I'm going to do this in stages as I finish each part. I am a medic and have a lot of strength in some areas, not as much in others. I did the 30 day shred while I was in Afghanistan and it was too cold to walk to the gym. I didn't get shredded, but I got a lot stronger. I wanted to do something a little more lengthy. Happened to catch this on a lightning deal and bought it.You don't need a lot of equipment. Weights, a resistance band (I bought one from Wal Mart), and a yoga mat. The work outs are 30 min each, give or take 5 min, so even I've managed to do them every day as I should with a 14 hour shift in there. I always watch a work out before I do it so I can get a feel for the moves and go through some of them if I don't understand them. This way I'm not wasting time when I do the actual work out.I'll be honest... I find the meal plan to be a bit of a joke. Maybe if you're really not active 1200 calories a day is enough. If a meal plan leaves me hungry then I'm not going to stick with it. I usually try to stick around 1600 a day and have made an effort to eat better, cleaner (Not always easy in my line of work), but 1200 a day is going to make me want to gnaw my arm off. There's also no consideration for people who don't work a typical job with access to a microwave or who doesn't work 9-5. I've had to adjust accordingly.Weeks 1 & 2: I started this on a different day so I actually did this one for about 2 and a half weeks. I was sore for the first week LOL. So much for those muscles I thought I had! The cardio DVD is tough. I didn't manage to do everything the first time, but I'm almost there. The suicides suck. A lot. Workout 1 and 2 are good workouts. Nothing that isn't doable and there isn't a lot of plyo involved. You're still doing stuff in each group and a few groups that do combine upper and lower body. I was sweating buckets at the end of each work out. I see more definition in my arms and shoulders now.Weeks 3 & 4: Cardio stays the same, but don't let that fool you. I'm still panting like a crazy person when I'm done with it and getting thru the suicides is still tough. These two weeks have a lot more weights involved, which isn't a bad thing. There are times she tells you to move to lower weights as well (Some of them I could do with heavier weights so I did). can't remember what she called them, but the tricep dips in crab position really hurt my wrists and shoulders for some reason, so I swapped to doing them on the edge of the couch, which gave me a lot more range of motion. She probably sees it as a cheat, but oh well. Workout 3 had a lot of yoga moves, which I wouldn't mind, but she whips through them very fast and I feel like you can't get good form trying to keep up. The crescents for instance, I was barely up and her people were moving to the next one. This I didn't like at all. Also, I can't do tree pose sitting still.... holding and moving weights, yeah... not so much for me. (Seriously, I've ALWAYS had issues with this pose, don't know why) Week 4 is also challenging, tho I feel like I need to up my weights for biceps (I've been using 8). You add some jump stuff here as well, but it's not hardcore. Most of it is pretty gentle.Phase 1 done. I'm stronger for sure. LOL and maybe a little scared of phase 2Weeks 5 & 6: Ok, here is where those who aren't into the jump stuff are going to have a problem. We're also into super sets, which means you don't do a muscle then give it a rest. You sort of hammer it until you can't move it anymore. I have less problem with the bicep work out than the tricep. Seriously, I really feel like I need another week with this one. Especially the tri workout. I can't finish it without stopping at some point along the way. And I still really struggle with the crab position. Both of these are HARD workouts. Unfortunately I spend a lot of the one leg moves trying to keep my balance, so I feel like I missing out on parts of the work out... And it doesn't seem to be getting better. Perhaps balance just ins't my thing? And the second cardio workout? I'm not sure I even want to talk about it yet.I'm now half way through this. I can honestly say my upper body is more lean and toned. I see a lot more definition in my arms and shoulders especially. Jillian would probably really annoy me if she were here in person, but overall I don't mind her here. There are a few times where I find her obnoxious. And I'm pretty much over her reference to skinny jeans. It seems to put emphasis on doing a workout to look good instead of to change your health. Or that everyone should aspire to wear skinny jeans, even if it's not your thing. I