Just to give you an idea of how much walking you can do at an outdoor concert/festival, here's screenshot from my Fitbit app:
Pretty impressive, no? Kind of amazing how far you can walk if you're on your feet all day.
As an aside, I love my Fitbit Flex. Jeremy has the Jawbone Up but has managed to break it twice.
So, the point of today's post is to provide a quick review of the Insanity fitness program from Beachbody, but more importantly, to provide some advice for getting the benefits of a plyometric workout no matter what your favorite exercise happens to be.
My journey: I started Insanity on my 24th birthday after an insomnia-fueled pledge to actually get into shape after years of off-an-on weekend warrioring. At the time, my fitness level amounted to running less than 6 miles per week and some occasional yoga or pilates. The first two weeks were basically torture - my legs were so sore I could hardly function. Eventually I learned that taking some extra time to stretch or go for a walk after the videos kept the pain to a dull ache. Somehow, I made it through 9 weeks of intense, gut-busting plyometrics - and my results were pretty great.
I won't bore you with the details of every workout - other sites break down each DVD, including runtime and difficulty. Instead, I want to highlight the unexpected benefits of this kind of HIIT Plyo. Ok, if you want the gory details, scroll down to the postscript and I'll do a breakdown of each workout.
- HIIT is a super efficient way to burn mega calories. I don't necessarily buy into the idea of "after burn" that all the HIITers will try to sell you on, but just calories burned in the workout can be impressive.
- Plyo will cut time off your runs/bike rides/laps at the pool. You can't NOT build crazy muscle doing plyo. I struggled to break a 10 min mile before Insanity - after 2 months I was closing in on a 7:30 pace. I didn't run AT ALL while doing those 9 weeks, but still managed to shave 25% off my mile time.
- Plyo and HIIT is fun. You are constantly changing your moves, changing your focus, going all out or catching your breath. Time flies.
- You can get abs without working your abs. Okay, you are technically working your abs, but it's like a secret. Every jump, and every lateral movement can target in on your midsection if you just focus on keeping your core tight. I never thought I would be one of those people with any kind of definition, but after Insanity I started to believe.
- You'll learn to love it. I remember a time when dreaded any workout that involved jumping. My rare days in the gym were spent on the elliptical or bike. Jumping just seemed so exhausting. Well, it is - but it's also really fun. You find your inner kid pretty quickly. You start to challenge yourself - higher! faster! Can I land without making any sound - like a ninja?!
Now, all that being said, you should definitely take it slow if you are new to these kind of workouts. Plyo is the definition of high-impact and you need to be healthy to take it on.
Because not everyone has $120 laying around, I've got some recommendations for including Plyo into your normal workout routine:
Are you a runner?
New to plyo? Start skipping! Seriously. On your next run, take a lap or a quarter mile and skip it out. Then back to running. Then a lap of high knees, and another of butt kicks. You may look silly, but these three moves will give you more power with time.
Feel stronger? At your halfway point, take a quick minute to stretch. Then get to work with a few minutes of squat jumps, jump lunges, side-to-side hops. Then go ahead and finish your run - bonus points if you treat it like an interval routine with sprints and recovery jogs.
Are you a pilates junkie? Try these moves designed to lengthen your limbs while working up a sweat.
Once you are nice and warmed up, start with vertical jumps (start with feet together, squat slightly then jump straight up, arms reaching high, getting as much air as you can). Continue for up to a minute.
Then get into a high plank and jump feet in, keeping legs straight, into a pike position. Do a pike pushup and jump back. Repeat x 20.
Star jumps are next. Feet together, squat down and touch your toes, then jump up, reaching arms and legs out wide and landing softly with feet together. Return to start and repeat for up to a minute.
Finish it off with pushup jacks. Starting in a high plank, jump feet (and arms if you're up for challenge) out and lower down. Bring legs (and arms) back together as you push back up.
Never leave the weights room? Keep some dumbbells near by for these revved up moves.
Burpee with curls is a great combo. Stand, holding dumbbells to your sides then lower down, jump back into plank (if you have perfectly circular weights, you need to set them down; if not, you can keep your grip on them as handles). Jump feet back in (knees together) and stand, curling into a strong bicep contraction. Repeat for one minute. Add in a pushup at the bottom for extra points.
Next, do weighted 180 squat jumps. Holding one dumbbell against your chest, squat low. Jump up, spinning 180 degrees and pushing arms up high over your head. Land softly and repeat x 20.
Finish it off with weighted calf hops by starting with two basic weighted calf raises and following up with an explosive hop into the air, knees bent slightly to absorb your landing but focus on just using your calf for the power. Repeat the raise-raise-hop move 25 times.
Alright, unless you are really interested in exactly what Insanity will put you through, I'll leave you here. I appreciate you making it this far into a pretty dense post! Think of all the calories your eye muscles must have burned!!
Go earn some sweat :)
-bgt
----------------Click below to read more about INSANITY...
