What’s in it?

There is a 5 minute warm up followed by the 40 minute cardio workout which is broken down into seven 6 minute fat blasting circuits. Jillian says that you could lose up to 5 pounds a week but that’s got to be virtually impossible unless you weigh 300 pounds, and then I wouldn’t recommend anyone of 300 lbs to do this workout unless they want a cardiac arrest! This DVD is not the faint hearted or for beginners.

You can choose to do the cardio sections individually and there are seven to choose from but if you are serious about your workouts and fitness and really want to burn fat then you have to do them all. Jillian recommends using her system 5 times a week, I work out 6 times a week but do different workouts all the time, I probably do Jillian’s Banish Fat twice a week.

There is a cool down at the end, which after such an intense fat burn workout is a little bit short at 5 minutes, so I just add my own cool down for another 5 minutes.

What’s good about it?

Jillian is an excellent instructor who keeps you informed about positioning and keeps you motivated with encouragement. She uses plyometric, kick boxing and old school callisthenics with no equipment required apart from a mat. The moves are controlled and well paced so it’s easy keep up, and believe me, you can feel the fat burning away as you work! I also like the fact that there are no mat abdominal moves, one of my pet peeves has to be mat abs! I prefer to do abs standing up and for this work out Jillian agrees by doing all core and abs work in an upright position.

In terms of a long term workout routine this beats the 30 Day Shred as it's longer in workout time and tougher, and adding it to your workouts two or three times a week will definitely give you results. I'd be more inclined to use the 30 Day Shred if I've slacked off my workouts and need a kickstart to get me ready for the Banish Fat workout!

Where is it lacking?

The only problem I found was trying to fit in water breaks. She moves from one circuit to another without time for sipping water. I can easily drink 1 -2 litres while working out and it is important to do so while perspiring so heavily during the workout, especially in warmer weather. One other thing, there is a section called Jillian’s Top Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle, my advice; don’t click on it. Its total tosh! Jillian loses respect here by advertising a toothbrush of all things. I can’t even be bothered to think about why she would want do this, but I do know that she hasn’t had a single filling since using her new toothbrush!

Is it worth owning?

This DVD is definitely worth owning. Its one of the most effective work outs I have done, the whole body is worked and worked hard! I love it!

They've got Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism on Amazon for £5.99 and it's well worth it, I promise!