Best home workout program?

JAT74
JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm currently doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution and although I'm only on week 2 I want to start looking at my long-term training options rather than just thinking about this as a 90 day thing. I've got lots of books about workouts for women (weight training) and looking at the right fitness programs for your body shape and lots of workout DVDs like Yoga, Aerobics, Dance etc.

The problem for me is I like the idea of a progressive program like Body Revolution where you can follow something through from start to finish which is varied enough that you don't get bored and I find I get 'lost' with what I'm doing if I don't do something like that. Individual workout DVDs I find get boring and I don't feel like I'm progressing towards something as the types of workouts I'm doing are not consistent or following some sort of pattern.

The other thing I like about Body Revolution is that each workout is only 35 minutes long so I know I can always find the time to do it each day and if I have a little more time I do an extra cardio workout on the machines like Elliptical trainer, treadmill etc.

I was wondering what other people's experiences of home fitness programs was, do you have any recommendations for when I've finished this that is similar or would you recommend following a workout in a particular book?

I don't really care what I do long-term as long as it's enough to keep things interesting so that I don't get bored. I also want something that will be at a similar level of difficulty to Body Revolution but also a similar length. I think that if the workouts are longer it's harder to stick with it consistently.

Any suggestions?

Replies

  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Bump!
  • BrawlerBella
    BrawlerBella Posts: 400 Member
    Hello I finished BR and currently on Week 4 of Insanity. After that my plans are Les Mills Combat.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    couch 2 5k. but you need to do it outside or with a treadmill.
  • mattagascar
    mattagascar Posts: 708 Member
    I've done a few and P90x is my favorite so far.
  • downinaggieland98
    downinaggieland98 Posts: 224 Member
    I really love zuzkalight.com. Short, intense workouts and some great ideas. She also just came out with a DVD series.
  • KAA1982
    KAA1982 Posts: 90 Member
    While I just started it, and had to take a week off due to bronchitis, I like New Rules of Lifting For Women.
  • wildfirediva
    wildfirediva Posts: 212
    This has been my favorite and I just use the workouts she has on her site and YouTube.

    http://zuzkalight.com/

    http://www.youtube.com/ZuzkaLight


    I am currently working on the Cereal Killer work out she has there. I can get through 1 round with good form and 2 rounds with questionable form. Just do more and better each time.....
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    You can keep using DVD's or you can build your own plans :) Building your own plans means that you can change the variety as often as you want. Getting too used to something? Well then you can change it or kick it up a notch and work it harder.

    I have already taken the step to plan out my week to have different exercises everyday but with some things the same. Like what i do before my shower and what I do right before bed, but all inbetween is different day to day and focuses on 2-3 different areas of my body each day :)

    Hope you figure out what will work out best for you.
  • mleech77
    mleech77 Posts: 557 Member
    P90X, Insanity, and their respective follow on series are always pretty popular.
  • Mama_Mila
    Mama_Mila Posts: 511 Member
    I'm all about Jillian Michaels 30 day shred...it does the trick for me, and it's only 20 minutes a day!
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
    I love my treadmill, great investment
  • StoryGirl9
    StoryGirl9 Posts: 37
    I love the Beachbody programs. P90X is great, but they make some other awesome ones too. I am currently doing Les MIlls' Combat. TurboFire is fun for cardio. P90X2 has a little of everything and has a solid focus on core. It really depends on what kind of workouts you enjoy. The most important thing is picking something you can stick too.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    i've only done p90x, insanity and asylum when it comes to work out dvds.

    all did great things for me and all were very challenging.

    p90x workouts are probably least intense but take 1 hr to 1 hr 30 min. its 3 months long

    Insanity work outs are very intense and about 45 min the first month and 1 hr the second month

    Asylum work outs are all under an hour except for one. its a month long. probably the most intense of the three.

    I'm guessing they are probably more work then you want, but if you wanted to go for it don't be affraid.

    I'd recommend ANY beach body dvd. check out Turbo fire and charlene extream.

    If you want to start with something thats a little less challenging but progressive, try slim in 6. its a six week program, and if you like it, i think she has a few add on workouts you can buy.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    The best one is the one you use consistently.
  • dnhardy
    dnhardy Posts: 59
    I'm interested in what everyone else has to say about this... Bump!
  • chunkmunk
    chunkmunk Posts: 221 Member
    I like home dvd programs too. I've done a bunch of them. Power 90, ChaLean Extreme, Turbo Fire, P90x, Insanity, and Rushfit. I do not know much about Jillian Michaels Body Revolution, but based on your post I think you might really like ChaLean Extreme or Rushfit. Both involve both cardio and strengh traning. ChaLean is 3 days of weight training (dumbbells from about 5 to 30 pounds) and 2 days of interval-based cardio. I got bored doing the same 2 cardio workouts every week, so I switch those up for other cardio sometimes. All of the workouts are between 30 and 45 minutes. I think there is an ab workout too, but I never did it (lazy). But the key is there is a schedule you follow which tells you which dvd to pop in every day, and you do it and move through the program.