Nitty Gritty Insanity Review:
So, you're interested in buying (legally) one of the best at-home workout programs ever put together? Here's what you need to know:
- You'll be dropping at least $120. More if you find you need a better pair of shoes. More if you want the deluxe set.
- You need to be in decent shape. You don't have to be an athlete, but if you struggle to jog a mile, you probably will find Insanity to be too much, too soon.
- You can do the workouts anywhere. The moves take up a good bit of lateral space, but I've been known to modify a bit to workout in my teeny tiny office.
- Your feet may cramp up - mine did, and I know a few other people who had that problem. The best solution I found is to wear minimalist shoes or no shoes (if you have carpet).
- Shaun T is, hands-down, the best home-fitness DVD motivator. You will be told to "Go" to "Push" to do it right. He will make you believe you can do it. You will also laugh at some of his crazy comments (which I won't spoil for you).
I can tell you that having a workout calendar and nutrition plan spelled out for you makes it that much easier to actually get it done - more so than you'd think. So what does the plan look like?
Basically you do four weeks of the Month 1 workouts, each between 30-45 minutes, 6 days/week. Then you get a Recovery week with one 37 minute workout that you do for 6 days.
Then you put on your big girl panties - I mean you start the Month 2 workouts, each about an hour.
Month 1:
Plyo Cardio Circuit = 42 minutes (Me: 400 calories)
Shaun T introduces the basic layout for all of the circuit workouts in this video. The formula goes: 10 minute warm up, 5 minute stretch, Circuit 1 (4 moves, 2 minutes) + 30 sec rest x3, Circuit 2 + rest x3. This guy literally breaks down the video into every single move for you - ie you can literally put on some tunes right now and try out the entire workout based on his description.
This one if my favorite - it's short, fun, hits everything and gets the job done. It's my go-to out of the entire set of DVDs.
Cardio Power & Resistance = 40 minutes (Me: 375 calories)
Same format as PCC, but the moves in this one take a bigger toll on your legs. This is video that will fuel your hatred of Power Jumps, but it's the Month 1 video that gets you ready for Month 2.
Pure Cardio + Cardio Abs = 45 minutes (Me: 400 calories)
Actually two separate workouts, but most of the time you'll be doing them together. Pure Cardio is not a circuit routine. You have the same warmup and stretch, but then you go fully into about 20 minutes of nonstop cardio. If you don't have the endurance, this is the video that'll let ya know. Even now, I often have to pause at around the halfway point so I can really power through to the end. This is definitely one of the more fun routines though - mostly because it's so many different moves (no repeats). Cardio Abs is one of the best short tag-on abs videos (I'm looking at you P90X). No actual crunches. Quick and gets the job done.
Cardio Recovery = 33 minutes (Me: 200 calories)
The cake is a lie. Recovery comes every Thursday and while you look forward to a day without any actual jumping, you hate that you have to spend it on Recovery. This video hurts. It hurts because your muscles are locked tightly in a painful gnarly bundle from all the other days. It hurts because your stretching exactly what you needed stretched. It hurts because you hold lunges and squats for impossible lengths of time. But oh it hurts so good...
Recovery Week
Core Cardio and Balance = 37 minutes (Me: 315 calories)
I really liked this week. There's still some plyo in this video, but it's all pretty low key. You start slower, get the the burn early and then back off with some core and static squat work. I find this workout really relaxing and will often use it as "active recovery" the day after a really tough workout.
Month 2 (i.e. "Omg, should I go back in do month 1 again? I'm not ready!" but you really are ready)
Max Interval Circuit = 60 minutes (Me: 600 calories)
aka PCC on crack. What's changed? The warmup is a little different and now there are 3 Circuits of 4 moves, each about 45 sec (3 min total), repeated 3 times each, with 30 sec rest. What I love about MIC and all the month 2 workouts is that they're longer and harder, but the moves are put in just the right order so you can keep going. Month 2 workouts have a better overall balance between upper and lower body.
Max Interval Plyo = 56 minutes (Me: 550 calories)
As above, this one just takes the same formula up a notch. Your legs will be toast.
Max Cardio Conditioning = 60 minutes with Cardio Abs (Me: 550 calories)
Basically a longer version of Pure Cardio. I always get a shoulder cramp with one move about 2/3 through and have to pause it (mmhm, that's why I have to pause), but otherwise this is another fun video that's over before you know it.
Max Recovery = 47 minutes (Me: 300 calories)
Basically a longer, more torturous Cardio Recovery. I do prefer Max Recovery because it incorporates more upper body strengthening and core work.
Final Thoughts
Overall, if you can swing the $$ and if your healthy enough to do this kind of workout, you really do have to try insanity. It's still the only program of its kind that is accessible to beginner-moderate level exercisers and that can turn you into a beast...at your home...with no equipment...in 60 days.
If you have any questions about the program, or Asylum, or the new FocusT25 program, feel free to contact me. I'm not a Team Beachbody Coach and I will not try to sell you any product. I just want to give you some insight based on my experience with Shaun T's programs.
Just think, maybe one day you'll get to workout with the man himself!
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