I feel like it was just August and I wrote my post about being halfway through the JCORE: 20-Minute Accelerated Body Transformation Workout DVD Program
Right after I wrote my mid-way review of JCORE, we left for vacation in Montauk. Usually, when we go on an extended vacation, I stress during the weeks beforehand about how I am going to workout while away from home. Is there a gym or community center nearby that we can use? Is there a public pool? Is there somewhere I can run? But this time, I didn’t do a lick of research beforehand. I just packed up my JCORE DVDs.
For me, the best part about the experience was how excited my kids were when I did my workout. I’m really not sure why but they kept asking me, “Mommy, which DVD are you doing today? Fire Fit? Rev Up” At Day 7, 14, 28 and 40, you do a “Fit Test” to see how you are progressing and improving against your baseline at the start of the program. My son Jasper was my scribe for these sessions and he took his job very very seriously.
What I liked most about JCORE
- No gym or weights are required and you can do the program in a pretty small space. That means that you can pretty much do the program anywhere which is great for people living in small space (ahem, NYC apartments) or folks who have to travel for work.
- 20 minutes. Each of the 5 different workouts are 20 minutes long. Like I’ve said before, the workouts are easy to squeeze into your day. It’s also a hard workout so you don’t feel compelled to tack on another half hour or something to feel the burn.
- Fast paced workout. You do each exercise for 30 seconds before switching to the next (or 15 seconds if it’s a single-side move). I kept thinking to myself, “I can do anything for 30 seconds,” but in reality? Not so much. The JCORE exercises are hard and they burn, even with the modifications. I wish I was exaggerating. One thing I noticed was that since you do each exercise for 30 seconds, oftentimes I would rush the exercise in order to complete as many reps as possible. In doing so, I didn’t always pay as close attention to form as I should have. On the video, Jay always reminds folks that it’s not about the number of reps that you complete – it’s about doing what you can within the allotted time. So people! Slow down and make sure you are doing the exercises correctly.
- The workouts involved a lot of leg work (think lunges and squats) and planks. Both were great for working my trouble areas. Honestly, my butt feels perkier and my abs have emerged from hibernation.
How did I do?
Overall, I felt a lot leaner and tighter than I have in a long time. My goal for doing JCORE was to jumpstart my fitness routine now that I’m strong enough to start working out again after surgery. JCORE definitely did that for me and made me feel confident in my bikini at the beach.
Overall, I lost about 2 pounds, an inch on my waist, an inch on my hips and between 1/2-3/4 inch around my thighs. I know that’s not “huge” numbers but again, my goal wasn’t to lose weight.
Also, I didn’t strictly follow the meal plan. I did eat a lot more lean protein and vegetables and started to clean up my diet. Was there more that I could have done? Absolutely. After all, abs are made in the kitchen, right?
Finally, the complete JCORE system also includes nutritional supplements – a vitamin, zero calorie drink (JCORE Zero Lite), recovery drink and protein shake/snack or meal replacement. I didn’t really use the supplements, except for the vitamin and the JCORE Zero Lite, primarily because I don’t normally use supplements and because I have a number of food allergies which makes me hesitant to try new things.
Would I recommend JCORE?
Absolutely. Now that I’m done, I realize that I have to figure out my workout plan moving forward. It was so nice having a calendar planned out for me so I literally didn’t have to think about what I was going to do that day. I do plan on continuing to use JCORE
You can read about my progress through the program here:
Do you have any questions about the program? Have you ever completed a program like this? Suggestions for what I should do next??
{As a Fitfluential Ambassador, I received the complete JCORE Accelerated Body Transformation System to review and received no other compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.}
Love that the workouts are 20 minutes and you don’t have to think its all laid out for you. I’ll have to try it!
Jess recently posted..Weekend Things
Thanks Jess! Yes, I like not having to think about anything and just look at the calendar to see what workout to do that day. It’s definitely worth looking into!
