New to U Cross Training Challenge - April

Ah once again, it's the last day of the month and I'm just getting my Cross Training Challenge post up!  Again, better late than never, right?

This month I didn't try anything knew except the new Jillian Michael's "Body Revolution" program that I wrote a little bit about last time:

oh, and it even comes with a book mark...

This is EXACTLY what has been missing from my exercise regime...a Jillian Michael's bookmark...
now I'm sure to take my fitness to a new level....

So this workout comes with 15 discs and is broken up into three "phases" (or they could say 3 months since it's a 90 day workout).  Each phase has 4 strength workouts and a cardio disk as well.  The recommended workout week looks like this:
Day 1 -Workout 1
Day 2 - Workout 2
Day 3 - Cardio
Day 4 - Workout 1
Day 5 - Workout 2
Day 6 - Cardio
Day 7 - Rest
Repeat this for the 2nd week and then move up to DVD's 3 and 4 for the next two weeks and that completes "phase 1".

So this is what I have done so far.  I started on Wednesday, the 25th:

Day 1 - Workout 1
Day 2 - Workout 2
Day 3 - run 4 miles
Day 4 - rest
Day 5 - run 7 miles
Day 6 - Workout 1

So, I've already failed to do the plan as written, but I think that's ok.  I plan to run instead of doing the cardio DVD's anyway.  My goal is to do the strength workouts 4x week as perscribed and run 3x a week for the cardio portion.  After I do my Workout #2 again tomorrow I will have completed the first week.

My impressions of the first two DVD's is that they are pretty easy, but I think that's ok - these are intro DVD's to build the basics for the harder stuff down the road.  She gives great modifications for most of the moves, and you definitely can make things harder by adding jumps and/or heavier weights to the exercises.  Unlike her other DVD's she has a whole classroom full of people working out with her.  They are all very pretty and have great bodies which means, as she says, they are "inspirational" for us to see. 

The workout format is also a little different than her "30 Day Shred" or the "Ripped in 30" series in that she does 4 circuits in each which are repeated twice, but there is only one minute of cardio in the middle of each circuit - so it really is mostly strength based instead of concentrating much on cardio and abs as well.

Here is the breakdown of Workout 1 - which targets "front of body" muscles - chest, shoulders, arms, quads and core - just to give you an idea...

Quick warmup with marching/arm circles/hip and knee swivels

First Circuit (repeated 2x):
Squats
Push Ups (on knees, but can be made harder by going military style)
Plank Hold (leg raises to make more difficult)
Chest Fly on ground
1 minute cardio - this wierd running thing she calls towel runs where you pretend to run around an object in the middle of the floor?
2nd Circuit (repeated 2x)
Sumo Squats (add jump or weights for difficulty)
Triceps Kickbacks with weights
Standing Abduction Right & Left Side (keep leg out to make more difficult)
Cardio - Speed bag. This one is dumb.
3rd Circuit (repeat 2x)
Chair Squats with arm raises with weights
Overhead tricep raises with weights
Warrior Pose on right & left side (can add weights to increase difficulty)
Cardio - marching in place
4th Circuit (repeated 2x)
Balanced leg extension right side
Bicycle crunches
Balanced leg extension - left side
Lateral Shoulder raises with weights
Cardio – step out squats both sides.
Short stretching section

Workout 2 DVD - targets "back of the body" - back, biceps, glutes, hamstrings, and core.

Quick warmup with skaters/body hugs and toe taps (cross over)

First Circuit (repeated 2x):
Arm/leg extensions
Pelvic Thrusts right side (harder with leg straight up)
Supermans
Pelvic Thrusts left side
1 minute cardio - side to side knee thrusts 
2nd Circuit (repeated 2x)
Lunge with torso rotations - right (weights for difficulty)
Rows with weights
Lunge with torso rotations - left Side (weights for difficulty)
Biceps - dragging weights up the sides of the body
Cardio - kickbacks each side
3rd Circuit (repeat 2x)
Dead lift with bicep curl with weights
Donkey kicks right side
Crunches
Donkey kicks left
Cardio - knee hikes each side
4th Circuit (repeated 2x)
Rows with cable around feet
"Good Mornings" with weights
Hammer curls with weights
Step ups (weights to add difficulty)
Cardio – Squat with upper cuts

Short stretching section

That's it!  So far what I like:

• The workouts are 30 minutes long - love being able to fit it in so easily.
• Minimal equipment necessary - free weights and an exercise cable band are the only required equipment
• So far her banter hasn't annoyed me
• Good modifiers to make things harder - and Jillian repeatedly gives these tips
• No real odd exercises - squats, weights, etc - pretty basic but effective
• I like switching off the workouts thru the week and knowing I only have to repeat these for two weeks before getting new workouts.  Good variety = less boredom
• Who doesn't like a bookmark...am I right?

What I don't like:

• Not as challenging as I was hoping so far - but I expect that will change as I prgress through the program
• Stretching section is pretty minimal.
• Some of the cardio just seems silly - the punching bag move seemed like kind of a filler.

So those are my thoughts so far.  I'm sure as this program progresses I will have a lot more to say.  And I promise that I won't use the remaining 13 disks to complete my "new to me" cross training posts for the next two months!