Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones

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A 55-minute toning and strength training circuit workout from Jillian Michaels.

Intermediate exercisers, who will find it relatively tough. Advanced exercisers will like it for lighter (but not that much lighter) days. Not for beginners. You will need a mat and 3 to 8 lb. dumbbells — a little lighter than your normal weight, since this is “higher rep — lower weight” type routine.

This is just a personal thing, but I can’t stand Jillian Michaels, even if she does have pretty good workout routines. Her abrasive, oh-so-serious tough-girl attitude takes all the fun out of working out for me. Plus some of her earlier workouts didn’t offer modifications, so they were downright dangerous for exercisers who weren’t ready for them yet, and there was no way for less advanced exercisers to work up to the DVD’s level. All my complaints aside, this nearly hour-long routine certainly did the trick for a circuit-style workout, and while Michaels is still too serious and un-fun, I was too busy with the moves to do more than grunt back at her. Although this workout is too intense for beginners, it has a variety of levels, just by the level of weight you choose, plus Michaels offers suggestions to make a few of the moves easier. This circuit routine has you doing exercises that challenge multiple muscle groups at once — quads and shoulders, legs and triceps, chest and abs, etc. By the end of the workout, you’ve worked every muscle group, some of them several times. My one complaint (other than not liking Michaels’ personality) is that she’s terrible at counting reps — you always wind up doing more on one side than the other. This isn’t really a problem, however, if you rotate it with other strength training DVD workouts. If you don’t mind Michaels, or if her bossy attitude gets you moving, then you will definitely want this workout. It’s one of her best. Me? I’ll spend time with someone who works me hard, but who I actually like — Jari Love anyone?