Fitness Test 1&2 Comparison

Today I am publishing the comparison of my first Fitness Test* on May 11th with my second Fitness Test on May 25th. I have officially been training with Insanity for 14 days. My growth in fitness stamina has already improved, and the results of my second fitness test are extremely encouraging.

*The breakdown of what the Fitness Test is, why users are asked to complete it, and the benefits of being tested can be found here in my previous post

Fitness Test 1&2 Results

Clearly, my overall results have improved. I gained 7 Switch Kicks, 6 Power Jacks, 16 Power Knees, 3 Power Jumps, 1 Globe Jump, 5 Suicide Jumps, 4 Push Up Jacks, and 20 Plank Obliques. 

The hardest skill for me this week was increasing my Push Up Jacks; this means I should focus more on shoulders and upper body strength going into these next two weeks of training. 

My results are extremely encouraging and I am excited to begin these next two weeks. I hope to add at least 4 more reps on each of my fitness skills before the next test. 

My Body and Composition Test results should be given back to me soon, and they will be published as soon as I receive the data. 

Fitness Test Breakdown

To give you readers a little background on the Insanity Workout Challenge:

• Insanity is mde up of 10 DVD's, each with different workouts that last between 30-45 minutes.
• Each day a different skill is targeted to enhance your body's growth and physical development
• The skills include Plyometric Cardio Circuit, Pure Cardio, Cardio Power and Resistance, Cardio Abs, and Cardio Recovery
• Insanity gets such positive results because it utilizes interval training.
• Interval training asks the body to perform the same workout three times, each time gaining more ferocity. 
• There are only 30-second breaks between each circuit in order to raise and then quickly lower the heart rate
• By fluctuating the heart rate the body burns fat and gains muscle faster. 
• Every two weeks, users are asked to complete a Fitness Test. This test is always on the same DVD and asks users to complete certain skills that have been gained the past two weeks in order to show growth and change in strength, endurance, and power.
• This is my second Fitness Test, and today this post will compare my results from the first week to beginning the third week of training. 

The Fitness Test is made up of seven different physical tasks each lasting 1 minute in duration, and there is a 30 second break in between each task. As perviously stated, the tasks are always the same and are very easy to count, so users can easily compare results every two weeks. 

• The first fitness task is Switch Kicks
• The user is asked to hop from foot to foot while kicking in the air.
• Swtich Kicks are recorded for 1 minute

• The second fitness task is Power Knees
• Power Knees are when the user lifts his or her knee up through the hands as fast as possible.
• Each raise of the knee is recorded for 1 minute

• The third fitness task is Power Jumps
• Power Jumps are when one begins in a squat and jumps from that position, using the core to lift the legs as high as possible when in the air. 
• Power jumps are recorded for 1 minute

• The fourth fitness task is Globe Jumps
• Globe Jumps begin in a squatting position and jumping left, back, right, and front; making a "globe" with your body. 
• One Globe Jump is a full left, back, right, and front rotation. They are recorded for 1 minute
• An example video can be found here
• The fifth fitness task is Suicide Jumps
• Suicide Jumps ask the user to throw their feet back into a push up position. From here, use the core to bring feet back under the arms and, powering up from the floor, jump into the air. Suicide Jumps work the core, arms, and legs. 
• Each Suicide Jump is recorded for 1 minute 

• The sixth fitness task is Push Up Jacks
• Push Up Jacks pair a simple push up with cardio
• The user begins in a push up position and as they lower the body down using the arms, the feet jump out, forming a star with the body. These looks like jumping jacks, but on the floor instead of in the air
• Each Push Up jack is recorded for 1 minute

• The seventh fitness task is Plank Obliques
• Plank Obliques begin in a simple plank position. Then, each leg is raised sideways towards the shoulder. 
• Users should alternate feet
• Each Plank Oblique is recorded for 1 minute 

All of these skills are tested during the Fitness Test. There is also a 3 minute muscle warm up in the beginning which includes jogging, jumping jacks, butt kicks, high knees, and mummy kicks. Following the warm up is a 5 minute stretch period. Once the stretching is complete, the Fitness Test begins. 

Proposal: 60-Day Insanity Workout Challenge

Challenging myself and my friends to become physically fit in 60 days

Needs and Opportunities

What does the average college student eat on a Thursday night when they are on a budget? Pizza. What does the average college student eat Friday morning when they wake up feeling lazy? Pizza. When the student is running late and needs to grab a quick lunch, what is the most common solution? Pizza, or another type of fast food. All this Pizza and fast food is so easy, cheap, and quick to purchase. While it is convenient for myself and my friends to run to Chick-Fil-A when we are hungry, it is taking a terrible toll on our bodies. At the start of summer I decided we needed a workout regime that would help keep our bad eating habits under control and would give us enough cardio, strength, and power training to help attain our dream bodies. After research and debate with physical fitness experts who work at the Bobby E. Leech Student Recreation Center, I decided the 60-Day Insanity Workout Challenge would be the most beneficial for us to attempt. 

The goal of this 60-Day challenge is to help myself and my friends gain endurance, stamina, power, and loose a few pounds before August begins. 

Audience / Clients / Users

The people who will directly benefit from this project are myself and my three friends; Meghan, Lexi, and Ayla. However, our commitment to the project will inspire other girls and other members of the community to begin a workout routine of their own. Also, the longer we keep up this workout routine, the more people will want to actually workout with us. I hope to inspire at least two more girls to start the challenge like we did. This project can also inspire other students to begin their quest towards physical fitness once they see how amazing the results truly are. 

Timeline

May 11 Deliverables	Take Fitness Test 1. Record Results. Begin Challenge.
May 25 Deliverables	Take Fitness Test 2. Take a Body and Composition Test. Record Results.
June 15 Deliverables	Finished with the first half of the Challenge. Take Fitness Test 3. Record Results.
June 29 Deliverables	Take Fitness Test 4. Record Results.