Boost Metabolism + Muscle

Boost Metabolism + Muscle is a workout DVD by Jessica Smith that has been on my wishlist for a long time but I couldn’t decide to get it until I discovered Jessica’s YouTube channel JessicaSmithTV. I have done a lot of her free YouTube workouts and I love them–so I finally bought it. This DVD contains three 35 minute workouts: Circuit 1: Upper Focus, Circuit 2: Lower Focus and Circuit 3: Total Focus. We only get Peanut in the intro. The workouts are done by Jessica and her mom, Debbie. Debbie shows the beginner modifications.

The menu lists each Circuit individually or you can choose play all and do all of the workouts for a 1 hour and 45 minute total body workout. These are all strength workouts with a strong metabolic factor. On the back of the DVD it says “Feel free to mix and match these routines into your weekly schedule (we recommend alternating them with your favorite cardio and flexibility routines 2-4 days a week).”

***This DVD is part of Jessica’s Walk Strong 2 fitness program.***

Now that I have the intro out of the way–I am so effing impressed with this DVD. Each workout is excellent and stands on its own. In 35 minutes Jessica does a wonderful job working whatever muscle group(s) she is focusing on well–very well. However, there are several things to keep in mind to make these workouts most effective for you. The title contains the words “Boost Metabolism”–this is not just a side effect from building muscle, it is also the metabolic factor I mentioned above. Though Jessica does not rush through this workout, it is a circuit workout in which one circuit flows into the next with no breaks. About 2/3 of each workout is standing strength work. This is where the metabolic factor is happening. I was working hard and sweating during the standing strength work–my heart rate elevated, so each workout has a cardio element along with your strength training. Then she brings you to the floor for body weight strength work and core work. This is actually a working cool down. You are still working hard but your heart rate lowers so when it is time for the cool down stretch you are probably still sweating but you’re not breathing hard anymore.

This flowing circuit structure may cause some issues with swapping out your dumbbells, so have your dumbbells and weight chart (if you use one like I do) very close by. I know a lot of people come to DVD workouts and think they should only change dumbbells when the trainer changes dumbbells but the weight you are lifting should suit the strength of the muscle group you are working. So an 8 pound dumbbell may be suitable for one exercise but I might need a 15 pound dumbbell for the next exercise. So even if Jessica doesn’t change her weights, if one exercise challenges you and the next one doesn’t, the solution is simple, you need to increase the weight of the dumbbell you are using. Don’t stick with the same weight just because the trainer does. Challenge yourself!

Another related thing you need to consider is the weights you use. In order to get the most out of this workout (and any strength workout you do), use the heaviest dumbbells you can use while still maintaining proper form for all of the reps (except maybe the last 1 or 2–no shame in failing on the final 1 or 2 reps–it just means you did a great job picking a challenging weight). If Jessica and her mother are using the brand of dumbbells I think they are (Spri) then Jessica is using 10 and 5 pound dumbbells (and Jessica does say in one workout that her light dumbbells are 5 pounders) and Jessica’s mom Debbie is using 2 pound dumbbells. Unless you are completely out of shape, which I doubt Debbie is, 2 pounds isn’t going to challenge you. If you are completely new to exercise then yes–be extremely conservative and build your way up. But IMHO, 2 pounds is just unrealistic for a solid strength workout. Jessica’s weights aren’t even very heavy for large muscle groups. Heavier than her mother’s but I know she can lift heavier than that. I have no proof, but she is a fitness trainer. If I can lift heavier than so can she. But, she is leading a workout for home exercisers and if she was working as hard as I was she wouldn’t have been able to instruct so well during the workout.

Finally, I just want to note that Jessica leads workouts so well. I love her presence. I cannot explain it, but something about this woman makes every workout she leads more enjoyable.  The setting is what I assume is Jessica’s home. And it is beautiful. Between this workout, her Gentle Yoga workout and her YouTube workouts, I feel like I have seen a lot of her house and it is quite beautiful. This DVD gives us a different view. Gentle Yoga was beside her pool which you can see through the glass doors behind Jessica and her mother in this DVD. There is a timer in the bottom right hand corner of the screen counting down the 35 minutes. So these workouts are exactly 35 minutes each.