Oh my goodness. I love Jasper’s scribing for you! So cute! I agree that it’s nice to have a program to tell you what to do. I’m doing Jamie Eason’s LiveFit program (weight lifting) and I agree, I really like that I don’t have to think at all…I just do what she says. It’s so nice to be bossed around every once in awhile!
Becky @ RunFunDone recently posted..Outdoors Fest
It’s so super sweet how seriously he took his job as scribe! I’ve heard about LiveFit but haven’t looked into it. Do you like it?
You. Had. Me. At. Your. Kids’. Excitement.
Miz recently posted..Im going GONG HEALING.
He is super cute. He shooed away his little brother so he wouldn’t get in the way of my workouts and cleared the space for me too. He sets up my DVDs. It’s awesome
AMAZING!! It sounds like you have had a fabulous experience! And you totally rocked it!
Krysten Siba Bishop (@darwinianfail) recently posted..Boobie Tuesday – Scars
Thanks Krysten! It was a pretty good program and I really liked how easy it was to fit into my day.
Great job! I think it’s always a great idea to show people that exercise doesn’t have to involve machines and a gym membership. Sounds like JCore is a sound program that gets results!
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama recently posted..The Double Standard
It’s funny because ask me a year ago to get by without my gym membership and I would have looked at you like you were crazy. But I think that it was just me having a closed mind to things. I’m glad that I did this to really realize that it is possible to get in a good workout without all the machines, weights, etc.
Great job. I love that your son was your scribe – too cute. Great progress. LOVE that it’s 20 minute workouts that really feel like workouts.
Carrie@Familyfitnessfood.com recently posted..Remembering
It was the hardest 20 minutes ever. Well, maybe not every but it was a hard 20 minutes
Way to rock it girly!!
Thanks Erin!
Nicely done! I love the thought of having my workouts planned out for me– really smart approach. Living in a city condo with little room for extra equipment, and a crammed schedule to boot, I can totally see the benefits of this system.
Elizabeth recently posted..Today: Rise and lift.
Because it really requires so little AND all the workouts are planned, it kind of takes all of your excuses away, you know? It was hard for me to find an excuse not to do it even when I was super busy.
I am a bit intrigue by JCore. I have been doing boot camp classes where I teach and have been doing my own home “boot camp” It sounds familiar in that it is very high intensity and you switch up the moves a lot. But book camp does use some weights and props. Anyway, I love the variety in boot camp and it sounds like there is a lot of variety in JCore as well.
2 pounds not a huge weight loss? You are so small to begin with I can’t image if you lost one more ounce…
ilene recently posted..Boys
There was a lot of variety and you were constantly moving which I like. I caught myself thinking a few times – just want a minute to rest! But it also made me realize what a slacker I am at the gym sometimes as I dilly dally from exercise to exercise.
I love your review of this and awesome results!! Seriously! In such a short time and even with a goal of not losing weight, you probably just toned and refined areas we all want to refine
I love that your son was your scribe 
jobo recently posted..Scratching the surface.
Yes, I think that there was a bit of toning and refining going on!! It felt good – exactly what I needed.
Ooooh so now you should do ZWOWs! She puts out a new one each week, and they’re the same kind of deal, 15-20 minutes of INTENSE work, small space and rarely using weights. Now that my race season is over, I’m going back to this, working up to 5 days a week. I highly reccomend Zuzana’s workouts
Kristin recently posted..Mayday!
I’ve heard of Zuzanna but haven’t looked into her workouts. Will have to do that. Thanks for the suggestion!
This seems to be really great actually. I love that you don’t have to use any equipment, that can really get in the way of a work-out for people that are not used to them. I will definitely check this one out.
Mariella Lombardi recently posted..Why You Need to Read Jackie Warner’s “This Is Why You’re Fat”
I loved that it didn’t require any equipment and it really showed me how much you could do with body weight exercises. I totally used to poo-poo them (with absolutely no basis for my judgement) and now I am a huge advocate!
I love that you had your kiddo write it all down for you! (Great way to reinforce numbers! Note to self…) I also love that you had some solid improvement there, momma! Great job! Not only do you feel it, but it’s recorded!
