Insanity Intervals PLus

Guess what?  I’ve got another equipment free workout to share with all of you!  This one came to me from my good friend, Derek Heikes (PhoenixHawk on the Team Beachbody message boards).  For those of you that know Derek, you know how much of a cardio MACHINE this guy is!  He sent this over to me for my opinion, and let me tell you, Beachbody needs to make this one into a video!!

Derek combined P90X+ Intervals with some of the moves from the new Insanity Plyometric Cardio circuit.  The offspring it created was this twisted beast of calorie burning beauty!  Keep a bucket close-by, because this one is off the charts!  All you need is a stop watch, some water to sip on, and oh yeah, did I mention the bucket?!

Give this one a try and then I would LOVE some feedback – and Derek, thanks for sharing this one Brother!  Let the good times roll! 

**NOTE – This is an ADVANCED level workout!  Please modify and adjust as needed if you attempt this one!**

I ran through this workout today (05/23/09) immediately after posting it – my Max Heart Rate (MHR) was 185, and my Average Heart Rate (AHR) for the workout was 173 – that’s for a 38 minute duration.  Please be sure that add in a thorough warmup, as well as a good cool-down and stretch at the end.  With all included, you should get through this one in about 50 minutes.

~Mark

The workout is divided into 5 sets of 4 moves. You do each set,  all the way through, all 4 moves, first time at beginning intensity (running in place would be a jog.) Take a 30 second break, then do it again, the second time through at medium intensity (running is now a run). Take another 30 second break, then do that set the last time through at full out, push to your MAXIMUM intensity (running is now a sprint).

Each move in a set is done for 30 seconds, so a full set is 2 minutes long. Again you do each set all the way through (2 minutes), take a 30 second break, do the set again (another 2 minutes non stop), take your 30 second break, then the last time through is 2 minutes of break neck cardio. After you’ve done a set 3 times, move to the next set.

TAKE BREAKS WHEN YOU NEED THEM.

Set 1:

Run in place

Butt Kicks (running knees down feet up, kicking like you’re kicking yourself in the butt)

High Knees (run in place with knees high up to hip level)

Mummy Kicks (these are hard to describe.. run in place on the balls of your feet with your legs straight, so they move slightly in front of you. At the same time you have your hands straight out from your shoulders, doing scissor motions back and forth so your hands cross on top of each other, alternating one on top then the other… In the Insanity trailer on youtube that’s 3:15 seconds, it shows people doing this at the :34 second mark)

Set 2
Squat Jacks (Sumo Chair from X+. Start in Chair with hands up, jump out to wide feet and hands swing down in outward arcs to touch the floor. Immediately bounce back up to the chair position in a jumping jack type move)

Charleston kicks – From a lunge, back foot skips up to the front foot, and the front foot does a front kick, then steps back to where it started and the other foot steps back to a lunge. Second and third intensity the opposite hand from your front foot touches the floor. Do 15 seconds per leg in each set)

Side Lunge Side Kicks – just like the side kicks are done in KenpoX. Start slow, then up the speed and height for second and third intensity levels. Again 15 seconds per leg per set.

Squat Kicks – squat and alternate front kicks with each squat.  First kicks, low.  Next, medium height, Third, High Kicks

Set 3:
Speed Skaters – step/jump from side to side in a crouch like you’re skating, arms swinging with each move. Jump further and faster for higher intensity levels.

Tires or Wacky Jacks – Running in place with wide feet and high knees like tires from PlyoX, or Tires/wacky Jacks from P90 Masters or Plyo Legs.

Plank Run – in plank position, hands stay in place and legs run.

80/20 speed squats – just like from Plyo X. Second set is all jumps, third set hands touch the ground on each move. Again 15 seconds per leg.

Set 4:

Jumping Jacks

Mountain Climbers – run in place with high knees. As a knee comes up, the same hand reaches up like grabbing a high branch, and pulls down as the knee comes down, the other knee/hand going up at the same time (imagine being on a versa-climber if you’ve ever seen one).