Equipment needed: various dumbbells and a fitness mat.

Circuit 1: Upper Focus is 35 minutes long; 4 minute warm up (warm up consists of walking and marching in place, side steps, pulsing squats, all with various unweighted arm movements to warm up upper body) and 3:30 minute stretch. Wow. This was an impressive workout. In only 35 minutes Jessica managed to work my upper body very well. I do have to note that my chest was already very sore from an upper body workout done earlier this week, but I still really felt this workout (in other muscle groups, too). I was working hard and sweating–the first part of it was very metabolic. I did all of the exercises at Jessica’s level and did push ups on my toes (rather than knees as Jessica does them) and I used heavier dumbbells than both Jessica and her mother. The point is–this workout can grow with you! Start easy at Debbie’s modified level, work your way up to Jessica’s level, then start increasing your dumbbell weight. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Squat w/ overhead press using one DB held in both hands (one 20# DB)
2. Static lunge w/ one arm overhead press (with legs split, reach DB down to ankle level while lowering into a lunge, row DB as you raise out of lunge and push DB overhead) (15# DB)
3. Repeat 1 & 2 (#2 on other side of body)
4. Place feet into a warrior 2 stance, one arm is hanging down in front of bent leg and the other is at your shoulder (each hand is holding a DB)–do a side lateral raise w/ arm hanging near bent leg; add extending other DB toward ceiling and holding while continuing to do lateral raise (8# DBs)
5. One arm does an overhead press while the other does a bicep curl (10# DBs)
6. Repeat 4 & 5 on other side of body
7. Wide back row while pulsing in squat (8# DBs)
8. Alternating  rear lunge while pressing DBs in front of you at shoulder height (5# DBs)
9. Repeat 7 & 8
10. Rotating tricep kickback while pulsing in narrow squat (8# DBs)
11. Side squat w/ straight arm front raise at top of squat (8# DBs)
12. Repeat 10 & 11
13. Deadlift w/ rotating back row (row starts w/ palms facing floor and twists so palms face ceiling when at side of body) (15# DB)
14. Chest press bridge (raising and lowering hips while doing chest press) (20# DBs)
15. Bird dogs (on all 4s, extend one leg and opposite hand then bring them together underneath body tapping elbow to knee)
16. Push ups
17. In elbow plank, pike hips up (dolphin pose) then return to plank
18. Repeat 15-17
19. Lay on back, knees bent and raised, head raised and palms pressing against thighs–pulse thighs into hands
20. Bicycle legs while reaching arms overhead then bringing elbow to opposite knee
21. Pilates hundred
22. Lay on stomach, arms out straight to sides of body (arms in “T”), thumbs pointed to ceiling–raise and lower arms and chest
23. Extend arms along sides, raise chest and pulse up
24. Arms in goal pose, chest raised–press arms overhead then return to goal post

Circuit 2: Lower Focus is 35 minutes long; 4 minute warm up (#1-3 is the warm up) and 2 minute stretch. This was more intense than I expected. A surprisingly excellent lower body workout for only 35 minutes. I love Jessica’s very controlled pace. This is a fairly high rep workout so she really burns out the muscle groups you are working with her rep pace. It also has a lot to do with your weights. I lifted heavier than both Jessica and her mother, so I am sure I felt it more. With the weights I used, I found this an excellent lower body workout. I was working very hard and feeling it. There is a lot of balance work in this workout which I had to modify because of my bum heels, but I still got an excellent workout even with the modifications. The dumbbell weights listed below are what I used for this workout.

