The more I do do 30 Day Shred, the more calories I burn

stephjohnny

I am on day 5 of level one of 30 Day Shred. I have noticed a trend. I use a heart rate monitor (did not have a monitor for the first two days) and every day that I do the shred, the more calories I burn. Example, day 3 I only burned 149 calories according to my monitor, then day 4- 191 calories, day 5- 218 calories. I know this has to be a good thing, but what is going on here to make me burn more calories everyday that I do the program? I don't think I have changed my intensity day to day, still doing most of the modified stuff as I have not worked out in over 10 years. Also, in the last two days I have dropped two pounds after being stuck in a 3 1/2 week plateau. Prior to doing the Shred, I was doing IFit programs on my treadmill. 4 weeks ago was the first time I have worked out in 10 years, beginning with my treadmill. When I began using my treadmill, my plateau started. I have since only use my treadmill once per week and the Shred the rest of the time. Just trying to figure out what is going on here and make some sense as to why this is working for me. Sorry, I'm just the type of person that likes to know why something works when it works... Hope I made some sense here.

Eava57

There's a term called Exercise Fatigue. If you constantly do the same routine over and over your body/muscles adjust to that workout. Your body won't burn as many calories. If you change your routine every day and exercise different muscle groups then you will begin to burn more calories and lose weight. In addition, muscle burns more that fat...as you are exercising you are also building up muscle mass. Hope this helps. Is the 30 Day Shred a variable workout...Is this Jillian's workout DVD? I'd like to try it!:happy:

scottbeloved

It's also possible that you are being more 'efficient' in the way you do the Shred. Even -slight- changes in your stance, breathing, concentration, etc. will affect your heart rate and calories burned. This is a good thing, yes. The better (or more accurately) you do a work-out, be it a crunch, a jumping jack, a push-up, etc., the more your body and muscles respond to stress. A sloppy crunch will not give you as good results as a proper one. So while you may not notice any conscious change in your routine, even a day-to-day improvement on your accuracy will have an effect...albeit a positive one! Keep it up! Hope that helps...

gabrielled

I think you are learning the workout better each time, and are putting more effort into the workout as opposed to learning the workout. I know I give a workout MORE when I know how to do it.

kookla33

I would guess also that you are moving more efficiently and at a faster pace.

Now this makes me want to do the 30 Day Shred workout. I haven't done it in a while. Thanks for the inspiration!

mrsprazak05

My guess is...you're building muscle. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn.

Azdak

You will not gain any significant muscle after 5 days of a workout routine, esp one like 30 day shred. Also, HRM do not measure calories--they measure heart rate, and during steady-state aerobic exercise, there is an association between heart rate and oxygen uptake (calorie expenditure) that the watches are programmed to estimate. A heart rate monitor cannot assess whether an individual has increased muscle.

As others have said, the more likely explanation is that you have learned the perform the movements and can do them at a higher level of exertion. Often, doing an activity over and over again results in your body become more efficient so that you burn *fewer* calories, but in the case of starting an exercise class, the initial effect of increased efficiency is usually the opposite--you can maintain a higher sustained level of effort.

Dragonfly11

You will not gain any significant muscle after 5 days of a workout routine, esp one like 30 day shred. Also, HRM do not measure calories--they measure heart rate, and during steady-state aerobic exercise, there is an association between heart rate and oxygen uptake (calorie expenditure) that the watches are programmed to estimate. A heart rate monitor cannot assess whether an individual has increased muscle.

As others have said, the more likely explanation is that you have learned the perform the movements and can do them at a higher level of exertion. Often, doing an activity over and over again results in your body become more efficient so that you burn *fewer* calories, but in the case of starting an exercise class, the initial effect of increased efficiency is usually the opposite--you can maintain a higher sustained level of effort.

Hi Azdak,
I've read your posts on several other threads and you make a lot of sense. i've just completed Shred. Only lost about 12 lbs on this plan (and took longer than 30 days really b/w 37-40), and I incorporated some Turbo Jam and FIRM to give me longer workouts and some variety. You seem to not care for Shred very much - would you mind elaborating on this? I was excited about it because the workout was only 25 min and was pretty intense (for me). Am I off track thinking I can get the same results from a fairly intense workout in a shorter time vs lesser intensity for 45-60 min? What would you recomend as a next step for someone who is reasonable fit. (I am not a gym person - I have some weights, a ball, a treadmill, and dvds at home).
I appreciate your imput and thanks for taking the time to answer my questions,
Janet.