Melissa @ Live, Love, & Run recently posted..Recipe: Spicy Sausage & Butternut Squash Quinoa
OMG he LOVED being my helper. He kept his little brother out of the way. He set up my DVD. He moved the furniture. It was awesome
I felt great to see some improvement and more importantly, to feel it.
Do IT AGAIN! and increase the intensity! LOL. Easier said coming from me all the way across the country. Glad that you were doing it for fitness and not to lose a magic number. If the workout was good, you could always pick up segments of it as needed. That is what I do with several of my workouts.
Pavement Runner recently posted..My Next Reading Adventure
haha! Yes, easier coming from across the country. But I do think that I will incorporate segments when I need a quick workout or boost.
It sounds really fun! Have you ever tried Zuzana?
Blond Duck recently posted..Wings 42
Someone else mentioned Zuzanna. I haven’t tried but will now look into it.
I love the idea of starting something like this after I do some PT and before I am all the way back to running. Would you consider it a good middle ground?
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero recently posted..Overwhelmed
I do think that it can be a good middle ground. I would probably recommend modifying some of the exercises which is what I did and slowing it down (They move quickly in the video sometimes). I think that it really depends on how you’re feeling and recovering. There were definitely some moves that I didn’t do because I knew that it wouldn’t be great for my knee. I think that a big part of it is just being aware of where you are with your recovery and what your body is capable of. It’s definitely a good workout.
I have never heard about JCORE.
But this seems really fun and easy.
Donna Spears recently posted..Transform Your Lifestyle with Timber Folding Doors
I think that JCORE was released earlier this year. It is fun, not necessarily easy
Is J-core just a means to jump start fitness? Is it not something I can continue to do for an indefinite period of time? I have 150 pounds to lose. It’s a lot of money, for just 40 days.
Karen recently posted..Jumpstarting the New Year
Hi Karen! The program is structured as a 40 day program I believe meant to help challenge you and start/refresh your fitness routine and to help set some healthy habits. The 40 day program gives you a calendar to follow for the workouts (from the 6 DVDs) and a nutrition plan (suggested menus and different suggestions for nutritional intake over the 40 days).
You could continue to do the workouts after the 40 days (I continue to incorporate the workouts into my fitness routine) and increase the intensity of the moves that you do during the workouts, moving from the modified exercises to the more advanced versions. However, since the body will adapt to the workouts that you are doing, I would probably suggest completing the 40 days, taking a break from the program to do some other forms of exercise and then, depending on where you are with your weight loss, pick up the program again. That’s just my opinion but I’m not a certified personal trainer or anything. Also, I’m not affiliated with JCORE in any way but I do think that they are great workouts.
Hope that helps!
Thanks for the wonderful review. I have been doing some of Jay’s bikin workouts from youtube & quite a few people have said that I lost weight. While the scale has not moved a bit, I feel my clothes fitting better & I feel good about myself. I’m going ahead & purchasing the system since it’s on sale right now.
I found you by googling JCore reviews and wanted to thank you for your honest opinion. As a busy working mom of two kids under 6, I appreciate it you taking the time to offer your opinion. I’ve done P90x and Insanity (with good results) but once I completed the programs I could not recommit. It’s so time-consuming and getting up at 5am (the only time I have to myself) to workout is difficult (especially with all the bouncing around in Insanity).
I’m a runner (well, I mostly jog) but want to supplement my workouts with something else that builds all-over muscle, and have heard good things about JCore. I admit, 20 mins is intriguing but made me wary that it’s not enough of a workout. But it sounds like it is!
Thanks again, for the review.
Coreen recently posted..Little Miss…Manners
Hi Coreen and I’m glad that the review was helpful. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about only 20 minutes a day but they were great. You’re working the entire time and they are bodyweight exercises that you can do anywhere. And I didn’t supplement my JCORE workouts with a 2nd workout during the day. It felt like it was enough for me and has changed the way I think about working out.
Honestly, let me know if you have any other questions. I’m happy to try to answer them!