At this point, I should be on day 10 of the 30 Day Shred, but that changed when I woke up on Sunday with an intense need for a rest. So, I took a rest day. Otherwise, I have been ever diligent at working out with Jillian Michaels every single day.
Cardio is still a problem for me, even after 9 days of being on Level One. I have the strength and ab portions down, but I still can’t get all the way through the cardio.
Here’s a summary of how it’s been so far, including the first five days:
- Day 1: I could barely breathe through the cardio and had to stop frequently. Afterward, I was insanely tired for the rest of the day.
- Day 2: I was able to do more of the cardio and wasn’t tired like day 1. My arms, specifically my shoulders, ached in a good way.
- Day 3: I wasn’t nearly as achy after this workout. It seems my muscles are getting stronger and getting used to the strength exercises.
- Day 4: I woke up from 9 hours of sleep to feeling like I needed 9 more. I slept for most of the day, but took a break to go do the shred. I half-assed it in the cardio, but that’s better than nothing.
- Day 5: Was almost able to get through all of the workout without stopping today. The first section of the cardio is the worst. Jumping Jacks/Jump Rope/Jumping Jacks/Jump Rope, all without stopping in between each move. Ouch!
- Day 6: Still doing alright with the workout. I really busted out the move for the final ab section: bicycles. Unfortunately, I overdid it. I have a delicate neck and constantly holding up my head for 1 minute straight made my neck hurt for the rest of the day.
- Day of Rest
- Day 7: Back in the saddle! Decided to alter the Bicycle moves and am doing alternating oblique moves with transverse ab moves in between. That means my neck is saved.
- Day 8: Though I made a concerted effort, I STILL couldn’t get through all the cardio.
- Day 9: The strength is starting to be easy. I even upped the size of my weights for the lying chest exercise. If it weren’t for the cardio, I would feel ready to move on to Level Two.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do about this cardio situation. I thought I’d be able to get all the way through the workout by now, but that’s not the case.
If anyone has advice on how to improve your cardio and endurance, let me know.
I just started this 30 day shred and am curious - do you move foward through the levels every 10 days?
Hi Emily! Congratulations on starting the shred!
Many people decide to do each level for 10 days, but Jillian mentions in her intro that you should move ahead only when you’re ready. I had originally planned to move ahead after day 10, but now I’m extending that to day 15 instead.
After all, sometimes you just need to listen to your body. Mine was saying that it wasn’t ready yet.