Azdak

You will not gain any significant muscle after 5 days of a workout routine, esp one like 30 day shred. Also, HRM do not measure calories--they measure heart rate, and during steady-state aerobic exercise, there is an association between heart rate and oxygen uptake (calorie expenditure) that the watches are programmed to estimate. A heart rate monitor cannot assess whether an individual has increased muscle.

As others have said, the more likely explanation is that you have learned the perform the movements and can do them at a higher level of exertion. Often, doing an activity over and over again results in your body become more efficient so that you burn *fewer* calories, but in the case of starting an exercise class, the initial effect of increased efficiency is usually the opposite--you can maintain a higher sustained level of effort.

Hi Azdak,
I've read your posts on several other threads and you make a lot of sense. i've just completed Shred. Only lost about 12 lbs on this plan (and took longer than 30 days really b/w 37-40), and I incorporated some Turbo Jam and FIRM to give me longer workouts and some variety. You seem to not care for Shred very much - would you mind elaborating on this? I was excited about it because the workout was only 25 min and was pretty intense (for me). Am I off track thinking I can get the same results from a fairly intense workout in a shorter time vs lesser intensity for 45-60 min? What would you recomend as a next step for someone who is reasonable fit. (I am not a gym person - I have some weights, a ball, a treadmill, and dvds at home).
I appreciate your imput and thanks for taking the time to answer my questions,
Janet.

I have several problems w/Michaels & 30 DS in general. One problem w/30 DS in that I don't think the average person can get an effective all-around fitness workout and lose weight long term with a 25 min workout. There might be some high-intensity routines that get close, but those are not really doable by the "average" person.

Another is that I just think the workout is poorly structured and mediocre in general. It ignores some major muscle groups, places too much emphasis on shoulder and ab exercises, and has unimaginative cardio. Michaels overall knowledge of exercise physiology is rudimentary at best and a lot of things she says are misleading or wrong.

I probably should not make the snide comments. I know a lot of people buy her stuff and using the DVDs, and, to some extent, anything that motivates you to work out is a good thing. And it's not like her stuff is horrible or unsafe. I just think that, if you like workout classes and DVDs, there are probably a lot better ones out there.

princesspurple

You will not gain any significant muscle after 5 days of a workout routine, esp one like 30 day shred. Also, HRM do not measure calories--they measure heart rate, and during steady-state aerobic exercise, there is an association between heart rate and oxygen uptake (calorie expenditure) that the watches are programmed to estimate. A heart rate monitor cannot assess whether an individual has increased muscle.

As others have said, the more likely explanation is that you have learned the perform the movements and can do them at a higher level of exertion. Often, doing an activity over and over again results in your body become more efficient so that you burn *fewer* calories, but in the case of starting an exercise class, the initial effect of increased efficiency is usually the opposite--you can maintain a higher sustained level of effort.

Hi Azdak,
I've read your posts on several other threads and you make a lot of sense. i've just completed Shred. Only lost about 12 lbs on this plan (and took longer than 30 days really b/w 37-40), and I incorporated some Turbo Jam and FIRM to give me longer workouts and some variety. You seem to not care for Shred very much - would you mind elaborating on this? I was excited about it because the workout was only 25 min and was pretty intense (for me). Am I off track thinking I can get the same results from a fairly intense workout in a shorter time vs lesser intensity for 45-60 min? What would you recomend as a next step for someone who is reasonable fit. (I am not a gym person - I have some weights, a ball, a treadmill, and dvds at home).
I appreciate your imput and thanks for taking the time to answer my questions,
Janet.

I have several problems w/Michaels & 30 DS in general. One problem w/30 DS in that I don't think the average person can get an effective all-around fitness workout and lose weight long term with a 25 min workout. There might be some high-intensity routines that get close, but those are not really doable by the "average" person.

Another is that I just think the workout is poorly structured and mediocre in general. It ignores some major muscle groups, places too much emphasis on shoulder and ab exercises, and has unimaginative cardio. Michaels overall knowledge of exercise physiology is rudimentary at best and a lot of things she says are misleading or wrong.

I probably should not make the snide comments. I know a lot of people buy her stuff and using the DVDs, and, to some extent, anything that motivates you to work out is a good thing. And it's not like her stuff is horrible or unsafe. I just think that, if you like workout classes and DVDs, there are probably a lot better ones out there.

