Hi--

I notice on Jillian's latest dvds (thirty day shred & no more trouble zones), she lifts 3 lb dumbbells to get results.

Does anyone who follow Jillian's dvds use the 3lbs dumbbells or do they lift heavier dumbbells for the duration of above mentioned dvds?

(*Btw, do you really get results/muscle definition by only lifting 3lbs several times a week on Jillian's dvds?)

thanks!

~ tea

I have 3 lb and 5 lb ones handy. I use 3 lbs on a lot of things, but grab the 5's for things like biceps or rows. I have tried to use the 5's for the whole video but they get a little too heavy, especially on things like triceps.

I guess it is like a goal, to be able to use 5 lbers for the whole video.

I do question the effectiveness of only 3 lbs too. My work is pretty strenuous some days though, and by the time I work out at night, 3 is sometimes about all that left in me

I just bought one of her new ones (No more trouble zones) and have only previewed it so far.
She actually comments about her using 3lb weights and she said it's because there are so many reps.
She probably doesn't want to wear herself out either for the video's sake.

The only way to see if your muscles will respond is to try it.
I use 2.5lbs and sometimes will go up to 5's.
So, try it for awhile and see if it works for you

I use 3's right now but I'm sure using varied sizes for different exercises are ok too in order to see results. But it is such high reps so you'll probably want to start off on the lower end and build up. Plus changing in between exercises can be pretty annoying too.

I use 3lbs weights for NMTZ and 30 day shred. Right now those are the prefect weight for me...not to easy and not to hard

Jillian has said all of her workouts are aimed towards weightloss and uses light weights to prevent overtraining. Some moves in NMTZ looks like you could heavy up.

I'm not sure if they are really aimed at building muscle though? She looks buff and has said she sticks to cardio and mostly bodyweight exercises herself. I guess doing some pushup and planks are enough for some people's body to get toned.

I was using 5lb and 8lb dumbbells for 30 day shred. I would think that since she is doing multiple video tapings, she probably wouldn't want to use heavy weights.

She says using your own body weight is one of the best ways to get shredded especially if you don't want to bulk up since some people are just naturally bulky like herself.

Body weight is awesome but sometimes difficult to achieve properly like pushups and pullups are the best upper body exercises you can do. To achieve the perfect pullup and pushup aren't the easiest although both are attainable over time. You won't bulk up with 5, 10, 15lb dumbbells. You'll bulk up by using heavy weights for long period of time and eating excess calories.

I get what you're saying Nellie. I was just saying what I've heard her clarify before about body weight exercises and her personal preferences. She says for her personally she rather do body weight exercises like several different variations of push-ups to train chest, shoulders, triceps, etc rather than work weights sometimes because she doesn't want her arms to get any bulkier. But for most people it does take a long time of lifting heavy and a calorie surplus, but for others who are just naturally bulky would prefer lower weights or body weight exercises. I know I personally don't want to bulk up because I already have a gymnasts muscular body under all my fat lol I just want to work my muscles to keep them toned.

I too have a muscular body under all my fat but it has never made me bigger than I already am. I've only lost inches over the course of my weight loss. And I've used a lot of weight. When I first started working out in the gym, I would work out 4-5 days/week with weights and I'd lift very heavy, well over 100 lbs on many exercises. (600lbs of weight for leg presses, 150lbs for chest press, etc) I gained strength but not bulk. One of the reasons is that your muscles already have 'bulk' while being inactive. The average person uses a small amount of their potential muscle. Using weights can increase the amount of muscle you use without increasing the size of the muscle. The benefit is the now active muscle burns more calories.

Also the one benefit of muscle is if you ever do find yourself too bulky, you just lay off the weights and the muscle will go away. As we age, muscle naturally goes away.

A LOT of fitness instructors lift lighter weights in their videos than they do in their REAL workouts. This is mainly because they want to be able to smile, talk, have energy through the entire session, etc. They don't want to be in the video grunting, exhaling sharply, etc.

If you are new to her videos and strength training, yes, you are going to see some results with the 3 lb. weights. However, once those weights are no longer a struggle for you, then it is time to move up to a heavier size. This will make your body improve even more.

Like a lot of other people have said I use different weights for different strength moves. For example. I use 8 pounds for rows and overhead presses. 5 pounds for bicep curls. And I use 3 pounds for lateral raises. I am stronger in different areas and if i tried to use 8 pounds on the lateral raises I would hurt myself. On the other hand if I use 5 pounds on the chest flys I'm not challenging my muscles.

I think It's all about how much weight challenges you without losing form or hurting yourself. If that means you use 3 different weights great. You have to get creative to make the video work for your needs.

I do this same thing in some videos that I do, that I know well. I use heavier weights for chest flyes/presses, bicep curls, etc. and slightly lighter weights for shoulders and triceps.

I use 10s for the floor exercises on the 30DS. I use 5s while doing the punches on her cardio kickboxing workout.

Outside of her DVDs, I use 25s in the gym because my goal is to build massive bis, tris, delts and pecs because my upper arms are very fat, and I want to have as little loose hanging skin as possible. Of the two, I'd rather have massive muscles than hanging skin. My goal is to work up to the 40s, but that will take a while. I have a very heavy build and develop muscle easily.