Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown Level 1
Jillian Michaels, winning trainer on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” introduces a new yoga workout unlike any other.
Reviews of Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown Level 1
Review 1: Good Yoga Video, Even if You’re Not a Jillian Fan
I’m starting from the standpoint of years of yoga practice and having taught Pilates professionally for seven years: needless to say, the boot camp style of “Biggest Loser” isn’t exactly what I would go looking for in a yoga tape.
My initial Pilates-teacher bias notwithstanding, this is actually pretty interesting. It takes standard yoga poses and adds repetitions to the movement. What’s really smart about it is three things:
1.) The repetitions are movements that don’t put a lot of pressure on major joints–you’re not moving through the joints in such a way that there is a lot of force, so this isn’t likely to cause injury. Specifically, what you’re not doing, is rolling through shoulder joints repeatedly, with all your weight on your shoulders, as in most Ashtanga yoga–which does tend to cause injuries.
2.) It’s interval training. What that means is that your heart rate goes up and down a lot. Your body, in response, will default to a higher level of calorie burning and oxygen use, so this is a pretty good way to increase metabolism and what we think of as “lung capacity.”
3.) It’s difficult enough that you don’t feel like you’re wasting your time. Each workout is only 30 minutes, but it’s difficult enough that, if your goal that day is fitness, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.
Some negatives: it’s filmed on a really bright gym set, which is a little difficult to watch; Jillian doesn’t actually do all the poses; sometimes it’s hard to see the beginner model when you need to.
Who this is for: experienced yoga folks who want a different kind of more athletic short practice; anyone wanting to add gym-based yoga to their workouts
Who this is not for: if you have bad wrists, this might be undoable. Your knees also should be good enough to get up and down from the floor without difficulty.However, this is a fairly safe, more difficult yoga dvd.
Yogi Eric Schiffman has been quoted as saying, “The point with yoga, is to do it a lot.” If having another instructor in your dvd rotation, one who isn’t airy-fairy, and overly emotional, for days when you just can’t go there, then this is worth adding to the mix.
Review 2: Best exercise I’ve ever done!
I’ve been doing yoga for a year. Not religiously, but regularly enough. I bought this after a recommendation from a friend. I was surprised at how yoga-centered the exercises really are. I’ve done other “yoga” weight loss classes, and they barely had resemblance of a yoga class. But Jillian has designed a great routine that actually uses yoga poses to work your muscles in just the right way.
Before this DVD, I’d been going to the gym 2-3 times a week every week for months and seeing not much results. After doing Yoga Meltdown maybe 6 or 7 times, I’d lost an inch and a half off my waist! I haven’t changed my eating at all. I still work out 2-3 times a week, but I’ve incorporated this program (usually the Level 1 routine) as 1 or 2 of those workouts each week. And I’ve kept off the inch and a half from my waist, I’m seeing little ab muscles forming, my love handles are working their way out, and my legs jiggle a little less. Personally, I haven’t lost any pounds, but I’m definitely leaner, stronger, and more confident! My clothes fit better, and that’s enough motivation for me to keep doing this workout regularly!
I would absolutely recommend this, even for anyone who has never done yoga.
Review 3: This is a great yoga workout…and I’m a guy!
This was originally my wife’s DVD and it collected dust for a while in our DVD bin, but once I discovered it, Jillian Michaels’ Yoga Meltdown became and remains my favorite exercise video for a quick, 30 minute burn when I can’t make it to the gym for an hour. I struggle with occasional back pain and and took the advice of a friend to try yoga, which is really all about balance and using your own body weight. Jillian throws in some slow but controlled movements into the poses, so it feels more like a “real” gym workout than anything. As a big guy (6’5, 240lbs) this concept really does result in a great, heavy sweat – it’s difficult, and at 240lbs, I still cannot do all the moves perfectly.
Some people think yoga is for women – and the cover to Jillian’s DVD might reinforce this perception, but yoga has so dramatically changed my life that I’ve incorporated it into a workout regimen consisting of heavy weights and cardio. I liked this video so much that it allowed me to check my pride and attend a yoga class at the local fitness center (I go about once per week now, time permitting). When I can’t make it and even sometimes when I can, I turn to Jillian. Better: I get to work out with three totally non-judgmental beautiful women while I am at it – what is not to like about that?
