Welcome to all of our #shredheads doing the September Challenge, both Team Jillian and Team Bob…WOO!

Today I want to share with you how I’m making 30 Day Shred (Level 1) harder.  If you’re just beginning, you probably aren’t going to be interested in making it harder, and you may want to read how I modify it to make it easier on the knees.  But if you’ve been doing it for a while, or if you’ve gotten used to doing longer (and therefore more intense) DVDs *cough*Bob*cough* you might want to try some of these modifications to bump up the intensity a bit.

Circuit 1

Pushups: Unmodified pushups are already pretty hard, but if you’re looking for extra oomph, do a t-stand between pushups.  At the top of the pushup (when your arms are straight), twist to one side taking one arm and pointing it at the ceiling.  Leave the other arm on the ground.  If you’re really gung ho, do the pushups with one foot off the ground.

Shoulder press/squat: Make sure you’re doing a full squat (it’s easy to cheat) and that you aren’t dropping the weights too low.  If it’s still too easy, either increase the weights or speed things up.  Nothing says you have to go at their pace.

Jumping jacks: Go faster, and/or use weights (only raise your hands to the shoulders if you’re using weights).

Jumprope: Try to jump higher and actually move your arms in little circles.  It’s sort of easy to just use your wrists, but if you get your arms moving correctly you’ll feel it in your biceps.

Crunches: Do a chest press while you’re crunching.

Circuit 2

Rows: Instead of keeping your feet together, do a lunge, but keep all your weight on the front foot…that’ll make your quad burn after about 0.01 seconds. Then, instead of your palms facing each other, have your palms face down.  Pull your shoulder blades together and pull your elbows back to do a row.  Go faster.  (Yes, I stole this one from Bob Harper’s Inside Out Method)

Lunge/bicep curl: Normally you do the curl while you’re lunging forward/down.  For some reason (for me) it’s more challenging when I do the curl as I’m pushing back to standing.

Butt kicks: Change it to high knees.  For a real challenge, do standing mountain climbers.  That’s high knees, but while you’re doing those punch your arms in the air.  When your left knee comes up, punch your right hand straight up.  Reverse it for the right knee.  Yeah.

Punches: Honestly, these do nothing for me.  When I use weights, they sort of go from being too easy to being impossible.  I like to replace these with jump squats.  Squat way down, swing your arms up and jump up as high as you can.  Keep it a fluid motion, and DON’T STOP.

Oblique crunches: I haven’t modified these yet, but if you need to you can hold a weight in your hands behind your head to make it a bit tougher.

Circuit 3

Dumbell flyes: Make this harder by mixing it with a pike crunch.  Start by lying flat on your back, arms straight out to your sides, legs straight out with your toes pointed a few inches off the floor.  As you bring the weights up (keeping your arms straight), bring both feet up until your feet are pointed up to the ceiling.  Lower them back down as you lower the weights.  If this is too much, do the left leg the first time through, the right leg the second. (I got this from Jillian’s NMTZ DVD).

Side lunge/front raise: The only way I’ve got to make this harder is to increase the weights.  I’d love to hear your ideas, though!

Cardio: Modify these as you did previously.

Bicycle Kicks: Keep your legs low while you do these, with controlled movements.  Try keeping your leg bent NO MORE than 90 degrees as you bring it toward yourself.  Watch how Anita does them…when she brings her knee toward her chest, her foot is higher in the air than Natalie’s.  I find this WAY harder.

I think you’ll find if you do these modifications, Level One will be significantly more challenging.  But I’m curious to know what you think – do you modify anything to make it harder?