Review of Jillian Michaels' 6 Week Six-Pack DVD

You want to get ripped abs? Me too.

Jillian Michaels's latest fitness DVD, 6 Week Six-Pack, is a workout video for getting a flat, chiseled midsection in 6 weeks. It follows in the footsteps of the earlier Jillian Michaels videos, such as 30 Day Shred, No More Trouble Zones, and Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, with the same, no-nonsense, tough-love motivational style that she brings to the hit TV show The Biggest Loser.

The 6 Week Six-Pack DVD contains 2 workouts, Level 1 and Level 2. Each exercise routine is 35 minutes, including warmup and cooldown.

Jillian recommends that you stick with Level 1 for three weeks, and then move on to Level 2 for three weeks, working out 5 times a week. Sticking to a healthy diet is also suggested - customized plans are available at www.jillianmichaels.com.

You'll need a single hand weight (from 3 to 8 pounds, for kettlebell-style moves) and a mat.

I'd been using level 1 of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD as maintenance, to keep that last 5 pounds from returning, after having completed the full 30 Day Shred program last year (10 days at each of Levels 1, 2, and 3).

To change things up a bit, I recently decided to give 6 Week Six-Pack a try.

As with the previous Jillian Michaels DVDs, there are two trainers in the background - Maddie to demonstrate the beginner modifications, and Basheerah to demonstrate the advanced versions of the exercises. You'll recognize Maddie and Basheerah from Jillian's Yoga Meltdown and Shred-It With Weights DVDs.

This workout starts out fast, with a warmup consisting of dynamic stretching and cardio intervals that start to work your core immediately.

After the warmup, it's time for the main workout, which consists of one 15-minute circuit, that is completed twice. This circuit contains core-focused cardio intervals with squats, twists, and lunges, interspersed with ab-toning matwork, including a variety of crunches that work your abs from every angle. Both the cardio and strength moves make use of the plank position. Intermediate and advanced exercisers will need the hand weight for some of the cardio moves.

For the cooldown, you get to stay on the mat - no need to stand up for this one.

You'll recognize some of the exercises from Levels 2 and 3 of the 30 Day Shred, such as supermans, plank jacks, and mountain climbers.

This is also the first time I've heard Jillian huffing and puffing on her own DVDs. Jillian also really enjoys pushing Basheerah, who's demonstrating the advanced moves, illustrating that you can always kick it up a notch by adding weights, even to the matwork.

This is quite a fun DVD to work out to.

I feel that my core has been getting a serious workout, as my abs are on fire at certain points during the workout. I'd never realized that there are that many kinds of crunches. For some of the exercises, I'm able to try out the advanced versions instead of the intermediate or beginner versions. By the time the last side plank exercise comes along, however, I feel like I'm a goner.

The morning after I first tried Level 1, it hurt to get out of bed, laugh, or sneeze. Muscles I didn't know I had were in agony! I had to ice my abs before I could proceed with the rest of my day, but it felt totally worth it.

My shoulders, arms, glutes, and thighs have also gotten a workout, albeit a lighter one than the 30 Day Shred. Once I've added the hand weight to the cardio circuits, I may be revising that comparison with the Shred.

(Update: I was right about the hand weight - the cardio moves that look and feel relatively simple with no weights certainly feel more challenging with just a single 3-pound hand weight.)

The variety of moves keeps things interesting. As the circuit is a 15-minute circuit performed twice, it feels less repetitive than the 30 Day Shred, which consists of 90- and 60-second circuits performed twice.

Level 2 really kicks it up a notch - even beginners will need their hand weight.

This workout really takes off with a warmup containing high-impact core-focused cardio intervals, including jogging and skaters.

The main workout consists of high-energy cardio intervals with twists and lunges, mixed in with a smaller amount of matwork than in Level 1. Twists and lunges are frequently combined, all while keeping the hand weight in motion, sometimes kettlebell-style. On the mat, only a few types of crunches will be performed. Instead, the most noteworthy matwork will be the plank work, consisting of plank twists, moguls (similar to plank jacks), T-stands with a kick out to the side, and mountain climbers. As with Level 1, the entire main circuit is performed twice, with the second pass-through at double-time, before moving on to the same cooldown as Level 1.

In contrast to Level 1, ALL three trainers look winded at various points during the workout. It's rare to see Basheerah with a grimace rather than a smile, but I spotted it briefly.

This was a brutal workout. You'll need Jillian's tough-love motivational style to see you through to the end of Level 2.

Though both levels are 35 minutes, Level 2 seems to fly by much faster than Level 1, as you're moving at a very fast pace for a greater proportion of the time, due to the increased proportion of cardio. If you're uncoordinated, it may take a few sessions to keep up with the many twisting moves that work on those obliques. If you have knee problems, you may need to take it easy during the more high-impact intervals or the lunge segments. I can't seem to perform the T-stands with a kick without falling - rolling from side plank to side plank is difficult enough without adding in a cheery kick.

On my first day of Level 2, sweat dripped off my face during cooldown. I haven't sweated this much since 30 Day Shred Level 3! The day after I first tried Level 2, I could barely walk or sit down, as my glutes were killing me. My shoulders are still feeling it every day. Three weeks of this is unimaginable!