    Rushfit might also interest you. It is the same thing--a dvd based program. You can follow either the beginner, intermediate, or advanced schedule. It is based on MMA training rounds, 5 rounds of 5 mins each, with a 10 min warmup and a 10 minute cooldown, so all the workouts are 45 mins. It is an 8 week program and each workout combines strengh and cardio together, and incorporates dumbbelss (I used 5-15 pounds) and lots of body weight movements. It is killer on your core and lots of fun. Plus Georges St. Pierre provides some serious eye candy.

    Also, if money is an issue, fitnessblender.com has at least 2 different 8 week fat loss programs, where you do a dfferent (free) workout every day from their site. I've never done the full program, but I've tried the workouts and they are fun.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    This guy offers an eBook, but you can also join his website where he creates a different workout every week and has detailed instruction on how to perform it

    http://www.maxworkouts.com/workouts_for_men/

    you'd probably need a lot of equipment i'm not sure (thats the good thing about insanity, only need to by the dvd)

    and honestly crossfit would be about the same type of things... for free, but no instruction.
  • dadoffo
    dadoffo Posts: 379 Member
    10 minute trainer and P90x works for me.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    theres also something out there called the 'urban rebounder'.

    its a dvd workout that somehow incorporates a small trampoline lol. It sounds crazy and maybe a little dangerous but i bet its not borring.
  • timvet
    timvet Posts: 114 Member
    I have done Turbojam, Insanity, Turbofire and currenlty I am doing Chalene Extreme. I then plan to do a hybind of Turbofire and Chalene Extreme. I love Beachbody products and I highly recommend them. They are fun and very challenging. Out of all 4 that I have I love Turbofire the most!
  • reneeroberts_88
    reneeroberts_88 Posts: 31 Member
    I have turbo fire and love her. been thinking about getting the advance levels to it.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Thanks, I have a home gym and I've done my own thing until now where I've made monthly workout charts where I do different things every day and work different body parts on alternate days etc. I've had times when I've done conventional cardio on machines combined with weight training or different DVDs with cardio and weights in the gym but never for long as it's hard to do it alone. Normally I start off doing 5-6 days a week but it soon drops to 3-4 days.

    The problem for me is if I do something alone I soon lose motivation and start taking days off, especially if the workout is long. With BR I have found that I am a lot more motivated because it's 6 days a week for less than 40 minutes each and I therefore have to do all my workouts for the week in order to progress to the next week. I'm more determined than ever to do the full 90 days and I think it's definitely achievable.

    I've also got P90X from a friend but I've had a quick look at the workouts and they all seem quite long. I've suffered from injuries in the past when I've tried to do a lot of training every day so I really want to avoid that this time. I don't want to overdo it and it's easier for me to manage two short workouts (one morning, one evening) in a day rather than one long workout once a day.

    Is Insanity short like BR and does it include weights? I want to include weight training definitely. Maybe I'll try P90X after BR but don't want to find that it's too time consuming.

    I already have a treadmill in my gym as well as an Elliptical trainer and Rowing machine so I normally add in a few extra cardio workouts each week on top of whatever else I'm doing anyway.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    I use "You Are Your Own Gym" because:

    1) It's a bodyweight program with minimal equipment needs. What equipment needs there are can usually be met with readily available household items such as chairs and doors.
    2) The programs are only about 35 minutes long, some are shorter.
    3) The book provides 4 10-week programs, automatically.
    4) Variations of exercises are described, so you can make it easier or more challenging, depending on your needs.

    If you have a spartphone or iPad, the app makes things easier:
    1) It comes with the same workouts included in the book.
    2) The app lets you create your own workouts by swapping out exercises.
    3) The app handles all the timing. No worrying about forgetting to start, stop, and reset a stowpwatch.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Some great suggestions here which I will definitely look up for when I'm done with BR. I think maybe a DVD workout program is going to be best for me because it almost doesn't feel like you're doing it alone.

    At the moment I'm using dumbbells from 8-30 lbs although I have a power block system at home so could even go heavier when I get a bit stronger. I also have a lot of other equipment so everything suggested is doable for me (except the trampoline which sounds fun but dangerous!)

    I am hoping to be a lot fitter after the 90 days and stonger/leaner. My goal is to lose scale weight but also drop as much body fat as possible as I am currently at around 32%. I want something that is going to get me beach ready by the time it gets hot here again which is normally mid-end May. By the end of BR it will be mid April so after that I will be looking for something to push me to the max! I live near the beach so don't want to have to spend another summer hiding indoors, I want to be out there in my bikini showing off!!
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    A friend of mine had good luck with going onto bodyrock.tv for her workouts. That changes constantly and it's quick.
  • MomiTia
    MomiTia Posts: 94 Member
    BUMP for later

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