Plyo Lunge – Mary Katherines from PlyoX. Start by going slow in the first set, second time is a slight skip, third time is non-stop plyo switching.

Carlito 3 way push ups – start standing up, then drop into a push up position (plank). Jump feet back to hands and stand back up, hands go up over your head then back down and repeat. Second intensity level you do a push up every time you hit the plank position. Third intensity you jump every time you come up.

Set 5:

Heismans – Like in PlyoX but no hold in place. Constant movement back and forth. At the third intensity level you should be going as fast as you can.

1-2-3′s – Heismans, with a double step in the middle like in Plyo X but much faster.

Side to Side – short shuttle run, 3 or 4 steps to each side and touch the ground. Run back the other way and touch the ground with the other hand.

Insanity Drills – Drop into a plank position, do 4 push ups, then 8 plank runs. Jump feet to your hands and stand up, hands up, then drop and repeat. Increase the speed for intensity in the 2nd/3rd round.

Turn off the mind chatter, and stop the excuses!

I get a lot of emails with people asking why they aren’t getting the kinds of results they want to see with their fitness programs.  They tell me how hard they workout during the programs, and they just can’t understand why they don’t have a six pack!  My very first question back to them is, “How is your diet?”.  Every time, it comes back the same, “Well, I don’t always eat that well.”  Well, there is your answer!  People, the eating equation is a HUGE part in that puzzle of of fitness!  The goal is to turn off the mind chatter, and stop making excuses for eating bad food!

Fitness really boils down to goals, and where you want to end up in life.  For me, I REALLY like being super-fit and being able to do the things that I do.  I  workout and eat clean because I feel so much better when I do.  If I eat junk, I feel sluggish, bloated, and gross.  Why would I want to make a choice that I know is going to cause me to feel lousy?  I don’t do workouts for vanity reasons (although that’s not a bad side effect), I do them because I feel so incredible when I’m fit.

I still get the same bad food cravings that everyone else does, I just CHOOSE not to indulge in them, because they move me away from where I want to be.  The longer you eat clean, the less you crave the junk food, and ultimately, you feel BETTER!  Then, the “good addiction” sets in – and you just want to constantly reach for that ever next higher level.

Everything you do in life is a choice.  You can either choose to do the things that make you better, or you can choose to do the things that make you worse.  Life is ALL about choices!

I have a strong family history of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.  You know why?  Because I have a family full of people that made the choice to not workout, not eat right, and a parfait of other bad life choices!  You can either invest in yourself now, or you can deal with the fallout when you get into your 40′s, 50′s and 60′s!  My CHOICE is to invest now, live well now, and be SURE that I’m not a miserable, hunched over, grump when I become an old man.

You are the person that decides what you are going to do.  Nothing has power over you unless you allow it to.  Not food, not relationships, not your boss – nothing and no one – just YOU!  Clearly we have to do things in life that we don’t want to do….that’s just how it is – but we have 100% control over what we decide to put into our mouths.  We have 100% control to decide to exercise.

“Do your best and forget the rest”.  Those words can be applied to EVERYTHING we do in life.  You can see the glass as half empty or half full……its all about your perspective.  Don’t be one of those people that has a defeatist mind set.  Get up every day and invest in yourself.  You’ll be better person for making that CHOICE!

No matter what the situation, I always look to the positive, and I always try to stay on track with the things that bring me closer to my goals.  Turn off the mind chatter, stop the excuses, and become the person that you want to be!

The choice is YOURS……Who do you want to be, and where do you want to go?  Decide.  Commit. and trust me, you WILL Succeed!

~Mark

Tony Horton’s 11 Laws of Fitness

The title really says it all with this one.  Tony Horton, the creator of P90X and several other top selling Beachbody workouts has been changing lives all over the world with his incredible training and insight into fitness and nutrition.  He came up with these 11 laws to help guide people toward being better, happier and healthier.   I do my best to follow these “laws” every single day, and their impact in my own life has been nothing short of profound.  Read them, absorb them, and live them – you’ll be glad that you did!

