Ripped In 30 DVD Review

Price: £9/ $15

Length: 4x 25 minute sections

Workouts: Full body

Suitable for: Beginners - Advanced

Amazon UK   Amazon US

Rating:   ★★★★☆
Based on 30 days of use.

   Ripped In 30 is an amazing DVD. The four workouts are tough and challenging and that gets you amazing results. A meal plan is also provided online to ensure you get the right nutrients and fuel to get the most out of it because you can't out-exercise a bad diet, but if you're already eating well and know exactly what you need, you need not follow it exactly. It's there to help those of us without much knowledge of food and nutrients, and works as a great starting point to get you eating clean and healthy.

   I worked up a brilliant sweat with this DVD and really enjoyed it. You don't get the chance to stop and complain about your muscles hurting or fatigue because it just keeps moving from one thing to the next, and, as always, Jillian is there to talk you through everything, explain what you should and should not do, and has modifications to make moves easier or, if you're mad, harder. So it's suitable for everyone, you need only push yourself, and it's pushing yourself to your limits and outside of your comfort zone that get you results.

Overview

   Ripped in 30 follows the same set-up as the 30 Day Shred: Jillian's 3-2-1 method of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs, creating a 20-25 minute workout to do every day for 30 days, with varying levels as you work through the month to keep the intensity and difficulty high and keep results coming. But don't think that it's on the same level, because it isn't. The movements used in Ripped In 30 are more advanced than those in the 30 Day Shred, and while they're not impossible to complete, they're definitely more difficult to maintain for a full set.

   You need nothing but a set of heavy and light dumbbells - try for 1.5kg (3lbs) and 2.5kg (5lbs). Not all moves will be doable with a single pair of weights as some of your muscles are naturally going to be able to handle more weight than others, so you'll need the lighter pair for these moves. If you're unsure whether or not your weights are suitable, work with this simple rule of thumb: the weight should be heavy enough that you can complete the majority of reps in a set with perfect form and control, and only on the final 2-3 reps should you struggle to the point that your form wobbles. A set is usually 30 seconds/10-15 reps, on average, regardless of the source of your workout (DVD, website, magazine, etc).

Difficulty In Weeks

   Week 1 & Week 2 are used to learn form. They still offer a challenging workout, but the movements are simpler than later in the DVD to give you the chance to learn how to perform them safely. For example, there are a number of plank variations on the DVD and beyond it, but in Week 1 you learn the basic form for a basic plank as a full 30-second exercise, and in Week 2 you revisit the plank with a simple variation for another 30-second exercise.

   Week 3 & 4 are harder, building on what is learned in Week 1 & 2. Your balance and strength are pushed further, as is your stamina, and that is when change really starts to happen. The moves offered in Week 3 use more body weight than hand weights, and though the moves might look and sound easy enough, completeing the full 30-second set is a real challenge, and Jillian has set the circuits up to bunch up the muscle groups, and that really pushes your body even harder. For example, circuit 1 of week 3 begins with bear crawls, followed immediately by duck walks, and the first cardio move of circuit 1 begins with squat jacks. Your legs are the focus of circuit 1 and they barely get the chance to rest. Circuit 3 of Week 3 does the same but on the triceps and shoulders, with a pike push up followed by a hugging push up and then tricep dips. Your triceps are pushed to the max for 3 straight minutes, and though it hurts, they get the most out of it that way.

Weekly Changes

   It takes, on average, 4-6 weeks for your body to adapt to a workout routine and for it to stop being effective anymore. I typically change my workout every 4-5 weeks because of this (and to keep things fresh and prevent it from getting boring, and, for the last year and a half, it's not failed me yet).

   In Ripped In 30 you're encouraged to change your workout routine every 7 days. You don't get the chance to adapt; your mind will learn the circuit in a week but your body gets no chance before you move on, and that will keep your body challenged. But this also means that you could use the DVD for 60 days and spend 2 weeks on each workout and still get a hell of a lot out of it. The 3-2-1 set-up stays the same, but the moves themselves don't and that means your muscles have to learn lots of different things, but they get no chance to. This keeps the DVD insanely effective, though that doesn't mean you could use just this DVD for a full year. Your body would need more difference as it would adjust to the 3-2-1 method and in time that needs to be changed.

Summary

   Ripped In 30 is as good as the 30 Day Shred, if not better than because it's so much harder. It's best used if you've already completed the 30 Day Shred as it builds on things learned then, but you don't have to have used it first. You need minimal kit to complete the moves, and even advanced fitness fanatics can benefit a lot from the DVD because, when it comes to strength, increasing the weight leads to more calorie burn and move benefit.