Fitness Destinations

Interval Training is far and away the most effective way to burn body fat in a short period of time. You will never find anyone who says otherwise, so if you want to lose weight quickly, you need to be doing interval training, and the Gymboss Interval Timer is an invaluable tool in order to maximize your interval training efforts.

The basic idea behind interval training is that you exercise at a certain intensity level, and then you crank up the intensity to a higher level for some prescribed period of time, then you back down to the original intensity level.

This process is repeated for the entire duration of your workout, and it keeps your body from being able to keep up with the energy demand, so your body starts burning through body fat at an alarming rate in a desperate attempt to handle the activity. This has the effect of not only burning through massive amounts of body fat, but the activity itself increases your overall metabolism, which means that you also burn more fat when you AREN’T exercising. Pretty cool, huh?

The Gymboss Interval Timer allows you to set up audio and/or vibrational cues so that you know when to crank up the intensity level, and also when to back it down to your original intensity level. The timer comes with a belt clip and is only about 3″ by 1  1/2″, so you can clip it to just about anything.

You have the option of manually controlling the device, or you can set it to automatically go off for whatever intervals you input, and for as many total intervals as you like.

The device is small, lightweight, and simple to use, and it is invaluable if you are going to incorporate interval training into your workout program – which you definitely should if you are serious about losing body fat.

Check out the videos below that describe the Gymboss Interval Trainer in more detail, and definitely grab one yourself. The timer is very inexpensive, yet invaluable for your interval training efforts!

Gymboss Quick Set up Instructions

Gymboss Interval Timer Expanded Set-Up Instructions

Gymboss Stopwatch Operation

Gymboss Helpful Tips

Grab your own Gymboss Interval Timer today and start SHREDDING body fat!

Save 25% or even 50% off of Insanity by clicking right here!

Insanity Before and After Pictures and Fit Test Results

In this on-going review of Insanity blog series, the truth behind the Insanity 60-day weight loss program is revealed with a play-by-play description of what the program is really like – and more importantly – if Insanity really works!

The Insanity Max Interval Plyo workout is a combination of hardcore cardiovascular training, resistance exercises, and, of course, plyometrics. Done properly, this workout hits you hard, and it keeps you directly on track for great results.

Insanity – Max Interval PlyoThe Max Interval Plyo routine is made up of two full interval sets, as well as one final set at the end of the workout that is shorter than the other two sets. Considering the raw intensity and challenge-level of the exercises in the first two interval sets, however, having that shorter set at the end of the workout does not in ANY way detract from the effectiveness of this routine.

Circuit #1

Each of the first two interval circuits in the Max Interval Plyo video contain 4 exercises that are done for 45 seconds each without a break, and then you get a 30-second break after doing all 4 exercises back to back. That 4 exercise/30-second break series is repeated three times during the circuit, and then a “bonus” exercise follows the third series, and it is done for 1 minute.

In the first circuit, you use your legs – especially your quadriceps (top of the legs) – during every single exercise. Most of the exercises include at least a squatting movement of some kind, if not a leap into the air as well.

If you’ve never done that type of plyometric training, the bottom line is that it is REALLY intense, it cranks your heart rate up quickly, and then keeps it there. That type of intensity really gets the job done when it comes to weight loss and cardiovascular fitness, however, so it is worth the effort.

Circuit #2

The consistently high heart rate continues during the second circuit, although the upper body is hit quite a bit harder in Circuit #2 than in Circuit #1. There are two push up exercises in Circuit #2 that will push the limits on anyone’s ability to keep going, even if they are really good at push ups.

Again, however, don’t let the intensity of it all scare  you off. The RESULTS that people are looking for from Insanity come because of these types of high-tempo, high-intensity exercises. No one loses weight by kicking back and doing workouts that don’t challenge whatever their personal level of fitness is.

However, that being said, even during a program as challenging as Insanity, the responsibility to exercise at a proper level of intensity falls to each individual person. Anyone is capable of over-doing it or under-doing it, regardless of what the people in the exercise video are doing.

Get with your Beachbody Coach for some free advice if you’re not sure what to do.

Circuit #3

The final circuit in the Max Interval Plyo workout is a combination of 4 exercises that you only do one time. There are 2 exercises that are more geared towards muscular training, and 2 that are primarily going to keep your heart rate up in the fat-burning zone.

One cool thing about this circuit is that the first exercise is going to be brand-new to most people, so Shaun T takes a full minute or so to explain it. During that time you get to catch your breath, which – up to this point – you haven’t been able to do during the entire workout!