don't like how it comes across as the end all be all.This is a workout. If you're not sweating when you're done, I suspect you're doing it wrong. If you can raise your arms above your head easily, you are either a bigger person than me or you're doing it wrong. During one workout she makes a comment about are you a pansy... honestly, I really want to tell her yes, yes I am.It's kind of nice to note that her own people are struggling with these workouts too. You can see many of her own people lagging, or not getting their legs up as high, etc. It sort of makes me feel a little better.Weeks 7 & 8: These two are tough. And you're really getting into a lot of jump moves. I felt the Warrior 3 pose on workout 8 was a bit advanced. I can't do it, let alone with weights. She seems to jump into the balance stuff but that is obviously not my strong point. Over all I really enjoy workout 8 (With the exception of the warrior 3 pose). There are only a few things I drop to the 3 lb weights for, even when she tells you to. I usually use 5 when those things hit, but the jump rope with weights I drop to 3 on. Watch your form. You're doing a lot of moving and it's easy to twist something if you aren't paying attention. I'm not happy with the cool down in workout 8... only two excerises and the bicep stretches feel useless. I'd rather have a glutes stretch, especially after that last set.Cardio 2: Ow. Just ow. You're down to 30 second intervals on your cardio sets but they are pretty intense. 3 sets of these. I can get thru the first set... second set I always seem to be lagging.... and third set honestly feels a little shorter and I can get thru most of it ok. I hate crossjacks. Just saying. The thing that really bothers me with this one is that she doesn't do everything in the same order all three times and it sort of throws me off a bit. You're also not really getting much in the way of recovery time here. Not any more. Honestly I need a few seconds to get the feeling back in my legs LOL. This really hammers your quads in a big way and at some point I just can't feel them anymore.My work out was interrupted by an event, so I've stuck with 7 & 8 for an extra week and a half or so. I didn't get to work out for a week and jumping into something new seemed like a bad idea. So I'll finish out the week with 7 & 8 then move on. I was surprised I wasn't nearly as sore as I expected when I went back to it. Yes, a bit sore, but nothing like when you start. YAY for progress. Also, I was involved in some photoshoots during my workout hiatus and the photographer (Who knows me) commented on the muscle tone I have now.Weeks 9 & 10: Crap. Holy crap. These are just HARD. We're pretty much done with lifting weights really. You add a lot of light weight to jumps, but the basic lifting is pretty much gone. Which sucks because honestly, I enjoyed it. If you can't do the plyo you're going to be in trouble. There's also a lot of balance work here, and honestly, I don't feel like you were prepped enough for it by any means. I spend more time fighting the moves on some of them than doing them because I just can't hold my balance like that. My biggest complaint tho, is that the cool downs sort of suck. You are hard core on your inner thighs for 9, but she never does a single inner thigh stretch. And even after this long that silly bicep stretch doesn't do anything for me. You are WORKING on these I feel like the cool down doesn't even come close to touching what you've done.Cardio 3: This one is a beast. Even her own people are lagging seriously on this one. She changes the order between sets and even drops a few of the moves a few times, skipping them all together. This annoys me to no end. I assume this is bad editing on someone's part and I'm not sure how it got missed. This is insanely fast and hard on the knees. I flat out dislike this one for a lot of reasons, and yes, part of it is because it is insanely hard. She admits it's a hard work out and watching her own people lag is a little comforting. As with some of the others, there comes a point where your muscles are so over taxed that you literally just can't work them because you have no strength left. I'm only half way thru doing this one, so I'll likely have more to stay about it later.I'm hitting the last 2 weeks in this and the one thing I can say is that I truly wish there was a disc with it that shows ALL the moves. In these later work outs some of the moves aren't explained well and you try to figure them out but then you're wasting the work out. The balance moves are especially hard for me and I would have liked a chance to do them