Staff Picks Blog

I never had the impression that Jillian Michaels was a yoga person.  Her other DVDs, like 30-day Shred and Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism show a tough, intense instructor who seems to love circuit and interval training.  When I think of Jillian Michaels, I think of surrenders, push-ups, and plank-twists, not warrior 2.  Now that I have tried her new DVD, Yoga Meltdown, I still have the impression she is not a yoga person.

Of course, Yoga Meltdown isn’t really a straightforward yoga DVD.  There is a twist.  Ms. Michaels takes traditional yoga poses, like chair or bow pose and adds 15-20 repetitions with a 15 second hold at the end.  Although this is challenging, I personally think holding some of these poses for 20-30 seconds is even more difficult than “rep-ing it out.”  I also think that Ms. Michaels doesn’t caution users enough, especially in difficult poses like the wheel or the crane pose.  There is a beginner modification, but Jillian Michaels is all about pushing people to go beyond their expectations, so one needs to approach some of these moves carefully.  There are two 30-minute workouts, a Level One and Level Two.

Honestly, if you are curious to try one of her workout DVDs, you can’t go wrong with No More Trouble Zones.  It is tough 50 minute workout with seven circuits of high repetitions but with low weights.  This type of training is what Ms. Michaels does best.

If you are interested in the idea of blending repetition with yoga moves, try Ellen Barrett’s Yogini.  Ms. Barrett also adds pulses and movement to a number of poses, including bow and warrior 2.   With Yogini, you are constantly moving, which adds a cardio element to the stretch and strength components of yoga.