1. Variety - Variety is the spice of life and fitness. A lifetime of health and fitness is achievable when you can think outside the box. You have to mix it up all the time. Stay curious, creative, and stick with the kinds of workouts that you enjoy. A variety of exercises, workouts, and sports will allow you to avoid injuries, plateaus, and boredom.
2. Consistency -  Improvement and change occur when you do things often. Stopping and starting all the time will kill any momentum you need to succeed. You must find ways to stay in the game. Moderate forms of exercise, done consistently, provide far better results than the occasional full-body pummeling. A lifestyle that includes multiple forms of exercise five to six days a week guarantees results.
3. Intensity – YOU’RE TOUGHER THAN YOU THINK. The fear of pain or injury from working out is a mindset steeped in failure. You must learn to “Find the Line.” Do the extra rep or two, increase your range of motion, and increase resistance as you get stronger. Intensity goes hand in hand with Variety and Consistency. The combination of the three work together as a triad that creates a platform for success. The programs provide variety. Your plan will keep you consistent.
4. Purpose – Your purpose is to have a better life. Exercise and eating right help you feel better. When you feel better, you do more. When you do more, you meet other people. A healthy lifestyle gives us the energy to be better than before. We want to participate, share, communicate, and build a community—have purpose in our lives. If you had never found Beachbody, you might be right back where you were—isolated, with nothing to share, no purpose, because you weren’t doing anything with anyone.
5. Reality – Why do we want life to be different than it is? Why do we think about who we were and who we’re going to be more than who we are? We certainly talk a good game about who we are now. Why do we try to predict the future with the hope that wishful thinking is enough to change it? Life is NOT the way it was. It’s the way it is. Life is not our fantasy predictions of the future or our glory days of the past. Life is that thing that is happening to you as you read this. We fall into the trap of living in the past and future because right here is not good enough. Back then and up there are keeping you from right now.
6. Sports – Take the onus off of weight, inches, and body fat percentages and put the focus on MOVING—from dancing, rock climbing, and mountain biking to table tennis. I love that ping-pong! Think in terms of “can do” instead of “look like.” Sports are fun and help develop balance and coordination—which in turn accelerates your results. Jump, kick, run, spin, throw, skate, shoot, hit, score, compete . . . PLAY!
7. The Plan – SCHEDULE ALL WORKOUTS IN ADVANCE. This creates accountability. Plan an entire month ahead of time. Try to schedule as many workouts as possible with friends who have similar goals. WOWY was developed so that we could find an easy and effective way to stay accountable and work out together. Now we’ve got people in all over the world working out at the same time. That is cool!
8. Sleep (and stress) – Stressed out, sleep-deprived people don’t eat right and exercise regularly. Stress depletes energy, strength, and desire, while poor sleep habits affect your moods and immune function along with cognitive and motor performance. Burning the candle at both ends makes it impossible to be fit and healthy.
9. Loving It – Exercise and workouts involve commitment, determination, planning, consistency, and intensity. If you don’t like what you’re doing, there’s no way on earth you’ll succeed. Enthusiasm is a very big piece of the puzzle. Get creative and stay curious. If you enjoy doing Power 90 exclusively and it works for you, then keep doing it until it doesn’t. If you get part way through P90X and it’s not your cup of tea, then stop, and do something else. Something’s got to bring you back day after day, week after week. Love it (tolerate it) or leave it.
10. Flexibility – Flexibility is the fountain of youth. Flexible people are much less prone to injury. Yoga and stretching allow you to bring more intensity to your workouts. Flexibility is the key component to becoming less vulnerable and more durable. Aging has a funny way of making everything we do harder. Staying limber and flexible is the way to prevent that from happening.
11. Food and Supplements - You are what you eat! Food and supplements are your fuel. The right fuel supplies proper energy and recovery through balanced brain chemistry. The right supplements simply fill in gaps in your diet.