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 Cardio Recovery workout portion of the Insanity program is the first “day off” in the program, although the term day off is used VERY loosely! Yes, it is an easier workout than the other Insanity routines, but to say that it is easy would be far from the truth.
Breathing & Stretching
Insanity Cardio RecoveryThe Cardio Recovery routine starts out pretty slow, which is a welcome change from most of the Insanity routines, all of which have you dripping sweat in less than 5 minutes.
The first 3 minutes are simple breathing and stretching exercises that, although not terribly difficult, do get you both mentally and physically prepared to start cranking things up during the rest of the workout.
Plank Work
The next 6 minutes consist mostly of “plank work,” which is to say that most of the movements include at least some portion of time spent in the classic plank exercise position. For anyone not familiar with the plank, it is basically the “up” portion of a standard push up. Your body is parallel to the floor, your arms are full extended, and your toes are on the floor.
The plank work exercises consist of several versions of getting into and out of the plank position, in and out jumps while in the plank position, and 1-leg pulses that work your hamstrings (back of the leg) and your glutes (butt muscles).
By the end of the 6-minute plank work section, your legs and shoulders are very much warmed up and ready for action, and your heart rate is also up high enough that most people will be sweating more profusely by this point in the workout.
Deep Muscle Work
The next section of the Cardio Recovery routine is a full 10 minutes long and consists of “deep muscle work”. In layman’s terms, it means is that you work your muscles through longer, slower repetitions, and you also hold several static positions in order to build up muscular endurance.
This portion of the workout consists mostly of squats and lunges, all done in 3 ways: slow, controlled repetitions; static holds while in the contracted (difficult) portion of the exercise; and pulses which are short range of motion movements done from the contracted portion of each movement.
This 10 minutes of the workout is the most challenging, because there are no breaks to speak of. You basically get into a lunge or a squat position, and then you have to stay there LONG after your muscles are fatigued and begging for mercy.
Quadricep and Oblique Strengtheners
This part of the Cardio Recovery workout is about 4 minutes long and has some unique movements that most people have probably never seen before. They are meant to strengthen the quadriceps (top of the leg) and the obliques (side abdominal muscles).
The movements are done while in a modified “all fours” position where your knees are kept off the ground the entire time while you go through various leg and abdominal exercises – overall, some pretty cool stuff.
Hip Flexor Work, Flexibility, and Balance Poses
Coming up on the end of this workout, the next 9 minutes are spent stretching out the hip flexors, stretching your body overall, and working on improving your balance. The hip flexors are worked and adequately stretched during every single Insanity workout, and balance is also improved simply by the nature of the Insanity exercise routines.
The exercises in this portion of the Cardio Recovery workout aren’t terribly difficult, especially for people who have been doing Insanity for a few weeks, but they are still effective at what they are supposed to do, which is to increase your flexibility and balance.
Conclusion
The Insanity Cardio Recovery workout is just that a RECOVERY from cardio. It is not meant to be an easy workout, but rather just a break from the normal intensity of the Insanity workouts.
That being said, there are portions of the Cardio Recovery DVD that are far from easy, so skipping this workout is NOT an option during the 60-day Insanity program. You need this workout for the benefits of the workout itself, as well as for the much needed break from the rest of the Insanity craziness!
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
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