Hi Azdak-what is your workout routine?

Azdak

You will not gain any significant muscle after 5 days of a workout routine, esp one like 30 day shred. Also, HRM do not measure calories--they measure heart rate, and during steady-state aerobic exercise, there is an association between heart rate and oxygen uptake (calorie expenditure) that the watches are programmed to estimate. A heart rate monitor cannot assess whether an individual has increased muscle.

As others have said, the more likely explanation is that you have learned the perform the movements and can do them at a higher level of exertion. Often, doing an activity over and over again results in your body become more efficient so that you burn *fewer* calories, but in the case of starting an exercise class, the initial effect of increased efficiency is usually the opposite--you can maintain a higher sustained level of effort.

Hi Azdak,
I've read your posts on several other threads and you make a lot of sense. i've just completed Shred. Only lost about 12 lbs on this plan (and took longer than 30 days really b/w 37-40), and I incorporated some Turbo Jam and FIRM to give me longer workouts and some variety. You seem to not care for Shred very much - would you mind elaborating on this? I was excited about it because the workout was only 25 min and was pretty intense (for me). Am I off track thinking I can get the same results from a fairly intense workout in a shorter time vs lesser intensity for 45-60 min? What would you recomend as a next step for someone who is reasonable fit. (I am not a gym person - I have some weights, a ball, a treadmill, and dvds at home).
I appreciate your imput and thanks for taking the time to answer my questions,
Janet.

I have several problems w/Michaels & 30 DS in general. One problem w/30 DS in that I don't think the average person can get an effective all-around fitness workout and lose weight long term with a 25 min workout. There might be some high-intensity routines that get close, but those are not really doable by the "average" person.

Another is that I just think the workout is poorly structured and mediocre in general. It ignores some major muscle groups, places too much emphasis on shoulder and ab exercises, and has unimaginative cardio. Michaels overall knowledge of exercise physiology is rudimentary at best and a lot of things she says are misleading or wrong.

I probably should not make the snide comments. I know a lot of people buy her stuff and using the DVDs, and, to some extent, anything that motivates you to work out is a good thing. And it's not like her stuff is horrible or unsafe. I just think that, if you like workout classes and DVDs, there are probably a lot better ones out there.

Hi Azdak-what is your workout routine?

My routine is designed around what I like to do and what works for me: a 56 year old male, with a longstanding but at times intermittent history of cardio exercise, poor flexibility, borderline hypertension, average strength levels, and an excellent knowledge of exercise physiology and exercise technique. I have a couple of pieces of cardio equipment at home and I belong to a local park district workout facility that is limited, but cheap, since I am currently unemployed. The particulars are not as important (since everyone has to do what's best for them) as the general principles: focus, structure, variety and flexibility. I prefer a more "traditional" approach of cardio and weight lifting, but that is more personal preference, not necessarily because I think that is the best approach for everyone.

My workout plan is designed to meet my goals, which are now continued improved fitness, increasing strength and some muscle increase and gradually losing some more body fat. Currently my program is hampered by a chronic injury/inflammation of the ischial tuberosity that I do not have the money to treat properly and that I refuse to completely rest. As a result, I can't do as much or as intense cardio as I would like. (I can do 45-60 min, but the long runs and interval workouts are not possible right now).

I don't do long-term, detailed workout planning, but I have a strong intuitive sense of my overall plan and I have a purpose for each workout. I never do the same workout 2 days in a row--each workout is based on whatever the needs are for that day--either a particular stimulus, a performance test, or recovery. I also cycle though different periods, esp in my strength workouts. One phase features high-intensity, low reps (3-5RM), and moderate volume, one medium intensity, higher volume and one lower-intensity, compound body-weight type exercises, also incorporating bands, balls and a step. In the past few months I have been trying to incorporate more compound, crossfit type moves into my routine, but I do so very gradually in order to avoid injury--that is one my concessions to age I also probably don't focus on strength training as much as I should--I really enjoy cardio and so I let that take preference--and I will be the first to admit that there are plenty of days where my strength workout suffers because I just run out of energy. (Just because I know what to do doesn't mean I always do it )

Like everyone else, I am an experiment of one, so I constantly assess and evaluate what I am doing to make sure what I am doing makes sense.