1. Side steps in a shallow squat; changes to alternating high marches
2. Balance moves: Lift and lower one leg in front of you; changes to bending and lifting leg then pushing it down in front of you; changes to circling leg front and back
3. Squat and pulse 3 times, do a cha-cha-cha step then pulse squat to other side; changes to single squats w/ cha-cha-cha step
4. Balancing squat: squat w/ knee raise (15# DBs)
5. Side lunge, sweeping lunging leg across body when standing (15# DBs)
6. Repeat #5 & 6 (#6 on other leg)
7. Split stance deadlift (single leg deadlift) (20# DBs)
8. Come into lunge, lunge deep into runners lunge, lowering DBs to foot, and when you come up,(still in lunge but higher) an do a row at top (15# DBs)
9. Alternating side leg lifts
10. Repeat 8 & 9 on other leg
11. Heel raises (15# DBs)
12. Alternating toe raises
13. Hinge torso/DBs forward while raising one leg straight behind you then bend and straighten supporting leg (15# DBs)
14. Heel raises (15# DBs) & alternating toe taps
15. Step one foot back into plie squat w/ bicep curl; alternate sides (15# DBs)
16. Squats tapping DBs to shins and thighs (Jessica says it is a squat and deadlift combined) (15# DBs)
17. Arabesque balance (standing on one leg, bring on knee forward then lift it behind you)
18. Repeat #16 & 17

Floor work:

1. Lay on back, knees bent and one foot cross over other knee–cross-over crunch (bringing elbow up toward opposite knee)
2. Single leg bridge (still in same position as #1, raise and lower hips)
3. Half-pigeon crunch (same position as 1 & 2, lift foot off floor and crunch knee in toward chest)
4. Repeat #1-3 on other side of body
5. Lay on side and lift top leg then tap to ground in front of you; changes to circling leg
6. Lay on stomach and lift one leg–micro-bend and straighten lifted leg; repeat on other leg
7. Repeat #5 on other leg
8. Repeat #6

Circuit 3: Total Focus is 35 minutes long; 3:30 minute warm up and 3 minute stretch. The warm up previews some of the moves in the workout. Wow. Another intense and incredible workout. This might be the most intense of the 3 workouts. According to my Fitbit I burned the most calories! As usual, it all depends on the weights you use. I did make an observation during this one. I was dripping sweat during this workout and had to briskly mop the sweat out of my eyes several times. I noticed that the mat beneath Jessica had quite a bit of sweat on it and she was gleaming with sweat. Her mother? No sweat. Her mom was doing the beginner modifications and using extremely light weights–and didn’t appear to even be taxed by the workout. Like I mentioned above. I don’t think Debbie is a beginner–she is just showing modifications that I think are clearly below the level of what she is capable of (but that’s ok–it is obviously her purpose in this workout, to show an easier way to do the workout so it is assessable to all fitness levels. These are just observations I made.).

1. Ski swing (squat while swinging DBs behind you and up to shoulder level) (15# DBs)
2. Alternating reverse lunges (hinge forward when lunging, bringing DBs down near ankles) (15# DBs)
3. Repeat 1 & 2
4. 4 plie squat walks forward + 2 overhead press, 4 plie squat walk back + 2 overhead press (15# DB)
5. Pulsing static lunges w/ alternating bicep curls (15# DBs)
6. Repeat 4 & 5
7. One leg squat w/ one arm row (one 20# DB)
8. Lower into plie squat and hold while pressing one DB held in both hands forward and back (one 15# DB)
9. Repeat 7 on other side of body
10. Repeat #8 but this time push DB higher
11. Side lunge w/ wood chop (one 10# DB)
12. Overhead tricep extensions w/ side leg raise (one 20# DB)
13. Repeat #11 & 12 on other side of body
14. Standing chest fly while raising and lowering one knee (5# DBs)
15. Rear delt fly while kicking one leg out behind you (8# DBs)
16. Repeat #14 & 15 on other side of body
17. Cross-over step w/ hammer curl (10# DBs)
18. Static pulsing curtsy lunge w/ tricep kickbacks (10# DBs)
19. Repeat #17 but w/ traditional bicep curls
20. Repeat #18 on other side of body
21. Chest fly w/ knees raised and feet of floor (push feet in and out as you fly) (20# DBs)
22. Lay flat on back, one knee raise, same side arm raised to ceiling–do a full sit up in this position
23. Get on hands and knees, one leg extended straight behind you and opposite arm extended straight in front of you–reach around around while bending knee and touching hand to heel
24. Lay on stomach and hover in a modified partial plank and hold (on knees, lowered halfway down)
25. Repeat 21-24 (if t was done on one side of the body, do it on the other)
26. Lay on back w/ knees bent and feet on floor, raise hips and hold while marching legs

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