Day 8: Form and Function

It's Day #8 of the 30-Day Shredhead Challenge. I'm still here! Level 2 is still challenging, but today I felt a major shift. Some of the segments that I previously couldn't make it all the way through, I could finish. And some of the segments that I previously could struggle through to completion just didn't feel as hard.

I still have work to do on this level (I still haven't attempted advanced plank jacks), so here are a few things I did today to adjust:

1. As Kristen posted about a few days back, the music/Jillian's schpiel gets old fast. Today I finally activated the mute button and put on some alternative music. That improved things for sure.

2. For the segments that I could finish easily, I drew on my previous years as a gym rat to swap up moves. For example, I replaced one of the cardio segments with some kickboxing, did different ab exercises, etc., making sure to count per side to keep laterality even.

3. For the segments that I could finish but were still challenging, I concentrated on perfecting form. So for example, today I actually could finish (modified) plank jacks, so I really focused on keeping everything tight so my body was super straight (previously, as my arms fatigued I would cheat and bend my body a bit). Or for the military presses (leg extension while simultaneously doing shoulder presses) I really made sure that I was raising and extending my nondominant leg to the same level as the dominant side.

These adjustments should continue to serve me well for the next 2-3 of days, otherwise, I think I'll be ready to move on. Level 3 isn't currently available on demand, so I'm hoping it shows up soon; otherwise I'll probably have to stray from Jillian until the program becomes available.