Conclusion

The Max Interval Plyo workout is basically “intensity personified”. It’s hard, it’s intense, and it pulls no punches. You are expected to work hard, and the layout of the routine gives you plenty of opportunity to put your money where you mouth is if you think you are in pretty good shape.

As with all of the Insanity workouts, you could slack off if you really wanted to, and no one would know but you. On the other hand, you could DIG DEEPER, as Shaun T is fond of saying, and you will see some amazing weight loss and physical fitness results.

Buy Insanity Now!

OR
Become a Beachbody Coach and save 25% off of Insanity and all Beachbody products, supplements, and equipment!

Related Posts
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Review of Insanity – The Fit Test
Review of Insanity – Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Review of Insanity – Cardio Power and Resistance
Review of Insanity – The Fit Test Week 2
Review of Insanity – Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs
Review of Insanity – The Fit Test Week 4
Review of Insanity – Cardio Recovery
Review of Insanity – Core Cardio and Balance
Review of Insanity – Max Recovery
Review of Insanity – Max Interval Circuit
Review of Insanity – Max Cardio Conditioning
Review of Insanity – Max Interval Plyo
Insanity Before and After Pictures and Fit Test Results

Save 25% or even 50% off of Insanity by clicking right here!

Insanity Before and After Pictures and Fit Test Results

In this on-going review of Insanity blog series, the truth behind the Insanity 60-day weight loss program is revealed with a play-by-play description of what the program is really like – and more importantly – if Insanity really works!

Insanity Pure Cardio
and Cardio AbsMost of the Insanity workout routines consist of a similar and very effective format: Warm-up, stretch, an intense interval training circuit routine, and then a quick rest before continuing with on-going interval training circuits for the entire workout. That format repeats until the end of each workout, and then a thorough – and very welcome! – cool-down stretch finishes out the exercise session.

In the Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs routine, however, the format is quite a bit different, and quite the challenge as well.

The routine starts out with a warm-up and stretch, just as the other DVD’s do, but once the stretches are done and the actual exercises start, they never stop until the entire workout is done.

Most of the Insanity workouts are based on high-intensity interval training followed by brief periods of rest, back to high-intensity, then rest, back to high-intensity, and so on. It is that “reverse interval training” that makes Insanity different than any other home workout program on the market right now.

In the Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs routine, however, once the high-intensity starts, there are NO BREAKS of any kind. You just keep “pushing through” as Shaun T calls it, and you don’t stop exercising until you get to the cool-down stretch at the end.

The period of time that you do this constant exercise is approximately 20-minutes, which doesn’t seem like much when you see that number in black and white. However, this is the Insanity 60-day weight loss program that we are talking about, not some mamby-pamby, ineffective workout program. The Insanity exercises are all challenging, effective movements, and they all share a similar trait:

The better you are at the movements, the harder they are and the more benefit you get from doing them!

In other words, Insanity isn’t one of those routines that you can “conquer,” and then have to move on to something more challenging later on down the road. People don’t conquer Insanity – they survive it!

Cardio Abs

The Cardio Abs routine is actually a separate workout than the Pure Cardio routine, but if you follow the Insanity workout schedule – and you should – then the Cardio Abs workout is done immediately following the Pure Cardio routine.

Pure Cardio is just about 40-minutes long, and the Cardio Abs routine is about 16-minutes long. The total exercise time on the day that you do Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs will be just under 1 hour.

The Cardio Abs routine itself is a good combination of intense cardiovascular movements along with effective abdominal exercises. The ab movements are meant to target not just your “visible” abdominal muscles, but the inner muscles as well, collectively making the workout a core training workout, not just an ab routine.

For anyone who has done the Ab Ripper X routine in P90X, the Cardio Abs routine is not as difficult from a purely abdominal training perspective. However, the combination of intense cardiovascular training along with intense ab and core movements makes Cardio Abs every bit as challenging as Ab Ripper X, just in a different way.

Conclusion

Overall, the Insanity Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs workout routine is at the same time a welcome break from the format of the other workouts, yet it is also just as challenging as the other routines.

There are no Insanity workouts that don’t leave you dripping with sweat and feeling a serious sense of accomplishment, and in that regard, the Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs routine gets the job done just like the rest of the Insanity workouts.

Buy Insanity Now!

OR
Become a Beachbody Coach and save 25% off of Insanity and all Beachbody products, supplements, and equipment!