a bit before throwing them into a workout. I watch all the workouts before hand, but I still feel this would be incredibly useful. I'm not a workout guru, and the extra time it takes to learn a move is likely to give me a better work out.Weeks 11 & 12: More tough workouts. Perhaps a little less balance focus than other things... still a lot of jumping. I actually kind of think the set before these were harder, but these aren't easy either. I did go back to the heavier weights with these two weeks and didn't have any real issues with that. She does toss in some of the old school, basic muscle building curls and such. Which was nice LOL. It's fast paced, but she does use many things from Cardio 3, but varies them without explaining that. So if you're used to doing them the way Cardio 3 does them, you'll be off.Overall this is a tough, good workout. I built a lot of muscle with this and I am definitely stronger. I do not feel the diet is in any way sustainable, which to me presents a bit of a problem. I understand the kick starter part of it the first week, but after that adjustments should have been made IMO. If that diet isn't sustainable, then why are they pushing it? Hence me not doing it.Now that I've finished, I'm trying to decide if I want to start over and start doing the harder variants of the moves, or if I want to go to something new. This is a tough three months, but it's a good workout. IMO you should see results as long as you aren't entirely crazy with your diet. I did find portions of it obnoxious and I'd probably want to punch Jillian in the face if she were here in person. I do think this set was worth the money and plan on keeping it around.My story, followed by some killer tips for using this life-changing routine:MY STORY:Jillian Michaels has changed my life over and over again. When I was just starting college, I bought some of her discs for the first time to help me lose the last 25 lbs. of high school weight gain. And I lost that 25 lbs. in under 5 months. For the next 8 years, I was a size 4/6, super-powered trail runner who did Jillian Micahels several days a week. She put me in the best shape of my life, inside and out.Then I got sick. Really, really sick. The kind of sick where they send you to Mayo Clinic and keep you there for 3 straight weeks in physical rehabilitation and say the best you can hope for is to work part-time at a low stress job—you'll never be healthy or able to handle much strain again. Before my diagnosis, I was so horribly sick with no treatment options that I gained about 90 lbs., including 60 lbs. in 4 months. How is that even physically possible?At Mayo Clinic, they had me walk 6 minutes without stopping and do stretches, some basic strength exercises, and use a recumbent stationary bike. After the program, they said I had to do this same set of things 3 days a week for 6 months before even *thinking* about adding any other kind of physical exertion (not just exercise, mind you—I wasn't supposed to carry boxes or reach for things on higher shelves!).My first thought was: I refuse to live this way. I know what the problem is now and I understand it as best as anyone can (still a rather mysterious syndrome), but their "solution" (barely living) is garbage. So, who did I turn to? My trusty, old friend: Jillian Michaels. I'd purchased this set right when I got sick in order to try to get my strength back up, but it had been hopeless then, since my body was on an inexplicable, untreated spiral. But now...After 3 months of their stupid (but necessary) exercises, I felt strong enough to TRY. "Just try one" Jillian Michaels says in so many of her videos. That's how you get stronger! You have to try! For the next 2 months, I did Workouts 1 and 2 with Cardio 1. Not 2 weeks. 2 months. And the first 2 weeks, my back literally crunched when I tried to do anything with impact. So, I did jumprope on a mini trampoline. But did I get stronger? I GOT STRONGER. Impossibly stronger, the kind of stronger Mayo Clinic told me was impossible! And once I discovered Beginner Shred, my results jumped into overdrive (it's a great workout to get you up to Body Revolution, if you need something even-more-beginner).I lost 24 lbs. in my first 3 months on Body Revolution and Beginner Shred working out just 3-4 days per week with an adjusted and healthier by not quite Jillian Michaels-level diet.So, I began dropping the weight, improving my endurance dramatically, and REVERSING THE SYMPTOMS of the syndrome that had destroyed my life. Now, two years later, I finished a graduate program and I'm employed full-time, successful, and getting crazy healthy! All things Mayo Clinic said I'd never do! THANK YOU, JILLIAN!HOW TO USE BODY REVOLUTION:• BEGINNER: If you stay on Workout 1 and 2 for more than 3 weeks because you've tried Workout 3 and it's too hard: Get Beginner Shred, do that, and come back• MODIFIERS: If you just can't do something, investigate how to modify it (either online or through other workout DVDs). Push yourself. Keep trying the real way periodically until you can do it. (I had to do my jumprope on a mini trampoline at first to kill impact, but it got me there!)