Fitness Test 3

Hello all you wonderful, motivated people. I apologize it has taken me so long to publish the results of my third Fitness Test, I had a shocking family emergency I had to focus on for the last week. But I am back and better then ever! Today I am going to share my results with you so you can see how much my stamina has improved!

Lets compare my fitness test 1, 2, and now 3 results! 

The two workouts that were the hardest for me during this third Fitness Test were Power Jacks and Suicide Jumps. Both require a lot of cardio and leg muscle stamina. 

While I improved on each specific fitness task, I would like to have seen a greater improvement in my number of Globe Jumps, Suicide Jumps, and Switch Kicks. I will be focusing on those in these next few weeks to make sure I obtain maximum results.

Good luck with these last few weeks of training!! 

Max Interval Training

After 5 long weeks of training then recovery, I have reached the final four weeks of the challenge. The final four weeks of Insanity consist of "max interval training". These new DVD workouts ask the fitness user to participate in long bursts of high intensity training followed by brief rest periods. However even the resting exercises still have the inner core and hip flexors working. The max interval workouts are said to burn 1,000 an hour!

The difference between max interval training and traditional interval training is that normally the high intensity period only lasts for 30 seconds followed by 2-3 minutes of rest. Max interval training is the complete opposite; the rigorous exercise lasts 2-3 minutes and the rest period is only 30 seconds long.

The benefits to turning the traditional interval training upside down is that results come much faster. The body gets sculpted quicker because fitness enthusiasts are using the resistance of their own body, improving cardiovascular abilities, rapidly dropping body fat, and toning all the muscles.

The workouts in this section of Insanity are longer, roughly between 45-60 minutes, but thanks to the previous 5 weeks of training the body can push itself harder than normal.

Fitness Statistics

As I enter my fifth week of training, I wanted to find some scientific data to support my physical fitness goal. I am slowly starting to see my couch as a great place to relax in place of a workout, but these facts and figures helped re-motivate me to get back on the grind.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention the percent of adults 18 years or older who met the Physical Activity Guidelines for muscle-strengthening activity was only 23.9% in 2013. This means that only about 1/5 of the young adult population was able to meet minimal fitness guidelines! This is shocking to me. I feel that almost all young adults should be able to meet the minimum fitness requirements for their age groups.

This small percentage is supported by the fact that less then 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Only 1 in 3 adults recieve the reccomended amount of physical activity each week!

The Presidents Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition also reports that only about one in five homes have parks within a half-mile, and about the same number have a fitness or recreation center within that distance.

These facts, in my opinion, all aid to the large obesidy epidemic our nation is facing. Recent reports on the health and nutirtion of Americans say that by the year 2030, half of all adults-115 million- will be obese. Additionally, overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults!

What does all this information mean to you and I? It means that only 1/5 of the adsolent population is meeting their fitness requirements. The other 4/5 of the population will grow up to add to the 115 million obese adults. You need to take a pledge right now to not add to the statistic! If you are one of those five households who do not live close to a park or a gym, not a problem! As stated before I do Insanity in the living room of my friends house! We don't even have to move any of the furniture, there is enough personal space for a great workout.

Hold yourself to a higher standard of personal excellence. Not only mentally, but physically as well.

Recovery Week, Finally!

After 4 long weeks of intense body training, I have finally reached the Recovery Week of Insanity!

The Recovery Week is a 7-day period focusing specifically on Core Cardio and Balance. This DVD is played each day for the entire week to give the knees a break and focus on the core, aka ABS, ABS, ABS! Even though it is called "recovery" this workout is not very simple. It requires fitness users to perform 1-minute exercises slowly and repeatedly to work specific muscles multiple times. 

I am going to breakdown the Recovery Week workouts so users can understand how Insanity is helping the body recover but not lose progress. 

Warm Up

Before every Insanity workout there is a 3-minute warm up session to get the blood moving, muscles warm, and raise the core body temperature in preparation for the workout. However the Core Cardio and Balance warm up routine is 7 minutes long, and introduces some new workouts users have not seen yet. Moves include football sprints, log hops, and and power jacks. 

Stretch Routine 

The stretch routine is 5 minutes long and includes basic balance stretches to help the already lose muscles not tighten up. 

Major Workout

The heart of the workout is 16 minutes long. During these 16 minutes, core abs are targeted and paired with cardio workouts to blast fat and build muscle. At this point in the program, users cardiovascular and and muscular endurance should be significantly higher, so the workouts are a bit tougher then the first four weeks of training. However each workout can be adapted to fit your personal fitness needs. 

Hip Flexor Burners and Oblique Work

The next 6 minutes are dedicated to working the hip flexor and the obliques. Hip flexor burners consist of three exercises asking users to lift their leg well above the hip, then pulse the leg while keeping it raised, then flexing the leg up and down while keeping it raised. These exercises flow one after another so there is no break in between.

The oblique exercise allows the users heart rate to drop back down and provides a slight recovery before transitioning into the last set of exercises in the DVD. 

Shoulder Burns

The final workout in Recovery Week targets the core and the upper body, specifically shoulders. Shoulder burns ask the user to sit in a wide squat position and spread the arms wide. Then the arms should start to circle in small circles, progressively getting larger when prompted. After making circles, the arms should come forward in front of the chest, then back out again. The last shoulder burn is raising the arms up above the head, then back down to shoulder length. These workouts also occur one-after-another so the shoulders do truly "burn" while you are working.

Cool Down Stretch

The final 3 minutes of the workout are cool down stretching to allow the heart rate to return to normal and give the muscles a break. The cool down stretch gives users a time to reflect on the workout and begin to relax the muscles.

Recovery Week is a great workout that helps transition users into the last 4 weeks of work, Max Interval Training! Stay tuned for my next fit test on June 15 where we can track my progress again!

Why am I doing all of this you ask? Here is some fitness motivation as we enter the 5th week of training! 

Progress Update

Hello fitness enthusiasts!

This is my weekly post to update you all on how the challenge is going. Because this is the week that is in between Fitness Tests, the challenge strictly focuses on using different workouts to tone the muscles and increase stamina.

The past week I have been on vacation in upstate New York mountain climbing, hiking up waterfalls, and attending the wedding of my god sister. Normally I would find it very hard to fit in a workout during my vacation schedule, however the Insanity challenge makes it easy to stay on track with my workout! All I had to bring on vacation with me were the workout DVD's, my laptop, and workout clothes! I made a copy of my workout calendar so I knew what DVD's to use on what days, and I was able to keep up my routine. Since Insanity only takes a laptop, I was able to workout in my hotel room instead of trying to find a gym in the mountains! This mobility and ease of access should encourage all of you to try out Insanity. You can do it in your living room after dinner, in your employee break lounge after your shift, or like me in your personal room! The DVD's all also include optional workout music to keep yourself pumped up and engaged in the workouts.

I have been missing my workout buddies Lexi and Meghan, so next week I will include some quotes from them about how they feel the challenge is going!