Related Posts
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Review of Insanity – The Fit Test
Review of Insanity – Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Review of Insanity – Cardio Power and Resistance
Review of Insanity – The Fit Test Week 2
Review of Insanity – Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs
Review of Insanity – The Fit Test Week 4
Review of Insanity – Cardio Recovery
Review of Insanity – Core Cardio and Balance
Review of Insanity – Max Recovery
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Insanity Before and After Pictures and Fit Test Results

Save 25% or even 50% off of Insanity by clicking right here!

Insanity Before and After Pictures and Fit Test Results

In this on-going review of Insanity blog series, the truth behind the Insanity 60-day weight loss program is revealed with a play-by-play description of what the program is really like – and more importantly – if it really works!

Day 2 of Insanity is called Plyometric Cardio Circuit, and it is a seriously intense 40-minute workout! The “warm-up” is 10 1/2 minutes of increasingly difficult cardiovascular exercises that will leave you winded and sweaty, and the “real” workout hasn’t even started yet…

The 10 1/2 minute warm-up consists of 7 movements that are done for 30 or 60 seconds each, and then you repeat that series after a 30-second water break, and then repeat it a third time after another short break.
Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit RoutineThe magic, however, is that each time you repeat the sequence, you have to do the movements faster and with more intensity than the time before. By the end of the 3rd set, you are looking for the end of the workout as well!

The movements themselves consist of some basic heart-rate increasers such as jogging in place and jumping jacks, but there are also some advanced moves like 123-123 Heisman’s, and Mummy Kicks.

After the pulse-pounding warm-up, then you move onto a 7-minute stretching routine that is a workout in its own right. There are lots of basic, effective stretches, and there are also some more advanced moves very similar to some popular Yoga poses. The stretch routine doesn’t match the intensity of the rest of the workout – nor should it – but it is also not a waste of time. There are plenty of good stretches that will be needed once you start the actual Interval Training portion of the routine.

Interval Training

The interval training portion of the routine takes up the rest of the workout time, minus a 3-minute cool down stretch at the end. The exercises in the interval training section are challenging, to say the least.

The first round is a set of 4 exercises, each done for 30 seconds, and with names like Suicide Drills and Power Squats, it’s not hard to imagine the intensity. Also, just as with the warm-up, you do each exercise consecutively, then repeat that entire sequence for a total of 3 rounds, each faster and more intense than the previous round.

The next round is probably the most challenging because the movements are hard, and once again, each set is repeated 3 times with increasing intensity. There are standing movements, movements that are done from the push-up position, and movements that are a combination of both. Between the volume of exercises and the difficulty of the movements themselves, by this point in the workout you are seriously glad that you are almost done!

There is a final series that is almost a “cardio cool down” where you do just 2 movements for 30 seconds each, then take a 30-second water break before moving on to the final cool down stretches.

All in all, the Plyometric Cardio Circuit workout is very challenging, yet mercifully brief. The 40 minutes goes by in a flash, and you are left with nothing but a thoroughly exercised body, a wet shirt, and a serious feeling of accomplishment!

Buy Insanity Now!

OR
Become a Beachbody Coach and save 25% off of Insanity and all Beachbody products, supplements, and equipment!

Related Posts
INSANITY!
Review of Insanity – The Fit Test
Review of Insanity – Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Review of Insanity – Cardio Power and Resistance
Review of Insanity – The Fit Test Week 2
Review of Insanity – Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs
Review of Insanity – The Fit Test Week 4
Review of Insanity – Cardio Recovery
Review of Insanity – Core Cardio and Balance
Review of Insanity – Max Recovery
Review of Insanity – Max Interval Circuit
Review of Insanity – Max Cardio Conditioning
Review of Insanity – Max Interval Plyo
Insanity Before and After Pictures and Fit Test Results

If you are serious about losing weight or increasing your level of health, your one-stop solution is Interval Training!

Interval training carries with it many different benefits, allowing you to achieve the maximum amount of progress in the shortest amount of time. Below are some of the benefits associated with interval training, followed by a primer on what interval training is, as well as some sample interval training programs.

Benefits of Interval Training

• Keeps your body from adapting to your training program, meaning that your progress will never stagnate
• Cranks up your metabolism for longer periods of time than “standard” cardiovascular training
• Allows you to burn more body fat for energy as a result of confusing your body during the interval training session
• Increases your level of cardiovascular endurance as well as the overall strength of your heart and cardiovascular system
• Eliminates the boredom often associated with cardiovascular training sessions
• Increases the release of post-exercise endorphins as a result of the high-intensity nature of interval training
• Boosts your confidence as you realize that you can increase your physical abilities exponentially above previously accepted levels

What is Interval Training?

