I did Chloe Ting's 2 week shred so you don't have to

9th February 2021

By Evie Goodwin

(Image courtesy of Unsplash)

Chloe Ting’s ‘2 Week Shred’ went viral on TikTok back in spring of last year. The beginning of lockdown coincided with the weather getting warmer, so it’s no wonder that a workout plan that takes just two weeks caught everyone’s attention. Various testimonials from those who completed the challenge across YouTubeand Instagram showcased incredible results, such as this one from SusieJTodd. I tried multiple times to get through the full 14 days and always gave up around halfway through. But for the sake of curiosity and in the spirit of ‘new year new me’, I finally finished the challenge and have documented the whole thing for you here.

Day 1-2

The first two days are just two videos each and went by fairly easily. I started these two over a weekend so aside from completing Sunday’s session with a slight hangover, I was off to a surprisingly okay start.

Day 3

The confidence I’d gained from gliding through the first two days suffered its first blow. Four videos to get through to make up a whole 45-minute workout. I got through it with considerably more difficulty than I started with, but so far nothing unbearable.

Day 4

This was the first day that I woke up aching. By now the cardio HIIT workout included in every day of the guide was getting a little tedious, but the addition of a new arm and core workout kept things more interesting.

Day 5

An ‘Active Rest Day’, which basically means no specific workout today but try not to use that as an excuse to stay in bed. I planned to use today to go on a leisurely 5km walk, but the rain forced me to watch all of Mad Men season 3 back-to-back instead. Sorry Chloe.

Day 6

I don’t know if it’s because I’d spent the larger part of the previous day completely stationary, but my body was not having it. I was out of breath and over it within the first round of the first video, and there was still the abs and the lower body workout to go. I pushed through though and felt thoroughly proud of myself at the end.

Day 7

A full 45 minutes again today. In the spirit of full transparency, there’s something I need to confess; I didn’t complete all the videos today. The ‘11 Line Abs’ workout was the final one and 2 minutes of it pushed me over the edge.

Day 8

This was the first day that I can admit that I really, really did not want to do it. It wasn’t so much that my body was hurting, or the workout was too hard, I was mainly just bored. By now it was clear that the main drawback of the workout plan is just how repetitive it can get.

Day 9

Another active rest day, which I actually did use to go on a long walk as the weather wasn’t as wet.

Day 10

Although it’s true that the workout did seem to be getting easier, I was by now officially over it. Sorry Chloe but the motivation to complete all four videos today was absolutely non-existent. I finished the full 47 minutes through gritted teeth.

Day 11

Short and sweet, only two videos today. I sped through the workout with less effort than I should have as I had a Zoom seminar straight after and didn’t want to be late for a riveting discussion on the life of Charlotte Bronte.

Day 12

Switched it up today and completed the cardio workout in the morning and the rest of the videos in the afternoon. Breaking up the workout seemed to make things more bearable and I regret that I didn’t try this earlier.

Day 13

Completed todays three videos as soon as I woke up, in my pyjamas, and with the littlest amount of effort exerted throughout the whole two weeks. Over. It.

Day 14

I could almost taste the freedom. A full 47 minutes to get through today, but I was at the finish line. I completed the cardio and abs workout in the morning before work and the final two in the evening. I have never been happier to get to the end of a workout in my life.

Final thoughts:

Aside from all the complaining, all the sweat and all the hellish bicycle crunches, I’m glad I completed this challenge. I lost a total of 2 inches around my waist and definitely do feel as though the workouts got easier as I went on, so I reckon my fitness levels did improve. However, the 2-week shred does have its limitations. I did feel proud of myself for working out consistently for the full two weeks, but not so much because I felt like I was greatly improving my fitness. The workouts do get very dull very quickly purely because of the repetitiveness of the routine. It seemed like more of a challenge for my willpower rather than my body.

If you’re someone who does consistently exercise already and want to vastly transform your shape and fitness levels, this is not the routine for you. But, if you want to challenge your discipline and force yourself into moving your body, give it a go. The modified versions of each exercise make it accessible to people of all fitness levels, and you have to commend Chloe for making this workout plan completely free and easy to follow for anyone with internet access and a little bit of space at home. But if you’re someone who gets bored easily, you might fare better with a more varied routine!