Body Revolution – Weeks 7 & 8

Yesterday marked the end of phase 2 for me in Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution program!  I can’t believe that it has been a month since I got to Korea and started weeks five through eight in this program, not to mention that I only have four more weeks to go.

In keeping with my biweekly reviews, here is the recap of Workouts 7 & 8 and Cardio 2, which made up Phase 2 of the program.

Workout 7

The description of Workout 7 on the Body Revolution guide is:

“Quick, focused resistance training shreds the “front of the body,’ core especially, with fun plank and pushup positions plus serious athletic drills using weights and a resistance cable. Sizzling cardio intervals burn massive calories and stoke metabolism.”

Like Workouts 1, 3 & 5, Workout 7 is focused on the front of the body and starts with a killer circuit that really works your shoulders, chest and core to the max.

Example moves in this workout are:

• Plank walks
• Crow pushups
• Chest press with extended leg lifts
• Dumbbell flys with extended leg lifts
• Jack knife crunches
• Plank ups

As in the earlier workouts, Jillian offers modifications of a lot of the moves throughout this workout to make them both easier and more difficult, depending on your skill level.

The first time I did this workout, I wanted to scream, and if I was able to, I would have!  Definitely a challenge but once I was through it for the initial time, I knew what to expect and was able to push myself to even do the harder modifications of the exercises we were performing.

Workout 8

The description of Workout 8 on the Body Revolution guide is:

“A potent blend of intermediate to advanced “back of the body” moves using weights, a resistance cable, plus an emphasis on balance and coordination to enhance the sculpting power of the routine. Cardio bursts include weights for the first time to ensure a heart pounded, high energy, calorie burn.”

Like Workouts 2, 4 & 6, Workout 8 is focused on the back of the body and incorporates combination moves of different single moves performed in earlier workouts.

Example moves in this workout are:

• Side lunges into cross lunges
• Bridge with lat pulls
• Crescent post with lat flys
• Weighted warrior 3
• Side planks with dip
• Weighted static good mornings

The third circuit in this workout, which is where the weighted warrior 3 exercise is performed, really makes you feel the burn in your glutes, upper back and hamstrings.  Ouch!

Not to mention, as stated in the workout’s description above, two of the cardio exercises in the circuits do feature weights for an additional kick, while another circuit has Jillian’s version of suicides as the minute of cardio.

Cardio 2

The Cardio 2 workout that was used throughout all of Phase 2 of the program (weeks 5-8) was similar to that of Phase 1 in that it consisted of three 8-minute circuits of cardio exercises.

The difference between the two was that instead of eight exercises, each performed for one minute in each circuit, Cardio 2 had 16 exercises per circuit, each being performed for 30 seconds.  This cardio workout featured more plyometric moves, with more jumping and impact involved.  My least favorite exercise in this workout?  Burpees!

By the last three times that I performed Cardio 2, I had the sequence of exercises memorized (along with all of the chatter from Jillian throughout) and actually didn’t use the video to complete the workout.  I used a Tabata timer online and found this change made the workout even more of a challenge since I wasn’t breaking as long between exercises and circuits for the random talk from Jillian.

Week 7 Schedule

Day 1: Workout 7
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Workout 8/Cardio 2
Day 4: Workout 7
Day 5: Workout 8
Day 6: Cardio 2
Day 7: Rest

Week 8 Schedule

Day 1: Workout 7
Day 2: Workout 8
Day 3: Cardio 2
Day 4: Workout 7
Day 5: Workout 8
Day 6: Cardio 2
Day 7: Rest

Weights Used

Throughout the exercises in both Workouts 7 & 8, Jillian recommends different amounts of weight for different exercises; light, medium and heavy. The sizes used by those in the video are 3 lbs, 5 lbs and 8lbs, respectively. Like I stated in my Weeks 5 & 6 review, I only have 5 lb and 8 lb weights with me in Korea but when we are traveling I  only bring the 5’s with me.

However, I actually put my brain to work over these past two weeks (instead of just my muscles!) and came up with a solution for my weight issues.  Brian always carries 3 lb. wrist/ankle weights in his baseball bag so I was able to combine them with my 5 lb dumbbells to make 8 lb weights.

A lot exercises that called for 3 lb weights during these workouts, I actually performed with 5 lb ones, as I didn’t find the 3’s to be challenging enough.  The same with some of the exercises calling for 5 lbs that seemed too easy, I again used the heavier, 8 lb weights.

Summary

In summation, Workouts 7 & 8 definitely had some super challenging circuits in them and really made me feel the burn in my muscles.  I was able to see improvement in myself and how I performed the exercises as the workouts were repeated throughout the two weeks. I also actually liked the addition of weights to some of the cardio minutes in the circuits in workout 8. Now, bring on Phase 3!

Body Revolution Weeks 1 & 2 Review
Body Revolution Weeks 3 & 4 Review
Body Revolution – Weeks 5 & 6 Review