and felt well worked-out afterwards. Would recommend and do again!


HBS x

ladymay

Hi guys and gals,

Had a day off reviewing today as I've been teaching hyperactive children dance all day, new review will be up tomorrow!

xx

ladymay

Gooooooood morning!

So this is the Jillian Michaels workout I skipped the other day. Link is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTT4W8ygJ7w

This is a basic warm up of jogging and dynamic stretches, followed by a 45-minute circuit and quick cool down. Each of the circuits consists of four or five cardio and strength exercises, the routine's repeated and last 5-10 minutes. I wasn't counting but I think there are six circuits in total.

Oh. My. Goodness. I am COVERED in sweat. My hair is soaked. My clothes are soaked. I've just had to wipe a pool of sweat off the floor. This killed me and I loved it! It's a great mix of basic cardio, plyometrics (explosive jumping movements) and strength training which focuses on abs and legs.

I have nothing more to say on this, other than it's really hard and I would definitely do it again!!