Jillian Michaels Extreme Shed & Shred

I got my copy early today (thanks UPS!) so I thought I would share.I've only done level one of the workout and WHEW, do I feel accomplished. Jillian begins the video by stating that she encourages you to do both levels of the workout back to back. She got the side eye from me because that simply wasn't happening, at least the first time around. I'm quite sure I could work up to it, because this workout is FUN (please note that I generally hate cardio). I hurled a of couple four letter words at her through out the workout, but never wanted to stop. Some of the movements are a bit ODD, but I'm not a boxer and I've never done jiu jitsu so it makes sense. In Jillian fashion, you complete each circuit twice. Level one ends around 35 mins. At this point Jillian asks if you want to move on to the next level. If not, you can finish with a 5 minute warm up. I previewed level two and there are a ton of new moves. Level two is about 45 mins if you skip the warm up (same one from level 1). Jillian adds modifications throughout (So glad to see Basheera back--love her) for higher and lower levels of difficulty. If you aren't in shape I would imagine that you wouldn't enjoy this workout at first. If you're a Jillian fan who follows the previous videos, you will love it.Heres the breakdown of the LevelsLevel ONECircuit OneBurpees with a lateral jumpDown Dog Isometric StretchBoxing Combo PunchesHindu SquatsCircle RunsCircuit TwoKick boxing round kicksCrunches on side plank (<---incredibly hard)Running ManDragon Stance (cross legged squat..hard to explain)Jab Elbow Kickboxing sequenceCircuit ThreeLunge w/ chop (need a dumbbell)Butt Kicks (while holding dumbbell)Samurai SquatsFront/Back kick comboGood MorningsCircuit ThreeCapoeria MoveSun SalutationsSpeed BagTraveling SquatsLevel TWOCircuit OneSingle leg squats with a lower to plankPlank, push up, jack comboLeg raises in reverse plankTable pose with arm and leg extensionReverse crunches with toe tapsCircuit TwoAlternating side lungesAb hold with a raise into plankTraveling planksWarrior two pose up to warrior threeSingle leg mountain climbersCircuit ThreeStatue of libertySquat swings with a dumbbell passRenegade rows with a leg raiseHops (squats to the floor with a plyo lateral jump up)Russian TwistsCircuit FourHigh kness into a burpeeHip hists into a push up (old school wrestling move)Bridge with a dumb bell raiseBridge into a wheelFrog planks into squatsCircuit FiveIsometric morning glory stretchSquat jumpsHolding Triangle PoseJumping lunges

I am a HUGE fan of Jillian Michaels. I love her style of workouts and I own ALL of her DVDs, unless there are some out there that I don't know about yet! I ordered this DVD as soon as it was available for pre-order on Amazon and waited on pins & needles for it to arrive!As soon as it arrived in the mail, I sat down & watched the whole DVD - Level 1, Level 2, and then the Level 1&2 together option. Wow! I couldn't wait to try it! I did Level 1 on Tues (day before yesterday) and, like a lot of others, I found that it was not as hard as I had expected. Jillian says in the beginning, 'We're gonna have fun with this workout' and she was right! It was VERY different - lots of new moves, a few old moves revamped, and a mix of moves from yoga & various martial arts. It was challenging, but not so much so that it was overwhelming. I thoroughly enjoyed it!I did Level 2 this morning and...wow...! It wasn't quite as cardio-intensive as some of her other workouts (something that some folks have complained about here in the reviews section) but there are definitely cardio intervals and the strength moves are HARD...VERY challenging! I even found a couple of the static poses to be pretty tough. I usually find myself doing intermediate versions of her exercises; sometimes I can even do the advanced versions. In THIS workout, I was doing mostly the beginner versions. No problem though - it gives me plenty to work toward!Now that I've done both levels, I'm thinking that Level 1 is probably signicantly easier than Level 2 because she wants us to do them back-to-back. If Level 1 was off-the-charts hard, not many people would do that.For both workouts, I have to say that, even though they are quite a bit longer that her other recent workouts, the time went FAST!If I was able to change just one thing about this DVD, I'd like to see different warm-ups & cool downs for Level 1 & Level 2, and a third different (extended) warm-up & cool down for the bad asses who do the Level 1 & 2 together option!(On a Side note: I was surprised to find that the side plank crunches (in Level 1) were not as hard as I thought they'd be...probably because of those side plank knee raises from 6 week 6 pack, which were really hard for me at first but are getting progressively easier the more I do that workout! Thanks, Jillian!)All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this workout & it will definitely be a regular in my workout schedule...along w/30-Day Shred, Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, No More Trouble Zones, Shred it w/Weights, Yoga Meltdown, 6 week 6 pack, Ripped in 30, Killer Buns & Thighs, and the Biggest Winner 5-DVD set: Shape of Up Front, Shape Up Back, Full Frontal, Back in Action, and Cardio Kickbox!