Basically, interval training is a method of exercise whereby you are constantly changing the level of intensity of the training session, which keeps your body from being able to adapt to the activity.

The human body is a highly adaptable machine, and as soon as your body adapts to any given type of training, your progress will slow down, and sometimes even stop completely. Even if you keep exercising, you will not see any further progress until you find a way to start confusing your body with a new training protocol.

The concept of interval training itself is very simple, although there are numerous ways in which you can modify your approach in order to get the most out of it.

Whenever you are engaged in any sort of cardiovascular exercise, interval training is simply the act of constantly changing your level of intensity. This is normally done by having certain periods of time when you exercise at one level of intensity, and then other periods of time when you increase that level of intensity.

That same concept can be applied to distance just as easily, however. You keep up a certain level of intensity for a given distance, then increase the level of intensity for a given distance.

What is meant by “level of intensity” during Interval Training?

Intensity is simply the level of difficulty that is represented by any given exercise activity. The methods of changing the intensity vary depending on the type of cardiovascular activity that you are engaged in, but 2 of the most popular ways to modify your level of intensity are:

• The actual speed at which are you doing the movement, usually measured in miles per hour (mph) or revolutions per minute (rpm).
• The resistance level that you are fighting against while you do the activity. This can be modified by adding an incline if you are on an exercise machine, increasing the tension if you are on an exercise bike, or just cranking up the difficulty level of whatever machine you are using.

If you are a runner, increasing your speed is the most efficient way to turn up the intensity, although running on an incline is also very effective if that is an option for you.

What are some examples of effective Interval Training?

Exercise Bike or Elliptical/Cross Training Machine

Choose a number of revolutions per minute that you are comfortable with. The number of revolutions per minute that you choose should be challenging for you, but should not push you to your absolute limits.

After a proper warm-up, begin timing yourself, keeping your rpm’s at that challenging level for 4 minutes. At the end of that 4 minutes crank up your rpm’s to a much higher level for 1 full minute.

For example, if your rpm’s were previously 70, crank them all the way up to 80, 90, or even 100. Remember, you only have to do this for 60 seconds. At the end of the 60 seconds, return back to your previous level of 70 rpm’s for another 4 minutes. Repeat that process until the end of your workout.

Remember: Whenever you go back to your original level, you should ONLY go back to that level, which was 70 rpm’s in this example. At first you will be tempted to drop below your previous level because you will be very tired. However, if you drop below your previous level, you will not get nearly as much benefit from interval training.

Running

If your normal running speed is 5 miles per hour, begin running at that speed after a proper warm-up. After 3 minutes, take off and run as hard and as fast as you can for 1 full minute. Really give it all you’ve got!

After 1 minute, return back to your normal running speed of 5 mph for 3 minutes, and then repeat. You will quickly find that it takes you all 3 of those minutes before your heart rate returns back to normal!

The net result of that level of intensity from a calorie burning standpoint is that you will spend a significantly larger amount of time with a higher heart rate than you would have if you had just run at 5 mph for the entire exercise session. All of the other benefits of interval training would of course apply as well.

Distance

Regardless of which type of cardiovascular activity that you are engaged in, you can also use distance as a way to plan your intervals.

Give yourself a certain distance that you will cover at your “normal” speed, and then choose a distance that is approximately 10% to 15% of that distance, and crank up your intensity to an extremely challenging level while you cover that smaller distance.

Once the smaller distance has been covered, return back to your previous rate of speed or other level of intensity for a prescribed distance before repeating the higher intensity interval again. Repeat that process for the entire workout.

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Whether you use time or distance as a way to measure your intervals, the end result is the same – your body is too confused to adapt to the constantly changing exercise environment.

Also, the examples given here are just guidelines. There are no hard and fast rules about how long any given interval should be, or how much distance should be covered.

The only thing that is mission critical to the success of your interval training is that the higher intensity portions of your workout are very challenging, and that you never allow yourself to drop below your normal rate of speed or intensity.

You can modify both the speed/resistance changes during any given workout, as well as the distances covered during any given exercise session. You do not need to stick with one system and never change it.

In fact, the entire idea behind interval training is to keep your body from adapting to the activity, so feel free to change it up as often as you like. However, it is absolutely imperative that whenever you do your higher intensity intervals that they are truly challenging.

Don’t cheat yourself by putting forth sub-par efforts. Interval training is literally one of the most effective exercise modalities ever created, and you can use this system to attain a maximum level of weight loss and health.

Work hard, and the results will follow!