• EQUIPMENT: (1) Hand weights. (2) Optional: Cable and mat. Details: Most cable exercises can be done with hand weights, particularly if you get a set that's 10 or 12+ lbs. There is only one exercise in the first few weeks that *requires* a cable (rowers): You can definitely get started without a cable. I always recommend CAP neoprene hex weights; they are insanely durable, have great grips, and won't roll around. For cables, I recommend heavier than they're using (I also use a much shorter cable; I find the long ones are just harder to max out on).• CARDIO: If Cardio 1 bores you because of the 1-minute intervals, stick with it for 1 week and then move on to Cardio 2 or substitute Kickbox Fastfix Workout 2 (full-on cardio, very effective, and not boring in the slightest). If you're advanced, you can also substitute the cardio workouts from Bodyshred for more variety.• ADVANCED: Start combining workouts in Body Revolution with workouts in Jillian Michael's Bodyshred. I started with combining Bodyshred 1-2 with Body Revolution 6-9. Doing these back-to-back gives you insane results and a whole new kind of fun challenge!This series WILL change your life. And if you want more, get more! I have an entire library of Jillian Michaels now...MY TOP 5 JILLIAN MICHAELS RECOMMENDATIONS:Skip the out-dated, unbalanced 30-Day Shred and really kick it with these!1. Killer Arms & Back and the rest of the Killer series (except Killer Cardio)—fun moves, totally balanced combos, and unbelievable results2. Extreme Shed & Shred (intermediate/advanced)—Brazilian jiu-jitsu really shakes it up! (If these are too long for you at about 40-45 minutes, check out 10-Minute Body Transformation 1 & 2 for some more fun variety.)3. Kickbox Fastfix—Workout 2 is one of my favorite *cardio* workouts ever—fun, effective, different (it's 99% kickboxing), and just 20 minutes (for those days when 10 minutes might as well be a million dollars)4. Beginner Shred—as beginner workouts, this DVD conquers the world; it can take you from *nothing*, even injury, right up to any JM workout5. Body Revolution & Bodyshred—the Bodyshred series (advanced) kicks ass, and will get you crazy results. The cardio workouts are crazy fun and challenging, too. Once you're intermediate/advanced, combining these series' is awesome!Beginner Shred & Body Revolution together are the best way to go from no/low-fitness to amazing!BODY REVOLUTION vs. 21-DAY FIX:If you're considering 21-Day Fix from Beach Body—seriously, don't. I tried it. Boring (1-minute intervals with breaks and so little variety—only 7 workouts you repeat until you die of boredom), too easy (!), and not very effective! Plus, they advertise to you *constantly* (including during workouts!) and a single extra disc in the series will cost you as much as the 7-workout series (their 7 workouts cost as much or more than all of Body Revolution!—depending on varying prices)! The only workout from that series worth anything is Pilates Fix, and it's practically useless for weight loss.I actually gained weight and lost muscle on 21-Day Fix. I did gain a little flexibility, though (Pilates). But it threw off my progress for months with its weird dieting rules and horribly ineffective workouts. Just *investigate* how to eat healthy (healthy, sustainable life changes, not fad diets), work on eating healthier, drop whatever you're addicted to (in my case, pizza and diet soda, and also cheese when I'm really dropping weight), and kick ass with Jillian! Even if you can only do 2 days a week, you'll see remarkable results with Jillian Michaels (but 4-6 days will get you there fast!).Now, go forth, and change your life! :D Thank you, Jillian!!This pack is just brilliant. Not for the faint hearted, you have to work hard - but it's a very inspirational workout. Very good price, and the extras are great too.Amazing product, easy to use! 3 month programme to get you into shape! Easy steps increasing the intensity of the exercises! Love it !great product and serviceThis is really hard but it gets serious results.Really excellent Gillian is the best !!!!!!!