Today is the dreaded day I post pictures of myself from the Jillian Michaels: 6 Week Six-Pack 
I completed the entire 6 weeks, which was VERY hard for a couple of reasons:
1.) It was hard. This DVD is NO cake walk! I got sweaty, tired, and sore, especially in the beginning.
2.) I got bored. There were two levels, you do one for 3 weeks then the other for 3 weeks. I literally had the whole DVD memorized by the end and was so tired of the same thing over and over.
What got me through it? You guys! And promising myself I could buy a new swimsuit if I finished but that’s neither here nor there….So ya..I knew if I didn’t tell anyone I was doing this, I could easily quit. But putting it out there in the blog world for everyone to see really held me accountable!
If you didn’t read my “First Glance” post, I would go check that out before reading any further.
Did you read it? Ok! moving on!
Ok, so, the DVD called for 5 times a week. The first 3 weeks on level 1, then the 2nd three weeks on level 2. I did not follow this exactly, so here is what I did.
Week 1: the first time I did this DVD I was SO SORE the next day there was no way I could do it again. I actually only did half of it (she goes through the circuit twice on each level) so there was no way I was doing 5 times this week! So I chose to do the video 4 times. The first two I did it only one circuit through. I also didn’t use a weight. There are two backup dancers with Jillian in the video, one does the “beginner” version and one does the “advanced” version. The beginner in level 1 doesn’t use a weight, so for week one, I used no weight.
Week 2: I did the level one video all the way through 4 times, and I used a weight halfway through the week. I was still a little sore but not as bad as week one.
Week 3: I did the DVD 4 times, and this week was hard for me because I was getting SO tired of level one! I wasn’t getting sore anymore which was good and made me realize I AM getting stronger if I am not sore after doing the same workout.
Week 4: I was SO HAPPY to move on to level 2…until I did the workout. It was SO HARD! I all of the sudden wanted level one back again, it seemed like a cake walk compared to this nonsense! I did the workout half the way through (one circuit) the first day, with no weight. The rest of the week I did the DVD all the way through with no weight, doing the DVD 4 times. I was sore again, which made me happy knowing I was working for it.
Week 5: I added in the weight, and did the DVD 5 times. It was still hard, but not impossibly hard. bobby even did the workout with me a couple of times which made it more fun.
Week 6: I was so glad I was on my last week! I was getting SO BORED and ready for this to be over! I knew I could do anything for a week, so I pushed through it and did the DVD 4 times the last week. I was finally DONE!
Here are my thoughts on the DVD:
Level one has the most mat work/ab work. You do a couple of cardio intervals, but my abs were the most sore with level one. When we moved to level two, there were more cardio intervals and a lot more lunges. My IT band started getting sore from all the lunging. My abs were not that sore on level two, but my calves, butt, and quads were very sore with level two.
RESULTS: Did I get a 6 pack? no. Did I expect to get a 6 pack? no. What did I get? I got a lot stronger! I have never been very strong, never did a lot o strength training, and I think my running has suffered because of it. My core is VERY weak. All my doctors told me this, my chiropractor has said this, so it was no secret. I really wanted to build a strong core, and I can honestly say YES it is a lot stronger! The few runs I have completed since the DVD have been a lot faster and easier. My legs don’t get tired as quickly and I feel they are easier. All those lunges helped I am sure!
What about the physical results? The physical results are there, but not as much as I thought they would be. I lost one and a quarter inches off my hips and one and a quarter inches off my waist. I can definitely see definition in my abs running parallel down both sides of my stomach. It’s really hard to tell in the pictures, but trust me it’s there! So no 6 pack, but better definition and much much more strength in abs and legs.
*gulp* here are my before and after pictures. My hips have ALWAYS been my problem area. I have always had a relatively flat stomach, small waist/upper body, but have always had wide hips. Please be kind…this is the first time I have “exposed” myself like this on my blog.
Before….
after…
side by side…
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Here is an after shot in swimsuit bottoms, they fit differently than the workout pants I have on above. The pants above are tight so they kind of push the fat up if that makes sense ha! Ignore the lines on my stomach from the jeans I had on!
before and after with the second shot…
[Tweet “Before and after photos from my 6 weeks to 6 pack program! Check it out!”]
Not sure if you can tell, but there is definitely some definition in my abs in the second shot, and my hips are visibly smaller. So did I get results? yes, they just were not what I thought. I had more running results than I imagined and not as much physical as I imagined. Will I continue to do the video? For now, I will probably do it once or twice a week through swimsuit season.
Do I recommend the video? Yes! it was a great workout, but if you plan on actually following through with the plan, know it takes a lot of dedication and be prepared to get bored with it. Ideally the video would have had 3 levels so you only have to stay on each one for two weeks at a time.
Did I do any workouts in addition to this 6 weeks to 6 pack DVD? Yes. I ran 2-3 times a week, 3-4 miles each time. I also took several walks, and did a LITTLE bit of additional strength training (mainly arms) maybe once a week. I didn’t change my eating really, but was more mindful of snacking and eating late at night. I am going to step up my cardio, work on my eating, and continue the DVD until I go on vacation in a month, and I MAY take one more set of after pictures just for curiosity sake.
So…there you have it. If you have any questions about what I did or didn’t do, or the Jillian Michaels: 6 Week Six-Pack
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RELATED: Now what? What to do after you run a 5k
QOTD: Have you done this workout? Did you get better results than I did? Thoughts on the workout/plan/results in general? Can you tell a difference?
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