GymRa is an online personal training subscription type thing. It costs $4.99 a month but they also have a lot of free workout videos on YouTube. I liked the titles of many of them and, after previewing several of the workouts, I decided to give them a try.
The first one I tried was Tabata Extreme and I wasn’t terribly impressed with it. It is set up in traditional tabata format: 20 seconds of all out intense work alternated with 10 seconds of recovery. 8 of these 20/10 cycles is one tabata. This workout contains four 4 minute tabatas. Each tabata alternates between 2 exercises. A tabata is a HIIT workout.
Tabata Extreme is led by trainer Julia Bognar. It is set outdoors in a park with some barely audible generic music. The moves were intense and tough, and I got a good workout but I just didn’t enjoy this workout. Some of the moves were kind of awkward and I wanted more motivating and louder music. I do plan to try a few more GymRa workouts but I won’t be returning to this one.
***Update–after doing a second GymRa workout, I am reconsidering this one. I think supplying my own music might be the answer to making these workouts better. The workouts themselves are excellent, but I need more driving music for an intense HIIT workout.
For more info on GymRa and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
Tabata Extreme is 24 minutes long; 1:30 minute warm up and 1 minute cool down/stretch. Between each 4 minute tabata you get an approx 60 second break in which Julia demonstrates the exercises that will make up the tabata you are getting ready to perform.
For the exercises below, you alternate the two exercises listed, doing each one for 20 seconds with a 10 second recovery; do a total of 8 cycles.
Tabata #1:
- 4 big mogul jumps forward and 8 small/fast mogul jumps back
- Lateral jump to side, balance on one leg, come down on hands and kick one leg up in air (like a handstand), stand bringing same leg that kicked up while hopping on other leg
Tabata #2:
- Get into crab w/ one arm raised and hips lowered to a few inches off ground; you will alternate having one hand on the ground, raising hips each time you switch arms; you will push up with power (with arm/hand) while sweeping other arm all the way over to other side
- Lateral hop + diamond jump
Tabata #3:
- Start standing w/ ankles crossed, lower bottom to ground and roll back, bringing feet/legs over head, roll back up (ankles still crossed) to standing then jump, recrossing ankles with other foot in front while jumping
- One switch kick + 4 high knee runs
Tabata #4:
- Start in a deep lunge; from this position, stand, kicking back leg in front of you, returning to deep lunge then doing a 180 jump into a squat then jump right back to deep lunge
- Place one hand behind back and other hand on ground so body is in a pike; donkey kick jump feet side to side
OMG, that’s Anita from the Jillian Michael’s workouts! I did a search for her once, found almost nothing, then stumbled across her “alter ego”, Julia Bognar. Totally forgot that was the name she goes by sometimes (everywhere but Jillian Michael’s workouts?).
PS. I didn’t do the workout but watched it. This looks like this could be a really fun workout if they had had some motivating, driving beats to go along with it. The moves are really unique and interesting and look like fun to do! And, I like how she put two exercises in each tabata so you’re only doing each move 4 times instead of 8. (Tabatas sometimes/often have a high dread factor for me due to that very reason.) Too bad about the music. . .
(I wonder where she’s from. She says “Yah” a lot, like Minnesotans or Canadians. . .:) )
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That is interesting! I didn’t recognize her. I do sometimes recognize exercisers from some of Jillian’s workouts in other workouts–but obviously not her!
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Well I’ve only done 3 Jillian workouts so I don’t have that many background exercisers to remember. Natalie and Anita/Julie both appear together in Beginner Shred and 30 Day Shred. Basheera (might have misspelled her name) is in Ripped in 30 — from other preview clips I’ve seen online I think Basheera appears in quite a few other Jillian workouts. And I’ve seen Basheera in preview clip for a SELF (or is is SHAPE) workout that I ended up deciding not to purchase.
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That is so crazy! Why does Julie use a completely different name (Anita) for Jillian’s workouts?!?!?! Is her real name Julie or Anita? Whatever she calls herself, she’s in Beginner Shred and 30 Day Shred. At times (not too many) she seems exasperated at Jillian and the forthcoming exercise during 30 Day Shred. (I don’t know why as she’s doing the beginner modifier.) Is Anita/Julie in any other Jillian DVDs? I really liked Natalie in Beginner Shred — she had some moments where her personality got to shine.
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Really? I don’t remember all of Jillian’s background exercisers. Tho I do remember a few–I obviously did not recognized her!
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Hey! Julia (Anita) here:) To answer your question, Julia is my middle name and the one that I have always preferred so I started using it more after college. But, a lot of people still know me as “Anita,” so yeah, it gets confusing. But, basically, I’m both I guess❤️
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