30 October 2009
Burn It: Making the Cut
Last night, my sister’s friend let me borrow her copy of Making the Cut by (who else?) Jillian Michaels. The book is a 30-day program for fairly fit people who just want to tone up and lose those last 10-20 pounds. I was really excited because:
- I love Jillian with all my heart and would give my left arm for a chance to train with her (guess she wouldn’t be training my left arm, though).
- Now that my half marathon is over, I don’t really have a workout plan. Lately, I’ve been meandering through the gym, pretty much doing whatever I feel like at the moment. But what do I always tell you guys? YOU NEED TO HAVE A PLAN! That’s one of the main points of the Winter Shape Up.
- I was curious to see what kinds of recipes Jillian offers in her book.
I managed to skim most of the book last night, including taking the test for what kind of oxidizer I am (yeah, I’ll admit, I skipped most of the explanation behind that). Turns out, I’m a balanced oxidizer, but I’m fairly convinced that doesn’t mean anything. Sorry, Jill.
Anyway, my impression of the book was mixed. I was highly, highly disappointed that many of the recipes in the book contained a plethora of artificial ingredients/products, including Splenda and all these low-carb shakes and powders. I immediately knew that the Making the Cut diet plan was not for me. I’m never in favor of using artificial ingredients to cut calories.
The workout plan, however, was another story. It looks pretty kick-booty, and I’m excited to try Day 1 today at the gym. The workouts in the book are all based on circuit training, which means you do a set of exercises without rest, rest for a minute or two, and then move on to the next circuit. From what I’ve seen, the workouts in the book combine upper-body, lower-body, and core work in the same day.
Because the circuit training workouts in Making the Cut don’t include very much cardio (just some short intervals of sprints, etc.), and because I want to maintain my running stamina, I think my plan going forward will be this:
Alternate between Making the Cut (or similar circuit training) workouts and running.
Pretty simple right? On days I don’t make the cut, so to speak, I’ll run (ideally for at least 30 minutes). And vice versa. My goal is to do three days of each (with maybe one overlapping day).
My question for you guys: Has anyone tried to follow the 30-day Making the Cut program? What did you think?
